Title: Slums are for people. The Barrio Magsaysay Pilot Project in Philippine Urban Community Development.

POPLINE Document Number: 018161

Author(s):

Laquian AA

Source citation:

Honolulu, Hawaii, East-West Center Press, 1975. 245 p.

Abstract:

This study of Barrio Magsaysay, a pilot project in Philippine Urban Community Development, raises certain questions, including: what, in reality, is a slum; what physical, social, and psychological factors mark an area as a slum and another as a run-down, but viable community with character; what value judgments are expressed when an area is termed a slum; and how do these value judgments affect the ability to do something about the slum problem. An attempt is made in this book to take a second look at urban slum squatters, especially in the developing countries. It provides a close-up view of 1 community in the Philippines. The 10 chapters cover the following: slums and squatters (the extent of the problem, dealing with slums in terms of on-site housing, relocation, reasons for relocation and on-site housing failures); the Barrio Magsaysay Project (rural community development precedents and urban community development--basic urban community development approach, advantages and disadvantages of urban community development, program initiation, theoretical moorings, action research orientation, training the urban community development workers, and previous training), physical characteristics and legislative history of the Barrio Magsaysay; the people--general profile, age, education, income, and length of stay in Barrio Magsaysay); community leadership; entry (research survey, service impact, political officials, traditional government workers, social activities, economic appeals, and appeal to main community interest); interagency cooperation; urban community development projects (service impact projects, community organization projects, and income-producing projects); savings and slum life; and the future of urban slums. The research findings in Barrio Magsaysay revealed the existence of a sense of community among urban squatters and slum dwellers. Research surveys pointed to the fact that slums are the real "transitional societies" that social scientists have been describing in their analytical models. For most slum dwellers are rurall migrants in the process of becoming rural men. The slum and squatter problem at this time is not dependent on overpopulation. The main cause is the maldistribution of the population into certain growth points. Policies and action programs are most urgently needed because the rural programs of the government are already bearing fruit, and 1 side effect of their success would be rural-urban migration. With roads improved, the people displaced from agricultural employment will find their way to the cities. Clearly, solving 1 set of problems creates another.

Keywords:

Philippines
Urban Population
Residence Characteristics
Squatters
Social Problems
Rural-Urban Migration
Migration, Internal
Rural Development
Development Planning
Community Participation
Organizations
Political Factors
Income
Socioeconomic Factors
Low Income Population
Community Development
Training Activities
Asia, Southeastern
Asia
Developing Countries
Population Characteristics
Demographic Factors
Population
Population Distribution
Geographic Factors
Migration
Population Dynamics
Economic Factors
Organization and Administration
Social Class
Socioeconomic Status
Social Development
Training Programs
Education