Planet of Slums

Readable and informative, this is a great crash course into the plight of post-industrial urbanization, and why it's increasingly looking like our planet will be a planet of slums.

A very bird's eye view, I had never really considered what would be driving urbanization rates: I just thought that people move to the city thinking they'll earn more money (which, on average, would probably be true). But Davis makes a compelling case that the 1980s neoliberal agenda - privatize all the things! via the World Bank/IMF's Structural Adjustment Programs - led to a collapse of the agricultural sector, the dismantling of many social welfare states, and the sudden explosion of massive, difficult-to-manage megacities.

Some interesting notes: the McMansion-ification of the nouveau riche in developing countries (noooo), the enormous poop problem, the similarities and differences between historical slums in London and Naples with present-day slums in the developing world.

Overall, this was both dispiriting and energizing. Davis is a very old school Leftist, with lots of Emma Goldman-style rage and lather and “A pox on you!!!” adjective-overload. Which I appreciate; economics can always use a little spirit and fire.