Squatter Settlements and McMansions

Squatter Settlements and McMansions are exact opposites, but both are found in a city. Squatter settlements are areas that develop when developing countries are unable to house the rapidly growing number of poor people and give them unwanted land to live in. Oftentimes, the location is a landfill or a steep hill, and the land does not belong to the people living on it.

McMansions are homes that are super sized and built upon lots of older houses. The original houses are torn down and a bigger, more modern house is built. This is similar to gentrification in that the value is raised; however, the original houses are torn down instead of preserved. Often times, the new house is much too large for the current lot and the older houses around it will be harder to sell since the new house dwarfs the neighborhood and destroys the character of the area.