Favelas, Gecekondu, Nakhalovki: Squatter Settlements in the Cities of Developing and Post-Soviet Countries

This article considers the key concepts and topics of research on squatter or informal settlements in developing countries, including post-Soviet ones. During the first period (1950-early 1960s) three main viewpoints dominated in the field of such research: 1) squatter settlements as "transition zones"; 2) informal settlements as nests for crime, social disorder, social and personal disorganization; 3) informal settlements as "rural enclaves" in a city. The phenomenon of squatter settlements was considered a serious social problem for urban development. During the second period (late 1960s-1970s) researchers tried to dissolve the "myths" formed during the first period. The contestation between liberal and Marxist approaches is the leitmotif of this period. The advocates of the liberal approach argued that informal settlements were not a problem, rather they were a tool for solving the housing crisis in the cities of developing countries; such advocates also promoted a romantic image of squatter-landowners. The advocates of the Marxist approach, on the other hand, considered squatters as potential revolutionaries. During the third period (1980s-present) a lot of romantic views of squatter settlements were reconsidered. This period is characterized by conceptual pluralism. Although research on squatter settlements in post-Soviet cities is relatively young compared to the research in other developing countries, it has much to offer in terms of the concepts applied and the results obtained. Four key topics in the research on post-Soviet informal settlements can be identified: 1) the strategies of property acquisition in informal settlements; 2) the relationships between legal citizens and the dwellers of informal settlements; 3) the strategies of social and economical adaptation of rural migrants living in squatter settlements; 4) the relationships of the dwellers of informal settlements with the state and other political actors.