The Caribbean's Urban Issue of Overcrowding – Shantytowns (Informal Settlements

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Urban spaces are compiled with unplanned and illegal shacks which are self-built causing overcrowding at a large proportion. The issue of overcrowding in the Caribbean is a challenge for a lot of the tourist based islands. Shantytowns are built with corrugated tin roofs, card board and blue tarps. Some shanties may even have a fabric for the front door or a roof may be a garbage bag that exposes the elements to those residing in the shanty. The problem of overcrowding, should a fire occur with the rather close proximity of the shanty will spread quickly. The overpopulated shantytowns lead to diseases like cholera due to poor sanitation with limited health care that can lead to an easy spread of infectious diseases. Yet, the community minded shanty town has potential to arise from the ashes and provide a beacon of hope to planners in their race to demolish the settlements, but to improve the infrastructure of the more than 940 million people across the globe that reside in shanty towns or squalor conditions. It is estimated that in 30 years one in three people will live in slums, if the government does not curtail urban growth. This paper examines the question what if the commendable phases of informal communities such as shantytowns could be separated from the unfortunate parts? Is it possible for a community of unplanned illegal shack dwellers to collaborate with urban and regional planners to reorganize to a healthier and safer residence? Through a qualitative analysis of data, information gathered by personal interviews with Caribbean citizens and related research literature the study findings show that urban planners may need to look at the examples and ingenuity of how squatters use open space to live in informal settlements for the future of urban development.

Full text

THE CARIBBEAN’S URBAN
ISSUE OF
OVERCROWDING
SHANTYTOWNS
VALERIE A. PURRY, PHD
MARCH 18, 2016
JACKSON STATE UNIVERSITY
[Company address]

Caribbean’s Urban Issue of Overcrowding – Shantytowns 2
The Caribbean's Urban Issue of Overcrowding – Shantytowns (Informal Settlements)
Valerie A. Purry
Jackson State University
ABSTRACT: Urban spaces are compiled with unplanned and illegal shacks which are self-built
causing overcrowding at a large proportion. The issue of overcrowding in the Caribbean is a
challenge for a lot of the tourist based islands. Shantytowns are built with corrugated tin roofs,
card board and blue tarps. Some shanties may even have a fabric for the front door or a roof may
be a garbage bag that exposes the elements to those residing in the shanty. The problem of
overcrowding, should a fire occur with the rather close proximity of the shanty will spread
quickly. The overpopulated shantytowns lead to diseases like cholera due to poor sanitation with
limited health care that can lead to an easy spread of infectious diseases. Yet, the community
minded shanty town has potential to arise from the ashes and provide a beacon of hope to
planners in their race to demolish the settlements, but to improve the infrastructure of the more
than 940 million people across the globe that reside in shanty towns or squalor conditions. It is
estimated that in 30 years one in three people will live in slums, if the government does not
curtail urban growth. This paper examines the question what if the commendable phases of
informal communities such as shantytowns could be separated from the unfortunate parts? Is it
possible for a community of unplanned illegal shack dwellers to collaborate with urban and
regional planners to reorganize to a healthier and safer residence? Through a qualitative analysis
of data, information gathered by personal interviews with Caribbean citizens and related research
literature the study findings show that urban planners may need to look at the examples and
ingenuity of how squatters use open space to live in informal settlements for the future of urban
development.
INTRODUCTION
The Caribbean is widely known for its beautiful islands, crystal clear blue waters and
radiant white sandy beaches. An interesting fact about the Caribbean is there is only 2% of the
islands inhabited. In spite of the picturesque illustrations from the many tourist brochures, there
are informal settlements better known as shanty towns, where the urban poor reside in unhealthy
areas near and around garbage dumps, cemeteries and rocky hillsides (Perlman, 2010:8). The
close proximity of the shanties causes limited spatial mobility. The probability of fire due to
someone cooking in the shanty with the type of materials that are usually flammable is
detrimental to the settlement of shanties. The economic status of poverty concentration within

Caribbean’s Urban Issue of Overcrowding – Shantytowns 3
the settlements is a social woe of the inhabitants. Case studies and literature report that informal
settlements in third world cities are unable to allocate their scarce economic resources to the
housing sector (Eyre, 1972). Therefore, due to the inappropriate policies and strategies to guide
or provide new development, overcrowding occurs in vacant and undeveloped land areas
(Melesse, 2005; Hardoy and Satterthwaite, 1993). The migration of the once rural dwellers
comes with a belief that the city will offer a lot more opportunity, however the migrant usually
arrives with nothing which includes not having a place to live. The solution then is to find
whatever can be used to build an informal home beside the already informal homes in an
informal settlement. These informal homes are made from corrugated iron, mud, wood found,
tarp for the sides and or plastic.
The widespread population growth has caused the migration of many of the rural
dwellers in the Caribbean to the urban centers. The factors are numerous for people to leave the
rural areas including poverty, unemployment and the belief that better jobs and services will be
available in the urban areas. According to a native Jamaican professor, interviewed for this
study, the term shanty town is out dated, so the term will be substituted at times throughout the
paper for the phrase informal settlements (Barima, 2016). The migration to the urban area was
not properly controlled by appropriate planning intervention and led to a shortage of low-cost
housing and overcrowding. Shanties are comprised of one room with maybe six to seven people
in each household (Barima, 2016). The migration is not always on the fringes of the
metropolitan or major city hubs. There are informal settlements also behind housing
communities within Jamaica (Barima, 2016).
The negative consequences of shantytowns is the overcrowding. The overcrowding
impacts the quality of life combined with unhealthy environments because of the close proximity

Caribbean’s Urban Issue of Overcrowding – Shantytowns 4
of shanties, violence, and sanitation issues are also major problems. The standards of health,
hygiene and sanitation is a major problem. At any moment the shanty can be demolitioned by
property developers which will cause homelessness. There has been very little attention paid to
the informal settlements. The undesirable urban growth of informal settlements in much of
the research shows the relationship between the nature of the cities disorganization and
negative effects of social disorganization concerning the inhabitants in the unplanned
settlements. The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between population
growth and the effects of overcrowding in two islands of the Caribbean’s unplanned
settlements. Is there a possibility for a community of unplanned illegal shack dwellers to
collaborate with urban and regional planners as well as the city politicians to reorganize and
move to healthier, affordable and safer residence? Specifically, this study will examine if
there are any measures besides evictions and scattering the impoverished residents to other
informal settlements.
BACKGROUND
There are over 700 islands, islets, reefs and caves divided into different islands groups:
Lucayan archipelago, Greater Antilles, and Lesser Antilles. The two Caribbean islands in this
study are the republic of Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica. The Republic of Trinidad and
Tobago are called two islands one nation. This paper will only study Trinidad and Jamaica.
A shantytown is considered a dwelling erected without an official subdivision plan on
land in which those residing in the shanty, have no title or deed to the property (Eyre, 1972:394).
The development is rapid due to population growth of major cities and for some reason the city
is unable to allocate their economic resources to the housing sector (Eyre, 1972:395).
Shantytowns are also called slums, squatter settlements, camps, favelas, informal settlements,

Caribbean’s Urban Issue of Overcrowding – Shantytowns 5
illegal or unauthorized impoverished people who live in improvised dwellings made from scrap
materials, often plywood, corrugated metal, and sheets of plastic.
Most shantytowns are located in third world cities such as India. Dharavi Slum is the
locales name in Mumbai, India, it spreads out over parts of the Sion, Bandra, Kurla and Kalina
suburbs of Mumbai. The location occupies 500 acres and has a population of 600,000 to 1
million people (UN-Habitat, 2016). The movie Slumdog Millionaire, Oscar winning 20081 film
brought the life of slums to the world, yet much has not changed for those who populate these
communities. The shantytown in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil is called a favela (Parks, 1961:86). The
shantytowns in Brazil these days, are virtually inaccessible to vehicles, and often are built one on
top of another. They have stairways, sidewalks and simple tracks which allow passage through
them (Perlman, 2010:10). In the Kibera Slum, in Nairobi, Africa, 60% of Nairobi’s population
lives in squalor conditions. This community is not served by public services, i.e., public waste
collection. It is estimated 750,000 people in one square mile live in Kibera which is not able to
be located on a map (Sharifah, 2016:2). The UN reports that Africa will have 332 million slum
dwellers a number that will continue to double every fifteen years (Vidal, 2005). It is estimated
that 940 million people across the globe reside in shanty towns or squalor conditions. It is
estimated that in 30 years (Davis, 2006:3) every urban person will live in and be a slum dweller.
A United Nations report on slum demographics states that more than half the world’s people live
in cities 54% in 2014, and it is predicted to increase in 2050 to 66%. That means 2.5 billion
people will live in urban areas (World Urbanization Prospects: The 2014 Revision, Population
1 A Mumbai teen reflects on his upbringing in the slums when he is accused of cheating on the Indian
Version of “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?”
Picture source: Affordablehousinginstitute.org. Kibera, Nairobi, Africa (largest

Caribbean’s Urban Issue of Overcrowding – Shantytowns 6
Division of UN DESA). This paper is specifically focusing on the Caribbean regions. The UN
reports the problem of overcrowding is still prevailing at 24% urban slum dwellers. In
comparison, Africa’s urban population has 61.7% living in slums; Asia 30%. This UN Report
narrows the numbers to country level where China at 180 million followed by India at 104
million, but topped by Central African Republic at 96% of the population (State of the World
Cities Report, 2012/13). Haiti is known as the poorest country in the Latin America and the
Caribbean region has a 70% urban slum population.
The UN reports there are five deprivations descriptive of a slum household the group of
individuals living under the same roof lack one or more of the following:
1. Access to improved water – this has somewhat improved as well as sanitation,
however more still needs to be done.
2. Access to improved sanitation facilities-there has been some improvement as
stated in number one.

Caribbean’s Urban Issue of Overcrowding – Shantytowns 7
3. Sufficient living area—not overcrowded, slums are usually dense settlements.
Privacy is a luxury with the close proximity and makeshift windows and doors
in shanty homes. And, considering a typical slum room is 9 square meters or
30 square feet.
4. Structural quality/durability of dwellings, the quality of the structures made
with corrugated boards and iron sheet shacks are not permanent construction
for a home.
5. Security of tenure-the UN reports this deprivations is the most critical aspect
for slum households. It is estimated that 924 million people in urban areas did
not have security of tenure, and this number has grown since 2014.
These five deprivations affect the lives of persons living in shantytowns or informal
settlements. This UN report is not optimistic that the trend of slum dwellers are diminishing. On
the contrary, the report states slum dwellers/informal settlements/squatters are becoming
dominant. The inequality of the quality of life in the community of informal settlements
concerning health care is “unjust socially”. The life expectancy of children at birth to reach 55
years of age is unfortunately unheard of in these communities (urban HEART, 2010, WHO). The
informal settlements are prone to be vulnerable to outbreaks of cholera, malaria, and diarrhea just
to name a few health issues. (UN-Habitat, 2016). These health crises occur only because of the
lack of basic services, planning and the lack of community engagement facilitated by the city
government. Education and job opportunities are scarce options for the “slum labor force”. It is
reported that the urban poor and young people have less education than in rural areas. It is
estimated that Latin America and the Caribbean are 4.7% of the global illiterate.
Underemployment and informal jobs held by the residents of informal settlements has

Caribbean’s Urban Issue of Overcrowding – Shantytowns 8
predominately gone unchanged at a 6% unemployment rate since the 2013 Global Employment
trends report. The report states that “more than a quarter of the young urban poor earn little more
than $1.25 a day (UNESCO, 2016). And, to top off all of that information, most of the head of
households are women.
CARIBBEAN, URBAN ISSUE OF OVERCROWDING
According to the State of the World’s Cities Report (2010/11), Latin America and the
Caribbean “experienced a significant 20% reduction in the proportion of slum dwellers among its
urban population over the last decade”. However, slum incidence remains relatively high: 23
out of 100 urban residents in the region live in shanties, favelas or campamentos
The economic and social woes of informal settlements are caused by the government not
planning for the poor which produces the lack of infrastructure to build suitable housing. It is
reported that the problem with housing availability is global forces are “pushing” people from
the rural areas. The International Labor Organization has estimated that the formal housing
markets in the third world countries rarely supply more than 20% of new housing stock, so out of
necessity people turn to self-built shanties, informal rentals, pirate subdivisions or even the
sidewalks (Davis, 2006:18). It is obvious then, with the close proximity of shanty’s and the low
economic status of poverty that the residents experience a high rate of social problems, i.e. high
numbers of unplanned pregnancies, dropouts from school and high crime rates (Small and
Newman, 2001). Although the literature asserts that “there is a culture of poverty where the
norms and behaviors of the poor can be distinguished as a subculture of a large society and is
characterized by a distinct way of life…low aspirations”. Perlman (2010) refutes this
stereotypical thought and states the clear facts about the over 700,000 inhabitants of the study
she wrote in her book Favelas, and she suggests simply that “they had nowhere else they could

Caribbean’s Urban Issue of Overcrowding – Shantytowns 9
afford to live”. Strangely the negative effects of disorganization in the city government not
providing affordable housing causes social disorganization and therefore poor neighborhoods of
shantytowns continue to spread.
METHODOLOGY
Most studies examine the economic and social aspects of life in informal settlements, but
this study focuses on the possibilities of reallocation of services, better access to resources
needed for sustainable living among the informal settlement dwellers. The case study approach
of this research focuses on the informal settlements of Jamaica and Trinidad. The different
profiles of each through two native former residents of the islands. The qualitative study will
share from the interviews on the character extent of the two informal settlements and compare on
their homelands improvements of the shanty towns.
TRINIDAD
Trinidad obtained its independence from the British in 1962 and became a republic in
1976. The area of Trinidad encompasses 1,864 square miles and Tobago 116 square miles.
Trinidad has a population of 1.3 million and Tobago’s populations is 52,000. The strongest
industries in Trinidad are oil, natural gas, financial and insurance. Tobago’s strongest industry is
tourism. The official language is English and the diversity of the islands vary with African and
Indian descent, mixed race, European Chinese and middle eastern ancestry.

Caribbean’s Urban Issue of Overcrowding – Shantytowns 10
Source: Google Earth
The illustrated Google map is a picture of Beetham Gardens in Trinidad where in 2011
there were problems with the occupants and the illegal electrical current that was disconnected,
however the local government made a promise to rectify the issue of turning back on the
electricity. The participant interviewed from Trinidad stated that people who occupy state land
for sixteen years and build a residence or “work” the land for agricultural purposes are often
times given a chance to claim ownership. It is a right by a “squatter”. Adverse possession
requires certain conditions to be met in order to perfect the adverse possessor’s title. The
legal right of a “squatter” are as follows:
1. Actual possession. The adverse possessor must physically use the land as a
property owner would, in accordance with the type of property, location, and
uses. Examples include, clearing, mowing, planting, harvesting fruit of the land,
cutting timber, fencing, running livestock and constructing buildings and other

Caribbean’s Urban Issue of Overcrowding – Shantytowns 11
improvements. Paying taxes does not establish actual possession, but may be
admitted by the court as evidence of claim of right. The true owner’s payment
of taxes does not affect the adverse possessor’s actual possession.
2. Intention to possess. In addition to factual possession, the adverse possessor
must provide evidence that he had the necessary “intention to possess.” He must
show that he intended to take the land for himself, not to share it with the
previous owner, or to use it without the previous owner’s consent. This might be
inferred if a person takes possession of a house and changes the locks, or if a
person moves a fence, or puts a lock on a gate.
3. Open and notorious. The adverse possessor ’s use of the property must be so
visible and apparent that it gives notice to the legal owner that someone may
assert a claim. The actions must be of such character that would give notice to a
reasonable person. If the legal owner has knowledge, this element is met. It can
also be met by fencing, posted signs, crops, buildings, or animals that a diligent
owner could be expected to know about.
4. Exclusive. The adverse possessor must hold the land to the exclusion of the true
owner. Anyone who enters the land with the permission of the true owner fails
to have exclusive possession.
5. Adverse. The adverse possessor must also show that his possession was
“adverse” or “without permission’. A person cannot claim “adverse possession”
if he or she has permission to use somebody else’s land. Therefore a tenant
cannot establish adverse possession against his landlord, as he lives in the
property by express permission.
6. Continuous. The adverse possessor must show that property was held
continuously for the requisite time period. Occasional activity on the land with
long gaps in activity will fail the test of continuous possession. If the adverse
possessor is removed from the land and after some time returns and
dispossesses the true owner again, then the limitation period (16 or 30 years)
starts over from the time of the adverse possessor’s return.
A squatter may, however, pass along continuous possession to another squatter. In
such a case, the number of years the land was possessed by the previous squatter is added
on to the new squatter’s period of possession (Westmin, 2013).

Caribbean’s Urban Issue of Overcrowding – Shantytowns 12
Source: Google Map-Spanish Town Jamaica
JAMAICA
Jamaica was under English rule in 1655 before gaining independence in 1962. The
language spoken is Jamaican Patois and English. The area of Jamaica encompasses 4,411 square
miles which makes the island slightly smaller than the state of Connecticut in the United States.
The population of Jamaica is 2,791,097. The strongest industries are mining, manufacturing,
construction and energy/oil.
The Google area map of Spanish Town Jamaica illustrated above, is where the interview
with the native Jamaican was familiar. He stated that the politicians in charge of the community
have certain protections. The country Jamaica has many informal settlements in Montego Bay,
Portmore, Spanish Town, and Kingston just to name a few. In Montego Bay there are ten
shantytowns, namely North Gully, Mount Salem, Albion, Glendevon, Flaker, Rosemount,
Tucker, Granville, Bogue and Green Pond.

Caribbean’s Urban Issue of Overcrowding – Shantytowns 13
The housing need in Kingston Jamaica had this news article written about the needs for
housing in 2015 (Clarke, 2015).
People want houses but can't pay for them. The last known
housing survey done around 2006 identified a housing need
well north of 400,000 units. At the current pace, it could take
close to a century to fill the demand. Still the same survey had
counted effective demand those ready to buy at around
100,246, or 23 per cent of total need.
NHT Chairman Dr. Carlton Davis has said the agency is "aggressively redoubling its
efforts to fulfil its mandate of making it easier for Jamaicans to own homes".
Table 1 - Census Population and Annual Growth Rate
Years – Annual Growth Rate
Country 1980 1990 2000 2011
# % # % # % # %
Jamaica 2,190,357 1.4 2,380,66
6
.95 2,607,63
2
.87 2,697,98
3
.36
Trinidad 1,079,791 +1.34 1,213,73
3
+1.18 1,262,36
6
+.0.39 1,328,01
9
0.46
Source: Census Information Statistical Institute of Jamaica and Country Information Go Trinidad and Tobago (2011)
The population of Jamaica has experienced highly accelerated population growth. The
rapid population increase of the cities in Jamaica has been mainly attributed to the urban
population increase and the migration from the rural areas making it one of the most densely
populated countries in the world. The rapid growth in population of the city has put immediate
pressure for more housing and space. In comparison, Trinidad’s growth was ethnically diverse
and was experiencing a renewed period of relatively rapid population growth (Country Studies,
2016). According to the 1980 national census, Trinidad and Tobago's population was 1,079,791;
of that total, 96 percent lived on the island of Trinidad, mainly on the west coast. Intervening

Caribbean’s Urban Issue of Overcrowding – Shantytowns 14
estimates by the national government in 1985 and 1986 placed the population at 1,176,000 and in
2011 a peak of 1,328,019 (Country Studies, 2016).
Table 2 – Demographic and Economic Comparison
Country Population Life Expectancy Unemployment Rate*
Jamaica 2.79 million 73.28 29.20%
Trinidad 1.34 million 69.82 years 29.6%
*Labor Force Survey Coverage Age 15+, 2016
In Jamaica, in the 1980s life expectancy at birth (the average number of years a newborn
infant can expect to live under current mortality levels) was very high at seventy-three years
(Country Studies, 2016). This is illustrated in Table 2 where the life expectancy in Trinidad is
69.82 and the unemployment rate is 29.6% compared to not much of a difference in Jamaica with
a rate of 29.20%. However the unappealing settlements, and the high number of unemployment
there are relatively a percentage of Jamaicans who have accomplished some type of enterprises
in the informal settlements of Jamaica’s, Glendevon and Granville. Grocery stores, bars, auto
body shops, ice vending and tailors are in Glendevon and Flanker. Glendevon also has
morticians, dry cleaners, dressmakers, jewelers, and open air market. And, Granville has schools
as well as enterprise businesses (Eyre, 1972).
INTERVIEW
Question: Do you know anyone that had to live in a shanty because they loss their job had
challenges in their life?

Caribbean’s Urban Issue of Overcrowding – Shantytowns 15
Trinidad Answer: Most people would identify a squatting community and join them by
marking out a lot and planting it with crops or establishing a dwelling of some kind. Usually
temporary in nature then slowly lay a foundation and build a solid dwelling. They would usually
have a primary residence and sleep or visit the squatting residence/garden on a daily/weekly
basis to maintain ownerships with the hope that in time the will be granted the land by the
government after 7 years or more has passed.
Jamaican Answer: Families that live in the same yard, live in multi-family units and the family
always looks out for the children.
Question: Do most former offender have to live in shanty towns due to the stigma of living
near an ex-convict?
Trinidad Answer: Not really. Trinidadians can be very forgiving and understand that the
judicial system is not efficient nor fair. The stigma that ex-cons experience here is not the same
in Trinidad. Trinidadians are also a very entrepreneurial people and while an ex-con may have
some challenges, depending on the situation they would likely get the support of family and have
an establish a squatters’ community due to the unaffordability of a home.
Jamaican Answer: It depends on the crime, a lot of offenders live within the community he
family may shun; and the offender may find other residents to live with. It depends on the crime,
like a child molester or worse would be stigmatized and not welcomed in the settlement.
Question: Are there names for shantytowns and where are the towns basically? Are they
on the outskirts of the main town? What is the main town/city name?
Trinidad Answer: Many “shanty towns” exist on the outskirts of a main town. The most well-
known is Laventille and is visible from the highway into the capital city of Port-of-Spain.
Beetham Estate was not originally a shanty town, but has evolved into something like a shanty
town because of the character of a number of the persons who live there. In more recent years,
shanty towns are known residences of gang members. Shanty towns and squatter’s communities
exist all over the country. Usually they will establish them where they can get some kind of
transportation to the area, so there is usually a road and running water and electricity close
enough that they can either carry by hand, or use other means to tap into the utilities.
Jamaican Answer: There are more than ten shantytowns in Montego Bay, Portmore, Spanish
town and Kingston. There are a lot of informal settlements within the city not necessarily on the
fringes. Some are behind housing communities in Jamaica.
Question: Does the city although the settlements are illegal, provide some sanitary
services?
Trinidad Answer: Yes, garbage collection, pipe borne water and in some cases electricity is
even available provided the necessary documents are completed and fees or bribe money paid.
Question: If people do work or have jobs, are most of those jobs in the main city? And what are
some of the occupations?

Caribbean’s Urban Issue of Overcrowding – Shantytowns 16
Trinidad Answer: Most people do work in a variety of industries - nurses, civil servants, retail
sales persons etc. and the jobs are sometimes close to or in the main city closest to where they
live, but not always.
Question: Have there been major evictions and does the media usually get involve?
There have been major MOVEMENTS of people and the media will get involved to
sensationalize the issue or if the residents are treated unfairly. Trinidadians LOVE to protest and
this will often happen as well to bring the situation to the light of the general public and the
media would often cover that as well.
Question: Do most people equate the shantytowns with violence and danger?
Trinidad Answer: Not always, but there is a certain amount of "danger". These people often
live in very adverse conditions initially and sometimes for years, so it is not uncommon for the
average person to equate shantytowns with disdain and fear. I have known people who come
from such areas who are law abiding and even successful. Over time some of the shanty towns
have established a great community network and support each other just as in a "normal"
residential community. Many of the country's top artistes in the music industry hail from
Laventille and areas of Morvant which now are known to be gang ridden.
I hope this was helpful.
The interviews were insightful and the answers informative. With the brief questions on
the difference of informal settlements in their respective country each of the participants tried to
answer as thoroughly as possible. The Trinidad native was much more forthcoming and I don’t
know if that is because she is a woman and the Jamaican was a male who was free-hearted in
answering, yet reserved. However, each participant was a delight and helped me understand the
dwellers of informal settlements in Trinidad and Jamaica.

Caribbean’s Urban Issue of Overcrowding – Shantytowns 17
POLICY IMPLICATIONS AND LEGAL RULES
In Jamaica the politicians in charge of the community or the political party protect the
different informal communities (Barima, 2016). In contrast, in The Republic of Trinidad, the
people who occupy state land for sixteen or more years and build a resident or “work” the land
for agricultural purposes in Trinidad, are often times given a chance to claim ownership. The
Adverse Possession or as a native Trinidadian stated there is a legal right law called “squatters
rights” states certain possessions must be met in order to be allowed to continue occupation of
a piece of land to obtain ownership of it. If the inhabitant can prove uninterrupted and
exclusive possession of the land of another for at least 16 years in the case of an
individual, and 30 years in the case of the State, this is: (1) actual possession; (2)
intention to possess; (3) open and notorious; (4) exclusive; (5) adverse and (6) continuous.
In conclusion, access to social leverage may seem unattainable, if the environment is not
diverse when all the residents are predominately living in poverty (Putnam, 2000). However, if
the formation of goodwill authorities can strengthen the weak ties and deprivations suffered in
the informal communities, this can lead to upward mobility and social leverage out of the
shantytown and into adequate housing. The need for clean water and sanitation drains and
latrines for better health in the community will be most beneficial to all the inhabitants of
informal dwellings. Improvement to the physical environment with new roads and paths in order
for access and transportation would be quite helpful.
There was a praiseworthy news article in 2012, where a goodwill organization assisted
ten families who formerly lived in the Causeway Fishing Village of Portmore, St. Catherine,
Jamaica. All ten were presented with titles on their new properties in Portmore Villa by State
Minister for Transport, Works and Housing, the Honorable Richard Azan. There were sixteen

Caribbean’s Urban Issue of Overcrowding – Shantytowns 18
families who previously resided along the Causeway. They were identified for relocation by the
National Road Operating and Constructing Company Limited (NROCC). New houses were built
for the fisher folk in the Portmore Villa Complex in collaboration with Food for the Poor (Go-
Jamaica, 2016). “Food For The Poor (FFP)-Jamaica is the largest charity organization in
Jamaica. Food For The Poor Inc., located in Florida, USA, is the largest international relief and
development organization in the United States. It is an interdenominational Christian
organization that assists the poor in 17 countries in the Caribbean and Latin America”
(FFP,2016). The procedure took time as in processing documentation. Several of the recipients
did not have certain documents needed to receive titles, such as birth certificates and tax
registration numbers. But, the agency assisted the residents to obtain the documents and as soon
as the recipients of the titles had all their paperwork in order, they were able to start a new life
with obligations and responsibilities like paying property taxes and electricity bills. They were
advised about the responsibilities that come with homeownership by Ivan Anderson the
managing director for NROCC. As formerly stated when people co-operate to bring betterment
all plans can work to assist people to live healthy and sustainable lives.

Caribbean’s Urban Issue of Overcrowding – Shantytowns 19
REFERENCES
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