ABSTRACT

Among the very complex set of issues entailed in urban renewal, none has received more attention both from policymakers and from the public at large than the problem of residential blight. This chapter is an attempt to shift the level of discussion on to a more meaningful plane through a careful analysis of the problem and of the policies being devised to deal with it. Virtually all cities in the world today contain extensive areas of what is described as urban blight. Slums represent nothing more nor less than a shortage of housing. Given a basic shortage of accommodation, given the inequality of income and wealth, and given the heterogeneity in terms of quality of the available housing stock, it follows that the poor will occupy not only less space per person than others but also the poorer quality space. Residential structures are subject to depreciation through wear and tear deriving from usage and through the mere passage of time.