Slum clearance

The agenda that emerged was a progressive doctrine that assumed better housing conditions would reform residents morally and economically.

Another style of reform, imposed by the state for reasons of aesthetics and efficiency, could be said to have begun in 1853, with the recruitment of Baron Haussmann by Napoleon III for the redevelopment of Paris.

Urbanologists Matias Echanove and Rahul Srivastava argue that many aspects of slums, namely the decentralized, mixed-use, tight-knit urban environment, are assets worth nurturing.

[5][6] Similarly, plans to remove slums in several non-Western contexts have proven ineffective without sufficient housing and other support for the displaced communities.

[7] Zimbabwe's Operation Murambatsvina was widely criticized by the international community, including a scathing report from the UN which noted human rights abuses alongside poor design of the program, which was estimated to displace at least 700,000 slum dwellers.