Slums can offer lessons to modern cities.

Now this is really intriguing: find the full article here: The world's slums are overcrowded, unhealthy - and increasingly seen as resourceful communities that can offer lessons to modern cities. - The Boston Globe And here's why I'm reassessing some assumptions: "... development specialists and slum dwellers themselves in arguing that slums have assets along with their obvious shortcomings. Their humming economic activity and proximity to city centers represent big advantages over the subsistence farming that many slum dwellers have fled. Numerous observers have noted the enterprising spirit of these places, evident not only in their countless tiny businesses, but also in the constant upgrading and expansion of homes. Longstanding slum communities tend to be much more tightknit than many prosperous parts of the developed world, where neighbors hardly know one another. Indeed, slums embody many of the principles frequently invoked by urban planners: They are walkable, high-density, and mixed-use, meaning that housing and commerce mingle. Consider too that the buildings are often made of materials that would otherwise be piling up in landfills, and slums are by some measures exceptionally ecologically friendly."
Recall, if you will, that only 150 years ago or so, much of London, and other UK cities were slum-ridden. And recall, too, that slum clearances in Britain in the 60's arguably made matters worse. Helping people to help themselves to improve has a lot to commend it. 'Simple' things like sewarage and power and clean water make such a difference. Communities can very often make very good decisions about things if they are empowered to do so and democratic control is facilitated. The rest of the article gives some examples to do with property rights and appropriate municipal support, for example.