I have been invited to act as a research consultant, specialising in urban geography and development, to assist the development of Casavela, a fictional urban slum in Sao Paulo, Brazil. I have been appointed four million US dollars to spend over the period of two years to improve the social and environmental issues the community faces. I must make educated decisions, prioritising problems based on need and necessity within the community, in order to improve the quality of life of Casavela’s residents.
Context/Background on Urban Slums
An urban slum is a highly populated informal urban settlement (Warren 2017). Common characteristics of urban slums include inadequate access to safe drinking water, sanitation, housing and