Samenvatting

Exponential population growth has forced many rural inhabitants in the developing countries to move to the cities. According to UN Habitat, in most cases the search for better opportunities is the main motivation to urbanize (2012, p.35). Thousands of new “informal” houses are built every day around the world to accommodate these people. Due to the lack of land, financial capacity and planning these areas become highly densified housing districts. To an outsider they might seem vibrant and full of life, but reality of slum dwellers is harsh (UN Habitat, 2012, p.35). According to Raleigh (2015, p.90) the number of crime
increases in urban areas, while decreasing in rural. The scarcity of social and spatial organization in slums is leading to degradation of the standard of living and security (UN Habitat, 2012, p.33). One of the main reasons for this seems to lie in the relation between private, semi-private and public space, which are investigated in this article. They derive from cultural traditions and living habits of each community represented by their type of communal organisation (Habraken, 1988).