Flavie Halais looks at both successful and unsuccessful cases of alleviating slum conditions on three continents. For the best results, practitioners must be more adept at problem solving and creativity than pure design.
As part of Architectural Record's "Sheltering the World" March 2013 issue, which looks at international, innovative housing schemes, Flavie Halais argues that incremental housing solutions are the most sensitive way to deal with increasing urban slum populations.
Citing successful examples in India and Brazil, Halais praises Charles Correa's 1983 informal Artist Village in Belapur and Rio's 1994 Favela Bairro program, which began introducing small-scale infrastructural improvements before focusing on improving and centralizing dwellings.
Halais criticizes UN Habitat for its clarion emphasis on slum-free cities and the effect this mantra has had in South Africa and in today's Rio, which is evicting favela dwellers in preparation for the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Providing examples of current successful approaches to slum development in India and Latin America, Halais concludes with the following principle:
"In informal settlements the role of architect, planner, anthropologist can intersect in complex but often advantageous ways, and traditional roles and responsibilities must be put aside. Here individual clients are virtually non-existent; practitioners serve communities, and beyond that, a cause."
FULL STORY: Beyond Architecture
The Race to Map Brazil's Favelas
In an effort to tap into new users, companies like Google and Microsoft are racing to map the winding, informal streets of Brazil's slums in Rio de Janeiro.
Technology Gives Form and Face to a Forgotten Place
In an excerpt from his new book, Anthony Townsend explains how a volunteer effort is combining consumer technologies with open source GIS to chart one of Africa’s largest and most notorious slums.
Lack of Plumbing Aside, We Could Learn a Thing or Two from India's Slums
Asserting a controversial opinion, Michael McQuarrie takes a fresh look at the state of community development by comparing it to the slums in Mumbai. These vibrant and economically active slums make him wonder: have we created a dependent poor?
National Parks Layoffs Will Cause Communities to Lose Billions
Thousands of essential park workers were laid off this week, just before the busy spring break season.
Retro-silient?: America’s First “Eco-burb,” The Woodlands Turns 50
A master-planned community north of Houston offers lessons on green infrastructure and resilient design, but falls short of its founder’s lofty affordability and walkability goals.
Delivering for America Plan Will Downgrade Mail Service in at Least 49.5 Percent of Zip Codes
Republican and Democrat lawmakers criticize the plan for its disproportionate negative impact on rural communities.
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Balancing Bombs and Butterflies: How the National Guard Protects a Rare Species
The National Guard at Fort Indiantown Gap uses GIS technology and land management strategies to balance military training with conservation efforts, ensuring the survival of the rare eastern regal fritillary butterfly.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
EMC Planning Group, Inc.
Planetizen
Planetizen
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service