The ecology of urban poverty

Abstract Environmental degradation and widespread poverty in cities of the developing world are becoming closely intertwined in particular geographic areas with vulnerable environmental conditions. Nearly 130 million of the ‘hungry poor’ populations live in or around the core of cities. These people are increasingly clustering in crowded squatter settlements in peripheral urban areas (eg flood plains, steep slopes or adjacent to dangerous industries) that are widely exposed to natural and man made environmental hazards. In the quest for subsistence, these poor people also create problems that further impoverish themselves and their environment. These changing physical circumstances make the alleviation of urban poverty and protection of the environment much more complex and urgent than ever before.