Informal Settlements a Perpetual Challenge?

The United Nations Millennium Development Declaration of 2000 Has Brought Informal Settlements, or 'Slums' As They Are Often Referred To, Squarely Onto National and International Development Agendas. One of the Millennium Development Goals is to Significantly Improve, by 2020, the Lives of 100 Million Slum Dwellers Globally. Country Governments Have Responded Varyingly to This Challenge. a Group of Colleagues in the School of Architecture and Planning at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa Recognised This Challenge, and Embarked on a Two-Year Collaborative Research Project on Informal Settlement Policy, Funded by the National Research Foundation (Nrf). This Project Sought to Bring International Experience Into the Changing Policy Environment in South Africa, and Included Four Workshops in Johannesburg Involving Local, Provincial and National Government, Policy Makers, Ngos and International Scholars. This Title Comprises a Selection of the November 2004 Workshop Papers