Squatting In Jamaica

Topic: Population Shift

Narrowed Topic: Impacts of squatting due to high levels of rural to urban migration by young adults to the parish of Kinston Jamaica in search of better opportunities.

One of the most critical urban problems of developing countries is squatter housing. Squatter housing defined by Gedik A. Geogr Pol. 1993;(61):471-7 is housing that is illegally established and roughly constructed. The initial structure was small in size, made of low-quality materials, and built with nominal labor costs on squatter land (refers to government owned or private property). “Jamaica has become more urbanized and this has been fueled by the development of intra parish migration. Much of this has been accounted for by people who are leaving

This is defined as “exposure to hazardous physical, chemical, and biological agents in air, water, soil, food, and other environmental media or settings that may adversely affect human health.” National Environmental Health Associations (2018). Countries such as Jamaica that is still in the early stages of development is normally faced with high levels of environmental issues due to widespread poverty and severe lack of public infrastructure, such as housing, proper healthcare facilities, drinking water and proper means for waste disposal. Migrants from rural to urban areas might not take into consideration the lack there is of facilitation, and this leads to squatting in or around these areas and contributes to a rise in environmental health issues. To make this connection I refer to Jamaica Survey of Living Condition 2010; Kingston, Statistical Institute of Jamaica indicates that “Outbreaks of water borne diseases like typhoid and gastroenteritis are very prevalent because of the absence of proper water supply systems, sewage and waste disposal systems. Foul-smelling garbage and smells from open sewage canals affect squatter communities, especially children.” For example: Without the proper means of garbage disposal these squatters resort to the burning of their trash in open areas. As a result, the dense smoke will affect children and adults alike suffering from asthma. These

This is sometimes called the basic or central economic problem and asserts the point that an economy's finite resources are insufficient to satisfy all human wants and needs. It assumes that human wants are unlimited, but the means to satisfy human wants are limited. Qizzlet Inc (2018). To allow my readers to understand how squatting and economic issues are related, I will use Gordon, L. (2012). The Economic and Social Cost of Squatting (Pt 1) “Squatters create problems for the urban planning process. They put a strain on public utilities that are established for the existing communities, for example, where water is supplied to communities using pipes that were designed to supply a population of, say, 10,000, the sudden arrival of 5,000 squatters will put a strain on the water supply. The same can be said of electricity, schools, clinics and hospitals.” Squatters also suffer directly from their conditions. There are often bad reputations associated with these squatter settlements and so potential employers on many occasions turn these citizens away. This results in their high levels of unemployment and gives rise to squatter settlements. Without the necessary economic advantage, they do not possess the means needed to elevate themselves from their current conditions sometimes leading to further destabilization. Land captured by squatters are usually prime development areas and as a result slows