Low-cost, informal settlements are characterized by increased vulnerabilities. This house in an informal settlement in Cali, Colombia, is at high risk of being destroyed by landslides of natural disasters triggered by landslides, floods, earthquakes, and fires (see Figure 1.3), to diseases and child mortality (resulting from exposure to toxic and industrial waste, indoor air pollution, polluted water, etc.) and to violence and crime. They typically rely on informal work, and have unclear land tenure and property rights, increasing their vulnerability to social injustices.
Slums are not the sites of the worst living conditions in developing countries, and they do not always accommodate the poorest of the poor. In most developing nations, the majority of the poorest citizens still live in rural areas13 and remote locations, where they have limited or non-existent access to health services, schools, infrastructure, and jobs. According to an UN-Habitat report, almost half of the rural population in developing countries lives below the poverty line, while this is true of less than a third of the urban population. Poor rural residents in Sri Lanka, the Congo region, Colombia, Angola, and many other countries are often affected by war and violence and suffer from additional vulnerabilities, including decreased life expectancy and higher rates of child mortality18 and illiteracy, among others.