We are fortunate to be living in an
environment where we turn on the tap, clean water comes out; when we flip the
switch, the room turns bright; when we open the bedroom door, a comfy bed is
waiting for us. There exist on this world many people who don’t have this
luxury. They either don’t have roofs over their heads, or their place of
residence is so crowded with family or either inhabitants that they cannot guarantee
a restful sleep. Los Angeles certainly has a substantial homeless population,
and this persistent issue is manifold. While some of this is more visible and
closer to home, there are estimated 863 million people in urban areas that live
in slums. They are recorded in sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, Latin
America and the Caribbean and many are unaccounted for.
Slums are a peculiar and fascinating kind
of living: densely populated, lacking reliable sanitation services and
electricity, supply of clean water, and with very informal law enforcement. Yet
the community is vibrant and most of the time self-sustained, almost forming
their own sub-culture. The problem then, for the government and NGO groups, how
to provide adequate housing options without destroying their identity and
community? This requires knowledge of the specific group and knowing what to
change and what to preserve when implementing a master plan. I am interested in
investigating mass housing options for today’s slums while preserve the unique
community dynamics of the neighborhood. (although still working out the where
and how…)
Jimmie, I really love your idea! I think that similar to Tierney's idea, maybe there's a way to connect trained Architects to these communities to draw up plans or train others, so they can ensure that the communities stay in tact. It's amazing to me how what we wake up to everyday is so different from others, yet in some ways they feel like they have just as much as we do. I think this is a great idea that can really make a difference in communities worldwide!
ReplyDeleteThis is a great idea!! There has to be a way to better connect one another to better the lives of everyone around us. I feel that getting the community involved with the process would be the best way to save their identit, but making it better!
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of knowing the community and finding better ways to create housing that will help them, instead of tearing the community apart. I think it's so important to make sure that people's identities aren't taken away, so creating a big initiative to keep their lives intact but giving them some better resources is an incredible way of fixing the housing problem.
ReplyDeleteIt's so great that you're thinking about problem-solving while acknowledging the dignity of the community people have built. This really strikes close to home for me because I know a lot of survivors of the Korean War, who lived through occupation and extreme poverty, but through it gained unbreakable relationships, new, ingenious food recipes born of lacking ingredients and great creativity, and a sense of identity and pride that "outsiders" may not be able to fully understand. Just giving resources doesn't acknowledge or cultivate those successes, so even if you're not quite sure on the specifics of achieving your goal, it's awesome to hear that you're thinking of them truly as a people and not as a charity case.
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