THE POOR DIE YOUNG

Hundred of millions of people squat in the urban Third World.

One in three of their children die before the age of five.

Hospitals, doctors and dispensaries are either too far away from the settlements or far too expensive to use.

The editors, all of whom have worked with squatters, use examples from Nigeria, India and Argentina to describe the scale of ill health, disablement and premature death among the people living in shanty towns.

More importantly, they argue that health and housing conditions could be radically improved at relatively low cost, and show exactly how this can be done.

Jorge Hardoy and David Satterthwaite co-authored "Squatter Citizen".