Slum Living

From the NYTimes.com blog Ideas:

Sure, they’re dangerous, but the world’s slums can teach urban planners a lot, an article says. They’re “walkable, high-density” places where housing and commerce mingle and people look out for each other, have lower birth rates than rural areas, and build structures from “materials that would otherwise be piling up in landfills.” The article prompts one reader to comment: “I always wondered when the eco-crazies would recommend slum living for all to lower our carbon footprints.” [Boston Globe]