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THE GLOBAL URBANIZATION OF POVERTY:
ARCHITECTURE AS EMPOWERMENT
By
Jessica Lindsey King
© 2011 Jessica Lindsey King
A thesissubmitted in partial fulfillmentof the requirements for
the degree of Master of Science in ArchitectureSchool of Architecture
Pratt Institute
January 2011
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THE GLOBAL URBANIZATION OF POVERTY:
ARCHITECTURE AS EMPOWERMENT
By
Jessica Lindsey King
Received and approved:
DateElliott Maltby
DateJason Vineri-Beane
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The cities of tomorrow are not being built by you.
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Acknowledgements
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Manifesto
Can architecture empower people or be used as a tool in the process of
empowerment? The United Nations estimates that in my lifetime 1 in 3 people
worldwide will live in informal urban environments under substandard conditions.Space cannot change society by itself. It is not the equivalent of revolution, but
architecture is never non-political. Architecture always reinforces a set of social
relations. Some issues inherent in informal settlements: density, lack of shelter,
cost tensions, materiality questions, construction methods, these are the tools of
architects. As architects we are educated to synthesize problems, address multiple
tensions, and to be sensitive to aesthetics. These skills can be used to orchestrate
the situations as well as the structures. By involving communities of people in the
organization, planning, educating, and collaboration that is vital to an architecturaldesign becoming a reality I believe we, as a profession, have the capability to be
empowering. What we design will pick a side, will make statements about the
policies inherent in a place, and will set up the inhabitants in one way or another to
relate to those around them. I want to test the empowering affects architecture can
have on those relationships and individuals.
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Some problems are so complex, so large in scale, and so overwhelming that the
thought of attempting to get involved and making some positive change is almost
unfathomable. The issue unbearable, the suffering a searing blight on humanity,
the causes many and often unknown or misunderstood, these are just a few of the
obstacles one must be ready to engage when getting involved. The condition ofslums, or squatter communities, is one of these seemingly impossible problems. The
problem and suffering of slums spans the globe and the contribiuting factors to these
dehuminizing spaces are many. In some instances the magnitude of slum-related issues
has become so enormous that even thinking about solutions at the urban level has
ceased.
In 2008, for the first time in history, more people lived in cities than in rural areas.
One-third of these urban dwellers, more than 1 billion people, live in slums. People,worldwide, are fleeing the countryside in hopes for better, more profitable, living
situations in the world’s cities. But more often than not this massive group of
migrants is met with crowded, seemingly hopeless situations in the already densely
overpopulated urban space. And the United Nations does not estimate that this
expansive migration will slow down anytime soon. It is predicted that by 2050 up
to _ _ _ _ billion people will live in slums. That is one-third of the earth’s population!
The issue of slum settlements is demanding our attention and in my lifetime will
force architects and many addressing spatial issues to confront the conditions andconsequences that they inherit and force on both the informal and formal aspects of
cities.
Slums are the physical manifestation of poverty and the many causes of poverty
are as complex and varied as the different slums themselves. Due to this an
overwhelming majority of the slums worlwide occur in developing nations. A number
of these nations, sometimes referred to as third-world countries, were former colonies
and with the end of imperialism were given the task and challenge of nation andinstitution building on their own for the first time. That challenge in and of itself is
massive and once you add in additional stresses they often face such as political
anarchy, economic isolation, and sectarian violence many of these nations are still
struggling to “develop” economically. A vast majority of the developing nations
reside in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
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I am questioning architecture’s ability to be empowering, specifically in slums.
Worldwide people are moving from the country into the cities in large numbers. The
United Nations reports that as of 2008, for the first time in history, more people
lived in cities than in rural areas. 1 billion of those urban dwellers live in slums.
The situation of slums is created by an incredibly complex and varied system ofcircumstances, realities, and injustices. No one field is going to solve the problem of
slums. But a collaboration of innovative and dedicated people from multiple fields
are needed to begin to address these deplorable conditions.
How, as a professional, do you begin to engage a problem or issue bigger than
your knowledge base? We have to design a system of collarboration that will start
to enable us to really work as a cohesive group in addressing the needs and issues
of this vast growing percentage of the Earth’s population. And in that collaboration,what are the roles and capabilities of the architect and the architecture? How
can the physical environment integrate with social science, healthcare, and politics
in order to bring some real relief and hope to a group of people being pushed to
the outskirts and ignored at best, and targeted and abused at worst? What skills,
ideas, and ways of addressing tensions do architects uniquely bring to the table? Is
architecture capable of empowerment?
Slums, some people prefer the term squatter communiities, are defined slightlydifferently depending on the source but ------ defines them as -----------------------
------. The conditions in slums can vary drastically based on a number of factors
including how long the area has been settled, the location of the area in relation to
vital resources such as water, jobs, and public transportation, the relationship of the
squatters to the city govenrment and the security or lack of security of their tenure as
residents in that place. But a commonly accepted factor in defining slums is that they
are a physical spacial manifestation of poverty.
Many countries that are home to the world’s largest slums are located below what
Teddy Cruz describes as political equator. If poverty is the underlying reason for
these spaces then it makes sense that the world’s poorest countries house the
greatest percentage of the world’s slums. All but 6% of the world’s squatters live in
what is commonly refered to as third-world countries. This somewhat outdated term
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comes from ------------------------ but is commonly used to denote countries typically
located in Asia, Africa, and Latin America that are struggling to develop financially at
a pace with the more stabilized countries of the world. Therefore these countries are
also referred to as developing nations. * paragraph on developing nations. - why are
those nations what they are and what’s keeping them from being first world. look atLebbeus Woods blog.
Something to keep in mind when designing in squatter communities is money. Money
is why these places are what they are so failling to address that on a number of
levels means you’re failing to accurately understand your challenge and context.
Architecture always interfaces with economics so although not a new concept in
our process I believe designing in slums demands a higher sensitivity and priority
when dealing with money in some new ways. It makes it more dominant on thehierarchy of issues addressed. Money should be thought about on multiple levels
both in cost and deployment of the designed structure as well as the architectures
ability to help facilitate and/or encourage profitable business practices or solutions
for the inhabitants or users of the space. By aiding in even minimal improvements in
a squatters financial stability I believe is one way architecture has the abililty to be
empowering.
The wealth divide. Unequal distribution of resources. Rich get richer - poor getpoorer. What can we do about that? The relaity, in sheer numbers, may force some
change because as the problems gets larger and more wide spread it is harder to
ignore. Informal settlements will start to outgrow formal cities in terms of population.
More affluent urbanites will be put face to face with the realities of the informal urban
space. The slums have the potential to become the city and everything else will be
the outskirts. This demands the attention of many people, those designing urban
spaces of the next century as well. The interaction between formal and informal
will continue to grow. How should/can those two drastically different spaces meet,integrate, and grow? What does that look like? What should it?
Do I want to discuss unequal wealth distribution more? How the trickly down effect
doesn’t work. How given time, and opportunity slums have potential to become
middle class neighborhoods. How do you alleviate such a stark wealth divide - are
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there ways aesthetically to ease some of the tension caused by it? Policy change?
education? propose a solution that improves the lives and city for all by improving
the informal space. Make there incentives that the rich want to buy into.
The migration does not seem to be slowing down. People are fleeing the countrysideto make lives in the world’s cities at a staggering rate. Worldwide 70 million people
make the move to the city every year. That breaks down to 200,000 a day, 8,000
an hour, 130 every minute! By 2050 it is estimated that there will be 3 billion
squatters. That is 1/3 of the Earth’s population. Population explosion is one issue in
this larger context of slums that is often not clearly explained. The number of people
living on the planet is exponentioally growing every year. In 1976 there were just
over 3.5 billion people in the world. Two decades later, there were already 6 billion
people worldwide. The word’s population basically doubled in 20 years! Look atthe National Geographic series about 7 billion people. As of 2001, according to the
UN, winthin the developing regions, sub-Saharan Africa had the largest proportion
of the urban population resident in slums. (71.9%) Ghana is in Sub-Suharan Africa so
add this info to my project brief :) The urban population has increased by a total of
36% in the last decade!
How as designers, and humans do we begin to think about such a huge endeavor?
The United Nations says in order to keep up with the migration of new urbanites wewould have to build new homes at an alarming rate, 66 homes a minute worldwide!
That’s just to keep pace, it doesn’t consider all the people living in extremely poor
conditons now. Such an endeavor is estimated to cost around $294 billion, a seeminly
incomprehensible amount of money. But if every person on earth donated $3 a year
we would have it. As an architect, if billions of homes are to be built, I want to be a
part of that. What should they look like? How are they constructed? How do cities
of 2050 operate? As of right now, the cities of the future aren’t being built by us,
they’re being constructed by squatters. This disconnect, this them vs us between theformal and the informal is helping no one. The problem is more than building for the
poor. Could architects have a role in easing some of that tension by more affectively
intergrating the space of the two? Or by having a hand in helping the informal city
to grow and build in a safer, more effective manner? How do you show the formal
city what an asset the informal city can be?
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When the population of the informal city outgrows the population of the formal city,
the former becomes the city. Rio - 1/5 of Rio, a million people live in slums. Nairobi,
1/2, 1.5 million. Mumbai - 1/2, 6 million people. Istanbuil - 1/2, 6 million people.
So what do we do? What does it mean to empower someone?_ socio-economic model
_ define empowerment
_ what role could architecture play in this
_ design the situation as much as the structure
_ willingness to collaborate
_ aesthetics
As people who have excess money, time, and knowledge? As architects? As Teddy
Cruz would say “architect-citizens” less defined by our professional knowledge andmore by our desire to effect positive change. The issue of informal settlements is
complicated, huge, and intimidating, but when you break some of it down: lack of
shelter, materials, construction methods, density, cost concerns, aesthetics, spatial
identity, these are the tools of architects. We have a role to play in this story.
Architects sometimes think of themselves as mighty creators, producing context rather
than responding to it. Particularly in informal settlements it will be vital to work
with existing context in order to continue to build up and aprove upon the spacesalready developed there. Participation of inhabitants is vital for a succesful project
implementation and sustainable system.
What unique skills and goals do architects bring to the table in terms of
empowerment? What role do aesthetics play? What are aesthetics capable of?
In terms of legality when designing for squatter communities you have three choices.
1. Legal - go through whatever policy or procedures neccessary to gain appropriatepermission or rights to build on a piece of land
2. Build illegally on a piece of land you do not own and do not possess the rights too.
3. Find a niche. all places are different, but find a loophole, an incentive, in a policy
or law, cultural custom, or found conditions that allows you to build in tension. May
not a legal scenario but address the situation in a way that doesn’t boldly build
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illegally with no regard for the policies or realities in place. Find a way to give
people incentive to keep your building - to want it there - make it an asset for the
majority. How do you make it an asset? Aesthetics? provide a needed service?
Slum women and the children they support are the greatest victims of all.
Slum policies should in fact be integrated within broader, people-focused urban
poverty reduction policies that address the various dimensions of poverty. This can
include employment and incomes, food, health and education, shelter and access to
basic urban infrastructure and services.
Reverse the socio-economic exclusion of slum dwellers. Pro-poor planning and
management of the urban economy, so as to enhance income generationopportunities for the urban poor.
Slums are spatial - physical manifestations of poverty and intra-city inequality. Based
on the World Bank poverty definitions, it is estimated that half the world- nearly
3 billion people - live on less than US$2 per day. About 1.2 billion live in extreme
poverty - less than US$1 per day. Slums and poverty are closely related and mutally
reinforcing, but the relationship is not always direct or simple. Slum dwellers are not
homogeneous so the complexities of the cause and effect poverty has on slums varieswidely. Most slum dwellers find work in the informal sector and the main problems
confronting the informal sector at present are lack of formal recognition, as well as
low levels of productivity and incomes.
Goal : try to help squatter become increasingly socially cohesive within the greater
urban fabric.
Slums are characterized/distinguished by the poor quality of housing, the poverty ofthe inhabitants, the lack of public and private services and the poor integration of
the inhabitants into the broader community and its opportunities.
Merriam Webster dictionary definition of slum ‘a heavily populated urban area
characterized by substandard housing and squalor’
essential qualities of slums: high densities, low standards of housing (infrastructure
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and serivices), and squalor. The first two criteria are physical and spatial which the
third is social and behavioral. Slums are extremely varied places that defy any one
tight definition. Many are slums because they are unrecognized by the officials of
the local authority and governement. This lack of recognition - informality - is both a
charateristic and cause of problems of inadequacy.
Slums are multidimensional in nature. Poverty is multidimensional as well. different
dimensions of urban poverty have been described as:
- low income: consisting of those who are unable to participate in labour markets and
lack other means of support, and those whose wage income is so low that they are
below a nominal poverty line.
- low human capital: low education and poor heath are the components of ‘capability
poverty’ Poor health is strongly associated with bad housing and overcrowding.- low social capital: this involves a shortage of networks to protect households from
shock, weak patronage on the labour market, labeling and exclusion
- low financial capital: lack of productive assets that might be used to generate
income or avoid paying major costs.
Empowerment as opposed to merely addressing monetary resources or livelihoods,
may help ensure a sustainable transition from poverty.
In the last 100 years there has been a dramatic increase in the ratio between the
richest and the poorest nations. APATHY COLLAGE
There is a great need for assistance for small-scale enterprises in the construction
sector, which probably provide the majority of all new dwellings, so that their
methods of supply are as efficient as possible. The poor are currently the largest
producers of shelter and builders of cities in the world - and, in many cases,
women are taking the lead in devising survival strategies that are, effectively, thegovernance structures of the developing world when formal structures have failed
them. By designing an efficient system we can help avoid wastage of resources
through duplication and competition and promote knowledge exchange within an
exisiting system of construction and coordination.
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Coordination and Cooperation
It’s commonly held that legality, or security of tenure to land and property, is the
single most important criterion in any slum upgrading or regularization process.
Linking social and economic objectives is imperative to success. There is often a
contradiction there.
Teddy Cruz:
Architects have been absent from the debate. Sense of powerlessness at the
inability of the architecture profession to lead the way in rethinking systems and
institutions of urban development in our time. We should engage in shaping a
political will to shae the city and its political economy.
closing the gap between social responsibility and artistic experimentation.Redefinition of the architect-citizen, less defined by a professional identity, and more
by a way of thinking, a new interface with public culture.
Political equator - divides the world and the city between enclaves of mega wealth
and sectors of poverty.
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