Methods to assess spatio-temporal changes of slum populations

Abstract

More than 50 % of the world's population lives in cities. Since this proportion is expected to increase enormously, especially in African and Asian cities, the question of the impact on the development of a city arises. This paper proposes a method for determining the net mobility of slum dwellers within cities and examines it in inter- and intra-urban settings on three continents. The derived metrics are defined by taking into account the current insufficient availability of uniform slum data in cities of the Global South. The study shows differences in the mobility of slum populations in diverse cities on the different continents, as well as intra-urban differences. These could provide a building block for infrastructure planning. Thus, the suitability of the approach for estimating the future infrastructure needs of the slum population is discussed as an example application.