Urban poverty is characterized by:
- "Insufficient or unstable income, which leads to inadequate consumption;
- Risks caused by deficient access to basic goods and services;
- Low-quality housing that leaves residents more vulnerable to critical sanitary problems, contamination, crime and natural disasters; and
- Discrimination and limited access to the formal labor market, in particular for women and ethnic groups."
(Inter-American Development Bank,
Urban poverty, 2007, visited 2009-09-29)