Slum dweller's daily movement pattern in a Calcutta slum

Abstract

This study identifies the daily activity pattern of a city slum in Calcutta and analyzes the socio-economic correlates and proposes activity pattern models. The study area, Tangra slum is located in a low-lying poorly drained area where cheap land has led to the development of a large number of factories, and a cattle slaughter house; places of employment for unskilled labor. The ideal location of the slum in relation to entertainment, medical clinics, transportation nodes, shopping facilities has generated a diverse activity pattern. Activities were observed to be of two natures, essential and non-essential. The two types of activities differed in their frequency with the essential activities having high frequency and the non-essential having low frequencies. Typically it was also observed that high frequency activities were limited to a radii of 5 km (3 miles) from the slum whereas, the low frequency activities radiated for 100–160 km (60 to 100 miles) from the slum.