3 - Moving Out or Not?: Transformations and the Lack of Changes in a Delhi Slum

With the growth of urbanisation, international development agencies have long viewed urban slums as a problem because of various issues, including unsanitary living conditions, insecure tenure, and inaccessible government services. In the last two decades, however, urban slums in India have undergone significant changes. For instance, residents of slums have been acquiring infrastructural resources such as water, electricity, and streetlights through networks with local politicians to improve their living conditions. Additionally, with the development of systems to ensure educational opportunities, some children from slums are attending elite private schools free of charge through the new reservation system. Thus the situation in urban slums is changing, and an increasing number of residents of slums are gaining access to resources and opportunities that were previously unavailable to them. Such changes notwithstanding, many residents have argued that serious problems persist in the living conditions of Delhi’s slums, and have expressed a desire to move out; indeed, some have already done so. What do these residents from slums still perceive as ‘problems’, and why do they still want to leave the slums? Where are they relocating to, and what new challenges are they facing? This presentation follows both the transformations and the lack of changes in Delhi’s slums over the past 20 years by focusing on the issues perceived by residents considering relocation and those who have already moved. Through this analysis, this study examines what the residents place value on in their living places.