Urban Independent
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East Wahdat Burning Man Barefoot College Leidsche Rijn Rural Studio
presented as part of Consuming Places









What problem solving practices have been instrumental in creating locally responsive solutions? Can these be applied to other communities?

The basic problem solving practices of the project are:
  • Affordability: The project costs were kept as low as possible to enable families to afford to pay for what they got. Prices of subsidized dwelling units were reduced by cross-subsidy from commercial units sold at market prices.
  • Replicability: Government subsidy is kept to a minimum so it can afford to repeat such projects as often as necessary to meet demand.
  • Self-Help & Creating Job Opportunities: providing Basic & community services, vocational training centers, loans, building design and small plots not normally available, created a situation where people can help themselves. It is then their turn to actually build, expand or improve their homes.
  • Incremental Building: Families can build one room at a time according to their needs. They can build their homes less expensively than the Government can, and they are happier with the end results, which more closely reflect their aspirations.
  • Security of Tenure: By assisting a squatter in becoming the owner of the land he lives on, the Government encourages him to improve his own home, once he is no longer threatened by eviction.
  • Minimum demolishing: Demolition will be kept to minimum necessary to find to find space for footpaths and sewerage lines.
The project has succeeded in transforming large numbers of squatter refugees into homeowners. The project planners through UDD financial and managerial policies have enabled the beneficiary community to create an environment that responds to their social and cultural needs. The autonomy of the Department (UDD) and the dedication of its staff were a key factor in the project success.

Except the initial stage, all technical personnel were locally recruited and have replicated their experience in several other sites. The success of the project encouraged UDD to implement further projects.