slum-clearance
Definition
Noun (uncountable): The process of demolishing or removing dilapidated, overcrowded, and unsanitary residential areas (known as slums) to make way for new housing, parks, or other urban improvements.
Usage Examples
- (A large effort to remove slum housing.)
- (The removal of poor-quality homes frequently uproots residents.)
- (A coordinated effort to demolish slums for health reasons.)
Advanced Usage
"Slum-clearance programme": a formal, often government-led initiative to systematically remove slums.
- The slum-clearance programme included relocation assistance for affected families. (The removal plan offered help to move residents.)
"Slum-clearance scheme": a specific plan or project for clearing slums.
- The slum-clearance scheme was controversial due to its high cost. (The removal plan sparked debate over expenses.)
Variants and Related Words
Slum (n): a squalid, overcrowded urban area with poor housing.
- Many families lived in the slum without running water. (A poor, run-down neighbourhood.)
Clearance (n): the action of removing something unwanted.
- The clearance of debris took several weeks. (The removal of rubbish.)
Synonyms
- Urban renewal: the redevelopment of deteriorated city areas, often including slum-clearance.
- Demolition: the act of tearing down buildings.
- Redevelopment: the process of rebuilding or improving an area after clearance.
Related Idioms
- "Raze to the ground": to completely destroy (a building or area).
- The old tenements were razed to the ground during slum-clearance. (They were demolished entirely.)