Aidan Ferriss | 4061263
Introduction
As the world continues to urbanize,
architects and designers must develop innovative and creative solutions to
address the challenges of densifying urban regions. Informal settlements, which
are quickly becoming one of the dominant urban typologies in the world are a
rich source of design solutions that can be borrowed from and implemented in
the formal sector. Robert Booth stressed the importance of learning from these
informal places, stating that they are often sources of richer ways of living
(2009).
Informal settlements have a
wealth of positive attributes that can and must be applied in the formal sector
in order to address the challenges of urbanization around the world. It has
been stated that informal communities greatly exemplify what the rest of the
world must grapple with as resources decline, such as sustainability, sanitation
and safety (Ross, 2014). Many positive design elements can be found in informal
settlements that may be implemented in formal developments to help create a
better final product. These elements include participatory design, adaptable
buildings, sustainable design, space optimization, improved social life, human
scale and a lack of crime. It should be noted that this list is not exhaustive
and many other valuable attributes exist in informal settlements and many
researchers and designers are working to unearth these attributes.
Self-design / Participatory Design
The nature of many informal
settlements means that they are almost entirely self-organized which reflects
the tremendous problem solving and innovative skills a collection of
individuals have when forced to rely on themselves. Roads and pathways are
identified, housing and shelters are built and designed by the user without any
input from “professional builders” and commercial and service establishments
develop where they are needed. This emphasizes the need to encourage
participation of end users in the design process. Michael McQuarrie in his article “What
Mumbai’s Slums do Right and Why we Should Emulate them” not only identifies
the many virtues of slums, but also showcases how the self-organized fashion in
which they develop often creates a sound urban hierarchy that reflects the need
and demands of the community that designs them. It may not be realistic to expect
self-design to occur in the formal sector, however, given the successful
self-organization of many informal communities it is apparent that an increase
in community participation can result in a better, end product as the community
can be a great resource of options and ideas.
Many architects, designers and developers have implemented
participatory design principles in their projects. Lucien Kroll, a Belgian
architect who is well known for involving the participation of the end users in
the design of his buildings. Krolls most famous building the Maison Medical
student accommodation (figure 1) built in the early 1970s incorporated students
in the design process (Ellin, 2000). Ottokar Uhl is another well-known architect
who utilized participative design in the formal sector. Not only can
participatory design help develop a product that best suits its users, it can
also help remediate some of the negative issues that accompany development in
established urban neighbourhoods. Infill development can often disrupt, anger
and negatively impact nearby citizens. By encouraging those to become involved
in the design process, developers can build something that will be less
invasive to the existing neighbours which will result in a smoother building
process as existing neighbours will have less of a reason to protest and
complain to politicians about the development.
Adaptable Buildings
In addition to the success of self-design in informal settlements, the
builders of these communities have also developed innovative ways to address
financial restrictions, expanding families, structural limits of materials and
changing urban needs by the use of adaptable buildings. For example, many
structures in informal settlements are often built in a way to allow for
additions and alterations to occur when a family expands.
Alejandro Arvena of ELEMENTAL have utilized this design approach
while building community housing in Chile (figure 2). He designed residential
units that were intentionally incomplete and arranged around common spaces. Not
only did this result in a lower initial cost of development, it also encouraged
residents to add and build upon their new homes as they saw necessary (Arvena,
2004). This allowed for the “personalization” of each unit and also resulted in
a sense of ownership and pride by the resident. Involvement by the resident
allowed for each home to look unique without compromising the overall coherent
organization of the building with fixed setbacks and allotted space (Arvena,
2004).
Figure 2 Learning from
the Slums (Castroni)
Arvena is not the only architect who has developed adaptable buildings.
Ottokar Uhl, an Austrian architect who, in addition to utilizing participatory
design principles as mentioned above, also designed highly flexible dwellings.
His goal was to design housing that would adapt and change over the life span
of the structure (Schneider & Till, 2009). This approach to design is
increasingly important as the needs and desires of users is rapidly changing.
By allowing for a building to change and grow over the lifespan of the
structure, Uhl was also ensuring the buildings are greener by having a longer
lifespan rather than tearing down the building to build new when desires
change.
Adaptable building techniques are also being implemented in the
construction of high-rise condominiums in many western cities. For example,
many new units in the City of Toronto contain “blow-out walls” which allow
residents to purchase adjacent units and combine them into one larger unit as
their space needs grow.
Space Optimization
Similarly to adaptable buildings, space optimization can result in a
better, more usable urban form. In informal settlements, each space can have a
multitude of uses, streets can be used for transportation but also social
gatherings, commerce and even livestock. Research by Akhtar
Chauhan has stated how mono-functional units are not used in informal
settlements; living spaces have over-lapping functions of living and family
interactions (1996). Chauhan further explains that “homes in slums are,
perhaps, the best examples of the most optimum utilization of living space
(1996).
This approach has been implemented
often in the formal sector, especially as micro units are becoming more and
more prominent in large Western cities. For example, many small bachelor
apartments allow for a space to serve multiple purposes; the living room,
dining room and bedroom may occupy the same space, but with a simple
rearrangement of the furniture their use and appearance will change greatly. Gary
Chang’s Domestic Transformer, a tiny 344 square foot apartment integrated
moving furniture allows for over 24 different layouts.
Figure 3 Gary
Chang's Domestic Transformer, Hong Kong. (Designboom.com)
Space optimization can also be
implemented in Urban Design, where not only a tighter, closer urban fabric can
be designed to mimic informal communities, but spaces can be designed to serve
a multitude of uses. A right of way can be designed to serve in the traditional
way for cars, cyclists and pedestrians but also be useable for farmers markets
and community events when desired.
Sustainable Design
Sustainability is an enormous
component of architecture and design; informal settlements can provide numerous
solutions to try to create more sustainable designs in the formal sector.
Low-energy design techniques, increases in recycling and a reduction in travel
time are all present in informal settlements.
In Analysis
of Vernacular Architecture in Terms of Sustainable Considerations
by Hilal Halicio it was stated that:
“Vernacular architecture presents
basic and simple solutions for the sustainable issues because it has
significant environmentally features that respond to sustainability such as
low-energy techniques to provide for human comfort, approaches that are
integral to the form, orientation, and materials that are obtained from local
resources.” (2012)
As stated above
local materials help reduce the environmental footprint of a building. This
approach has become very popular with the advent of the LEED designation system
which gives credits for designers using local resources from within 250 km of
the site. This is a simple, age old approach to sustainability. Many informal
communities also utilize passive design to ensure their homes are better
equipped to withstand the environments of their respective geographies. This
design method has also recently seen a resurgence in the formal sector. The energy use per building
can be cut far more in terraces and apartments than in free-standing housing
(Satterthwaite, 2011).
It has been well documented that
residents of informal communities recycle at an extremely high rate. In 2014,
Phillip Ross stated that residents of Dharavi recycle an estimated 80 percent
of their plastic waste without formal collections. Formal communities are
trying to improve their rate of recycling and there is no doubt that informal community’s
hold great insight into improving this.
Sustainability and density in linked
in numerous ways. Often denser communities have a lower time and cost of travel
to work and to services which result in a reduction of greenhouse gas
emissions. David Satterthwaite has
conducted a tremendous amount of research on the density and sustainability of
informal settlements. In 2011 David wrote:
“High density
informal settlements usually benefit residents by lowering the time and cost of
travel to work and to access services – including those services that make
cities special places to live, such as theatres, music venues, museums,
libraries, the visual arts, dance, festivals, the enjoyment of historic
buildings and districts, diverse choices for eating and the enjoyment of being
in a diverse and vibrant place.”
Many cities in the western
world are already striving to increase their density which will in turn result
in shorter travel time and therefore reduce the collective emissions of the
City. It should be noted that informal settlements achieve density without
formal incentives or rewards while many western cities are forced to provide
incentives to developers for building denser.
Human Scale
The “Human Scale” is a term
identifying a set of qualities and quantities of information reflective of the
human body. In urban design and architecture it embodies a physical scale
relating to buildings, steps, doorways, walking distance and other features
that fit well with the human senses. Informal communities are often designed in
a way that encourages walking and contain a built form that does not overshadow
the individuals that live in them. It has been argued that informal settlements
embody many of the elements that result in a good human scale of urbanism;
Marco Castroni, in 2009 stated that many architects tried to capture the urban
scale of slums in their projects:
“The first glances at slums were
from some of the architects involved in urban renewal projects, who started to
integrate in their projects some elements of the slums. Some of the recurrent
features are:
•
narrow courtyards and
alleys
•
division of the building
into small blocks
•
use of different colors and
materials within the same building” (Castroni, 2009)
The “Human Scale”
is not an exact science, and designing with it can be a challenge, however it
is clear that informal settlements contain some urban design qualities that
would greatly suit the formal sector and contribute to a better urban form.
Sense of Community and Social Life
One of the very positive attributes
of informal communities is the increased sense of community and social life.
Rebecca Rahus-Dubrow explained in Learning
from Slums:
“Longstanding slum communities
tend to be much more tightknit than many prosperous parts of the developed
world, where neighbors hardly know one another. Indeed, slums embody many of
the principles frequently invoked by urban planners: They are walkable,
high-density, and mixed-use, meaning that housing and commerce mingle.” (Rahus-Dubrow, 2009)
This quote
highlights the fact that the formal sector can learn much from informal
communities in regards to designing places that will better harbor a strong
community. Additionally it has been
highlighted that community members in informal communities work together
towards achieving common goals. Daniel Benson stated the following about
individuals in informal communities:
“Everything they do, they do
together, be it washing clothes, washing dishes, or anything else – it’s all
done in communal places or out on the street. Everybody knows everybody else,
and there are high streets and corner shops of the type modern Western
politicians now crave.” (Benson, 2009)
Community pride
and a willingness to help you neighbour is a quality that architects and urban
designers in the formal sector would very much like to capture and emulate.
However, there is no one way to ensure this is accomplished, a strong sense of
community goes beyond just architecture and urban design. It is apparent that
further study of the topic and further research will need to be conducted to be
able to quantify this.
There are some elements that can be borrowed
from informal communities that may help contribute to an improved social life
in formal developments. For example, by providing shared communal space in
formal developments designers can provide a space for community connections to
be made. The same can be said about the inclusion of accessible recreational
space, seating areas and neighbourhood hubs where members can gather and
interact. Many of these aforementioned elements are already utilized in the
formal sector, but it is clear that there is always room for modifications and
improvements.
Lack of Crime
Contrary to popular
perceptions, many poor informal urban areas may be considered safer when
compared to the daily robberies, burglaries and attacks experienced in large
Western cities (Share the World’s Resources, 2010). Perhaps the strong sense of
community, previously discussed, can be attributed to this improved safety.
Daniel Benson explained it by saying “There is virtually no crime – for how
could you ever steal from somebody you know, you neighbor, your friend?”
(2009). The fact that many informal settlements have a tight-knit community has
contributed to a safer environment, stressing the need to improve social and
communal interactions as a crime preventative tactic.
The lack of crime in
informal communities can also be attributed to its density and the sheer number
of people living in the neighbourhood:
“Well
over a million “eyes on the street,” to use Jane Jacobs’s phrase, keep Dharavi
perhaps safer than most American cities. Yet Dharavi’s extreme population
density doesn’t translate into oppressiveness. The crowd is efficiently
absorbed by the thousands of tiny streets branching off bustling commercial
arteries. Also, you won’t be chased by beggars or see hopeless people
loitering…” (CNU, 2009).
It seems as
though Dharavi, a large informal community in Mumbai, India has developed into
a model of Jane Jacob’s “Eyes on the Street” theory. Urban designers and
architects are actively implementing Jacob’s “Eyes on the Street” technique and
there is no doubt that this approach has helped abate crime in the many
communities it has been applied in.
The shear density and strong
community network have helped make informal communities safe places, despite
what the Western world believes. The inward looking urban form of informal
settlements could be mimicked by designers to try to optimize the “Eyes on the
Street” method. Additionally, as formal developments continue to strive towards
a stronger sense of community, the positive aspects associated with this, lack
of crime included, will follow.
Conclusion
As
stated at the beginning of this paper, informal communities are quickly
becoming one of the dominant urban typologies in the world; this may not just
be a result of social, financial and political factors, but a result of many
informal communities creating safe sustainable and strong communities. Given
the prevalence of this urban form and the factors identified in this paper, it
is safe to say that these communities are doing many “things” right, and they
are not merely the dirty, unsafe and illegal slums much of the Western world
envisions. In fact, these communities are quickly becoming models of urbanism
that the formal sector could learn a great deal from. Prince Charles has been
quoted as saying:
"It may be the case that in a few years' time
such communities will be perceived as best equipped to face the challenges that
confront us because they have a built-in resilience and genuinely durable ways
of living." (Booth, 2009)
Given the challenging environment that many
informal settlements inhabit, they have been required to find new, affordable
and innovative ways to address these challenges. As a result these communities
have become a wealth of strong design attributes that could be implemented in
formal developments to contribute to a better urban form. As the world continues to urbanize resulting
in land, resources and manpower becoming scarcer, the Western world and the
formal sector should look to informal settlements for inspiration, as they have
been facing these issues in even more dire situations for many generations.
The use of self-design,
adaptable buildings, space optimization, sustainable design, the human scale,
an improved social network and a lack of crime are all attributes found in
informal settlements from throughout the world that would greatly improve
formal settlements. Informal communities are an excellent resource to learn
from and it is the responsibility of architects and designers to capitalize on
the designs and approaches found within them.
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