Housing by People: Performance of Asian Community Architects

Housing by PeoplePerformance of Asian Community Architects

When we use the term “community architect,” we have

in our minds a person who is quite different than a conventional

architect. But in the past two decades, as the work of community

architects around Asia has grown, and as the community move-

ments they support and work within have grown, there have been

more and more questions about what kind of roles community

architects can play in a community-driven change process.

In this special issue of the ACHR newsletter, we take a

detailed look at the work of many community architects around

Asia who are experimenting with new and unconventional ways

of supporting community-driven change processes in their cit-

ies and countries. This issue of the newsletter is doubly special

because all the stories have been written and illustrated and laid

out by these community architects themselves, with a little editing

support from Chawanad Luansang (“Nad”) and Supawut Boon-

mahathanakorn (“Tee”) - the two young Thai architects who are

jointly coordinating ACHR’s Young Professionals Program.

Asian Coalition for Housing RightsSecretariat : Somsook BoonyabanchaTAP : Maurice Leonhardt, 73 Soi Sonthiwattana 4, Ladprao 110Bangkok 10310, THAILANDTel (66-2) 538-0919 Fax (66-2) 539-9950e-mail: [email protected] : www.achr.net

Housing by peoplePerformance of Asian Community Architects

CONTENTOverview2 Introduction5 Some Teams of Community Architects6 Architects and Architectural Practice:Some Imperatives10 “There are no formal rules”12 Note from the Community Architect planning:Meeting in Bali (October 20-23, 2009)

Situation and Development of Community Architect’s Movement16 Milestones of Communitu Architecture

Upgrading22 Community Para-Architecs’ work in Strenkali Surabaya25 Community Para-Architecs’ work at Kampung Pulo,Jakarta27 Bharatpur : Small and Big Projects Initiating People’s Process30 Linking poor communities to professionals and academe in Metro Manila and beyond …33 Small Projects Big Gains: Small-scale upgrading by Communities in Iloilo City, Philippines36 Possibilities for Large-Scale Reblocking in Major Cities by Urban Poor Communities

Urban Regeneration42 Own Community Development is Collect People’s Dreams and Create Opportunity to Challenge

Design with Peoples46 Upgrading Community - City Regenerating Kumpong Takwa Network in 3 Regional Provinces : Pattani, Narathivat, Yala. City Participatory Planning51 Chao Kham Phong Community, Ubonratchathani53 “Having a house and good community is not hard as you think”

Disaster 56 “Reconstruction of Life” in Post Tsunami Aceh58 “Local Wisdom Under Rubbles”60 Rehabilitation after the Cyclone Nargis61 Build the home, grow the community

Heritage66 Revieving and Training Traditional Community Craftsmen in Ladakh & Tibet68 Participatory Restoration of Monastic Shrine in Rajastanluang Temple, Muang Ma, Kyiang Tung, Burma70 The Grassroots Heritage Conservation: Samchuk Community and Old Market District in Suphanburi,Thailand

City Participatory Planning74 City-Wide Community Upgrading Movement in Chum Pae Municipality, Khon Kaen76 City Participatory Planning, Bang Bua Case

Workshop and Training80 Communities and architects working together Iloilo City, Philippines82 Community Mapping: using Geographical Information Systems (GIS)84 Community Architect’s Workshop at Vientaine,Lao PDR

When we use the term “community architect,” we have

in our minds a person who is quite different than a conventional

architect. But in the past two decades, as the work of community

architects around Asia has grown, and as the community move-

ments they support and work within have grown, there have been

more and more questions about what kind of roles community

architects can play in a community-driven change process.

In this special issue of the ACHR newsletter, we take a

detailed look at the work of many community architects around

Asia who are experimenting with new and unconventional ways

of supporting community-driven change processes in their cit-

ies and countries. This issue of the newsletter is doubly special

because all the stories have been written and illustrated and laid

out by these community architects themselves, with a little editing

support from Chawanad Luansang (“Nad”) and Supawut Boon-

mahathanakorn (“Tee”) - the two young Thai architects who are

jointly coordinating ACHR’s Young Professionals Program.

Asian Coalition for Housing RightsSecretariat : Somsook BoonyabanchaTAP : Maurice Leonhardt, 73 Soi Sonthiwattana 4, Ladprao 110Bangkok 10310, THAILANDTel (66-2) 538-0919 Fax (66-2) 539-9950e-mail: [email protected] : www.achr.net


CONTENTOverview2 Introduction5 Some Teams of Community Architects6 Architects and Architectural Practice:Some Imperatives10 “There are no formal rules”12 Note from the Community Architect planning:Meeting in Bali (October 20-23, 2009)

Situation and Development16 Milestones of Communitu Architecture

Upgrading22 Community Para-Architecs’ work in Strenkali Surabaya25 Community Para-Architecs’ work at Kampung Pulo,Jakarta27 Bharatpur : Small and Big Projects Initiating People’s Process30 Linking poor communities to professionals and academe in Metro Manila and beyond …33 Small Projects Big Gains: Small-scale upgrading by Communities in Iloilo City, Philippines36 Possibilities for Large-Scale Reblocking in Major Cities by Urban Poor Communities

Urban Regeneration42 Own Community Development is Collect People’s Dreams and Create Opportunity to Challenge

Design with Peoples46 Upgrading Community - City Regenerating Kumpong Takwa Network in 3 Regional Provinces : Pattani, Narathivat, Yala. City Participatory Planning51 Chao Kham Phong Community, Ubonratchathani53 “Having a house and good community is not hard as you think”

Disaster 56 “Reconstruction of Life” in Post Tsunami Aceh58 “Local Wisdom Under Rubbles”60 Rehabilitation after the Cyclone Nargis61 Build the home, grow the community

Heritage66 Revieving and Training Traditional Community Craftsmen in Ladakh & Tibet68 Participatory Restoration of Monastic Shrine in Rajastanluang Temple, Muang Ma, Kyiang Tung, Burma70 The Grassroots Heritage Conservation: Samchuk Community and Old Market District in Suphanburi,Thailand

City Participatory Planning74 City-Wide Community Upgrading Movement in Chum Pae Municipality, Khon Kaen76 City Participatory Planning, Bang Bua Case

Workshop and Training80 Communities and architects working together Iloilo City, Philippines82 Community Mapping: using Geographical Information Systems (GIS)84 Community Architect’s Workshop at Vientaine,Lao PDR

Situation and Devevelopmentof Community Architect’s Movement

The architect’s role is to assimilate, to assimilate technology, culture and ideas of people who want to build and form all this to create something new.

Fr. Jorge Anzorena


KIP’s Infrastructure Development

1970s - Kampung Improvement Programme (KIP)

Andrea Fitrianto

1980s - Kali Chode, Yogyakarta

The Kampung Upgrading Programme (KIP) has been implemented in Indonesian

cities since 1969 until now. Along the course of time, there are various versions of KIP

according to its project design and support, but the most renowned perhaps is the first

stage of KIP implemented by the government of Jakarta during the 1970s. Exceptional

for its ambition, scale, and the political will, KIP in Jakarta was adopted as an affordable

and effective way to improve the life of urban poor families through basic infrastructure

development. The physical projects include construction of pathways, drainage, bridges,

and community buildings. Through the fully stratified governance structure in Indonesia,

KIP was able to reach around 3 million people or 60% of city population, although par-

ticipation remains limited as far as from information to consultation. The project won Aga

Khan Award for Architecture in 1980. Today, there is barely any evidence of implementa-

tion of KIP in Jakarta. The KIPed kampungs were densified and degraded due to lacks of

maintenance, some others were pushed out of city by the burgeoning commercialization

started by the end of 1980s.

There were some remarkable ef-

forts of architects and planners to develop

housing for poor families in Indonesia. The

following are among of those efforts which

are well documented.

Before KIP

After KIP

MILESTONES OF COMMUNITY

ARCHITECTURE ININDONESIA

The look of kampung Kali Chode is distinctive in the cityscape of Yogyakarta. Pictur-

esque composition of A-framed bamboo-timber stilt houses with bamboo infills painted

with imaginative colors and pictures suggesting a strong sense of community and place.

Who knows that in 1983 this urban poor settlement of 35 families located on a steep bank

of river Chode was on a threat of eviction. Community leaders began to negotiate, accom-

panied by architect Y.B. Mangunwijaya (1929-1999). The people’s alternative develop-

ment plan convinced the municipality and successfully turned the threat into opportunity

for upgrading. During the two years construction period residents and volunteers, which

include art students, were involved while the financial support was provided by two local

newspapers. In 1992, the project won Aga Khan Award for Architecture. Similarly with

the case of KIP, there are evidences of densification in kampung Kali Chode whereby

newer buildings were constructed with brick masonry, diverted from its initial architectural

language.

Kali Chode, Yogyakarta


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1990s - Now

The Indonesian urban areas in the 1990s was rendered by burgeoning

private development. Its architecture world was dominated by super-de-

velopment of high-end retail, office, and residential facilities. The commu-

nity architecture was rather hibernates, only few sporadic initiative take

place in less urbanized areas. For instance, there is the work of Marco

Kusumawijaya and Yori Antar on self-help housing in Kupang.

The new millennium marked by an increase of urban challenges and oc-

curence of natural disasters. This has led to the stronger request of ar-

chitects in working with communities. The past disaster rehabilitations

which involve with young architects gave birth to a network of community

architects called themselves as pasukan nyeker or barefoot architects, It

is a new generation of community architects that stemmed and continued

to flourishes in many architectural schools across the country.

Community organizations and NGOs are proven to be an ideal develop-

ing ground for this young generation of community architects. A handful

architects have been involved in the works of UPC/UPLINK in some inno-

vative housing developments for the urban poor and disasters survivors in

Indonesia. A Jakarta based NGO, Humanitarian Volunteer Network (JRK),

has been providing urban laboratory for student architect. These work of

new generation of community architects in Aceh, Yogyakarta, Surabaya,

and Jakarta is featured in this publication

INHERITED AFICIONADOS

A prominent educator in urban development, Hasan Po-

erbo (1926 - 1999), advocates the poor families in Bandung for

participatory and holistic planning through the research institute,

he coordinated within the Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB). An

architect by trained, Hasan Poerbo leads pro-poor city develop-

ment processes during 1980s. Incorporate issues ranging from

housing, livelihood, and waste management. Through the labora-

tory of housing within the ITS, Johan Silas (b.1936) whom studied

at ITB under Hasan Poerbo, is the key person who maintained

KIP initiative in Surabaya. He developed further the program by

integrating a revolving fund scheme on the Comprehensive- KIP

(C-KIP). For his persistent effort on housing the poor, Johan Silas

received Habitat Scroll of Honour in 2005.

Eko Prawoto was a student of Y.B. Mangunwijaya and in-

herits the know-how of working with communities from the master.

In the aftermath of the 2006, Yogyakarta earthquake Eko Prawoto

(b.1958) has helped the 62 households of Ngibikan community

at Jetis, Yogyakarta on building quake-safe timber frame house

emphasizes on effective costing through the use of locally avail-

able materials. The project was done through wide participation

and accounted for its outstanding timeframe.

Kampung Ngibikan - Bantul, Yogyakarta JUB Village, Aceh Besar

17Housing by peoplePerformance of Asian Community Architects

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A “Barefoot Architects” Consultant ?

Antonio Ismael

“Barefoot Architects” is just the students “playing” term

of a type of a “Community Architects”. How this term came about

was also unclear. Perhaps it was taken from the famous “Barefoot

Doctors” that refers to Medical Doctors going into the rural vil-

lages helping the poor somewhere in China … (or is it in Mexico?).

People often asked whether “Green Triaco” (our office in Indonesia)

is a “Conventional Architecture Office” or an Non Profit Organiza-

tion (NGO)? It’s little hard to answer this question as it is even for me

legally unclear.

“Triaco Incorporated” is legally a business entity, but yet often

doing “social architecture” supports for free (i.e. under a volun-

teer basis) . So in practice , Triaco is both a “for profit conventional

Architects- Urban Design – Planning Consultant and also an “NGO”

(maybe a very little NGO = LINGO). It is sometime a conflicting

position in the notion (?), but also in mutual synergy for its sur-

vival. Well, what the heck… it is something we want to do , regard-

less . Not easy, but it has survived so far for already 25 years.

In fact , with this arrangement, the Non Profit activities can be inde-

pendent from Donors and the Government. So, kind of having

the freedom, so to speak , especially for a bargaining position to

do innovations – something that we are striving for a systematic

change in solving the poverty trap and squatter settlement issues.

This mode of operation is maybe an informal arrangement of what

we have done and learned from “AND” (Asian Neighborhood

Design, Incorp) , a Non Profit Organization , in San Francisco (USA)

where we have started during our school days at UC Berkeley Ar-

chitecture School . “AND” is basically a “CDC TYPE of NGO”…

“Community Design Center” or the Technical Free Assistance to

the Lower Income neighborhoods . There, we have established

a separate “For Profit entity” (building constructing and even doing

Condominium Development) and its profit to support the Non Profit

entity. ..so some kind of a “Cross Subsidy” arrangement. As long

as the salary are able to support the staff with a relative fair income,

it goes for its sustainable existence. It is just a choice / an alterna-

tive and so far has lasted for already 25 years.

Why is “Architecture” a unique field (and so important)

for helping the poor?

I think, as the “Architects” , with a discipline who works with

SPACES, it becomes very strategic in helping the poor. “Space”

is a very crucial resource for the poor to survive. Space is the

physical form of a house and space and is a place to work, the two

basic incredience for survival for the poorest , especially what the

economist call these groups as “the informal sector”. The house

or Housing is a key resource . Especially in a country like Indonesia.

Without a “legal” house, one cannot have a “KTP” (the Indonesian

Legal ID Card). Without it, one cannot actually live ...literaly so…

He/she can not report a birth certificate, can not get married, can

not go to school, cannot received medical support, and often cannot

legally get a job … and so actually being the target of harass-

ments by both the government and the mafia. Live becomes just

so hard , especially in the “urban jungle”. In Indonesia , the house

is then “the doors to live “. The house is also the most expensive

expense, the United Nations use 30% of the poor income for their

housing. ..but in reality, the poor are just so poor , housing is just

an “unaffordable dream”.

The access of land is the biggest barrier of getting a house/

housing the poor. Not even talking of “space” to work, make a living,

having income to support live.

So space is then a key resource . Even the exercise of design spac-

es is indirectly a key for building “social capital” of the masses/

the majority poor , what the Minister of Economy (both in Indonesia

and, I think, in Thailand as well ), called the most valuable asset a

poor country can have within this global economic crisis. They are

the savior of the nations’ economy from collapsing.

It is no coincidence that the World Bank , ADB, etc . are looking at

this end to make a poor-nation to survive.


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Some samples of what Architects can do on this “space manipu-

lation” to help the poor… especially relating to housing and the

place to work :

1. Mojosongo Community Based Integrated Kampung Redevelop-

ment , Solo, Central Java:

A 300 Ha “Kelurahan” (urban village) “multi solution” urban rede-

veloment scheme through Community Participatory process in

finding , sharing , shifting, trading “spaces”, within the slums, the

urban village, the river banks through Land Consolidation, Local

Resettlement, Community Base Housing, Self Help Housing , Kam-

pung Improvement Program Plus (KIP Plus), Walk up Flats, Cleaning

River and Flood Controal Normalization Program, Biogas Tofu-Soy

Cake (Tahu-Tempe) Production, Street Peddlers Center, Compost/

Recycling, Cultural Heritage Income Generating Development.

2. Citra Niaga Slum Redevelopment thru “Co – Development”

without Eviction, Samarinda:

Sharing a 3, 6 Ha land to convert a slum (of 212 squatter and ex-

ternal families) to a totally new redevelopment mix commercial

and people’s street peddlers “space” through land sharing, cross

subsidy schemes , stimulus, barter games.

3. Gang Manggis Slum Upgrading thru Community Based Land

Consolidation .

Redeveloping a 2, 7 Ha slum of 180 squatter and quassy kios

families , to become serviced shop houses development thru

participatory “spatial urban design rearrangements” with “mutual

land consolitation/ land pooling, and land readjustment “ , includ-

ing the development of a “Neighborhood Collective Development

Fund”, cross subsidy, time share build operate and transfer with

3rd parties co-development methods.

4. Floating Traditional Markets, Samarinda, East Kalimantan:

A scheme to search of “Space” above water to find the solution

of obtaining floating land for “income generating” facility (Floating

People’s Market) all along the great Mahakam River.

Morokembrangan Planning for Eco Cities for ALL, an Urban Rede-

velopment without Eviction , Surabaya, East Java:

A struggle to save “illegal settlement” of about 20.000 families

from being evicted the the Government Flood Control and street

widening program. A proposal to conduct “Community Based”

rebuilding for an Eco City for All Model development program. A

multi solution scheme of building Public Facilities on top of Public

Land, Densifying the “Urban Village” vertically , barter and trading

spaces among the community for getting the “spatial” solution.

Mojosongo Community Based Integrated Kampung

Redevelopment , Solo, Central Java

Citra Niaga Slum Redevelopment Thru

“Co – Development” without Eviction, Samarinda


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Upgrading

“If we start building a lot of smaller constituencies within a city, where people start relating to each other – and sharing between constituencies – a lot of horizontal learning, linking, and creativity will start to happen.”

Somsook Boonyabancha


Typical look before renovation Kampung Semampir

COMMUNITY PARA-ARCHITECTS’ WORK IN STRENKALI, SURABAYA

Location : Surabaya, Indonesia

Architect Team : UPLINK Architects, UPC

Local Organization : - Paguyuban Warga Strenkali (PWS)

- Urban Poor Consortium (UPC)

Story Contributor : Andrea Fitrianto (UPC)

The story begins when an eviction took place in May 2002

at Kampung Panjangjiwo a warn sent to other six kampungs. These

kampungs were blamed for having been the main cause of river pol-

lution and their existence have reduced the river’s capacity, thus

could generate flooding. To refuse the blame and defend their right to

stay, the communities united in an organization, namely Paguyuban

Warga Strenkali or riverside dwellers organization (PWS). Soon, PWS

invited the Urban Poor Consortium (UPC) to become the first partner

on their movement.

A Fast Growing Metropolis

Surabaya is one of the oldest urban areas in Indonesia. It is a city

of rivers. With population nearly 3 million, Surabaya is the nation’s

second largest city. It is the capital of East Java province and has two

industrial settlements; Gresik and Sidoarjo. The city’s rapidly devel-

opment and growing private-investment have lead to increasing in-

stance of evictions of poor settlements in the name of “beautification”

and city infrastructure development. Riverside kampungs in Surabaya

have already existed for four decades and given enough time to es-

tablish their identities, cultures, and strong socioeconomic networks.

Its location at the city center is the main advantage for dwellers that

came from java’s hinterland whom mainly are workers in the informal

sector. In these settlements, municipal water and electricity are ac-

cessed by the majority and land/property taxation prevails.


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Architect’s impressions

PEOPLE’s Reaction and Strategies

The main role of UPC in the process is in connecting PWS

to relevant networks and resources. This has invited further supports

from legal aid groups, professionals, academics, and pro-poor politi-

cians. Through, these networks PWS was able to commission a sci-

entific assessment, which tells in the result that, firstly, the 60 percent

of river contamination came from factories, 15 percent from commu-

nities in Sidoarjo and Surabaya, and the rest from other areas at the

hinterland and, secondly the revitalization of the river can be done by

dredging (removing sediments from the riverbed), not by widening

which would entail eviction.

UPC is concerned in building the capacity of key individuals in the

communities whom are the drivers behind the change.

UPC facilitates the exchanges and studies in visits of community rep-

resentatives, among others, to Thailand, the Philippines, and Yogya-

karta to learn on upgrading, community savings, and bamboo as an

alternative building material. Most of this learning process directly

involve to their own peers, the urban poor in other areas who face to

the same problems. Additionally, professionals were invited to teach

community survey and mapping, composting, and making liquid fer-

tilizer and UPC’s technical team provided facilitation on designing

communal sanitation facilities, roads, and dykes.

At the kampungs, gradual improvement begins with house modifica-

tion to reverse the house façade to the river and to provide inspec-

tion road. This is a simple adjustment made a fundamental change

when houses facing the river and the river became the focal point of

the communities, residents became the jogokali, the guardian of the

river, a borrowed wisdom from Sunan Kalijogo, a local 16th century’s

islamic saint who was renowned for his environment wisdom. Uplink

architects faciltate a community survey and mapping and getthe

basic information for kampung planning.

Having a concrete improvement at the kampungs and with solid as-

sessment results in hand PWS presented the people’s concept in

front of the parliament, head-to-head with the government’s plan.

Successfully, the parliament were convinced by the people’s con-

cept and opted for the concept. This leads to the release of by-law

No.9/2007 which allows riverside settlement with 3-5 meter ease-

ment. It became the first participatory by-law in Indonesia where par-

liament, government, and the people were intensely involved in the

making process. The by-law is in force for 5 years providing enough

time for the communities to make a gradual change.


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A New Phase : Limited Tenure Security

Given the 5 years tenure security the community is aware to the need to boost the upgrad-

ing process in which mainly relies at the community savings. Currently, the saving group

and the community planning and design activities are based on the group of ten residents

(G10). G10 meant to provide space for horizontal participation and inclusion of all. It is

where decision making process brought to the lowest level. G10 provides greater dynam-

ics than the PWS. It is where weekly meeting is held to facilitate monitoring and evaluation

while at the PWS level the regular meeting is organized in a monthly base.

The political support gained at the provincial level, but it did not automatically won PWS

in the same support from other government tiers; the city and the national level. However,

surprisingly, the case of PWS is featured as one of example of best practice on a par-

ticipatory planning competition organized by the Indonesian Ministry of Public Work that

recently announced.

Along its existence, PWS has only reached around 3.000 riverside families and 1.400

households. It represents to 7 communities out of around 20 communities at the whole

extent of the riverbanks. The idea of expanding the organization to reach all riverside com-

munities in the city hindered because PWS’ work is barely understood. But, since 2009

PWS joined the Asian Coalition of Housing Rights’ (ACHR) program of Asian Coalition for

Community Action (ACCA) to boost the community processes to become city-wide.

‘Renovation not Relocation’ sounds

like a twist of words.The dwellers of the banks

of Wonokromo River and Surabaya River in

the city of Surabaya, Indonesia have to play

this trick of tongue when they started to fight

with the municipality’s strong argument of

relocation.

Beyond just a slogan, the community

organization, Paguyuban Warga Strenkali

(PWS), its para-architects and UPLINK

architects have also proposed concept and

practiced an alternative development for

their settlements. The fruit of this grassroots’

efforts is the release of a regulation which

provides them limited rights to stay.

Kampung Gunungsari after renovation


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Jatinegara or Meester Cornelis used to be an expansion of the city of Batavia, the origin of Jakarta. Young architects and students

has been intensively re-explore the kampung and found its historical roots that help resident to trace their culture and serve as the base docu-

ment to resist eviction.

Critical Problems :

1. Structure spatial plan from the central government has not based on community participation in decision making, such as:

Normalization Ciliwung River (widening & dredging), changing the function of existing residential for green open space-floods buffer,

Developing vertical housing for resettlement.

2. Government ignores the community self-supporting potentials, such as flood emergency responses, waste management, rooted cultural

history, home-industry and solidarity among local communities at riverside.

3. Local communities are not given the opportunity & support to participate in planning, using & controlling of the urban space utilization.

4. Local government has no initiative in empowering the remains of city space used.

JRK/KP/09JRK/KP/09JRK/KP/09Jatinegara

Whole-sale

Market

Kampung

Pulo Village

Ciliwung River

St.

Maria

School

Bukit

Duri

Village

Jatinegara Main

Street

Normalization Ciliwung River Boundaries: Widening & Dredging (PWD)

LOW INCOME VERTICAL

HOUSING/ MIX-USE ZONING PLAN (PWD)

GREEN OPEN S PACE

FLOODS BUFFER ZONING PLAN

(PWD)

Depo

Kereta

Api

PWD = Spatial City Plan Proposed by Central

Government – Public Works Department

+ 76.071 m2 (7,6 Ha)9.244 people (2.505 Household)

1.214 people/Ha

COMMUNITY ARCHITECTS’ WORKAT KAMPUNG PULO, JAKARTA

Location: Jakarta, IndonesiaCommunity Profile: KAMPUNG PULO + 76.071 m2 (7,6 Ha) 9.244 people 2.505 Households 1.214 people/Ha JATINEGARA BUKIT DURIArchitect Team: Jaringan Relawan Kemanusiaan,JRK (HUMANITARIAN VOLUNTEER NETWORK)

Story Contributors: Inne Rifayantina, Ivana Lee,Isnu Handono, Sandyawan Sumardi (JRK)


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WEAKNESS OF EXISTING ADVOCACY :

- NGOs have no awareness of their basic roles

- NGOs tend to focus on self interest & put their

community as a commodity

STRATEGIC PROPOSED :

Strengthening the sustainable of victims and

urban poor network;

Need consolidation steps among NGOs to

clarify their basic roles as Facilitator, Mediator,

Motivator, without involving in community

organization;

Forming partnerships with multiple network ac-

tors/stakeholders based on mutual agreement

platform.

Dream & Hope :

1. Realization of Space Settlement Planning in-

volving to community participation in equitable

development pattern, which is a local community

acting as the main architect.

2. Realization of urban people accessibility and

opportunity to have bargaining position of plan-

ning, using, and controlling the remain of city

space used.

3. Applying development pattern based on hu-

man right, not quietly based on procedures of

normative law aspect and capital interest ori-

ented.

4. Realization of Urban Settlement Policy based

on ‘City for All’ without eviction but sustainable,

participatory and integrated resettlement.

5. Obtaining the systematic resettlement’s mech-

anism to be replicated in many areas.

StrategicalApproach On-going Program

1. SPIRAL MOVEMENT OF CONTEXTUAL COMMUNITY ARCHITECT

Ø Local Community

ØNGO's,

ØAcademics.

Indonesian

Constitution &

Regulations

1. EXPERIENCE of

COMMUNAL

INVOLVEMENT &

COMMITMENT

4. ACTION

PLANNING

3. PRESENTATION

EXPRESSION

2. SOCIAL

ANALYSIS

ØArchitectural Science,

ØSocial Sciences,

Economics, Culture, Art & Technology,

ØManagement

ØSocial Partnership

ØCommunity Development

ØExploring Planning & Design Solution in Community & Gov.

ØExhibition & Public Discussion of Planning and Design Solution.

Settlement Forum (FORKIM) :

Ø Academics

Ø Coordinating Ministry for People's Welfare,

Ø Ministry of Public Housing,Ø Public Works Department,

Ø Provincial Government

Ø Professional Institutions,Ø NGO’s, Others.

ØSocialization &

Assessment

ØSelf Supporting Survey (historical, social &

physical mapping)

Ø Exploring Planning & Design Solution in Community & Government

Ø Exhibition & Public Discussion of Planning and Design Solution

Art & Technology,

Management

ANALYSIS

Socialization &

Assessment

Self Supporting Survey

Social Partnership

Community Development

Exploring Planning & Design Solution in Community & Gov.

ØExhibition & Public Discussion

Coordinating Ministry for People's Welfare,

Ministry of Public Housing,Ministry of Public Housing,Public Works Department,

Provincial Government

Professional Institutions,NGO’s, Others.

HAM

(Human

Rights)JRK

2. SCHEME OF ADVOCACY SRATEGIC ACTION for Participatory Settlement Plan

Human Right

National

Commission

GOVERNMENT

Legislative - Eksekutive

BUSSINES

(PRIVATE SECTOR,

STATE OWN

COMPANY)

AKADEMICS,

PRACTITIONERS,

RELIGIUS

FIGURES

NGOs(FACILITATION,

MEDIATION,

MOTIVATION)

Catalyst

Facilitator, Motivator, Mediator

Integrated

Partnership

COMMUNITY

ORGANIZING


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The Kirtipur Housing Project, which housed 44 evicted

families from squatter communities left homeless by the

Vishnumati Link Road construction, is considered to be one of

the significant works done by the organization. The strength

of this project is the promotion of partnership that brought the

concerned stakeholders in a single platform enabling them

to make contributions in various ways that led to the success

of this project.

Of recent, Lumanti has collaborated with ACHR and formed

a young team of architects from Nepal and Thailand led by

Nad. This group of community architects worked with the

poor communities in Bharatpur and Biratnagar to help them

understand their cities and develop the projects for their re-

spective communities.

The phenomenon of architects working with the slums and

squatters is completely new in Nepal. Lumanti has taken the

initiative to bring together young aspiring architects from Ne-

pal Engineering College and establish a platform for them

to develop as community architects. They will be groomed

through a series of workshops and trainings and mobilized to

assist the communities in cities proposed for ACCA for next

phase.

LUMANTI Support group is an organization dedicate to the

alleviation of urban poverty in Nepal through the improve-

ment of shelter conditions. The initiative started in 1993 by

a small group of individual who once were involved in wel-

fare and awareness raising initiatives in the informal squatter

settlements in Kathmandu. LUMANTI is dedicated to ensure

secured shelter for the urban poor, where shelter means not

just a house but connotes a much broader holistic under-

standing of habitat which includes cultural, historical, social,

economic, political, legal, environmental, physical and terri-

torial aspects. At present, Lumanti is working in poor commu-

nities in 9 municipalities in the country. The major initiatives of

LUMANTI are settlement enhancement and housing projects,

saving and credit activities, water, health, hygiene and sani-

tation interventions, education programmes, documentation

and advocacy, research and surveys on squatter settlements

and urban issues including community organization and

mobilization activities.


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BHARATPUR: Small and Big ProjectsInitiating People’s Process

Location: Bharatpur, NepalArchitect Team: Lumanti Support Group for Shelter + Nad (ACHR)

Fund: ACHR Story Contributor: Lumanti (Lumanti Support Group for Shelter)

Initiating People’s Process

The poor communities have something to be happy about. The ACCA

Programme which was initiated in the city has given them hope and

drives to bring about a positive change in their communities and

assist them to be part of the city development process. The city of

Bharatpur is one of the major trade centers in Nepal. As in case of

other urban centers of the country, migration and increased num-

ber of informal settlements has become one of the major concerns

of Bharatpur. In Bharatpur, the rapid increase in number of squatter

settlement began since 1990 when the country became a democrat-

ic nation. The number of such settlements outnumbers the available

government resources, though many pro poor schemes have been

initiated by the Municipality. Moreover, the poor people did not have

direct access to such funds, thus, limiting their access to basic urban

facilities. Only through the easily access to funds can the poor in the

city assess their genuine needs and act together to improve the way

they live.

ACCA programme with people in front of commenced

in Bharatpur with an objective to give poor an opportunity to work

together, strengthens their capacity and brings about a positive

change in their communities. The Municipality, the existing network

of communities and federations of the squatters active in the city with

Lumanti joined their hands together for achieving above mentioned

objective. With its experience of working with the poor communities

in the city since last four years, Lumanti has been able to establish ef-

fective linkages with the Municipality and has facilitated in developing

networking among the various communities. For the ACCA project,

Lumanti has facilitated to bring together these bodies together to col-

laborate to establishing a model of people led development projects

in 6 communities in the city.

For the projects to be successful and set a precedent for

other similar one, the participation of the community members in the

entire design process is a must. As the people in the community

are the ones who will be living there, and we, as an outsider, cannot

comprehend the problems they are facing and their needs. ACCA

provides a platform for the poor communities to develop a people

driven process. Taking this aspect into consideration, the community

design process was initiated in the Salyani Community. The method-

ology established in this community can be replicated through out

the city. The team comprising of the architects from Thailand and

Lumanti worked with the community for 10 days to develop the pro-

posed housing.

The youth group was involved in the process to help them

familiarize with methodology. The first phase of the process involved

understanding the site better by the community themselves, com-

pilation of primary data of the community and preliminary measure-

ments of the existing buildings and the site. The members from youth

groups and youngsters from the community worked together to get

the necessary measurements required to draw out the site plan. Each

of the members was required to identify his/her house in the scaled

site plan and do the zoning of their existing structures in their indi-

vidual site according to the functions conducted there. The process

is similar to the PRA tools which Lumanti has been using in other proj-

ects. They were divided in to smaller groups to discuss the problems

and constraints faced by them and list them out. The women from the

community were active in the entire design process. They were asked

to draw dream houses which they had planned for themselves. Ev-

erybody came up with a linear plan comprising of three rooms with a

narrow passage; it seemed like every member of the community had

thought this was the most appropriate plan for their dream houses.

They were famil iarized with constraints and challenges of construct-

ing such a building in the given site. This process helped them real-

ize to the different possibilities which could be opted. The concepts

were made much clearer with the help of showing references from the

other countries. This was an extremely participatory process and the

final concept for the project was derived based on the ideas of the

community members and the research and analysis of the surround-

ing environment. For example, the community forest has a crucial

role in the daily lives of the people in the community; they totally de-

pend on the forest for fuel and food for animals. Thus, this cannot be

ignored while developing the site. Through this process, the people

in the community had better understanding of their settlement; they

were able to correlate various factors involving planning and design-

ing of the projects. With this better perception and understanding

they are now in better position to negotiate with the local municipal

government.

To instigate the city wide process, the steps developed in

case of Salyani were also replicated in other communities proposed

for small scale infrastructure development. The community leaders

and representatives to understand and identify the common prob-

lems faced by them. Based on these identifications, various ideas

for doing the projects, the technical details, the materials to be used

and most importantly how much can the community contribute were


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discussed. The community members were involved to take required

measurements that are necessary for doing the detailed cost and ma-

terial estimation; limitations of the funds were also taken into account

while doing this. Even through these meetings, the community peo-

ple were able to understand their own communities, the challenges

and constraints, they are facing to the opportunities which could be

exploited for solving their common problems. Now that projects are

ongoing, totally managed and implemented by the communities and

running successfully, clearly illustrates the power of people if they

work together for a common goal.

Steps Developed for People’s Process

1. City Survey and Networking

Survey informal settlement. Data (landowner, number of house-

holds, area occupied, occupution, problems, leader, youth group

etc. Mapping location, Year of settlement. Important node, function,

ecology, topography (understanding city and for holistic view of the

other settlements.

2. Community Mapping Workshop

Image of community and context around the community, its data.

Participatory process. Identify social groups: to understand com-

munity, to identify natural leader and to strengthen social groups

3. Measurements & Data for Scaled Map

Measure land, house, site, infrastructure and observe space use/

function Discuss & inform community member about the project

and planning the work process. Collect information from each

house and summerize the data. Identify opportunities in the com-

munity to help in this: youth groups, construction skilled people and

saving groups

4. Integrate Information (open space process)

Information about existing site. social groups, caste/job. space use/

relationship problems and context from women, these are design

tools to bring about all information to understand the information

about the relatives existing in the community. Show some case

studies of development process from other countries.

5. Working with Small Social Group

People show space use, function that is important part of their life-

styles. Uncovering the existing. Problems discussion of each group.

Propose alternative solutions. Collect for whole picture of the com-

munity.

6. Community’s Concept for“Dream House”

Open space for people to express their dream house through draw-

ings, models and preparation of 1:1 site plan. Discuss in detail

about infrastructure, income generating activities, community for-

estry, environment.

7. Realising the Dream House

Saving groups taking loans. Group based management. Identify

who needs to rebuild, repair and are satisfied with their houses.

People need to consider the neighbours context to design site plan

and house.

8. Learning from local knowledge and experience sharing.

Observe community forest. Discussion with community forest staff.

Study the vernacular houses, local technology.

9. Create atmosphere of working with people in the community to

bring people to action.

Space for people to open up. Create a medium for them to express

themselves. Learn about their skills.


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TAO-Pilipinas (Technical Assistance Organization), Inc. is a women–led NGO of technical professionals in the field of architecture, planning and engineering extending technical ser-vices to marginalized groups in the Philippines. TAO-Pilipinas envisions a sustainable human settlements development that is inclusive, people centered, environment-firendly and promotes equitable distribution of and access to resources. TAO-Pilipinas extends assistance to the poor through its four programs: Hu-man Settlements and Environment (HSE), Research and Publica-tions (RP), Education and Training (ET) with sub-program Young Professionals (YP), and Organization, Networking and Advocacy (ONA).

Since its creation in 2001, TAO-Pilipinas has worked with poor settlements in various contexts. Some are mentioned below

1)Along Pasig River across four cities and in the University of the Philippines Diliman Campus in Quezon city, TAO conducted a series of planning consultation workshops that were consolidated into alternative plans that were used to negotiate with the local government and the University Administration respectively; 2) In Tanza, Navotas and Malibay, Pasay TAO conducted train-ings on community-based solid waste management, where com-munities learned to value their environment and discovered the resource in solid waste; 3) In pockets of informal settlements in Payatas, Quezon city, TAO coordinated land surveys with a socially-oriented geodetic engineer so poor families can subdivide and process their land acquisition and titling. TAO-Pilipinas works in partnership with academic institu-tions in the conduct of research and documentation projects. Ac-tivities like structures/physical mapping, socio-economic survey, house construction, house design/ renovation/repair, research on alternative building materials where initiated in various com-munities with student volunteers/ interns from architecture and engineering schools in Metro Manila. TAO-Pilipinas extends socialized technical services to organized poor communities only. People’s participation is of highest importance in the conduct of planning, design and devel-opment processes. People’s participation starts at the planning process up to the completion of the project. Affordability level is a major consideration but solutions to create a livable and humane space is addressed by a combination of technology, knowledge and skills in construction, and financial resources.


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Linking poor communities to professionals and academic in Metro Manila and beyond …

Location: Manila, Philippines

Architect Team: TAO-Pilipinas (Technical Assistance Organization),Inc.

Story Contributor: Arlene Christy Lusterio and Maria Faith Varona

TAO-Pilipinas (Technical Assistance Organization),Inc.

TAO-Pilipinas creation TAO-Pilipinas was formed by a group of women architects

who had common experiences working as student volunteers in

Tondo then one of the biggest poor settlements in the 80’s in Metro

Manila. With the yearning to serve and be relevant to the needs of

the country, two women started the idea of an NGO. Addressing the

problem of housing requires that the group should be multidisci-

plinary. Seven women – 5 architects, an oceanographer/chemist and

a sociologist, bonded together and agreed to form the group. Hous-

ing was the next big thing to tackle. But the group did not know how to

start. Volunteering is one thing we were used to do, but working with

and for the poor as professionals is a new thing.

The advice from the wise is most valuable when the young

ones don’t know what to do. And we sought Fr. Jorge’s wisdom. Sad-

ly, he advised us to be consultants to the poor rather than form an

NGO. However, consultants in the Philippines have a bad connota-

tion – highly paid professionals who don’t render responsive service

at least to those in development oriented work, people who work so

hard and get paid so little. So the stubborn youth insisted on forming

the NGO. All we needed was advice on how we could work with the

poor. Fr. Jorge recommended a talk with Denis Murphy of Urban

Poor Associates. Denis was open to share their work with us and

explore the possibilities but with no promise of funds.

The Pasig River Project The Pasig River Project entails the development of a “peo-

ple’s plan” per affected city. The Pasig River Rehabilitation Master

Plan, requires a 10m environmental preservation area (EPA) along

the banks of the river. The 10m-easement is where all the poor settle-

ments are located. Urban renewal areas (URA) were also identified.

The area of Baseco is one of the identified URAs.

Putting ourselves into the people’s shoes, we tried to under-

stand what they need to know for them to make informed decisions.

We conducted a lecture on building and planning standards, formu-

lated a set of questions to guide their options and decisions regard-

ing their housing proposal. A series of workshops was conducted for

about 3 months in Baseco to gather the ideas of the people regarding

their preferred development in the area. The results of the workshops

were consolidated into three subdivision schemes. One scheme was

selected out of the three and was presented by community leaders to

the city of Manila. The scheme did not go far as the city claimed they

have no plans for Baseco then. But the development of the plan was a

good tool for the people to show the government the type of develop-

ment that they want for themselves. The Baseco immersion was also

a good learning experience for TAO-Pilipinas - how to put together

different ideas, and harmonize conflicting interests. The bottom line

of the experience is to let the people make the decision and resolve

their differences and address priorities.

Many communities in similar situation as Baseco came for

help from TAO-Pilipinas. The first four years of our work was focused

direct technical assistance conducting workshops and developing

alternative plans used for negotiations. Support from Fr. Jorge’s

funds from East Asian Pastoral Institute helped keep TAO-Pilipinas

afloat, small funds from UPA, and some support from some friends

as well. The first four years was a financial struggle and a test of com-

mitment. The work we do, is this what we really want? The answer

is YES. We thrive in the challenge though we are often sweaty and

dark from walking under the heat of the sun, conducting workshops

in any leftover space in the community. It was far from the comforts

architects are used to. But it is the type of work that we love to do. We

survived.

It was not until late 2004, when we get support from Miser-

eor that TAO-Pilipinas slowly emerged and function as an NGO with

an office and staff and slowly support programs took form. Lessons

learned from the four years of technical assistance helped us deter-

mine how we could be of most help to the marginalized.

We saw the gaps and weaknesses of our own assistance

and new programs were formed to fill-in the gaps. We saw the need

for technical capability building, the need to continuously orient the

young professionals so more people like us will serve the poor.

We know that we need to explore more ways to address the

problem of housing the poor. The Research, Education and Training

Program and Young Professionals Program were formed to focus ef-

forts on the gaps that in the process will strengthen direct technical

assistance under the Human Settlements and Environment Program.

The Solid Waste Management Training After being immersed in Navotas for about a year in 2005,

TAO-Pilipinas saw the importance of environmental protection es-

pecially since communities in Navotas are always underwater. Solid

waste management was a critical need in this environmentally criti-

cal area. The first training was launched in partnership with the Zero

Waste Recycling Movement of the Philippines, Inc. which trained 30

leaders from Tanza, Navotas. The training was then practiced and


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the community implemented segregation at source, composting and some handicrafts were made and sold for income. They were able to setup their own materials recovery facility (MRF). The leaders who were trained in Navotas later on echoed the training to another community in Pasay. The Pasay community is now implementing its own solid waste management program together with composting and urban gardening. Better ways of composting organic waste is still being explored. With additional support from Starbucks through Give2Asia Foundation, another set of training is now being organized targeting 50 community youths from 10 communities in Metro Manila. Trainors will come from Pasay and Navotas communities who were both trained and were able to practice SWM in their communities. Solid waste management is seen as a strategy to inject livelihood development while improving the environment in poor settlements as-sisted by YAO-Pilipinas..

The YP -OTP Since 2005, The young professionals orientation and training program (YP-OTP) was launched targeting senior university students in architecture, engineering and planning and young profession-als (YPs) who are interested in socially-oriented endeavor. The first workshop in 2005 focused on the social orientation of YPs on social housing. The program is a combination of theory and practice. The program is composed of 2 days lectures on relevant topics to the set theme; and two days of community immersion where participants will sleep and interact with the host community. During the community im-mersion, consultation workshops are conducted on issues relevant to the set theme. An action plan is formulated at the end of the workshop to guide the community on the follow-up activities it can continue to do after the workshop. Workshops on disaster risk management in Infanta, Quezon and building sustainable communities in the resettle-ment sites in Albay were conducted in 2006 and 2008 respectively. In 2009, the theme was water supply and sanitation (WATSAN). And this year, startup funds were sourced to support a concrete project involving young professionals in the field immersion communities. Some 12 YPs are currently working with 3 partner communities to plan, design and implement a small WATSAN related project.

ABMAT - Alternative Building Technology Affordability is always a challenge in developing solutions to social housing. One way of reducing cost is inputting sweat equity or labor counterpart. However, with limited funds to build a house, the area and quality of building tend to decrease. Alternative building technology is seen as a way to build good quality and cost efficient houses.

TAO-Pilpinas conducted a research to put together a sour-cebook on alternative building materials and technology (SABMAT) in partnership with the College of Architecture and Fine Arts of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines. With support from its Dean, Ted Innocencio, one class conducted a research on various materi-als and locally available technologies. A set of criteria for evaluation was set and served as the basis for the selection of top 6 materials appropriate for socialized housing in the Philippines. The document has been recently completed and is ready for layout and publication. One of the selected materials is being considered for production by TAO-Pilipinas.

ACCA Navotas Network For the past seven years of TAO-Pilipinas work, we have al-ways been limited to planning and design, capability-building and research and documentation. We did not have the resources to implement a project. Project implementation has always been the responsibility of partner NGO or community. The ACCA project in Navotas is an opportunity for TAO to go beyond the drawing board and see a project through to its translation. A network of 26 commu-nity-based organizations was formed in partnership with a federation of people’s organization (PO), DAMPA (Solidarity of the Urban Poor) and an NGO, Community Organizations of the Philippines Enterprise (COPE) Foundation. The ACCA project through the ACCA Navotas Network is an opportunity to implement a model community-initiated project where capability-building processes are initiated to enable the communities to truly decide and initiate their own small upgrading and housing project. Savings is a component of the project that will ensure the return of funds and at the same time instill the value of sav-ing among members of the community. Policies for savings and credit program are being finalized and concrete needs for upgrading were already identified in two communities. Technical assistance in plan-ning and design of small upgrading projects are provided by young professionals who just completed a workshop under the YP-OTP last October. Savings are initiated at community level in two communi-ties.

Reflections on the approach Participatory approach in rendering technical assistance remains the most effective approach in developing solutions to the problem/s of the poor. Lack of livelihood remains the major obstacle in ensuring repayment of loans in many projects. Finding ways to build capability – organizational, technical and financial are valuable in initiating sustainable human settlements.


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In late 2006, the Asian Coalition for Housing Rights (ACHR) provided

support to the Homeless People’s Federation in Iloilo City to initiate 10

small upgrading projects that communities could do by themselves.

The whole idea of the support is to plant the seeds of this communi-

ty-driven upgrading process, and hope that this is eventually main-

streamed to become a citywide process.

HPFPI in Iloilo has at around the same time linked with two other ur-

ban poor federations in the city (the Iloilo City Urban Poor Federation,

Inc. or ICUPFI, and the Iloilo Federation of Community Associations

or IFCA) to form a city-wide network which they called the Iloilo City

Urban Poor Network (ICUPN).

Community ProcessIt all started with the Sooc Bamboo Footbridge. The Sooc Com-

munity showed the others that it can be done. Their site is low-

lying, and is either muddy or flooded in the rainy season. Roads

are hardly passable and it had been difficult and unsafe for chil-

dren to go to school and adults to go to work. Most contracted

nasty skin diseases on their feet. Having lived in this situation for

5 years since they were relocated, they decided to take on a loan

and they managed to build more than one kilometre of bamboo

footbridges for around $1,000! Their solution was so simple and

cheap, yet solved the biggest problem that they faced, and in-

spired and encouraged the other communities to do the same.

Small Projects Big Gains:Small - Scale Upgrading by Communities in Iloilo City, Philippines

Location: Iloilo City, PhilippinesArchitect Team: 1. Philippine Action for Community-led Shelter Initiatives Inc. (PACSII)

2. May Domingo

Local Organization:

1. Homeless People’s Federation of the Philippines Inc. (HPFPI)

2. The Iloilo City Urban Poor Federation, Inc. (ICUPFI)

3. The Iloilo Federation of Community Associations (IFCA)

Fund: ACHR

Story Contributor: May Domingo


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As a citywide network, the ICUPN took on the challenge of introduc-

ing and testing out this process of upgrading where communities

should be the main designer, implementer and manager of their own

project. Together, the three federations discussed and worked out

the different requirements and conditions on how communities could

participate and avail of upgrading loans. They decided that commu-

nity savings and bayanihan (a traditional Filipino system of collective

self-help) were to be the primary requisites, for interest free loans of

up to $3,000 per project, payable in up to 3 years.

Many lessons were learned and many benefits were gained by the

communities and by the urban poor network, along the way; but the

biggest and most important of all had been the collective confidence

and sense of pride which grew in each community, as they imple-

mented their project.

Planning by People

In the process of planning and designing upgrading projects, as

many community members as possible are encouraged to partici-

pate & put forth their ideas. For this, existing community blocks and

savings groups are mobilized. This helps to break the prevalent tra-

ditional vertical leadership structure, wherein a few leaders plan and

make decisions, while members just follow. Simplified tools are used

to make the planning process less “technically daunting” for people.

When people take part in planning, a sense of collective ownership is

developed, and mobilizing for implementation becomes easy.

Self - Help Construction and Community Management:

Men, women and children contribute what they could labor, food,

tools, etc.. Most of the community action happens during the

weekend when there is no work and no school.

Urban Poor Network Learned to Work Together

Working on something concrete, like managing and coordinating

the upgrading programme, tested and strengthened the working

relationship of the 3 federations.

Cheap & IngeniousDetachable Alleyway. It may not look like it but it is.The strip of

land being used by the Albacia community as main access is not

theirs. Hence, in the future, when they are able to secure land

for access in another location, they would like to be able to take

away with them the alleyway they built. So they designed them as

square slabs that they could detach, carry & re-install.

Cheaper Alternative. The Albacia community managed to con-

struct an entire streetlighting system of 18 lampposts like this for

around $1,000. Before they did the project, the Barangay had

told them that it had budget of also $1,000… but that it could

build for them 3 lampposts only for this amount!


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Community savings were strengthened & expanded

Communities interested in doing upgrading started to do savings.

Though the whole concept of saving was new to many non-HPFPI

communities, they gradually realized the collective and personal

benefits they could gain from it, and hence they carried on saving.

… and spread elsewhere ...

In Quezon, Mandaue and Digos Cities, communities are

now implementing various upgrading initiatives. The ener-

getic Creekside community in Quezon City is now improving

its drainage & pathwalks, MMVHAI in Mandaue is filling its

site and preparing for reblocking, while Muslims & Chris-

tians in Digos (PI & PICSAI HOAs) who live adjacent to each

other, are working together to improve sanitation by building

communal toilets.

Finally, one thing led to another … and small led to bigger...

In 2007, HPFPI & ICUPN , gaining more confidence after having

managed the small upgrading projects, embarked on the larger-

scale CLIFF community-managed housing project, for 197 families

affected by a major flood control project.

Community-driven process is recognized and supported by local

government and other sectors


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Panirahanan was founded in August 11, 1992. It has twenty

members composed of community architects, urban planners,

development workers, good governance specialist, et al with a

lean program staff. It has provided direct technical assistance to

about 106 urban poor communities and 4 urban poor federations

with a transactive cost of around 100 pesos ($2.5/ household).

The participatory planning partnership of SAMA SAMA People’s

Organization and Panirahanan (NGO community architects,

MISEREOR / KZE partner) for a just and humane, settlement of

urban poor families in the National Government Center started

years ago (1995 – up to the present).

The partnership, has brought two major design planning innova-

tions: one, the 23-hectare NGC Westside Economic Controlled

Zone, which advocates the inclusion of urban poor communities

& entrepreneurs to promote their informal economic activities

within this designated economic area through a 50-50 design

planning scheme (status: negotiation phase), secondly, SAMA

SAMA community-led on-site upgrading process within the

238-hectare NGC Eastside, which actually demonstrates how

different urban poor communities, even with meager resources

and insurmountable odds, can mobilize (people and government

resources) and effectively implement a participatory planning

process (transactive planning is the term commonly used by the

communities) even on a large-scale reblocking and upgrading

project.

Our Partner Community: SAMA-SAMA People’s Organization, Inc.

In June 5, 1982, evolving from Basic Christian Communities (BCC) into a more secular group, Samahang Maralita Para sa Makatao at

Makatarunang Paninirahan (SAMA-SAMA) began its arduous struggle, together with NGOs, professional (planners, architects, lawyers) and

pro-poor government officials, for securing housing & development rights for the poor in National Government Center or NGC. They strongly

resisted violent evictions, mobilized mass actions and convinced World Bank to stop its plan in NGC (1978 – 1985). They saw the institution-

alization of their people participatory process through President Cory Aquino Presidential Proclamation No. 137 up to NGC Act No. 9207 s.

2003 signed by Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (1986-present). They have implemented various community-driven programs and projects and

carried on their development agenda for the poor.

Possibilities for Large-Scale Reblocking in Major Cities by Urban Poor Communities

Location: Quezon City, PhilippinesArchitect Team: Panirahanan, Inc.Local Organization: SAMA SAMA People’s Organization, Inc.Story Contributor: Rolando Palacio “Rollie”


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The National Government Center (NGC) is located on the northeastern quadrant of Metropolitan Manila in the second district of Quezon City, approximately 8-9 kilometers from the Quezon Memorial Circle. It is divided into two major areas: the Westside (Block 1 & IV), which has 184 hectares (around 32,000 urban poor families), and the Eastside (Block II, III & V), which has 238 hectares (around 28,000 families).

In 1987, President Corazon Aquino allocated 150 hectares of the NGC Westside for urban poor housing through Presidential Proclamation No. 137 that was later amended by Presidential Proclamation 248 s. 1993 by then President Ramos. In 1992, the Supreme Court ruled with finality that proclamations issued by former presidents with Congress having convened were rendered null and void ab initio. This ruling put in danger the people ‘s right to housing in the NGC. With President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, certifying an urgent bill to declared NGC as social housing site aside from government offices, Congress passed Republic Act No. 9207, otherwise known as the National Government Center (NGC) Housing and Land Utilization Act of 2003.

Panirahanan also seats as SAMA SAMA official NGO partner in the ARAC (Awards Reconciliation and Arbitration Committee), which is a quasi-judicial body created by the NGC Housing Com-mittee, the policy-making body, that serves to effect the NGC housing project Code of Policy, in particular final determination of qualified housing beneficiaries in the NGC.

the former that would result to massive destruction of existing urban poor dwellings and social structures. 2. Transactive Planning (Hands-on structural mapping phase) – Even when the government position then was leaning towards the In-dicative Plan, SAMA SAMA conducted massive community-based train-ings (various technical modules, mensuration, appreciation of minimum regulatory standards as the BP 220 et al, community spatial maps, et al), also mapping out household (house owners, renters and sharers) lots. AutoCAD services to translate its based & structural maps into technical drawings, actual transactive planning is done through the division of lots into 35-60 square meters lot allocation and identification of who should occupy these lot as agreed by the homeowners associations, and agree-ing on a final upgrading / development plan for straight pathways, open-ing up new alleys, open spaces, drainage and etc, following the minimum requirements of government.3. People’s Proposed Alternative Master Development Plan and IRR guidelines Phase – SAMA SAMA conducted several area meetings con-sultations, strategic alliances with other federation, presented position papers and technical commentaries (feasibility on the carrying capacity of horizontal development), trainings on basic concepts of urban plan-ning and design facilitation in coming up with an alternative Master Plan (salient points: more area allocation for on-site reblocking, decentralized parks, reducing canal/river setbacks from 10 meters to 5 meters, delim-iting medium-rise buildings area and economic zones, green-belts as promenades along IBP roads, and eco-green zones along the proposed 30 meter-wide peripheral road, et al) as compare to what the National Government agencies that original had wanted – more government build-ings and high-end commercial leaseholds. The People’s Alternative Plan is the centerpiece of Republic Act No. 9207. It has been approved and adopted by the NGC Administration Committee together with its Imple-menting Rules and Regulations 4. Participatory Community Development Planning (Transactive Planning, homeowners association’s (HOA) contracting with NGC-ac-credited Geodetic Engineers phase) – Community structural mapping was now being aided by each of the HOA-contracted Geodetic Engi-neers. The detailed cycle of the transactive planning is as follows: (1) validation of all households of their existing structural community map or send correction back to their contracted Geodetic Engineers; (2) de-termination of possible household displacement or generated lots in the area (for displaced families, they are assign to a neighboring commu-nity, while for generated lots accommodates qualified beneficiaries who agreed to be move within or adjacent community); (3) workshop of their basic elements of an ideal community design; (4) review of government minimum design standards (community discussed what is their proposed location for their open space – parks, playground, multi-purpose hall, etc.) ; (5) other important planning issues/ pertinent information/ updates

The Community Design Problem in the NGC Eastside

In a nutshell, there were several major phases identified by Sa-ma-Sama that was needed to be addressed for a more pro-poor participatory planning process, they are as follows:

1. Government-led Indicative Plan (Table Planning of Super Blocks) versus People’s On-site Minimal Reblocking Scheme/ Prototype – three SAMA SAMA neighborhood associations be-gan hands-on detailed structural mapping (lot, house and area boundary), spatial computation workshops (to determine pos-sible displacement or generate lots within their respective area), technical paper on the socio-economic impact and cost benefit study due to demolition/distant relocation, and lobbied/present-ed their community design concepts with HUDCC senior officials on the merits of doing an on-site reblocking process, compare to


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that need to be discussed in the area (such as the Approved Master Development Plan, major roads, canal setback or interconnection of 3.0-meter alleys to neighboring communities that would affect their proposed community design, et al); (6) the community is break into design team (usually 8 to 10 per cluster) taking into consider basic planning parameters to their reblocking plan; (7) Plenary presentation of the entire cluster’s reblocking plan, consolidated, making neces-sary correction, and refining it into one cohesive Community Develop-ment Plan or CDP; (8) A majority decision needs to be made, through their signatures/thumb mark (for illiterate) in their final proposed CDP together with their HOA Board Resolution; and (9) It is then submitted to NHA-PMO and DERN-LMS for final government approval.5. Integrating large-scale reblocking phase – When proposed CDPs of adjacent communities and the Approved Master Develop-ment Plan does not jive/ interconnect series of consultation are con-duct to flesh out this technical problem together with the concerned HOAs together with their contracted Geodetic Engineers. When this is finally resolved/corrected this is then submitted to the government for CDP approval.6. Monumenting and HOA Reblocking – Upon released of the approved CDP, community contracted Geodetic Engineer begins monumenting and HOA implements self-help reblocking activities, within an interval of 90-day calendar each. Oftentimes, the HOA president and officers take the lead of reblocking its immediate area and the rest of their members would follow. Sometimes, the Barangay enforcers would assist in case some household would refuse to re-block after the prescriptive reblocking period. 7. Community-led Upgrading Proposal & Initiatives on Public Utilities and other LGU infrastructure support phase – series of com-munity trainings such a detail cost estimating and community infra-structure proposal-making were conducted, in particular of drainage system, road construction and rip-rap estimates. For the public utili-ties companies, they agreed to start installation/reinstallation of new/disrupted water/electricity lines only upon the HOA have completed the reblocking phase. For the roads construction and other commu-nity infrastructure HOA formally submits their community proposal either to their Barangay (for concreting of minor road and alleys) and/or for bigger infra (rip-rap, et al) to the QC government to be included in the city’s annual planning and budgeting of infra projects. 8. Contract to Sell - The government contract price of the land is P700 pesos/sq.m. ($15 dollars/sq.m). The raw land price was pro-posed by different people’s organizations and federations and was promised by Pres. Arroyo in one of their dialogues. NGC Administra-tion committee adopted the people’s suggested price of the land in their regular committee meeting. Minimal interest payable either from 5, 10 to 15 years term.

Community Architects as Co-facilitators for Community Design

During the initial phase on the issue of doing the

Indicative Plan, urban poor communities felt belittled when con-

ventional urban planners/ professionals would comment that they

don’t have the technical skills required to do community plan-

ning. It was unthinkable for those professionals that urban poor

community could embark such large-scale planning much less

undertake reblocking/upgrading without or even limited resourc-

es. However, when we (light–minded professionals) capacitate

and give them a working knowledge and practical planning tools

communities slowly built-up their confidence and take action to

face this challenge. To quote a prominent Filipino (urban) planner

“people participation is the best tool in city planning!”

Panirahanan’s role was on providing technical training

for key SAMA SAMA leaders and local community organizers and

as community design co-facilitator/ cliniquing. In summary, the

various hands-on and community training modules are the following

1. Mensuration (measurements) - for community to actual

measure their houses, existing lots and community boundary)

2. Scale - for community to draw their detail structural map and

other social map et al)

3. Area Computation – for community to determine their optimum

buildable areas,possibility of displacement/ generated lots, et al.

4. Review of BP 220 and P.D. 957 (government minimum required

standard)

5. Hands-on Community Mapping

6. Workshop on Transactive Planning (community concept of

ideal community, cluster design, et al)

7. Basic Concepts and Principles of Urban Planning

8. Construction Estimate and Community-based proposal-

making for basic community infrastructure (principally for alleys,

minor road and rip-rap)


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The Key Elements of its Success

The self-help initiatives, organizational innovations and localize

grassroots movements (social capital) by SAMA SAMA have sus-

tained their efforts in pushing for genuine development in NGC, like

lobbying this on-site reblocking initiatives within a legal and func-

tional framework and even sharing their new know-how to other com-

munities in the area to push for this common vision of development in

the area. Also, community contracting was integrated in the process

that shifted the process from mere passive beneficiaries to a more

active client-oriented relationship.

Community architecture was anchored on capacitating local com-

munity members/organizers to be the main catalyst and nexus of

this community participatory planning process. This capacitation en-

abled the up scaling of the participatory process that is essential for

the success of the project.

The people’s consultative council, composed of different major peo-

ple’s organizations and federations in the area, positioned to reject

overseas development assistance as being cajoled by national gov-

ernment housing agencies (i.e. exorbitant government consultants

fees, retailing of loans, high-risk interest with state guarantees, lack

of transparency, prone to corruption, & not people-led, et al). They

believed that these would not actually bring genuine development in

the area but rather would put them into long-term debt. Instead, low-

cost, incremental development at pace with communities’ capacity

would be more appropriate, and would bring about greater social

cohesion and less vulnerability for government corruption. Likewise,

local governments responded positively to this move facilitated com-

munity-support infrastructure investments in the area.

Development Issues and Emerging Challenges

The delays of CDP approval are largely due to the NGC Project Man-

agement Office indifference to different people’s organizations initia-

tives especially to SAMA SAMA initiated reblocking plans. For more

than two (2) years, the office sat on submitted CDPs of SAMA SAMA

homeowners due to self-serving motives/ineptitude government field

staff. Moreover, NGC Project Administrator recently admitted to hav-

ing used an erroneous reference point that sets the boundary of the

NGC Eastside Project area. This grievous fault necessitated the re-

survey (e.g., re-alignment of roads, boundaries, et al) and revisions

of the already approved community development plans that entails

National Government Center (NGC)

Typical houses along creek sides

HOA member reviews/ approves Board CDP resolution

After reblocking HOA members improves incrementally their houses


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Project Status

To date, SAMA SAMA has organized a total of forty-seven homeown-ers association. Originally, homeowners numbered to fifty-three, but as they proceeded with their community development, some hom-eowners associations, especially contiguous communities were merged to facilitate fast and easy community development. Twenty-nine (29) homeowners are now in various stages of community devel-opment. While eighteen (18) homeowners are now in different phases of the community development planning. Many families who have finished their reblocking have either begun pooling their family savings and other resources in building/renovat-ing their houses and/or lobbied their community-proposal for LGU-support community infrastructure and public utilities services.

Summary

For the past 35 years, state praxis the principle that massive inflows

of overseas development resources would have a corollary impact

on the lives of the poor. But in truth, increasing backlog to provide

decent housing for the poor remains. Such “business as usual” has

not only deepened the dehumanizing conditions of extreme poverty

in our country, but is perpetuated further due to our society’s feudal

indifference and practices. Cities may not really have such resourc-

es, but our willingness to partner and work together for the common

good will bring about the best in us and opens opportunities for more

productive and sustained collaboration.

Most urban poor families have inherent energy and capacity to im-

prove their communities rooted on their deep aspiration to become

worthy citizens in their cities. They only need the openness (enabling

environment and pro-poor support structures) of government and

planners for them to participate actively in the development process

of our city.

City planning processes should seriously take into account provision

on tenurial security of urban poor communities. It is by providing

such greater consideration on tenurial security that urban poor com-

munities become an asset that would eventually generate the much

needed revenues such as real property tax that would largely contrib-

ute to the greater income (asset-based) to the city.. City participatory

processes also encourage and strengthen social capital, especially

active participation of the poor in governance that will bring about

positive results and development to our cities.

additional cost and delays to already burdened communities. Also,

communities seriously doubt that inefficiencies and negligence on the

part of the project management staff were intentional for there were

serious allegations that their moves were to accommodate some un-

qualified/disqualified families in the revision of CDP in exchange for

substantial amount of money.

Though, there is a prescribe project timeline in the Republic Act

9207, this was not judiciously followed by the national government

agency-concerned. Some feared that this is being systematically

drag down for this agency to have a leverage in Congress (perfor-

mance evaluation provision of the R.A. 9207) to renegotiate a higher

contract price for the land. In the on-set, this agency have expressed

their disappointment that the approved contract price by the NGC

Administration Committee runs counter to their corporate manage-

ment principles in providing social housing for the poor.

From a shift of an informal to a more formalizing process in securing

their land tenure, urban poor communities have began focusing on

their respective HOA area instead of looking at other over-arching

issues & challenges (market-driven forces, professional syndicates,

et al). Homeowner associations need to be vigilant so as not to inad-

vertently weaken their over-all development objectives to house the

poor in NGC. SAMA SAMA is seriously thinking of innovative ways to

enhance and sustain this people’s process beyond the life cycle of

this reblocking project.

SAMA SAMA NGC Eastside Master Plan SAMA SAMA People Land Use Plan


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Urban Regeneration

Metaphorically speaking, cuisine like ‘welfare’, ‘house’, ‘education’, ‘culture’, ‘history’, and ‘job’ is made of various ingredients including characteristics and properties of the area and is served on the plates called ‘ town’.

CASE Japan

N Area

Community works to develop a safe town.

About 2,500 families live in this area. About

1,400 out of them are living in public hous-

living. When remodeling of apartment com-

plexes started in 2003, a community devel-

opment committee was founded.

The committee has been concerned about

frequent solitary death, so it started ‘Civilian

Watcing Activity’ in order to regain selfsup-

portive feelings which people used to have.

By picking up local people’s opinions, a

daily map of the old days was made. Based

on that, children and school staff worked to-

gether, making suggestions for remodeling

of parks.

For remodeling of the apartment complex,

survey on life styles and design workshops

were conducted repeatedly, and as a result,

an adjutable plan foe various types of life

styles was made.

At present, acutual plans for apartment com-

plex remodeling are in progress, and coop-

erative housing project is taking place, aim-

ing to ownership of a private housing


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S Area

The Community Management Acts

by Repair Relations with some Existing

“Community Stock”

S area is located nearby the JR

Shinosaka station. Various localorgani-

zations and public facilities have been

well functioning. Thecharacteristics of

this area’s development can be stated as

a project’management style which join

already’existing organizationsand activities.

Many projects has been implemented such

ascorporative housing, community bus, re-

modeling public apartmentcomplex, com-

munity salon, and symbiosis park.

Flexible Plan System

Community Units System

Community Management Activity System...


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Design with People

Community architecture was anchored on capacitating local community members/organizers to be the main catalyst and nexus of this community participatory planning process. This capacitation enabled the up scaling of the participatory process that is essential for the success of the project.

Rolando Palacio


Upgrading Community - City Regenerating Kumpong Takwa Network in 3 Regional Provinces : Pattani, Narathivat, Yala.

Location: 3 Regional Provinces in the Southern, ThailandArchitect Team: Chawanad Luansang,Wachara Sonchang, Suphachai, NgamrojjanavorakulSocial Organizer: Kampong Takwa NetworkDocumentary Film: Pisut SrimorkFund: CODI Duration: 2004 – 2007Story Contributor: Chawanad Luansang “Nad”

General Conditions in Kala Tapa Community, Narathivat Province, before Upgrading Project

After the community’s leaders had been trained in community survey and mapping.

“Stop. Stop. Our lane should be finished just this, it’s enough be-

cause the rest parts are still very good condition and we should

save the money for the mosque”. Murmuring talks to exchange their

opinions was finally replaced with their laughs. It seemed everybody

agreed with the old lady. Then, people turned to me and said that

“After it’s done, architects please help us to check, how it’s going on”.

An old lady pointed to a man drawing a red pencil on the

paper. Many people surrounded this paper were silent and kept their

eyes watching in the red point’s movement that added more sketch

lines on the community plan.


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The people shared to propose their ideas upgrading their community.

Next while, the people stuck the community map to show; surveyed

and converted its scale by themselves, after a leading group had

participated in a training in community survey and mapping. Today,

they have apparently seen the benefits of participatory mapping and

survey, because the overlaid sketches on the map also meant to their

planning talks to upgrade their living lands of Kala Tapa Community

- 300 fishery households - living on this land for more than 150 years,

but Marine Department informed them that they encroached the De-

partment’s property!

“Would you please tell us, which matter do you want to

improve in your community?”

A bashful man was selected to tell the story. “Our main problem is

the walking path. If we connect all the walking paths, we can walk

through and go to see our friends easily. Moreover, Bang Nara

banks could be used as a harbor which would protect our kids from

the bridge falling; we would not scare anymore.”

“How many the total walking paths?”

“22 Lanes.”

“Now, have we known the sizes of new paths in each lane yet?

How wide, long and high are they?” The people turned to discuss

themselves.

“After we finished this meeting, we are going to send representa-

tives of each lane measuring and filling it on the map.” The commu-

nity leader proposed. “That’s a good idea, we can continue to plan

in the budget and organizers. Wait a minute; we would like to firstly

check in the overall improvement plan.”

“The island at the old river has been used to fix boats and dry some

crisp rice so far. This area is an old-crowded community without any

playground; and our mosque is small, so we think it would be great

to upgrade here as the community space” “It sounds interesting,

what do the others say? What do you want to have on the island?

Can the outsiders use it, sometimes?”

The conversation aimed to exchange their opinions was go-

ing on; in the same time I drew some squares replacing to activity

areas proposed by each member. It made us gradually know that

where which activity should be located? How are their sizes? What

kind of their applications because the people will be the best person

who knows the monsoon direction on the tenth month? How’s the tide

level? How many people come to use it? Finally, we made conclusion

in upgrading ideas that other than the themes of walking paths, waste

water treatment, community and river boundary; they needed to im-

prove the river island as community and neighbor public area which

would be taken care by the community. They dreamed to have the new

mosque where the first floor could be used as the Ta Dee Ga School

(Islam school for the children) and the meeting place as well. Children

and youths needed to have a small sport field; playground and rattan

ball field, housewife groups needed to have some space as their sav-

ing-group office and to produce washing-up liquid and the crisp rice

as their supporting careers, fishermen proposed to build a small dock

and floating baskets to feed baby fish stuck with their seines. Com-

munity’s trainers persuaded to rethink about garbage management

which the people also agreed with the garbage bank idea. All of these

were happened from a small people’s group had willingly volunteered

to learn the housing processes at Pattani Province. When they came

back, they told about this pilot project; at Pattani Province, and also

convinced some people who agreed with this idea to survey for the

mapping. Consequently, each community group had realized to their

powers again which could specify their own lives together with their

creative and operative powers; they could start in what they could

do and not needed to wait for the outside specification anymore. On

the beginning of 2006, there was a good sign, the people brought

their plan proposing to the local authorities to ask some supporting


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At the end of 2004, the Livable City Network in Pattani Prov-

ince initiated to survey the slum communities in downtown district,

it was found that there were several old communities being very

crowded from their big family patterns; and they did not have enough

money to move staying in new-bigger place. From this reason, the

network proposed to build three new communities to support the ex-

panded parts, and then the old crowded community would be re-

upgraded later. Leading to, the resident network; 302 families, was

occurred which they needed to build the new community together;

two communities in Muang (downtown) District and one community

in Pa Na Rae District. Our architect team had participated in design

processes together with the three communities, in order to provide

the people having a good and clear map to propose the budget from

the Baanmankong Project and other local authorities as well. The de-

sign processes had concentrated to support the people assembling

in subgroups according to their former communities, and then they

shared their ideas about the new communities. This could help them

who came from various communities slowly knew each other; further-

more our team could learn more about Muslim’s lives in the same

time. The divided responsibilities in each step had gradually built

the community’s committees up who willingly volunteered to work in

plenty of processes; surveys, plan designs, house designs, construc-

tion planning and saving group establishment, until the community

was ready to propose the budget from the Baanmankong Project;

Community Organizations Development Institute (CODI), Then, they

started to progress their project; meanwhile those three pilot projects

budgets, and they also showed the history and aerial photograph to

insist with the Marine Department that they have lived here before

the department was founded. Eventually, when they were supported

some budgets from both Baanmankong Project and local authorities,

they divided their teams to work following to the development plan.

Fortunately, property negotiation was successfully done because

they have assembled to change declined conditions into their dream

community. The people group; who used to dream and plan in five

years ago, can currently follow to their plans which it is not only hav-

ing the better environment and long-run staying legal-right, but also

indicates to their community’s strength and abilities to modify the city

having the good public areas taken cared by the community.

Athaan sound at the evening was resoundingly loud from

the river island; people walked cross the bridge; built by them, one

by one to the mosque with sun reflection in the clam river. The next

day, more than 200 Ko-Lae boats were sailing out to the sea without

any worry about their safe accommodation for their kids anymore.

Nowadays, the 150 years old community has been their stable life-

foundation and their hometown where they had truly donated their

powers to upgrade together.


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had inspired to slum communities in the three southern border prov-

inces also.

Our teamwork and Livable City Network have changed the

name into Faith Community Network in order to enhance performance

bases encouraging the communities being self-sufficient and initial

to holistically solve their problems. It would be focused on the coop-

eration among four main-poles; religion leaders, community leaders,

teachers and community representatives, to co-build the public area

for talks and exchanging opinions about the solutions which started

at what the people could do concurrently with local-authority negotia-

tion. The end of 2006, we established a training program about com-

munity survey and mapping for the community network; in these three

provinces, which we hoped that they could use it as a tool to make

understanding in their communities. After the training was finished,

the people seemed very awake to do it in their own communities and

this also was an origin point of the pilot project in Narathivat Province;

Kala Tapa Community of upgrading project for 306 households, and

in Yala Province; building new communities for 120 households who

had lived in rental housed for more than 30 years and another new

community of Jar Bang Dhi Kor community for 45 households. To

sum up, the most important idea is the participatory processes which

are simultaneously operated with the community organization man-

agements and network buildings; in terms of the Faith Community

Network. The obtained lessons from all performances in one com-

munity could be usefully enhanced as the new lessons for the other

communities in these three provinces.

New-Communities Design Processes of the People Network in Pattani and Yala Provinces


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Work Summary in 2004-2006Relocation and Build New Communities

1. Na Kluea Community, 70 Families, Pattani Province

2. Pu Po Community, 112 Families, Pattani Province

3. Pa Na Rae Community, 120 Families, Pattani Province

4. Jar Bang Dhi Kor Community, 45 Families, Pattani Province

5. Ta Mun Sri Ja Ya Community, 120 Families, Yala Province

Upgrading Project6 Kala Tapa Communities, 306 Households, Narathivat Province

During 3 years, working with the community networks could solve

the housing problems in concrete patterns for totally 6 communities,

773 families, 4,500 people, which they could have their own stable

accommodation in their communities where they had participated to

set and build together.

All projects have been approved and subsidized the infrastructure

and housing loan credits from the Baanmankong Project, CODI.

New-Community Design Processes at Yala Province

House models; built in Pa Na Rae Community, were to make the people understand in saving-construction methods which were gradually

upgraded following to their lives and resident’s saving money.

Establishments the community survey and mapping included to explaining in a housing solutions project; Baanmankong Project, to the slum

community networks in the three southern border provinces.


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Choa Kham Phong Community, UbonratchathaniLocation: Ubonratchathani, Thailand

Architect Team : Ashram of Community and Environmental Architect, Arsom Silp Institute of the ArtsStory Contributor : Ashram of Community and Environmental Architect, Arsom Silp Institute of the Arts

Without legal land ownerships, the compensation for eviction was

considerably low, and had led to the confrontation between the com-

munity and the municipal.

People then had asked for the legal rights to live in their former land

and called for community development plan. The scheme included

plots readjustment, house construction, improvement of living con-

ditions and sanitation, in order to live in the city with equality and

dignity

The roles of architectsThe roles of architects in this project were not only to design the

physical structures of the community, but to work with the community

as social organizers. This group of architects had connected them-

selves to the community, building relationship with people.

The development of the close relationship had allowed architects to a

better understanding of community’s needs and constrains. This also

helped in capacity building and community empowerment.

Through the participatory design process, people had been involved

in discussion and share their ideas. As a consequence, a commu-

nity’s saving group for housing had been established with larger

amount of money through various saving scheme, such as monthly,

weekly and daily installment.

For some, this has led to behavior change; for example, a reduction

of everyday cigarette smoking could raise the amount of saving for

750 bahts per month.

With financial and technical supports from all agencies concerned

such as Ubonratchathani governor, CODI and The Tobacco Com-

pany, the community had successfully applied for housing loan, built

all houses and infrastructure.

Choa Kham Phong Community, UbonratchathaniChao Kham Phong Community, a 200 years old community, situated

along Moon River, in the middle of Ubonratchathani City. The life

in the community has closely connected to the Moon River, where

people rely on as a source of food and water supply. For long period

of time, people could live harmoniously with the high and low tide

conditions of the river.

As a result of city’s continuing growth, commercial and residential

development had expanded into the former flood area along the river

and the tide had impacted the live of the inhabitants. In order to pre-

vent flooding, the municipal government had built a dam along the

riverbank. This, however, had led to long and throbbing drainage

problem in Chao Kham Phong Community,

In 2007 the municipal government had proposed a big development

scheme by constructing a road along the dam, and tried to force the

community out of the area.

Although the community has live in the area for more than 200 years,

the whole land was legally titled as public land, owned by govern-

ment.


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The Design ConceptsThe principal design concept of this project is to reflect the way

of life of people into the new buildings, in order to serve not only

physical activities, but integrated with social, economic and envi-

ronment.

The detail design of the houses also intended to apply the archi-

tectural details of former houses in the community into modern

construction techniques and new materials that could be easily

obtain.

The design of the community’s lay-out tried to maintain the local

atmosphere and of the old community. On the other hand, the ex-

isting crowded configuration of the was mitigated by widening up

open spaces between the houses, The lay-out of every house was

arranged for good ventilation and allow fresh wind from the river

to access.

Despite of all conflicts and misunderstanding with the municipal

government that cause the project setback, the success of Choa

Kham Phong Community project has shown that low-income peo-

ple can own a good housing. It also proofs that a simple method of

working closely with community could create a better understand-

ing and strengthen people confident and potential

The lesson learnt for architects is how the physical design process

integrated with people’s way of life, social, and culture could be a

part of conflict solving in all levels, including: individual, commu-

nity, and all parties concerned.


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“Having a house and good community is not hard as you think”

Location: Bangkok, Thailand

Architect Team: Ashram of Community and

Environmental Architect, Arsom Silp Institute of the Arts

Story Contributor: Ashram of Community and

Environmental Architect, Arsom Silp Institute of the Arts

“Having a house and good community is not hard as you think.”

Bang Kuru Community is a small housing project organized by

a group of Roong Aroon School and Arsom Silp Institute staff who

planned to live together as happily and good-living community.

The community is located on a beautiful site beside Bang Mod Canal,

about 15-20 minutes by car from Roong Aroon School. The commu-

nity master plan was carried out through a series of participatory de-

sign workshops, in which 20 prospective families had shared and ex-

changed ideas with architects. The topics of discussion were not only

how to design road alignment, housing plots and public spaces, but

also how to achieve a consensus idea of co-management of common

area, public facilities, waste disposal and long-term plan to maintain

their ideal of living together as a community.


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The Participatory Design Process of Bang Kuru Community Includes:

1. Beginning with the dialogue about each member’s “dreams house”

through their selection of preferred house images in order to share

their ideas and visions.

2. Introducing “scale concept” as a simple tool for members to un-

derstand architectural drawings, so that they can communicate their

ideas with architects equally as co-designers.

3. Participation among all family members to introduce themselves

and share their ideas and expectations on how to live together in the

community.

4. The first draft of community master plan was designed and dis-

cussed in a meeting for consensus and to set up community regula-

tions as well as management plan.

5. Discussing in detail with each member on living requirement and

conditions to garter information for the design of each house.

6. House model making by each house owner’s with some assistant

of architects was an important tool to stimulate the house owner’s

participation and help them to evidently understand the design.

7. The design review process among the members was conducted

to strengthen the understanding of a neighborhood design and the

ideal of living together.

8. The detail design of each individual house was carried out with

close participation of the house owners. code

The Consensus of Bang Kuru Community as a Result of the Participatory Process Includes:1. The color scheme of all houses must be controlled in earth tone for

community harmony visual appearance.

2. Waste water from each household must be treated properly before

drained out to public sewage.

3. Rain water will be drain separately to the lake at center of the com-

munity. A water gate will be constructed between the lake and Bang

Mod canal to effectively control the water level.

4. Should any owners, in the future, want to sale their house, the con-

tract must be offered to other community’s member as first priority.

Any new members who want to join the community have to be ap-

proved by existing members on the basis of their value on living and

sharing together.


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DISASTER

“The first thing we observe is housing boost confident and self-esteem of children as well as family members in the context of so much devastation and loss. Children have secure space of their own to study and assurance that at least they are in their own house. Also proper housing initiated livelihood process by providing space for small business activities such as grocery shop”.

Myint Zaw


“RECONSTRUCTION OF LIFE” IN POST TSUNAMI ACEH

Location: Aceh, IndonesiaArchitect Team: UPLINK TeamTechnical Support: Abhiyan (Indian Partner NGO)Local organization: Jaringan Udeep Beusaree (JUB)Story Contributor: Andrea Fitrianto “Cak-Cak” (UPC)

Back to the Village and Community Survey/Mapping Although the Indonesian government announces a ban to construct within 2 km distance from the coastline, some coastal com-munities in Pekan Bada district insist to build temporary meunasah (community centers), shelters, and communal kitchens with small as-sistance from Uplink’s architects. Most of the construction materials came from tsunami debris including nails that were straightened and reused. The intense physical activities through the community work later accounted as a salvation for surviving individuals from the dan-ger of prolonged trauma and loss. The early meunasah, shelters, and communal kitchens facilitate and invite more survivors to go back to the villages. The community began to discuss to share their problems and to define priorities. Jaringan Udeep Beusaree (JUB), or Com-munity Living Network was declared at Kampung Lamisek to opt for cooperation and togetherness in accepting incoming aid. Then survi-vors continue to build information database through community sur-vey and mapping. Uplink helps by sending surveyors with high-end digital survey machine.

Kampung Planning Communities of JUB wants to build back a better village (See “Building Back Better”). This is translated as a kampung with a right balance on each environmental, economic, and social sustain-ability aspects. This includes implementation of eco-farming, green architecture, green energy, a sound sanitation system, and disaster mitigated planning. Survived spatial elements such as trees, road layout, and land use are preserved, to minimize unnecessary adjust-ments and to ensure connection with the past. Some minor land con-solidation was conducted to avoid cul-de-sac as improving acces-sibility and providing escape routes was one of the main elements of the kampung mitigation plan.

The Aceh province of Indonesia was among areas worst hit by the

Asian tsunami 2004. The catastrophe was unprecedented in its kind

and effects, thus it drawn huge attention from the global community

as was shown through the massive mobilization of personal and

logistics to Aceh. Within a short period of time global appeals and

commitments for reconstruction and rehabilitation was made.

Uplink’s emergency response team arrives in Aceh on the third

day after tsunami to deliver food and medicines. Concerned on the

course of rehabilitation process amidst immense aid money, Uplink

decided to stay for a holistic pro-people reconstruction programme.

Uplink’s field team consists of social and technical teams work in

close coordination. At the early moment, the social team took

initiative to meet and talk with survivor families at their barracks which

scattered on the periphery of Banda Aceh. Tsunami survivors were

further stressed by the lack of activities in the barracks and ought

to go back to their coastal villages. On the second week some of

them were brave enough to set tents in the village with accompany

of Uplink’s community organizers (COs) while others remain at the

barracks and would come during the daytime to join the community

work


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House Design Uplink team facilitates house design sessions with the house owners. The 36sqm floor size was pre-defined by the reconstruction authority (BRR). It is a core house for everyone, so owners were in-formed on how to extend the house while maintaining its safety fea-tures. There were two house types developed with owners: the stilt house and the landed house. Each has various possible floor plans and wall openings. And each of the two types has its own quake-safe features. The stilt house is like a sturdy table. It is a lightweight wood-en frame construction with a parapet wall that sits on nine concrete pillars. While the landed house applies a bearing wall system, a 25cm thick wall buckled by four reinforced concrete beams. The technical assistance was provided by an Indian partner NGO Abhiyan, who was experienced on the participatory reconstruction after the Bhuj earthquake on 2001. Abhiyan introduces the use of stabilized soil-cement blocks, an eco-friendly bricks that can be produced locally by the communities. Other main building materials were purchased in bulk to avoid price hike. And some storage buildings constructed in the village to let the communities involve in managing the materials. Side materials were sought and supplied by members of the com-munity.

Self-Help Construction To maximize participation houses were build without ex-ternal contractors, instead by village construction committees and families. House owners or village committee were responsible for the construction workers. With exception of some house owners who opt to work the house themselves. Young engineers from universities in and outside Banda Aceh was sent to stay in the village where each one was responsible for around 20-30 houses per construction batch. Five experienced construction supervisors hired to back the young engineers. Construction materials were distributed using card system where a set of cards was given to house owner and each represents a particular type and quantity of building material. The system ensures

Change in Architecture

Like other vernacular architecture, Acehnese house is well

adapted to its nature. The wooden stilt house is not only climatically

efficient but also quake-safe. This owes to its lightness and the loose

footing that adds to its flexibility. Amazingly, the house, to some

extent is also tsunami-safe as it was proven in Lam Pageu, Aceh

Besar where a family was rescued by their house. The house was

drifted by the tsunami until it reaches the hill foot and breaks. Still in

confusion, the inhabitants managed to climb the hill and found them

safe! Like many places in the developing world, Aceh undergoes a

change in architecture. Most of Acehnese do not anymore build in

the traditional way as they absorb ideas from the urban areas. The

modern house with masonry wall, concrete reinforcement, ceramic

floor and roof tile is much heavier. Thus, structural failure in time of

earthquake is fatal. Here, the change in architecture takes place with-

out the transfer of prerequisite construction knowledge, whilst sup-

ports from professionals are barely accessible for the majority.

a fair distribution of materials. Required basic knowledge in construc-tion and in materials was disseminated through a series of tailored training for construction workers, supervisor, young engineers, and house owners all were conducted in cooperation with ILO. In two years around 3.500 houses and basic infrastructures in 23 villages accomplished. Uplink’s work in Aceh was awarded Dubai Best Prac-tice award on 2008 and Indonesian Architecture Institute Award at the same year. The strength of Uplink’s community architecture in post tsunami Aceh lies on the wide participation of tsunami survivors and the close coordination between the Uplink’s social and the tech-nical teams. As Jalil, an Uplink’s community organizer put, “we have to know a little about construction and architects have to know more

about societal aspects of working with communities”


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“LOCAL WISDOM UNDER RUBBLES”

Location: Yogyakarta, IndonesiaArchitect Team: UPLINK TeamStory Contributor:Octavianus Hendra Pratama “TOMO” (UPC)

Emergency Phase

The government of Indonesia announces 2 months period of

emergency. Prioritized activities in the period include securing lives,

setting up communal kitchen, cleaning village from rubbles, and con-

struction of temporary shelters.

Deadly catastrophes are traumatic event. On the early days after the

earthquake, survivors prefer to stay at open spaces away from ruins

for their safety and comfort. Working on prioritized activities of the

emergency period helps survivor to overcome their trauma.

On cleaning the village from rubbles, usable construction materials

were collected for the construction of temporary shelters. The need

for basic shelter that was shared among the survivors was the main

reason that motivates all members of community on the construction

of temporary shelters. The majority of materials for structure were sur-

vived from the rubbles. While new bamboo infills were donated by aid

agencies and individuals

Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Phase

The rehabilitation period was focused on rehabilitation of

basic services, socio-economic facilities, construction of permanent

house, and trauma healing. At this phase, architects were accompa-

nied by the social team. One of the main activities at the beginning

of the phase was generating awareness and dissemination of knowl-

edge on earthquake. Uplink architects went to communities to ex-

plain the nature of earthquake, how it happens and what to do when

it occurs. On-site lectures held by visit of damaged buildings with the

communities. In addition, fliers and brochures on earthquake safety

were distributed.

Preparing the reconstruction phase begins with identification of avail-

able resources: organizing local masons and locally available materi-

als. Field mapping and survey were conducted prior to the planning

phase. The house design was inspired by the local architecture and

the spatial need of the majority. It produces a house design with 2

rooms and multifunctional chamber. Toilets were designed out of the

core house to accommodate a handful of toilets that survived from the

earthquake to the design. In the period from the seventh month to the

24th month after the earthquake was the reconstruction period. Tech-

nical supervision from the architect team is indispensable to ensure

the earthquake safety.

“Building Back Better”

In the aftermath of a disaster, the idea of building back better

often presents and intrigues the architects and planners involved in

the rehabilitation. However, until later this concern usually remains

at the discourse level. Architects and planners have limitation to

translate the idea into practice as most of them were trapped in the

conservative approach, requiring time for planning process, pull

themselves away from the communities they serve. But few architects

decided to move their design studio to the field and work in an action

planning fashion to appropriate communities’ spontaneous initiatives.

The latter approach counts for better coordination, processes, and

results. The learned lesson is that ‘building back better’ is much more

than about building back better facilities, but at the very essence, is

about building back better relationships among and between

planning actors.


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Conclusions

For young architects, the experience of working with commu-

nities in a pos-disaster situation has taught them some new lessons:

• The semi-urban communities in the periphery of Yogyakarta still

maintained their communal characters such as gotong-royong (re-

pricprocality), solidarity, and tolerance. These traditional characters

were accounted for the process of reconstruction and rehabilitation.

• Many of the survivors regard their houses as the base for their pro-

ductivity. Therefore, construction of permanent house was preferred

rather than of temporary shelter.

• Young architects learned from the local community on the process

of designing beautiful houses using the local language of architec-

ture. It is a process of rediscovering local wisdoms as young archi-

tects have very limited knowledge on the local history and culture. •

Direct experience is the ultimate teacher. Experiencing earthquake is

not only about miseries but also have lessons behind. The most of it is

lessons to be ready in overcoming the same catastrophe

LOCAL WISDOM FOR DISASTER MITIGATION

Tsunami took place in Aceh before the modern history as

suggested by a story from the island of Simeulue. The people of

Simeulue knew what to do when they saw sudden withdrawof the

sea and birds fleeing towards land ward following the earthquake,

people ran to the hill escaping the coastal area. In contrast, people

in Lhok Seumaweh flock into the water collecting stranded fishes

by the withdrawn of the sea and unaware of nature’s hint for a

danger to come. The traditional and rather isolated Simeulue able

to preserve their oral tradition on nature’s hints but not in the

case of the urbanized Lhok Seumaweh. Indigenous Acehnese know

the sign of tsunami as certain as people in rural Vietnam recognize

the coming of a typhoon through the gesture of bamboo trees. Such

a local wisdom is important to document, it needs more space in

the system of knowledge for disaster mitigation, it is indispensable for

entering the new world with uncertainties and less predictable nature

in light of the global warming and the climate change.


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Rehabilitation after the Cyclone Nargis

Location: Irrawaddy Delta, MyanmarOrganization: The Spirit in Education Movement (SEM)Story Contributor: Myint Zaw

Rehabilitation after the Cyclone Nargis

Just after the cyclone Nargis, the first things every cyclone survivor’s desperate search is for food and water. The next thing that they have considered is shelter to reorganize their lives and families. Decent and safe shelter is the crucial first step for them.

Emergency shelters in after match of cyclone are primarily targeted to protect mainly elders and children from torrential rain. Gradually, local and international community aid came in and shelter and hous-ing condition steadily improved, although many families are still in need. Immediate and long term benefits of providing shelter are al-ways evident in almost all areas.

The first thing we observe is housing boost confident and self-esteem of children as well as family members in the context of so much devastation and loss. Children have secure space of theirs own to study and assurance that at least they are in their own house. Also, proper housing initiated livelihood process by provid-ing space for small business activities such as grocery shop.

Along with support for shelter and housing, village community came together for planning and implementation of housing and related to community welfare activities, thus contributed to another important rebuilding process of community rehabilitation as a whole.

Before actual implementation of housing, community voices have to be listened for beneficiary selection criteria. In some areas, al-most all villagers lost all of their property. In this kind of situation, community would like to make draw for selection for the sake of fairness and unity of community.

Also, in the building process, community design and preference are to be taken notice. For example, in one area of delta, they have tradition of making good, strong partition in order to give private and secure environment for women and children. Roofing styles preference is also different in various communities.

In some areas, consequence of not consulting community on hous-ing plan is starting to be seen as during cyclone many villages wiped out as a whole, and new village designs are to develop. Often these designs from outside organizations reflect urban hous-ing style with straight line of houses on both sides of the road rather than traditional villages design of circular or centering water re-sources or monastery. As a consequence, it is observed that vil-lages’ community dynamics are much weakened in new housing plan of some areas.

There is also to remind that many tough problems and huge needs of housing are still to be solved in delta areas of Myanmar. One is-sue is land ownership: most vulnerable and most poor often cannot get the assistance for housing as they don’t own the land.

Given the scale of devastation after cyclone Nargis, provision of housing does not yet match for many delta areas, in recent counts as much as 900,000 households still lacking the proper shelter. And also the emergency shelters that people have got as time passing by for more than one year deteriorated and in need of re-building. As livelihood of people is still in critical condition, efforts to help these people are as urgent as few weeks after cyclone.


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On the edge of water, many shamble shelters are still yet to improve

and safe shelter still in need.


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Build the home, grow the community

Location: Trang, ThailandArchitect Team: OpenspaceDocumentary Film: Pisut SrimorkLocal Organization: Samaphan Pramong Puen BaanSupporting Organization:1. Community Organizations Development Institute (CODI)2. Chumchonthai Foundation3. SAN4. UNDPStory Contributor: Chawanad Luansang “Nad”

BACKGROUNDAfter tsunami 2004 in Thailand, it tranquilly devastated Andaman Sea

areas and the southern coasts of Thailand; consequently, many areas

have been affected and damaged especially the fisher-folk commu-

nities in Trang Province, Thailand. From our surveys, we found that

it has been not only a shelter problem – providing to victims -, but it

also a problem of property security and contradiction; resource por-

tion among communities which had been rooted in their communities

for a long time. These facts are needed to be seriously considered.

Besides, post-tsunami situations were getting worse because huge

amounts of fund had not been fairly portioned and secure from un-

clear demarcation. These causes have brought to community’s con-

flicts and transfer problems from local people to outside investors.

Koh Mook community is one of suffered areas where has been lo-

cated on Baan Koh Mook, Kantang District, Trang Province, Thai-

land, for more than 150 years. This community has 2,000 people, 400

households and 97% of Muslim; which most of them have inherited

the traditional fishery and rubber plantation. Referred from the sur-

veys before the tsunami devastation, it showed that 248 households

had lived on insecure land titles which were mostly encroaching to

the private properties and preservation forest zones.

The design has been participated with Koh Mook Community and

also has been and experimental project concerning to mutual under-

standing between the fisher-folk communities; in terms of their prob-

lems, and architect teams mainly based on participatory design pro-

cesses that have applied various tools such as; community mapping

and surveying, self-designed by people, meeting, documentary film,

and study tour. Collaborative working with other organizations had

made our team close to the community platforms which subsequently

forced to establish a solution committee and community funds for

development which was a tool empowering the community.

THE PROBLEMS AND ARCHITECT’S ROLESEven though there were only 39 houses devastated by tsunami in 2004,

our project has taken this opportunity to solve the mentioned problems

as holistically in both physical and mental aspects like as these follow-

ing.

1. Physical Aspects; houses and communities after the disaster, land

and its security management, utilization, marine conservation, natural

recourses, demarcation between conservation zones and community

forests

2. Mental Aspects; treatments of victim mental, releases the rooted ten-

sions among communities, local-history revitalization, traditional wis-

doms, fisher-folk community livelihood, empowering the communities

to understand and be aware in their problems

PARTICIPATORY DESIGN PRCESSES1. Collaborative plan with other organizations to identify the role and

time schedules.

2. Community mapping and surveying to understand community’s

problems and its potentials done by communities which based on their

collective problems.

3. Conclude the data from community mapping and identify the real

suffered people and issues of housing and land security.

4. Organize the meeting to find out solutions in several levels; starting

from local levels into victim networks.

5. Design layouts of communities, housing units, other buildings with

people by the participatory design processes.

6. Study tour to learn about housing designs and construction manage-

ment from other communities after post-tsunami.

7. Conclude the holistic community development-plan.

8. Plan for infrastructure and construction management.

9. Meeting every 3 months to evaluate the project progress.

Material, Structure, and Construction

It is important to be noted that this project’s principle is the com-

munity’s empowerment by providing them the chance to grow their

community and to build their houses by their hands. In this case, it

is quite different from the conventional work to run this project by

only architects and contractor systems. The architect teams had

played their roles as the facilitator to arrange processes and to ful-

fill some tools as well as inputs during the development processes.

From this reason, we have not seriously focused on only the design

products; features of material, structure and construction system;

hence it makes us have a question that what should the operation

systems – meeting in both limited budget (around 2,850 US dollar

per house) and existing people’s skills – be?

The strong point of this project is the local committee established

by their communities which is an obligation mission. The tasks were

divided into various teams in terms of specific jobs such as; infor-

mation teams, purchasing teams, construction teams, accounting

and financial teams.

Self-design of each house with architect’s consultants, every house

is different and unique which all depends on their life styles and

coastal climatology.


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DIRECT OUTCOMES OF PROJECT

Two hundred and thirty-eight houses had been restored and rebuilt

which consisted of;

- Ninety houses had been built in the new lands.

- Forty-eight houses had been built on private properties.

- One-hundred houses had been rehabilitated and restored on the

previous land in protected forest zones under established commu-

nity-regulation.

INDIRECT OUTCOME OF PROJECT

1. Social

1.1 From the participatory design processes with communities, the

traditional fisher-folk livelihood and its relevant customs have been

intact in the new communities. In terms of social, the new cluster-plan

is appropriate for their social groups which they used to assemble

before shifting to the new communities; furthermore, other functions

and spaces were added to improve their qualities of live example of;

small mosques (baray), community’s pontoons, assembly halls, local

museums, and garbage banks.

1.2 Conventional paradigm of community development (from both the

community’s side and the development agency), which usually con-

siders the community as the one-way receiver, has to be changed

because this project is the pilot project – showing the community’s

empowerment in their solutions by facilitating the development agen-

cies and architects. In these days, this network has been expanding

to other areas to solve the community’s problems after disasters.

1.3 The participatory design processes could create the bottom up

processing in their communities and networks to propose the rea-

sonable-precise budgets and policies for implementation such as;

sustainable living in the protected forest zones and management of

collective land titles.

Significance and Impact

It is also crucial to be marked that the project outcomes should be

positive impacts on several aspects which mean to not only the proj-

ect’s achievement, but the operation approaches – community devel-

opment – and the professional arena – architect design – also.


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1.4 Senses of community, collective memories, fisher-folk’s

music bands and local histories had been revitalized through diverse

project’s activities.

2. Economic

2.1 All amounts of construction fund had been circulated within com-

munities and also generated incomes for the local communities.

2.2 Local economic of fisher-folk communities has been gained and

improved by the new designs, and they can legally access to natural

resources.

2.3 Government could provide the reasonable budgets for commu-

nity development projects by plan establishment.

3. Ecological

3.1 There is a clear boundary between residential areas and commu-

nity forests, where have been used by community’s encroachment in

the protected forest areas.

3.2 Awareness of marine and island resources had been built among

communities and young generations during the project’s phrases

through the documentary processes.

4. Architectural Professional

4.1 From this project experiences, it have been creating the commu-

nity architect movement in Thailand’s contexts who those architects

have closely worked with community matters and related aspects not

only the conventional-architectural skills.

Heritage

“The energies of all people who desire a more just world are useful and can facilitate change. There are many creative ways that professionals can help the people by supporting the actions of the poor, or by removing hindrances.”.

A Time to Build: People’s Housing in Asia


Reviving and Training Traditional Community Craftsmen in Ladakh & Tibet

Location: India, TibetArchitect Team: Tibet Heritage Fund (THF) Story Contributor: Andre Alexander (THF)

THF Community Architects Group

The project started in Tibet, watching many historic, sustainable and

also beautiful houses being torn down, and families relocated ( a

common issue in the region). the old houses seemed so perfect, so

well made, and seemed so perfectly suited to the climate and geo-

graphic location. The responsible people were not called architects,

merely artisans. They worked without drawings, but instead “saw” the

completed building in their heads. We looked for these people and

brought the last of them out of retirement. We put them in charge

to renovate, upgrade and restore historic residential buildings. They

also passed on their skills to younger generations through our proj-

ect, and trained young architects who were made to work with them,

by making drawings for documentation after the buildings had been

completed, and also documenting the different steps. This was the

beginning of this concept in the 1990s.


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In 2003, a THF team went to the Ladakh region of India, which shares

a common culture with Tibet. The same approach was therefore

successfully used to upgrade low-cost housing in the poorer and

older quarters of town. We found many highly-skilled traditional arti-

sans, who were no longer getting any jobs since most people liked

to build with cheap pre-fabricated cement bricks and concrete pil-

lars. We put together a team and called the project “Leh Old Town

Initiative” (LOTI). The process was that we restored a community

faith building (first a Buddhist temple, later a little mosque), and

then told the community that we offered help for people who were

willing to contribute themselves to upgrading and renovation of tra-

ditional homes in the old town. Many families came, and more were

still coming.


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The main challenges there are is that some people don’t trust the

traditional skills and materials, and prefer to live in “modern” houses

using concrete and other materials that are neither sustainable (mak-

ing cement uses a lot of energy) nor suitable to the local climate.

These people need convincing. Also, sometimes the “trained” archi-

tects disagree with the artisans - in these cases, in 90% of the cases,

the team tends to side with the artisans, as they have the practical

experience that in some cases dates back many generations.

In India, unlike in some other countries, the government is support-

ive of the process, but sometimes slow to come up with actual sup-

port (like funding). Because Ladakh is sparsely populated (Leh has

around 40,000 inhabitants), and traditional construction work is slow,

we do not have the same scope as, for example, projects in India. So

it is difficult to find enough funding. Fortunately, we joined the ACCA

process in 2009.


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Participatory Restoration of Monastic Shrine in Rajastanlu-ang Temple, Muang Ma, Kyiang Tung, Burma

Location: Shan State, Myanmar

Architect Team: Architect for Conserving and Rehabilitating the

Environment and Cultural Heritage for Community (ACHC)

Supporting Organization:1.Rak-Lanna Group

2.Lanna Wisdom School

Story Contributor: Phailin Thongthammachat “Ploy” (ACHC)

Background

Monastic Shrine in Rajastanluang Temple is located in Special Re-

gion Number 4, Muang La, Kyiang Tung, Burma. This temple has

been the center of 3 Dai Lue villages; Baan Gog, Baan Wat and Baan

San, with about 300 households which they have usually applied here

for religious ceremonies. Unfortunately, the Reclining-Buddha Hall or

Dharma Hall where has been used as Dharma practicing place by

monks has been seriously worn out, hence it makes the Muang Ma

people have agreed to renovate this building or build a new building

replaced it. A Buddhist-faith group from Thailand and a community-

architect group have concentrated in this valuable and significant

building, therefore the discussion with an abbot and local-Buddhist

faith people; in Muang Ma, was occurred in order to renovate and

restore this building replaced to pulling this building down and build

a new one.

This Reclining-Buddha Hall or Dai Lue Dharma Hall at this

temple was constructed in Dai Lue Architecture style with around 600

years old which is obviously unique from the general Dai-Lue temples

and halls. It could be apparently seen from the heading balcony in

back side of the building, where had been used by Luang Sao Monk

(Laung San) as the meditation place in about 300-400 years ago.

Referred from the Luang Sao Monk’s legend, this temple had linked

the believe dimensions and histories between Lanna Kingdom and

Kyiang Tung together. In the past, he used to be an abbot of Lai Hin

Temple; Lampang Province, Thailand, where is the Lanna- Kyiang

Tung Architecture style and also have believed that here is the mas-

terpiece of Wat Lampang Luang, Lampang Province. It, furthermore,

has related to Buddhism between Kyiang Tung and Lanna in terms

of the tripitakas as well. From this relation, the Reclining-Buddha Hall;

Rajastanluang Temple, has been considerably significant and valu-

able in history dimensions, believes and architecture values.

As the discussion from many parties included to the conser-

vation team was done, they agreed that this hall must be restored un-

der cooperation among those parties. However, because this build-

ing has been much declined especially the wall body that has been

badly inclined and decayed from humid, this building was evaluated

by Muang Ma technicians and the conservation team. In this evalu-

ation, the Muang Ma people were firstly honorable to evaluate this

building and also educate some construction and local material wis-

doms, whereas the conservation team had provided some advice

and consulting about appropriate techniques and material applies in

this restoration. Hence, this building restoration will not be done and

operated by only the conservation team, but it could inspire and pro-

mote the community realizing in their precious wisdoms and cultural

heritages of their community. In the same time, it would support both

teams cooperating together in this conservation work which does not

concentrate only the architectural conservation, but it also enhance

to the cultural and history dimensions included to strengthening the

Buddhism relationship between Dai Lue -Kyiang Tung and Chiang

Mai-Lanna.

In this cooperation, it would be the participatory-conservation guides

in Buddhism architecture in Kyiang Tung territory, because, in these

days, areas from Kyiang Tung to Maung La have been influenced

from Thai Buddhism and Sibsong Punna (Xishuangbanna Autono-

mous Region of Tai Ethnic Groups) in various patterns, which has sig-

nificantly effected to the Dai Lue Architecture style. The main concept

of this conservation project was gathered from the reflected feelings

of local people which are participatory working with their

“senses of place owner”.

Operation and conservation Guidelines of the Monastic Shrine in

Rajastanluang Temple Project

The team work has firstly concentrated on the local com-

munity and Dai-Lue people as the creator, inheritor and watcher this

architectural heritage, which could support this project being finally

successful; such as participatory evaluation the building values and

conditions in order to remain art-architecture components as the

most. Later, the restorations, repairs or modifies in some parts will be

appropriately done, which must be harmoniously with recent applica-

tions and must properly remind the Dai-Lue construction culture.

Our teamwork as the outsider role-player would be the pro-

moter and coordinator in other aspects with the local technicians;

example of local alphabet reading, mural and art-architecture con-

servation , in order to inherit these Dai-Lue cultures being alive in the

dynamic- social contexts.

This restoration project would promote not only the

traditional Dai-Lue values; such as local technicians and religious

ceremonies related to the restoration, but it also expect to recall and

rebuild their local histories and legends.


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The Grassroots Heritage Conservation:Samchuk Community and Old Market District in Suphanburi,ThailandLocation: Suphanburi,Thailand

Architect Team: Chawanad Luansang, Pisut Srimork, TongDocumentary Film: Pisut SrimorkSocial Organizer: Chumchonthai FoundationAdvisor on self-Learning Local History Process: Lek-Prapaiviriyapun FoundationFund: Chumchonthai Foundation, CODI (Community Organization Development Institute)Duration: 2003 – 2006Story Contributor: Chawanad Luansang “Nad”

‘ The conservation work has been undertaken in a holistic way in-

cluding not only the heritage architecture ,but also the living heritage

of this historic commercial hub ,thus contributing to a more compre-

hensive understanding of the site ’s value as a cultural heritage re-

source for the community .The community has been the main driving

force for the project at all levels from setting policy to establishing

urban design guidelines. ’

‘ …. the project will have a major impact in raising awareness about

grassroots heritage conservation and is an important model for em-

powering other historic communities in Thailand. ’

This quote is only a short part said by UNESCO in Award of Merit

Announcement to Samchuk people on December 2009, that has

brought them huge of delighted feelings resulted from their strong

unity, which they have continuously run the Samchuk Community and

Old Market project for more than 10 years.

Samchuk Market Community; more than 100 years old, had

differently experienced in various flourishes and declines depend-

ing on each development age, which mostly of local people had not

had any participatory evolvement to set the development direction.

On the last 10 year, there was a plan to pull the market; located on

the Treasury Department’s property, down in order to develop this

area as a 4-floor building, then the people has assembled to discuss

and exchange their views about this. Finally, they got a conclusion

that dismantling this valuably and workably ancient building could

make them having more debts and it would not be a practical way to

revitalize their community senses and to create their economy; con-

sequently, a committee of the Samchuk Community and Old Market

project was set up and started to operate different activities to sup-

port people having chances to meet, talk and find out some solutions

in this project.

Old pictures present the Samchuk Market development. It used to

locate on Samchuk Temple area, and then moved to the recent loca-

tion with its 100 years old. These pictures were also used in activities

to persuade elders telling some memory stories to lineages.

In the midyear of 2003, our team had initiated to work with

this community; in Livable Cities Project of Chumchonthai Founda-

tion, which was composed of various activities; such as establishing

the public hearing concurrently with cultural-traditional-historical ac-

tivities in order to build the meeting place, screening and searching

for ideal values agreed from the community that was finally launched

as a holistic plan of their market development, included to gaining

60 volunteers which were divided in sub 6 groups following to main

themes for a flexible performance reason. The people harmoniously

agreed that this market would be revitalized to encourage their lin-

eages coming back and realizing to this value built and preserved by

ancestors which, eventually, it would be the donation and preserva-

tion their hometown as well as development and solving the existing

problems in the same time.

In earliest stage, our team was composed of two architects

and a documentary maker which had worked with social organiz-

ers and researchers who were responsible in the local history. The

people were assigned to be a mainstay in this performance which

our team had played the role as their consultant and also as the co-

designer in all processes in order to build and manage their public

area for opinion exchanging and sharing their specific skills. The op-

eration core, in this first stage, had concentrated on local-museum

establishment because this project could gather all people’s teams

- surveys, repairs, financial managements, fund administrations, lo-

cal history studies, co-activities between people and school, public

relations, authority contacts and information providing - , after that the

100 years old-building renovation has been gradually alive again. It

all resulted from several activities; house surveys, cleanings, appli-

ances registers, round-table talks and reminding about the market

memories and overall history studies in the Samchuk market. Their

memory telling had been recalled into other houses where have been

inherited in many generations for more than 100 years, so their mem-

ory stories from each house and each teller had been told through

memories and ancient appliances. In this reason, it would be said

that this kind of museum had been spread into other lively-house mu-

seums in the Samchuk market.

Our team had applied the design processes to change the

market physical in 4 points together with the community which could

show the spatial potentials and existing physical capitals; market-

ing cleanings, designing in the local food center, repairing the Baan

Our team had cooperated with the community to survey the market

and to provide them the house-museum map as a tool to make them

realize the values preserved by each family and house.

Conservation and renovation the ancient building in order to be the

museum was managed by the community teamwork having the

architect team as a consultant and provider the public space from

them to propose their opinions and plans together with the local-

history studies that encouraged children learning from elders.


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Khun Jum Nong Museum, renovations the unoccupied spaces (at

the Bo tree open space) and establishing the 22 house-museums.

These idea and operation processes had been gradually and slowly

applied and adapted following to activities created and discussed

together with the people. Recently, this area has been continuously

modified and used so far. Besides, ideal-space experiments created

by the documentary media have played a big role for image building

in order to simply and cheerfully acknowledge the truth to the people

which was about the local history, market values and charms through

the music video, as well as an Amazing Samchuk song composed

and sung by Samchuk people. All of these activities considerably

made the people very awake.

Samchuk market, nowadays, has been a famous attraction

with many thousand tourists a day coming to visit and also being a

learning place for more than 300 organizations in a year. The market

committee has kept co-working to solve new problems by providing

chances to support the people participating to know and propose

some solutions as they have done before. They have strongly insisted

in many times that any new change must be come from inside com-

munity and also must be already considered and planned together.

Regulations and rules to keep the market being neat and attractive in

Samchuk style are currently set up and also come from their shared

brainstorms with their willing cooperation not from law obligation.

I recalled to that day when we tried to inform the people about

the market improvement plan and also attempted to think with them,

many people wondered that how much it was going to work because

it seemed very difficult and did needed plenty of supporting from ei-

ther community’s members or other authorities. Then, the next day,

we made appointment with the people going out to sweep 100 years

old webs, to wash the market space and to clear up some unneces-

sary stuff that made us could see the open space. Impressively, I saw

and noticed various good moments; precious beauty hidden for long

time behind each wooden 2-floor building that were the real-valuable

capital, people’s smiles and teases, as well as united-willing helps

in their work that was very simple-joyfully scenes; which all of these

significantly taught me to start at our first-small step leading us to suc-

cess in our bigger and wider dream. I have figured out that it seems

here is already ready; it has been waiting to be linked and shown up

for the real implementation and wider-heart learning.

Environments and activities in Samchuk Market

“Alive Market, Live Museum”


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City Participatory Planning

“Development interventions should try to create space for people to be the doers, for them to be able to lead the development process with confidence. We just need to understand the techniques to unlock this people energy and to channel it into a creative new force for city development.”

Somsook Boonyabancha


City-Wide Community Upgrading Movement in Chum Pae Municipality, Khon Kaen

Location: Khon Kean,ThailandArchitect Team: Sakkarin Sapu and Community Architect of CODI

Organization: CODI (Community Organization Development Institute)

Story Contributor: Sakkarin Sapu

Although Chum Pae district is only a small town in Khon Kaen prov-

ince, it has played an important role of commercial activities as the

gateway city between Northern and North-eastern region of Thailand.

Both agricultural and manufacturing products have been tracked and

distributed through Chum Pae city. It might be said that this city has

never slept because of hyper-commercial activities. That is one of

possible reasons why labours and poor people have migrated into

the city for jobs, incomes, and better qualities of life.

As far as number of poor-urban communities in Chum Pae city, 18

communities and 1,076 households were registered by both means

of official registration and community survey in 2006. Community-

upgrading process was subsequently triggered to poor-urban regis-

tration. A community and people driven-process was steered by di-

verse activities such as mutual leanings, interactive communications,

collaborative tasks, and consensus-buildings. The first pilot project

was designed by city-scale meeting; namely Sawang Sang Sri on-

site upgrading project, as a result, it has been only one squatter in

the city. Seventy three households in public property belonged to

Treasury Department were improved and solved in both environment

and land security.

Then, the second phase of planning in the poor-urban community

aimed to solve 7 communities including Baan Rom Yen (30 house-

holds), Nhong Kanae (43 households), Jang Sawang Patana (45

households), Kud Chum Pae Pan Raj (57 households), Mankong

Patana (60 households), Nong Pai Patan (46 households), and Sri

Ram Thong (49 households). A pattern of these communities is not

a squatter, but it is styles of rental housings and extended family

groups; consequently, they need to find out the new land for relocat-

ing their own houses. Referred from the participatory process of land

survey, it can be divided into two main groups. On the one hand,

Baan Rom Yen, Nhong Kanae, and Jang Sawang Patana had relo-

cated to the public property for 15 years long-term leases. Kud Chum

Pae Pan Raj, Mankong Patana, Nong Pai Patan, and Sri Ram Thong

had settled on private land purchased by the soft loan.

Physical and environmental improvement was a primary project of

urban poor development in Chum Pae city. Besides, they had encour-

aged socials and community capital through the community saving

mechanisms. City programmes; such as social-occupational welfares

and collective productivities, were initiated through the community-


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driven process. Regarding to the social-occupational welfares, com-

munity saving groups have been the fundamental mechanisms from

saving money to encourage the welfare programmes. Each of saving

groups, moreover, was weaved to a city network; as a result the capi-

tal has been dramatically increased. The agglomeration of communi-

ty capital can directly afford the social – occupational programmes.

In terms of collective productivities, poor problems have not been

only physical and social matters, but also economic issues. House-

hold economic is probably insufficient for the poor people; leading

to, community organisations would consider those alternative pro-

grammes for the collective economic activities such as tailor groups,

cooker groups, and importantly, farmer groups.

In 2009, eight of eighteen urban-poor communities had been steered

a “Baan Man Kong” programme or “Secure Housing for the Poor” in

English. Meanwhile, 10 communities have nothing being changed. As

a result, a city committee and community network had brainstormed

and created the city development funding. This funding consists of

a yearly-municipality subsidy, international supporting; such as an

ACCA programme, a government budget, and importantly, commu-

nity saving-groups in the city. The matching fund between commu-

nities and government agencies has been established on develop-

ment purposing of the urban-poor housing.

Summary, the urban-poor development in Chum Pae city initiated

from one pilot project to 7 communities relocation programmes. After

that, these organisations were weaved into the city network, hence

made the community capital had been agglomerated to city capital

which can afford the alternative welfare programmes. Finally, such

city capital can transcend into the city development funding in a form

of matching fund for the poor.

Community developmet in Chumpae municipality

Mankongpatana Sriramtong

Loan5,896,800bath

5 phases= 3,447,360bath

Jangsawangpatana

Loan% 5,353,200 bath

5 phases=2,254,928bath

Mankong patana

Loan9,244,000bath


Kudhumpaepranraj

Loan8,812,800 bath

9 phases=3,823,200 bath

Sawoangsangsri

Loan6,111,000bath


Mankongromyen

Loan4,348,800bath

Achievement=4,348,800 bath

Nongkanae

Loan6,534,400bath

3 phases=1,965,600 bath

8 projects391Household

CODI infrastructure subsidy23,540,000 bath

Suanpai

Loan9,244,000bath



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City Participatory Planning, Bang Bua Case

Location: Bangkok, ThailandArchitect Team: Nattawut Usavagovitwong and Faculty of Architecture, Sripatum University Organization: CODI (Community Organization Development Institute)Story Contributor: Nattawut Usavagovitwong

Bang Bua Case

The early questions that communities have to together bring to con-

clusion are those ‘Why do they really need to live here?’ and ‘How will

they live as collaborating society?’ because there are various hous-

ing schemes and case studies of slum upgrading which have already

adopted1 for example relocation. After public hearing, the summary

is that they would like to continue living in this area with rearrange-

ment and upgrading of housing pattern and condition.

From this regard and local NGOs from CTF initiate program to up-

grade of community’s physical condition under ‘Baan Mankong’2

housing program undertaken in several areas and it becomes a

chance for community capacity building, empowering, and solidarity

making. This leads to discourage them to improve their living condi-

tion, infrastructure and environment.

Planning Process and Strategies:

Formulating Community Network and Framework

In early stage, community people will not recognize what are the ben-

eficial of housing upgrading as long as nobody seriously evicts them,

but the atmosphere was changed. One strategy was derived from

this circumstance to formulate community group to work on housing

program. The working plan was set up, which can be elaborated to its

functions according each authority’s role and activities (See Table 1).

1 See details of housing development schemes in Yap, Kioe Sheng. (1992) Low-Income Housing in Bangkok: A review of Some Housing Sub-Markets, Bangkok: Division of Human Settlements Development, Asian Institute of Technology.

2 The program, which undertaken by CODI by its aims are to develop low-income’s housing condition that illegally settle in Thailand, building and empowering community. See details of the program at www.baanmankong.com


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The overall strategy is conceptualized in figure 1. Institutional level, the task

is mainly to enhance cooperation with other related institute. While Community

level, WGHBC was set up as field team with cooperation from three parties by

mechanizing working model. This requires making specifically understanding

with both building permission issue land policy and informing local district

offices about the building permission in order to guarantee their legal

settlements and to encourage people to improve their living conditions. The

communities formulate another working group composed of members from each

community committee to undertake the land tenure’s procedure. Community

level recognizes that some disagreement and conflicts on this program are

addressed in the early stage, WGHBC attempts to encourage all communities

to join “Bann Man Kong’ program, and has discussed and made understanding

with some community leaders about the program in depth. All theses plans and

strategies will be discussed through the following framework.

Table 1: Roles and Activities of Related Institutions and Working Groups in Urban Poor Housing Development

Policy and decision

making level

Roles Activities

CODI Loans for urban poor housing provider Establishing together general agreement with other

concerned institutions due to urban poor development

in the issue of land, community capacity building,

housing design and construction

CPB Landlord -

Local District Office Geographical responsible and building

permission

Coordinating between communities and upper

government authorities

Local university Support technical staffs and experts Provide knowledge resources regarding to social and

physical improvement

Operating level Roles Activities

Bangbua communities’

network committee

Encourage and communicate with all

communities to participate program

Interlinking cooperation within Bangbua communities’

committee and other community organizations

Community committee Communicate with its own community member,

gather required community information

Strategic planning of different community working

teams, i.e. community saving group for housing

Community saving group

for housing

Mediator of financial resources between CODI

and community members for housing

improvement loans

Gathering saving of community member with

transparency and community-self auditing system

WGHBC Develop housing scheme with community’s

stakeholder participation

Workshop and action planning with community, develop

housing scheme and community masterplan regarding

to socio-economic, sociological and political dimensions


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Figure 1: Strategy in Bangbua Communities Upgrading Project

a) Bridging cooperation in institutional level

In policy and decision making level, the project complicatedly deals with Na-

tional development policy and authorities. These will undertake together as up-

per formal structure of policy and decision making level to avoid conflict and

misunderstanding. The plan is to mobilize together nine communities for more

collaboration. The strategies are;

- Coordinating with CPB for long term land tenure.

- Making Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) among CODI, university and

community network organization and exchanges of experts.

- Extending and adopting conceptual strategy to other areas through community

network mechanism (with some details’ adjustment).

b) Managing strategy in community level

In community level, WGHBC starts to focus on three areas; physical environment,

financial organizing group and historical representation.

- Physical environment

The core team is the combination of CODI and CTF’s staffs together with archi-

tects from local university to gather general information of all communities with

local community people’s participation to prioritize and analyze overall situa-

tions, problems and limitations of communities. The required information is both

socio-economically and physically. All these are brought to general summary

and are publicly presented to community. From community opinion, they insist to

continuously live in this place, so the general solution is

to relocate some buildings overstretched into canal’s

surface water and share the remained spaces with the

rest and needed to compromise among each other.

- Financial organizing group

After introducing and informing them how to effectively

and correctly save, then community saving group little

by little be shaped out. The actors are composed of two

main parties. Project has to be mobilized by resources,

which CODI will decide for loan subsidy from sufficient

degree of collaboration, so they require having formal

saving group for housing development which each sav-

ing group committee elected from community members.

Level of collaboration does not implicate by the size of

financial saving resource rather than the regularity of

savings and transparency of committee team. Saving

group’s aims are directly to collect saving as housing

funds in the future and indirectly to interchange know-

how learning among community networks for saving

management improvement .

- Historical representation

This issue aims to empower community through knowl-

edge and cultural power. Community has its own long

history and traditions. This will become significant tool to

recognize identity of community and mirror for communi-

ty to root their selves esteem and dignity, which crucially

for mechanizing community and extend to other issues

of community’s sustainable development. The criteria of

historical discourse is community water tradition, songs

and life style

All three prong approaches has been adopted together

and become a good learning process of both implement-

ers and community. What have been learned is still be

interplayed with the upper structure to achieve the best

practice in sustainable housing development as goal.


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Workshop and Training

“Assisting the community in every process is challenging but it was made easy through learning exchanges wherein not only the community learn from us, we also learn from their experiences.”

Tope, YP


Communities and Architects Working TogetherIloilo City, Philippines

Location: Iloilo City, PhilippinesArchitect Team: Teacher/Student/Architects/Engineers from the University of San AgustinOrganization: 1.Homeless People’s Federation Philippines, Inc. (HPFPI)2.The Philippine Action for Community-led Shelter Initiatives Inc. (PACSII)Story Contributor: Carl Beray, Vhal Libutaque, Alcor Mandario and Christopher Ebreo

A Team of YP Intern-Architects Working with HPFPI-PACSII in Iloilo City

Communities and Architects Working Together Iloilo City, Philippines

Urban poor communities, most often, are denied of services usu-

ally provided by architects planners, etc. But if professionals are

able to support in enabling ways and give the poor a chance to

say and do what they want, communities can become capable of

unleashing so much energy into planning and implementing their

own development.

Homeless Peoples Federation Philippines,Inc. (HPFPI), is

currently working to help low-income communities living in high-risk

areas to obtain secure land tenure and housing. They also assist

communities affected by disasters, as well as support community up-

grading initiatives. In all these undertakings, the Federation strongly

believes that processes should be driven by community. It also en-

sures that communities share and learn from each others’ experi-

ences of promoting and effecting positive changes in their own cities

and communities.

The Philippine Action for Community led Shelter Initiatives

Inc. (PACSII), provides intermediary support to the HPFPI. It works

closely with the Federation and plays an “enabling” support role to

their community - driven initiatives – in the physical ( planning,

architectural, engineering), legal and finance aspects.

The Beginning:Community Led Upgrading

In late 2006, ACHR provided support to

HPFPI to initiate 10 community-driven

smallscale upgrading projects in Iloilo

City. A community architect, May Do-

mingo, was given the opportunity to assist

in this undertaking. The upgrading initia-

tives resulted in one very important posi-

tive change: communities realized that

they are capable of improving their own

settlements; that with some professional

assistance, communities could design,

implement and manage their own proj-

ects in a way that they like, understand

and can be in control of. And, they turned

out to be cheaper as well!

The Growth: Community Managed Housing

The experience in small-scale upgrading built the confidence of

the Federation and the city urban poor network to embark on a

larger scale project - the CLIFF housing project for 197 families

affected by a major flood control project. The challenge lies in

enabling the community to design, implement and manage the

project themselves. Starting with a demonstration project of 20

Starting with a demonstration project of 20 houses, partici-

“When everyone comes together and

cooperate, people at RVHOA can beat

-Josie Sumbanon, RVHOA member


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Grooming Community Architects:University Partnership&YP Architects

In order to obtain technical support for their upgrading and housing

projects, HPFPI-PACSII linked with a local university. The first step

was to introduce the work of the Federation, and to show which roles

architects and engineers can play in community-driven upgrading.

Teacher– and student-architects and engineers from the University

of San Agustin eventually assisted communities in upgrading and in

participatory housing design.

Four student-architects exhibited keen interest in community work

after completing their degree, and has since been working with

PACSII-HPFPI as volunteer-interns. They now largely comprise the

PACSII-Iloilo technical team and have managed to adopt the skills of

working with communities, with guidance from seniors like May and

HPFPI leader Sonia, while simultaneously developing their architec-

tural skills.

Presently, they continue to assist the community in participatory

housing design, site planning and construction management, by fa-

cilitating a thorough process that will enable the community to bring

out their ideas, heighten their knowledge & skills and make decisions.

This way of working — i.e., of constantly finding ways for community

to be centrally involved and always trying to bring out the effective-

ness of a community-led process— has always been the primary

challenge for these young architects, which they eagerly and will-

ingly face up to.

“In a process like this where people are the central actors, it is always

so amazing to see the houses finally come up...because you look at the houses

and know that alongside building them came a deeper processof poor people

building their belief in themselves...and of government and society building their

belief in poor people.”

May

“Working with the community is a unique experience especially for a young

architect like me..it is exciting and full of challenges..wherein it develops not just

my skills but also my perspectives in my career.”

Vhal, YP“Being also an urban poor has been my inspiration for working with urban poor

communities, it became easy for me to understand their needs and to deal with

them in a simpler way...and it’s always been a great challenge to translate their

ideas into a possible solution given a limited resources.”

Carl, YP “As a young architect my biggest fulfilment is to see the community

living with their dream.”

Alcor, YP

Alternative Building Technology :

Interlocking Compressed Earth Block (ICEB)

In mid-2007, months after the CLIFF housing project was started, the

prices of steel and other building materials soared dramatically. It

became impossible to build a shell house out of the P150,000 budget

for one house. This prompted the team to explore lower -cost build-

ing materials and upon Gregor’s suggestion, looked into earth-based

technologies. With technical support from the NGO JF Ledesma

Foundation, ICEB’s are now being produced on-site and jointly su-

pervised by Carl, a YP architect, and Benfred, a network leader. The

197 houses for CLIFF Phase II are now being beautifully constructed

with these earth blocks!

houses, participatory tools in housing design and mechanisms for

community management were tested, and are now being applied in

the ongoing 2nd phase of the project. The project has been getting

a lot of attention and support from different sectors in and outside

the city. Most importantly, partnership with local government became

even stronger. The urban poor has proven what they are capable of!


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Community Mapping: Using Geographical Information Systems (GIS)

Location: CambodiaArchitect Team and Organization: Sahmakum Teang Tnaut (STT)Story Contributor: Meas Kin Seng

STT’s focus is on urban poor communities and low tech solutions but

in some cases using technology can be a useful resource. Through

GIS mapping we aim not to replace traditional community mapping

which we encourage communities to do themsleves but to supple-

ment it with information that has a higher degree of accuracy. Over

the past 3 years STT has mapped the location of all resettlement sites

and carried out detailed mapping of various communities including

the Boeung Kak area. This credible data is proving helpful in helping

communities facing eviction as they need strong documentation and

evidence of tenure. STT hopes to expand this process to create a

from of community land titling.

Above: John Railton, University of Michigan Intern, has been helping

STT with its GIS systems over the past 2 years. This has included

training sessions for STT and other NGOS and (left) preparing map-

ping documents for discussions with communities and local Authori-

ties. Accurate information and mapping is a key goal for STT.

Below: Dop Moin Prey community map (Kampot). Community under-

standing of their local space is equally important


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Mapping for Tenure Security

One of the key goals of mapping is to try and create information that

can be used for urban poor titling. The extensive mapping of the Boe-

ung Kak area aimed to assist this process – unfortunately to date the

authorities have completely refused to recognise any tenure rights for

residents, many of whom have been there almost 30 years. In addi-

tion widespread intimidation of residents and NGO workers (see right

police officers removing protest banners from homes at Boeung Kak)

has been used by the developer Shukaku Inc. Despite this mapping

remains an important way to try and engage authorities in the process

of formalising informal urban settlements and the role of the commu-

nity architect can be very important to this process.

Where are the Community Architects?

Despite decades of aid assistance, consultants and volunteers there still remains a lack of experienced

professionals who have skills both in design and social activism. Either architects are hired to carry out

traditional construction projects – low cost housing etc or Urban Poor specialists are hired to look at

urban poor issues. Very rarely is a Community Architect hired to look at design solutions through the

eyes of the community. Much has been written on the subject but to date only a handful of community

architects seem to exist worldwide – many of them working as volunteers as there is no formal niche for

them in the aid development programmes. Therefore while there are many Young Professionals (YPs)

few, if any, of these actually go onto a career as a community architect. The question is; why is this so

and does a community architect profession need to be established?


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COMMUNITY ARHCITECT’S WORKSHOP AT VIENTAINE, LAO PDR

Location: Vientiane, Lao PDR Participants : YPs Teacher / Bachelor and Master Students of National University of LaosOrganization: 1. Faculty of Architecture, National University of Laos2. Women and Community’s Empowering Project (WCEP) 3. Asian Coalition of Housing Rights (ACHR)Story Contributor: YPs Team

Asian Coalition for Housing Rights (ACHR), the Women and

Community’s Empowering Project (WCEP), and the Faculty of Architect

the National University of Laos as a host organized the workshop on

aspect of “Understanding Urban Form and Urbanization Impact” in Vien-

tiane During 8th – 22nd September, 2009.

This workshop aims to establish the processes of surveying and

understanding Vientiane City and urbanization through many facets, es-

pecially the informal settlements and poor-urban community’s aspects.

At the same time, the workshop will be a chance to boost the practical

skills of participatory designs and planning processes for community

development to young professionals and community representatives.

The target covers 4 districts of Vientiane’s Municipality including;

1. Chanthabouli District

2. Sikhottabong District

3. Sisattanak District

4. Xaisettha District

The outcome aims to cover these following aspects as a holistic view;

the development trends, urban transformation & its history, urban ecol-

ogy and urban livelihood, and urbanization impact. Hopefully, it will be

the understandable foundation of the Vientiane City.

Outputs of the Workshop

1. Ninety participants from bachelor students; Faculty of Architecture,

Planning, Social Science and Environment; and master students of plan-

ning as well as young professionals (YPs) have understood in Vientiane

City and hers urbanization. It is important to be noted that this is their first

opportunity to learn from communities and people perspectives in de-

velopment processes, which their curriculums have usually followed to

the conventional approaches (census base and top down) in community

development and planning.

2. Database of poor-urban communities, informal settlements, and com-

munities affected by the development project had been mapped to use

for further steps of city-wide upgrading in Vientiane.

3. Publication as summary reports had been disseminated to respon-

sible agencies and persons which it has covered to the historical, recent

development plans, informal settlements, urban ecological aspects, and

detail area studies.

4. ACHR and the university team established a meeting session on how

to step forward after this success. For this reason, the initial develop-

ment for curriculums; to support communities and social works, has

been preparing and involving into the academic courses.


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About the Contributors

Somsook BoonyabanchaAddress: Asian Coalition for Housing Rights

73 Soi Sonthiwattana 4, Ladprao 110

Bangkok 10310, THAILAND

Tel (66-2) 538-0919 Fax (66-2) 539-9950

Website : www.achr.net

Email: [email protected]

May Domingo A community architect. As a student and young

professional, May worked with an urban poor

community in Tondo Manila, then with communi-

ties in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, from 1986-1999.

She then worked with HPFPI-PACSII, with sup-

port from ACHR, from 2006-2009 to support the

Alliance’s various initiatives on upgrading and

housing in Iloilo and Mandaue Cities. She now

continues to provide support to the Alliance, after

moving to Syria in June 2009.

e-mail: [email protected]

Skype: maydomingo

Mobile: +963-956-261426

Landline: +963-21-2637349

Fr. Jorge AnzorenaSelavip Foundation and Sophia University, Japan

From 1976 till now I am recording the work

of communities, architects, NGOs

Address: 3-5-13 Komaba, Meguro-ku,

Tokyo 153-0041, Japan


Kirtee ShahHon.Director,Ahmedabad Study Action Group (ASAG)

President, Habitat Forum (INHAF)

Chairman, KSA Design Planning Services Pvt.

Ltd. ( KSA DPS)


Inamoto EtsuzoSHARE

(Settlement and Health Action for Re-Evaluation)


Antonio IsmaelTRIACO, Bali


Gregor MeerpohlAdvisor on community-based urban development,

Germany


Muhammad Younus

URC Karachi, Pakistan


Andrea Fitrianto “Cak-Cak”Urban Poor Consortium (UPC)

Billymoon H I/7 Jakarta 13450, INDONESIA

Tel: 62 (0) 21-8642915, 62 (0) 21-869002408

Fax: 62 (0) 21-86902407

URL: http://www.urbanpoor.or.id/


Andrea: [email protected]

Lumanti JoshiLumanti graduated from Nepal Engineering Col-

lege, Kathmandu as an architect in 2001. Before

joining Lumanti, I worked for an INGO called

Kathmandu Valley Preservation Trust for 7 years

(since 2002-2008) as a conservation architect. I

was involved with several restoration projects of

temples and monuments in World Heritage Sites

in the valley. With Lumanti, I worked (since Dec

2008) as community architect with the commu-

nities in Bharatpur and Biratnagar (under ACCA

Projects) with immense support from the Nad

and his team plus the Lumanti staff in the field.

Address: Lumanti Support Group for Shelter,

Tahachal, Kathmandu

Tel: 4673288 / 4271247 Fax: 4673287

Email: [email protected],

URL: www.lumanti.org.np

Chawanad Luansang “Nad”Openspace is an open ground for multi-

disciplinary collaborations.

Based in Bangkok, the openspace has spe-

cialized in community working, focusing on

participatory processes. We have worked with

a holistic view on housing solutions, especially

regarding to future communities and resource

managements and also worked with communi-

ties to find out the developing methods in terms

of sustainable manners. It has been enjoyable

having good opportunities working with people

from various ways of live with their fresh and in-

novative attitudes.

Besides, I am working with ACHR (Asian Coali-

tion for Housing Right) as a coordinator for the

community architect network as well.

Address: 48/3 Ramkhamheang 192 Meenburi

BKK 10510 THAILAND

E-mail: [email protected]

Mb: +66 8 1 920 9063

URL: www.openspacer.org

Sakkarin SapuPh.D. candidate in Urban and Environmental

Planning,

King’s Mungkut Institute of Technology Ladkra-

bang, Bangkok, Thailand,

Address: 238 M.17, T. Sira, A. Muang, Khon

Kaen, Thailand, 40000


Meas Kin SengSahmakum Teang Tnaut, a Cambodian NGO

working with urban poor communities

Mission: A society where all urban poor commu-

nities can enjoy adequate housing.

Address: PO Box 174, Phnom Penh, Cambodia


URL: http://teangtnaut.org/

Nattawut UsavagovitwongHis work grounds on action research in devel-

opment planning practice, community empower-

ment, housing and conservation. As an architect

,planner, his interest is to understand and to

develop on the interaction between physical and

social space as an evolving dynamic entity.

Address: Faculty of Architecture, Sripatum Uni-

versity, 61 Paholyothin Rd., Jatujak, Bangkok,

10900,

Tel/Fax: +662-5791111 (ext.) 2115,


Octavianus Hendra Pratama “TOMO”Address: Jalan Wates KM 4,4

No. 126 Gamping Tengah RT 07/RW 15

Ambarketawang, Gamping, Sleman

DI Yogyakarta 55294 Indonesia

Mobile Phone: +62818260261

Fax: +62818260261

SMS Center: +628994190456


Andre Alexander :Tibet Heritage FundIndia Address: Lakruk House, Stalam, Leh 194101 Ladakh, J&KChina Address: G/F, 4 Tseng Tau San Tsuen, Mui Wo, Lantau Island, Hong Kong

E-mail: [email protected]: www.tibetheritagefund.org

Myint ZawEmail: [email protected]

Arlene Christy Lusterio and Maria Faith Varona“It is time for us to go to the people, rather than ask the people, espcially the poor to come to us.”

Office Address: 27-A Matiyaga St., Brgy. Central Diliman, 1100 Quezon City, Philippines

Mailing Address: PO Box 27, UP Post Office, UP Campus Diliman, 1100 Quezon City,

Philippines

Telephone/fax: +632 4410998

Email: [email protected], [email protected]

Jaringan Relawan Kemanusiaan TeamJRK (Humanitarian Volunteer Network) is a humanitarian movement in Indonesia that is

more focused advocacy work in order to facilitate the process of organizing communities

of poor people who become victims of injustice in this country, particularly: (a) urban

poor evictees, (2) migrant workers , (3) victims of Lapindo hot mud in Sidoarjo, and (4)

children’s outskirts to obtain human rights, particularly in the field of education.

Address: Jaringan Relawan Kemanusiaan (JRK) Humanitarian Volunteer Network

Jl. Bonang No. 1A, Menteng Jakarta Pusat

Telp. 62.21.31931181 Fax.62.21.3913473


Ashram of Community and Environmental Architect, Arsom Silp Institute of the Arts

Address: 9/12 Moo5 Soi33 Rama ll Rd., Bangkhuntien, Bangkok 10150

URL: www.arsomsilp.ac.th

CASE-JapanCASE- Japan, Community Architects for Shelter and Environment Japan, was founded in

1999 as a network of community development specialists in Asian countries. We facilitate

the local people involving themselves in community development.We respect characteris-

tics and properties of community, such as human resources, history, and environment. By

making best use of them, we support for making a vital and attractive community.

Address:1-3-26 Yayoi shin-osaka Dai1-building 401,

Nishiawaji Higashiyodogawa-ku Osaka-city, Japan


URL: http://www.case-jp.com/

Rolando PalacioPanirahanan, Inc., a NGO established 1992, com-

posed of architects, urban planners, development

works and good governance specialist that provide

direct technical assistance to urban poor commu-

nities.

Office address: 704-A Road 3, Tandang Sora, QC

1116


URL: www.panirahanan.org

Young Professional Team of LaosFaculty of Architecture, National University of Laos

(NUOL) + YPs Team

Address: Dongdok Campus, Ban Dongdok, Muang Say-

thani, Vientiane, Laos

Mailing address: P O Box 7322, Vientiane, Laos

Telephone: 856 (0) 21 770720

Fax: 856 (0) 21 770381

E-mail: [email protected]

[email protected]

URL: http://www.nuol.edu.la

Phailin Thongthammachat “Ploy”“We believe that architectural thinking can be a part of

transforming processes in any development projects to-

gether with the community participation.”

Address: 168/2 CharounPrathed Rd., ChangKlan,

Muang, ChiangMai, THAILAND 50100


“Housing by People in Asia is a publication of the Asian Coalition for Housing Rights. It is produced in Bangkok, and this issue has

been edited by Supawut Boonmahathanakorn and Chawanad Luansang, with big thanks to all the community architects and engineers who

contributed their stories and photos - some of which has been funded by ACHR and a some of which hasn’t. Big thanks also to the Rockefeller

Foundation for support funding this newsletter and the larger community architecture process in Asia it examines, and to Khun Kitti at Color

Point for printing. We would also like to thank the development organizations around Asia which have realized the need for community architects

and engineers and given them a chance to apply their ideas and test their methods in real development processes with real people.”

Acknowledgement

Asian Coalition for Housing RightsSecretariat : Somsook Boonyabancha

TAP : Maurice Leonhardt, 73 Soi Sonthiwattana 4, Ladprao 110 Bangkok 10310, THAILAND

Tel (66-2) 538-0919 Fax (66-2) 539-9950 e-mail: [email protected] Website : www.achr.net

Housing by People: Performance of Asian Community Architects

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