Shadow Cities: A Billion Squatters - A New Urban World (Part 5 of 9)

Robert Neuwirth visited the University of Oklahoma on April 18, 2005. Speaking about his new book, Shadow Cities, he addressed the subject of "squatter" communities in Brazil and worldwide.

Neuwirth, an investigative journalist, lived among squatter communities from Rio to Bombay to Nairobi to Istanbul to give us an impassioned, inside view of squatter life and a glimpse into the urban future. He met people in Nairobi who built homes with their bare hands, Turkish families who plot land invasions, and children in Rio whose parents justify outfoxing the authorities as the only path to a better life. And he shows us that in cities like Rio, squatter settlements have become decent places to live for formerly landless people. Tracing the notion of private property from the enclosure movement in Europe to the settlement of the U.S., Neuwirth shows how squatting rights may actually be seen as more "natural" than the current laws practiced in the U.S.

In almost every country of the developing world, the most active builders are squatters, creating complex local economies with high rises, shopping strips, banks, and self-government. As they invent new social structures, Neuwirth argues, squatters are at the forefront of the worldwide movement to develop new visions of what constitutes property and community.

This video is for educational purposes only. © 2005 OU Modern Languages Learning Center

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