Final answer:
The main challenges to the state's goal of clearing informal settlements were resistance from informal settlers, displacement without adequate housing solutions, and insufficient community leadership involvement.
Step-by-step explanation:
According to Ghertner, some of the main challenges to the state's goal of clearing informal settlements included resistance from informal settlers. This resistance could manifest as protests or lack of cooperation from the communities being displaced. Additionally, government programs aimed at urban renewal often struggled with issues such as displacement of populations without providing adequate alternative housing, leading to more intense resistance and criticism from both the affected communities and wider society. Furthermore, while urban renewal was supposed to involve the clearance of slums and result in the renovation and rebuilding of the cities, it often resulted in the construction of facilities such as parking lots and highways instead of new housing, exacerbating the housing shortage. There was also often a lack of sufficient involvement from community leaders and a sense of social cohesion that could have facilitated smoother transitions and mitigated resistance.