Why
do informal settlements exist?
“The insufficient provision of an adequate
number of well-connected serviceable plots has contributed to the increase of
informal urbanization, with over 61% of dwellers in Sub-Saharan Africa, 24% in
Latin America and 30% in Asia informally occupying land, often in high-risk
areas.”
– UN Habitat, Habitat III Issue Papers: Urban and Spatial
Planning and Design. New York, 31 May 2015.
People
were first drawn towards the city in the mid-18th century and early
19th century when the Industrial Revolution started. This was a time
of transition for most, as there was a major increase in job openings in the
secondary sector, causing the primary sector to dissipate. Factories opened in
the city where most of the raw materials were found, giving reason for citizens
to move to the city so they could be closer to their work. However, this change
happened so rapidly that the government was not able to accommodate to the
change. Large families often had to live in small and compact housing of
medium-density which was not an ideal solution. The overcrowding at home and at
work didn’t create the best living environment, which caused many people to
fall ill frequently. It was only the rich that could live a comfortable life in
the city as they could afford proper housing and good health care.
Over
time, there had been a substantial shift towards the tertiary sector, known as
‘tertiarisation’, where jobs moved away from manufacturing goods and towards
service providence. This prolonged the need to stay in the city but at the same
time, it also formed a larger gap between the rich and the poor.
As cities
grew, living standards grew with it. Those that had stable jobs belonging to
the formal economy received help from governing authorities that helped to
regulate manpower rights. Those that didn’t, continued to struggle. As the socio-economic
gap continued to widen, and the neglect towards the lower-class citizens
remained, the poor were unable to find affordable housing within the city.
Affordable housing was available in the suburbs but the long traveling distance
proved to be too much of a burden, causing citizens to find informal
accommodation in the city which is what we know today as informal settlements
or slums.
UN
Habitat predicts that by 2050, 66% of the world’s population will live in informal
settlements.
Although
cities are often depicted as attractive and vibrant destinations, they are
often juxtaposed against slums that form in alleyways and abandoned structures.
They are unsightly and a nuisance to the government. So what has the government
tried to do? Some governments try to ignore these settlements by focusing on
developments that are only built for monetary reasons and are targeted to the
upper-class society in hopes that these informal settlements will dissipate
over time. Some try to evict the inhabitants of these informal settlements, in hopes
that they may never return while transforming the use of the land for something
else that can generate more monetary value for them.
Moving
away from neglect and eviction, a very common approach is to relocate existing
habitants temporarily to vacant land and shelter while they clear the slums
away and replace them with formal structures which they believe would provide a better quality of
life.
Is
formalization the solution?
Several
decades ago, Le Corbusier made his first attempt in urban design and planning
in an Indian city called, Chandigarh. He had hoped that his design could be a
monument for modernity and hope as Chandigarh was meant to be India’s administrative
city. Unfortunately, the city has been neglected and today, it is largely occupied
by slum dwellers.
“In 2006, the city introduced a scheme to
rehabilitate 18 slum areas by constructing more than 25,000 new apartments for
poor families. The project was designed to provide low-cost housing to
thousands of people who currently contend with faulty water lines and
unreliable electricity in these informal settlements, with the added benefit of
freeing up valuable land for development.”
– “The Indian City on a
Quest to Clean Up Slums”. Thestar.com. June 20, 2014. https://www.thestar.com/news/world/2014/06/20/the_indian_city_on_a_quest_to_clean_up_slums.html
In hopes
to revive one of Le Corbusier’s masterpiece, the government, in collaboration
with local architects and urban planners, planned to improve the living
conditions of the inhabitants of the slums by providing them with formal structures.
Their
plan was to relocate the inhabitants of the slums to temporary shelters while
the slums are being demolished and rebuilt as formal structures. However, they
faced many challenges ahead. Firstly, distance was an issue as the temporary
shelters were far from their workplaces and their children’s school causing a
major disruption in their lifestyle. Secondly, the procedure to obtain their
new home was slow, complicated and costly. Even though the project was meant to provide
the slum dwellers with affordable housing, it still cost a lot more than they
could afford.
“In recent years, prevailing strategies for
addressing non-formal settlements have shifted away from large-scale slum
clearance and relocation, which have been demonstrated to cause massive social
disruptions.”
– “Improving Informal
Settlements: Ideas from Latin America”. Harvard Design Magazine. 2017. http://www.harvarddesignmagazine.org/issues/28/improving-informal-settlements-ideas-from-latin-america
One of
the main reasons of the failure of the relocation scheme is due to the lack of
available land in the city centre. Governments find it hard to relocate slum
dwellers in a suitable location. The only available land they have is usually
too far away from their workplaces and schools.
Even in
situations where there is nearby available land, the newly built structures
that have replaced the slums often fail in terms of their designs, layouts and
construction as they are not suitable for the inhabitants. The slum dwellers have accustomed
themselves to a certain way of life – something very different than what
architects are used to designing or have been taught to design. Their
unfamiliarity with the land use pattern and the loss of social cohesion within
the community dissatisfies the inhabitants. More often than not, these
formalized settlements will eventually turn into a 'slum' again, situated within
a formal structure, as the inhabitants prefer their previous way of life and
future maintenance throughout the rest of the building’s lifespan is always
neglected.
The
success of a city or a country is valued by how organized and well governed it
is. A well governing body has many laws and regulations that must be obeyed and
for a field as major and serious as the construction industry, developed
nations are sure to provide strict authorities to govern it. By looking at
housing from a political or professional perspective, it is easy to assume that
formalization should be the solution to the reduction and eventual extinction
of informal settlements.
In a
situation where a country has good governance, like Singapore, it is possible
to have the formalization of slums as a solution.
When
Singapore became a self-attained government in 1959, they were facing a major
housing issue with overcrowding and the lack of housing supply. Due to these
conditions, a national housing authority known as the Housing and Development
Board (HDB) was set up to provide public housing for the lower-income citizens
of Singapore. This increased the living quality for Singaporean citizens with 50%
of the population living in a HDB flat by 1976 and 80% by 2008.
The
public housing in Singapore consists of high-density developments where they
are always accompanied by communal amenities and recreational facilities such
as supermarkets, canteens and child and senior care centres.
“An
effective affordable housing program benefits both residents and the community
at large.”
- “Public Housing Works: Lessons from Vienna
and Singapore”. Shareable. June 9, 2014. http://www.shareable.net/blog/public-housing-works-lessons-from-vienna-and-singapore
Research
has proven that the provision of good quality housing affects citizens in other
aspects as well. On a community level, good housing improves the local
construction industry and affordable housing supports the local economy which
leaves residents with a higher disposable income. Having these houses near
their businesses also results in citizens being more productive at work as less
energy is spent on long and tiring commutes.
From a
political and professional standpoint, Singapore has set a very good example of
governance as well as urban planning. What Singapore has achieved over the past
few decades is what other countries would like to achieve as well for
themselves. The idea of formalization, clean cities, greater equality worldwide
and all families having a secure place to live in sounds like a goal we should
strive towards; but how different would our world be if that does happen? What
does complete formalization on a worldwide scale entail?
It can
already be seen in today’s architecture where you can find a building in Asia
that looks like it can be placed anywhere else in the world. There are projects
today that have no historical or spatial value and have no relation towards
their location and environment. A good example of projects like these are
houses in gated communities that pride themselves in being self-sufficient.
These projects are often designed using foreign architectural styles with an
attempt to recreate a nostalgic neighbourhood environment.
“The new housing projects serve not only as
identity representations and life-style shows, but also as investment
strategies which are vital in supporting the manifested identities.”
- “The Impact of Globalization on Architecture
– Environment Relations: Housing Projects and Design Approaches”. 2011. http://conference.osu.eu/globalization/publ2011/17-21_Ayna.pdf
So is
this the kind of architecture that we want? Is this what we want our cities to
look like? Will there be any point in traveling if all the buildings around us
are the same and if they all start to lose their historical and cultural values?
Furthermore,
previous projects, such as the attempt to revive Chandigarh as mentioned
earlier, have shown that complete formalization of these settlements have been
a failure. How then, should we deal with informal settlements?
Is
there an unseen aspect to these informal settlements?
“In the event of a collision between formal
and informal architecture, the process of informalization of the urban fabric
can instead be approached as a form of re-appropriation of the city, a
re-appropriation that emerges from the unique social dynamics integrated by the
self-dwellers.”
– “Collision of the
Informal and Formal Architectures”. Issuu. May 6, 2014. https://issuu.com/aaschool/docs/ines_tazi_-_collision_of_the_inform_764af654bbe33d
Torre
David is an office tower in Venezuela that has been left abandoned after the
death of its developer and the collapse of the Venezuelan economy. It is now
informally occupied by 70 families. Despite what at first glance may seem
disorderly, a closer look at what each family has done with their own dwelling
space has turned into something beautiful. Each resident has partitioned their
dwelling spaces in clever ways and in ways that suits their needs and
preferences. They have also opened little shops on every floor as a way to
sustain themselves economically. As a whole, what can be found in Torre David today, is a unique social
organization. The residents of Torre David have proven how a community can be self-sufficient
in the face of weak governance.
It is
natural in this world to have two groups with very opposing views. A very
common outlook on slums is that it is a nuisance, an invasion or a trespass.
However, an upcoming view on slums is that they are a group of inhabitants that
have tried to make the best out of what they can have and the spontaneity
behind their creation is something some of us can admire and respect.
In order
to prevent further globalization in architecture, it is important to
acknowledge this beauty that we find in informality and retain it in a way so that it creates a special type of architecture – one that
cannot be copied and rebuilt anywhere else in the world.
Although
complete formalization of slums may not be the perfect solution, the
encouragement of the slums shouldn’t be either. How do we find a solution that
makes the most out of complete formalization while at the same time retaining the beauty of our human nature?
Has
a successful solution been found?
“For
improving the quality of life there are three approaches of slum development
and in-situ up-gradation approach is found to be the best one, while the
relocation approach has proved to be a failure.”
- “Paradigm of Relocation of Urban
Poor Habitats (slums): Case Study of Nagpur City.” Waset. N.D. http://waset.org/publications/4903/paradigm-of-relocation-of-urban-poor-habitats-slums-case-study-of-nagpur-city
After
years of trying to find ways to improve slums, it has been concluded that the
best approach is to upgrade informal settlements. Slum up-gradation is the
improvement of the basic infrastructure of these informal settlements.
Some
examples of slum up-gradation methods are:
- Installing or improving services in the settlements by providing proper sanitation, water supply and electrical connections.
- Introducing or reviving communal facilities for the area. This may include health services, community centres and educational facilities
- Providing social support programs that address the issues of security and violence.
- Removing any substances that may be hazardous to the inhabitants and the environment.
- Providing incentives for the management and maintenance of the community.
- Helping the community to enhance their skills through training programs so that they may find better ways to sustain themselves economically.
Although,
slum up-gradation has proven to be a successful option, they have faced their
share of setbacks. One of the major issues that slums face is maintenance. This is something that the government and the community often
fail to do. The reason for this is due to the lacking sense of ownership of
their own community.
As this
was the main issue, it was clear that participation from the inhabitants was
critical in order to make slum up-gradation a success. From this, newer projects
engaged the inhabitants in the design and the construction of the slum up-gradation.
In order
to make slum up-gradation more sustainable, the following can be carried out:
- Costs must be made affordable to the community and the government.
- Slum upgrading must always be thought of in relation to city and country level of policies and strategies.
- Getting the municipal authority involved so that larger organizations can get involved as well.
There is
a scheme called the ‘enabling approach’ where the government has to provide for
a legal, institutional and regulatory environment and ensure that there are
sufficient funds to finance housing for all sectors of society.
It is important
to understand that informal settlements are not only made up of physical
entities but there are social economic and institutional aspects that must be
considered. Communal facilities and cultural activities are vital in making a
community work. Focusing on the up-gradation of all aspects will enhance the
inhabitants’ quality of lives as all these aspects can mutually reinforce each
other.
This way,
the essence and spirit of the place can be retained with the addition of
physical elements to help the entire area function on a formal level.
What
can we learn from Medellin?
“This approach succeeded in crossing
boundaries where political policy, social strategy, policing and corruption had
previously failed. The city transformed itself by allowing the people to stitch
it back together themselves,”
– “Medellin escapes grip of drug lord to
embrace radical urbanism.” The Guardian. May 13, 2016. https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2016/may/13/story-cities-pablo-escobar-inclusive-urbanism-medellin-colombia
Medellin
is a successful example of an upgraded slum. It is a city in Colombia, which
was once known as the most dangerous city on earth with thousands killed every
year. It was a community that consisted of gang lords and drug criminals and a
ring leader, Pablo Escobar. Escobar took advantage of those living in the slums
by radicalizing, politicizing and militarizing them so that they could go
against the government and the formal city. This heightened the government’s concerns.
When
Escobar passed on, Medellin stood at a pivotal point of utter crisis and hope.
In an act
to change Medellin for the better, the government started to radically
reorganize the social fabric of the community. They began by addressing the
inequality and the violence that were present within the community. In approaching
this, the government wanted to make sure that there was a level of commitment
by the inhabitants of Medellin in making their home a better place to live in and one approach was to make the spaces that were once
zones for warfare would be turned into public spaces where communities could
gather.
Medellin
turned out to be successful because the planning consisted of a lot of
participation from the community who were frequently consulted during the
planning and the design process of the new city. This demanded something unique
– which was the urbanism of inclusion, where the dispossessed became partners
in driving urban change. This of course, was not easy as the community
consisted of people with different interests and attitudes towards the
upgrading process. They were so divide that they had to find
a way to bridge the community together so that they could make unanimous decisions and
decide as a team.
This
process, despite the difficulties, was what stitched the city together. Today,
Medellin has elevated metros, cable cars, bridges and escalators to help the
inhabitants mobilize around the area. Communal spaces such as libraries,
community buildings and cultural centres were introduced into the city so that
people could come together to interact and learn. The Mayor
saw that it was necessary to invest in these communal spaces as much as the
upgrading of the slums in physical terms.
From an
architectural stand point, the city was able to balance having spaces and
places as part of the city’s urban fabric and have buildings that were admired and
photographed by foreign travelers. The way
that Medellin was designed was a key approach to urbanism and could help
promote the importance of social mobility and equity in order to make a city
work.
What
can we learn from Bologna?
“… a vision of Bologna as an entire city
powered by sharing and collaboration as part of a global network of other
cities on the same path.”
– “Bologna Celebrates One Year of a Bold
Experiment in Urban Commoning.” Shareable. June 8, 2015. http://www.shareable.net/blog/bologna-celebrates-one-year-of-a-bold-experiment-in-urban-commoning
This
participatory scheme was also successful in Bologna, Italy. It all started in 2011 when a group of women
wanted to donate benches to their neighbourhood park as there was nowhere to
sit. Something as simple as this, turned out to be a complicated
matter as citizens were unable to contribute to improving the city. It was
illegal.
In 2014, this
law changed and allowed Bologna to be a collaborative city where their citizens
are allowed to contribute to improve the city.
One
example of a collaborative scheme that the city has is by a non-profit painting
crew called “Lawyers at Work”. One of the city’s historic centre had to be
painted due to the graffiti. This was important as the historic centre was crucial
for quality of life and tourism. The municipal waste management company “Hera”
had dropped off the painting kit that consisted of paint that met the city’s
historical code, brushes, smocks to protect clothing, cones to mark off the
work area and more. The city hosted an online map that showed all the projects
active that day and their location so that they could be tracked by citizens
who could join these projects spontaneously.
This was
a new way of place making where urban design experts do not plan everything out
in advance, rather, it was a way for everyone to gather and a new way to live in a city in a more creative, spontaneous and social manner.
What
can we learn from Aravena?
“Aravena has championed an approach he
describes as ‘incremental’, in which governments fund construction of half a
good house with residents completing the other portion as resources allow.”
- “Alejandro
Aravena makes housing designs available to the public for free.” Dezeen.
April 6, 2016. https://www.dezeen.com/2016/04/06/alejandro-aravena-elemental-social-housing-designs-architecture-open-source-pritzker/
Aside
from looking at participation at an urban scale, Chilean architect, Alejandro
Aravena, came up with a model for social housing which earned him 2016’s
Pritzker Prize award. His company, Elemental, is a champion of ‘participatory
design’ for coming up with the idea of “half a good house”. How this works is
that developments are created based on limited government subsidies. Only half
of a decent-sized family home will be built and the other half will be filled
in by the future inhabitants according to their own needs and financial
situation.
What
should architects keep in mind?
“In 1998, it became constitutional law in
Colombia that every municipality had to develop a masterplan, and that planning
could not happen without social participation.”
– “Medellin escapes grip of drug lord to
embrace radical urbanism.” The Guardian. May 13, 2016. https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2016/may/13/story-cities-pablo-escobar-inclusive-urbanism-medellin-colombia
It is
universally known that most government bodies are corrupt, so to achieve a
successful local housing system like that of Singapore’s cannot be a global
solution. Furthermore, it is important that each place has its own spirit and essence -
something that outsiders can appreciate and admire.
It is
clear from resources such as UN Habitat on the topic of slum upgrading and
successful projects such as Medellin, Bologna and Aravena’s social housing,
that the participation from the inhabitants are key to a successful project. These
inhabitants are the ones that know their area best and with their participation,
there will be a greater sense of ownership of their city which will make them appreciate
their city more and arouse in them a stronger will to look after and maintain
the city. City maintenance should not only be a duty for the municipality or
government but it should also be the citizens’ responsibility.
As
architects, we may have been taught to design buildings and spaces in a formal
and particular way that we often forget the more dynamic and complex aspects of
designing spaces – which is to prioritize the needs of the community we are
designing for. We may have been taught to design iconic buildings and to create
an identity for ourselves as designers, but it is important that we start
looking at the bigger picture and understanding how our skills and the
architectural, urban planning and construction industry extends further to a
much more serious issue that we can tackle.
Architects
are not only needed to create beautiful buildings, but the knowledge and
experiences that we have, can be used to help solve the global issue of
housing. So as architects, how do we balance our formal approach towards slums while
at the same time, retaining the uniqueness of the place?
Let the
users participate! After all, we are designing for them.
