Multidisciplinary project of housing rehabilitation in Yerawada, slum in Pune, Índia, in collaboration with the NGO SPARC - considered one of the largest NGO's in housing and infrastructures.
Social housing is taken to another level, the strategy uses the existing urban formations as starting points for (re) development. Patterns that have evolved during time are preserved and existing social networks are respected. Neighbours remain neighbors, local remains local. A sustained project of housing improvement is only possible with the active participation and contribution of the beneficiary communities through interviews and workshops. The connection between the communities and the design team is accomplished by the network Mahila Milan - Women Together in Hindi.
“In the absence of a group like Mahila Milan, designers would likely be limited to talking with men, particularly  those with local power, who would co-opt the process when a question of money was at stake. It would not be possible for designers to organize the community in a way that enables deep participation, and local people would not have the skills or systems for completing maps and surveys, collecting beneficiary contributions, and managing construction. Once the architect left at the end of the project, the process would end rather than
being scaled up.” Katia Savchuk, SPARC.

The main goal of the project is beyond the donation and improvement of the beneficiary houses, is about
evolving the communities in a process were their lives will be upgraded without changing their roots and daily life.

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Workshops

Existent scenario

Possible scenarios

Published

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Credits

SPARC
Jockin Arputham
Sheela Patel
Maria Lobo
Jon Rainbow.

Mahila Milan
Savita Sonawane
Padma Gore
Nermada Vetale

Gulshan Shaikh

Joty Bhende
Chaya Gaikwad
Lata Ghodke
Manda Hadvale

Dhananjay Sadalpure
Malan Kamble
Choba Sunilarau.

Urban Nouveau
Filipe Balestra

Sara Göransson

Guilherme de Bivar
Martinho Pitta

Carolina Cantante
Rafael Balestra
Remy Turquin
Tanya Grassley.