Urban growth in the context of structural adjustment, currency devaluations, state retrenchments, and little or no housing provision.• Viewing the state as a 'market enabler' led to theled to the privatisation of utilities and services, and massive decreases in provision;• For individuals, their various needs - affordable commodities, accommodation close to jobs, security, and the possibility of owning property - were<span>simply ignored by the imposition of ill-suited neoliberal 'boot-strap capitalism'.</span>
The gradual retreat of the Aral Sea shoreline and the drying up of the Syr Darya's deltaic region exposed toxic fertilizer and salt residues to the winds, devastating local plant and animal life and causing serious health problems among the human population.
