Who are the urban poor?
Viv Grigg, author and urban rnissiologist, says that there are three kinds of poor: (a) the unfortunate poor (b) the oppressed poor and (c) the poor due to wrong choices in life. Most of the poor in our cities can fit into one of these, and some overlap. For example, a street child may be poor and on the street because of bad choices in life by himself or his parents, or because they are ill or disabled and also because of oppressive regimes. The refugee can also be a combination of all three types of poverty. Causes of urban poverty One of the major causes of urban poverty is the continuing immigration to urban centers from the rural areas. This is due to “push and pull” factors. People move to the cities because they think they will get cash jobs, better health care, better schools and better living standards. These are the pull factors. On the other hand, high population growth rates lead to pressure on land and increasing poverty in the rural areas and so people increasingly move i
