 Meet Amar. He lives in Dharavi, India. Life in Dharavi is far from glamorous. Families are cut off from the most basic services. They do not have clean water or any toilets. Moreover, Amar's home is drafty and always leaks in rainy weather. And in stormy weather it is not unusual for part of it to be blown away by the wind. Others who live in his neighborhood experience similar problems. The streets are dark, dirty and dangerous. There is no street lighting, paved sidewalks or decent roads for emergency access. Amar wishes that something could be done to improve the lives of the 1 million people living in Dharavi. What is needed is provision of basic facilities. First and foremost, access to adequate sanitation in the form of private or public toilets is needed. Easy access to safe, affordable water is also paramount. This means that planning is needed to provide slum settlements with basic municipal services such as water, sanitation and waste collection. Storm drainage, street lighting, paved sidewalks and roads for emergency access are also needed to make the neighborhood a safer place. Slum upgrading can focus on durable housing of a permanent nature that protects against extreme climate conditions. And measures for security or tenure that prevent forced evictions will definitely give families in his neighborhood great peace of mind. Amar realizes that all of this would cost money, but there must be ways to improve conditions. He knows that places like Curitiba in Brazil provide slum dwellers with self-help building schemes to improve their dwellings. In Curitiba, those who clean up their slum neighborhoods are rewarded with fruits and vegetables for their efforts. Ideas like these can make a big difference to slum dwellers. Amar is hopeful that clever urban planning, provision of public funds and even private businesses can make a difference to the lives of over a billion people worldwide who live in slums like Dharavi across the world.