Slum upgrading strategies and their effects on health and socio-economic outcomes

This systematic review by Turley and colleagues explores the effects of slum upgrading strategies that involve improving the physical environment and infrastructure on the health, quality of life and socio-economic well-being of people living in urban slums in low- and middle-income countries. The studies varied in design and risk of bias, making it difficult to pool the results. However, the authors found limited, but consistent, evidence to suggest that slum upgrading strategies reduce the incidence of diarrhoea and reduce water-related expenses incurred by people who live in slums. The authors reported mixed results for whether slum upgrading reduced parasitic infections, communicable diseases, financial poverty or unemployment outcomes.