URBIZEN

The urban renewal has impacted the landscape of many cities in India, where the marginalized have to starve for resources and the elite to enjoy resources in abundance. For past a year and a half Hazards Centre conducted research in Jaipur and Indore, in monitoring the shift in the informal sector workers in these cities. The research also underlines the transformation of these cities in terms of infrastructure development and investments. The two day seminar will have presentations by representatives from Jaipur, Indore, Patna, Lucknow and Delhi on the ongoing reform initiatives in their cities/states . It will also have short sectoral presentations on employment, urban basic services, so on followed by extensive discussions to strategise the kind of research and future action needed. Dates: 15 February 2007 to 16 February 2007 Venue: New Delhi, India For enquiries please contact: Leena hazardscentre@gmail.com +919811137421

Architecture for Humanity is building a new space to collaborate online. The Open Architecture Network will be a gathering place for community designers and all those interested in improving the built environment. Here designers of all persuasions can post their projects, browse projects posted by others, comment and review projects, discuss relevant topics, contribute to shared resources, collaborate with each other and access project management tools to support their work. "We imagine a site that not only helps create, support and implement ideas, but also a place that fosters sustainable, replicable, adaptable and scalable design solutions. The network has a simple mission: to generate design opportunities that will improve living standards for all." Alex Steffen from Worldchanging has a good write-up on this: The Open Architecture Network and the Future of Design

This just came in by email: "Mumbai Slum Rehabilatation Scheme (SRS) has been touted by many as the model scheme for rehabilitating slum dwellers through 'Public Private Partnership' . So much so that similar schemes are now sought to be implemented in many other cities as well. In fact, the thrust of JNNURM's approach towards ensuring tenurial security for slum dwellers lies in replicating Mumbai model all over the country. Here's an interesting story on how the said scheme is basically aimed at filling the coffers of corrupt land mafia, builders, politicians and bureaucrats and has little to do with providing housing to slum dwellers." Read the entire story here ...

A new report from the World Watch Institute warns that uncontrolled urbanization in the form of slums is contributing to serious social and environmental consequences. "Unplanned and chaotic urbanization is taking a huge toll on human health and the quality of the environment, contributing to social, ecological, and economic instability in many countries. Of the 3 billion urban dwellers today, 1 billion live in "slums," defined as areas where people cannot secure key necessities such as clean water, a nearby toilet, or durable housing. An estimated 1.6 million urban residents die each year due to lack of clean water and sanitation as a result." "Cities around the world have also begun to take climate change seriously, many in response to the direct threat they face. Of the 33 cities projected to have at least 8 million residents by 2015, at least 21 are coastal cities that will have to contend with sea-level rise from climate change." "While no singl...

The World, a production of Public Radio International and the BBC, visited the shantytowns of the world. You can read and listen to these dispatches from Kenya, South Africa, Peru, India and Brazil at http://www.theworld.org/?q=node/6579 .

A new film and book on the slum demolitions in Yamuna Pushta by writer, director, Ruzbeh Barucha www.yamunagentlyweeps.com Yamuna Gently Weeps is a film on the Yamuna Pushta slum demolitions, written and directed by journalist, author, and documentary filmmaker, Ruzbeh N Bharucha. Yamuna Pushta in Delhi was one of the oldest and largest slums inIndia. In reality, a chain of 22 small slums, located on athree-kilometre stretch along the Yamuna River, the settlement was home to 40,000 families, which housed more than 1,50,000 people and was in existence for decades. Yamuna Pushta was virtually a township, where a world within aworld existed. In the guise of resettlement, encroachment, pollution and beautification of the city, in early 2004, in a matter of weeks,40,000 homes were demolished, without any rehabilitation plan andthe past, present, future of 1,50,000 people were bulldozed to the ground. Neither the Judiciary, those in power nor the implementing agencies, had heard of the conce...

Demolition of slums and eviction of urban poor have been going on a massive scale all over India. Whether it is Mumbai or Delhi, Lucknow or Chennai or any other city, for that matter- everywhere the poor are being uprooted from their homes and means of livelihood. The progressive, pro-poor interpretation of Articles 19 and 21 of the Constitution is giving way to blatant disregard of constitutional provisions by both state agencies as well as the courts. The agencies demolishing these clusters are blaming the courts and the courts blame the agencies for proliferation of slums. In this tug of war, poor slum dwellers are being pushed into a precarious situation. Although all states/ULBs in India have some or the other policy for ameliorative action for slum dwellers, these policies have clearly proved to be inadequate to safeguard the interests of slum dwellers. In fact only the anti-poor provisions of these policies are implemented on a selective basis. Therefore, there has been a strong...

The exploding population of the developing nations presents innumerable possibilities for innovative businesses and ideas. Especially in the urban context where needs and demands are changing so rapidly forward thinking investors can tap into this market of "bottom of the pyramid" creating a symbiotic partnership. Design for the Base of the Pyramid (DBOP) is an effort from the Illinois Institute of Technology's Institute of Design . Initiated in 2003, this project explores "human-centered design strategies and concepts for new products, services and businesses capable of generating sustainable economic improvement in the lives of people living in the vast base of the global economic pyramid." The approach is focused on charity-based solutions, but on harnessing the entrepreneurial spirit found in urban slums coupled with the financial support and energy of private investment. You can read the Full report (PDF) here.

Information and telecommunication technology is a key for the development of rural areas in India and other developing nations. It is my opinion that sustainable development, coupled with the right technology can alleviate the living conditions in the rural areas. Though work is being done in the field of ICT (Information and Communication Technology) in rural areas in India at smaller scales, nothing has been achieved that shows substantial effects. The Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO) is holding a global international event on Connecting Rural Communities in India in Cochin. With the rapid projected development of rural communications in countries including India and China there has never been a greater opportunity for ICT companies to stake their claim on this lucrative market. The Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO) in conjunction with the Department of Telecommunications and the Indian Institute of Management is to hold the timeliest international ...

Village houses may be artists' delight, and cement structures in villages may look like incongruous ugly dots in a picturesque landscape. But while urbanites may feel that village houses should retain their traditional appearance - and therefore be made of wood, stone, mud etc. - villagers themselves are quick to point to the irony in this: the well-meaning urbanites themselves have long ago abandoned traditional housing! Low cost, aesthetics, preserving traditions, and living in climatically suitable houses are all fine notions, but the durability of homes is also an important consideration. A mud house with a thatched roof needs continuous maintenance, whereas a brick and cement house is far sturdier, and has a longer life span. And villagers are as interested in the longevity of their homes as their urban counterparts. But a traditional rural residence has important advantages - it is almost always based on adaptations to the local environment, and is often built with the labour...

This is one of the few web-sites dedicated to South Asian architecture and architects. Though in it's nascent stages of development, I think it holds the potential to be the spearhead of an oncoming change. Web-sites and resources like these are quite necessary and useful to make people aware about contemporary and future movements in the South Asian region. "LAYER finds its roots in diversity. It was born out of a common desire to launch a platform for interaction, exposure and participation of South Asian designers, at all stages to experience and share their ideologies, which will help evolve the present status quo. LAYER indulges in all aspects of design and art. The nature of exhibitions, curational strategies and publications, demands new interrogation and reconsideration. This is fueled by the fact that in recent years, worlds of art, architecture and design have outgrown their modes of representation and production, and have started to cannibalize neighboring discip...

This is a very good starting point for people who are interested in the super-adobe building system developed by architect Nader Khalili of CalEarth Institute. It is a two-page manual on how to build your own super-adobe shelter, complete with diagrams and photos. http://www.calearth.org/Emerg_files/KhaliliEmergShltr.pdf

Shigeru Ban is known for his achievements with paper: he is to paper what Le Corbusier was to concrete, or Norman Foster is to steel. The technique is simple, environment-friendly (being made from recycled paper), and inexpensive. The cardboard rolls that you see everywhere can be made to good use for temporary and semi-temporary shelters. But the idea of building with paper seems riddled with problems - it is flammable, vulnerable to water, weak and temporary, but Ban turns all these arguments upside down: "How long do you think concrete lasts? It has many problems and it's very difficult to replace or fix. If a paper tube is damaged it can be replaced by a new one. The lifespan of a building has nothing to do with the materials. It depends on what people do with it. If a building is loved, then it becomes permanent. When it is not loved, even a concrete building can be temporary. And the strength of the material has nothing to do with the strength of the building. It depend...

An article I read in SF Gate, led me to think about innovations in disaster relief shelters and their actual practical usability within the context of culture, politics and economy. How does theoretical architectural innovation in diasater relief shelter fit in with the realities of the situation, with political will, and above all, peoples need? Architects, engineers and designers have spent years bent over their drawing boards trying to come up with the most ideal solution for providing shelters for a people left homeless in a diaster (natural or unnatural). But somehow the results don't justify the hours and years spent by a people considered the most creative. "As many experts on emergency housing have pointed out, temporary post-disaster communities often put down roots and stick around. From the shantytowns of Rio de Janeiro to Palestinian refugee camps in Syria, decent temporary structures often end up functioning as woefully inadequate permanent dwellings that sometime...

A new report by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme warns world governments of a worsening urban housing crisis if they cannot come up with the money to build 96,150 houses per day for an additional 2 billion city-dwellers by 2030. Continue reading ...

This is an appeal from "Architecture for Humanity": "On October 8th a 7.6 magnitude earthquake rocked the region near Kashmir, less than 65 miles from Islamabad, Pakistan. Three major cities were completely destroyed: Muzaffarabad, Mansehra, Balakot and hundreds of villages are still unreachable by the rescue teams. The death toll currently stands at 41,000, with over 70,000 injured. An estimated 3.3 million who have lost their homes. There are critical concerns that the lack of treatment for many of those injured, combined with shortage of water and sanitation facilities will lead to increased fatalities. The area that was hit is quite mountainous, difficult to reach and in less than three weeks the typical harsh and cold winter will descend on the region. The real need is not only in relief and recovery but the transitional and long term shelter needs of those displaced - shelter that must be earthquake resistant for the future. Many more will die due to inadequate pro...

These shelter boxes have been sponsored by Rotary International and contain the basic tools needed to survive in a disaster region, a rugged 10 person tent, 10 sleeping bags, shovels, medicine box, cooking aids. Visit: http://www.shelterbox.org/f_intro.html

ITDG - Intermediate Technology Development Group has released a technical brief on earthquake housing. Click here to view the Technical Brief . For more information on other services provided by ITDG visit: http://www.itdg.org/

The UN-HABITAT has come out with it's latest Disaster Management Report. And important part of the report is the tools prescribed by the UN. These tools seek to help develop practical applications for broader concerns in settlements crisis management. They look at issues such as gender, land tenure and sustainable development and work to equip practitioners at all levels - in the international system, in national and local government and in civil society - to implement programmes in post conflict and disaster settings that promote the broader aim of sustainable relief. The link: http://www.unhabitat.org/programmes/rdmu/tools.asp

Shabbir Kazmi of "Project Lifeline" is initiating an effort to provide drinking water and water for sanitation in creative ways. Old shipment containers are being refurbished to transport and supply water to the disaster prone areas. To find out more about "Project Lifeline" and ways to help, visit: www.project-lifeline.org/