MapLab: Putting Slums on the Map

The United Nations estimates that more than 1 billion people live in slums around the world. Yet the geography of slum living has long been poorly defined. From the favelas of Brazil to shack dwellings outside of Paris, these areas are depicted on official maps as empty polygons labeled “informal zones” or “areas of development” — if they’re even labeled at all, reports Tony Frangie Mawad in CityLab this week. Here’s more from Tony on why that matters — to the world and to him personally — and how that’s changing:

Read the story for Tony’s full investigation of these efforts and how they’re touching lives in these areas.