International Seminar: Architecture For Economically Disadvantages

23 – 24 March 2007

Venue: Council Bhaban,

Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, (BUET), Dhaka , Bangladesh

Organized by : Department of Architecture, BUET

Sponsored by: Grameen Phone , Bangladesh

Contact:

Prof. Dr. Nizamuddin Ahmed

Convenor, aed

Department of Architecture,

Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology,

Dhaka-1000, Bangladesh .

Tel: 9665633, PABX 9665650-80, Ext: 7153, 7128,

email: archseminar@arch.buet.ac.bd ; drnizam@gmail.com

www.buet.ac.bd/archseminar

Dr. Farida Nilufar

Convenor, Technical Committee, aed

Department of Architecture,

Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology,

Dhaka-1000, Bangladesh .

email: farida@arch.buet.ac.bd

Background: Economically Disadvantaged refers to people deprived from most of the basic needs of human life, who are subjected to substandard living condition. Considering the global population, only a few are solvent; while millions remain economically disadvantaged living mostly in Asia and Africa . A considerable percentage of population of the developed countries also falls into this category. Cities act as magnets to pull the poor from the rural areas but not all are that fortunate; social injustice rampart in both areas. Major problems of our cities are population density, incompatible land use and pressure on urban facilities while that in the rural areas are unemployment, lack of modern facilities and recurring natural disasters. As a result, any Third World country is plagued by poverty. The most visible characteristics are homelessness and temporary shelters. Living at the losing end of the system, they cannot avail the built environment that they need. Within the realities of life, they remain deprived from minimal facilities and to them mere survival is a challenge. Addressing disparity providers have a great role to enable them as opposed to helping them to avail the benefits of architecture/ built environment. Grameen Bank put forward such a solution to the world. We the Architects, and the allied professionals (like planners, economists, environmentalists and engineers) along with the civil society must come forward to support humanity with their respective knowledge and expertise. Moreover, in driving the economical system the decision makers and political leaders must have some vision to deploy the resources intelligently.

Despite poverty and exploitation, even with centuries of deprivation, people as social and human entities are still largely intact. This is a factor of crucial importance to their future development. We need to share the experiences and disseminate the intelligent ideas from their end coupled with our expert know -how to make this world livable for the economically disadvantaged.

Objectives of the Seminar:

1. In reference to the economically disadvantage
2. 1. Defining Architecture and its role;
3. 2. Identifying the appropriate technology to build a viable Architecture;
4. 3. Motivating the providers to build a sustainable Architecture;
5. 4. Rearranging the Architecture of a locale to make it livable.

Sub-Themes:

• Energy and Environment
• Gender and Socio-Cultural Issues
• Habitat and Homelessness
• Health and Sanitation
• Human rights and Legal status
• Income generation and Affordability
• Land use and Encroachment
• Living pattern and Life styles
• Policy and Planning
• Power, Politics and Governance
• Recreation and Community facilities
• Safety and Security Issues
• Transport and Communication
• Technical and Spatial Aspects

 Keynote Speech

Professor Dr. Nizamuddin Ahmed

BANGLADESH

Head, Department of Architecture, BUET

Download speech

Seminar Papers

Download Abstracts

 EDITOR'S NOTE

Economically Disadvantaged refers to people deprived from most of the basic needs of human life, who are subjected to substandard living condition. Considering the global population, only a few are solvent while millions remain economically disadvantaged living mostly in Asia and Africa . A considerable percentage of population of the developed countries also falls into this category. Cities act as magnets to pull the poor from the rural areas but not all are that fortunate; social injustice rampart in both areas. Major problems of our cities are population density, incompatible land use and pressure on urban facilities while that in the rural areas are unemployment, lack of modern facilities and recurring natural disasters. As a result, any Third World country is plagued by poverty. The most visible characteristics are homelessness and temporary shelters. Living at the losing end of the system, they cannot avail the built environment that they need. Within the realities of life, they remain deprived from minimal facilities and to them mere survival is a challenge.

Generally, the solutions to this problems are only limited among government's (unimplemented!) housing policies and community responses to these plans. It is also understood by many that these interventions can only be limited to the informal sector and do not need to incorporate the professionals, particularly the architects. Indeed, in addressing disparity providers have a great role to enable the poor, as opposed to helping them, to avail the benefits of built environment. In Bangladesh , NGO's like Grameen Bank put forward such a solution to the world. We believe that the architects and the allied professionals (planners, economists, environmentalists and engineers) along with the civil society must come forward to support humanity with their respective knowledge and expertise. Moreover, in driving the economical system the decision makers and political leaders must have some vision to deploy the resources intelligently.

In this light it has been observed that despite poverty and exploitation, even with centuries of deprivation, people as social and human entities are still largely intact. This is a factor of crucial importance to their future development. This seminar attempts to share the experiences and disseminate the intelligent ideas from their end coupled with the expert know-how to make this world a little more liveable for the economically disadvantaged. It is also an endeavour to learn from the important and innovative design and policy initiatives in different parts of the world, and willing to place them within the social, economic and political realities in general, and low-income groups in particular. Therefore, the objectives of the Seminar is defining ‘Architecture' and its role in reference to the economically disadvantaged, identifying the appropriate technology to build a viable architecture for them, motivating the providers to build a sustainable architecture; and rearranging the architecture of a locale to make it liveable.

In response to the call for papers we have received abstracts of a wide range of papers from architects, planners and academicians. All submissions were scrutinized by the Editors and a number of abstracts were selected. Finally the full papers were ‘double blind reviewed' by an eminent set of reviewers. The papers included in the proceedings are those which were finally approved in the process of review for publication as well as presentation.

Editor

Dr. Farida Nilufar

Over view of the Seminar: Architecture for the Economically Disadvantaged / March 2007

by Dr. Farida Nilufar

Convenor, Technical Committee, aed

Department of Architecture , Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology,Dhaka-1000, Bangladesh .

As organizers we had set some objectives were set to achieve through this cherished interaction of scholars and professions; such as We believed that it was necessary to ‘Define Architecture and its role' in reference to the economically disadvantaged; We also wanted to dissipate the knowledge gathered in different parts of the world in identifying the appropriate technology to build a viable Architecture for the poor; We intended to motivate the providers to build a sustainable Architecture for the target group. Moreover, we invited ideas for rearranging the Architecture of a locale to make it livable.

Here I would like to focus on the issues which appear important as the outcome of this seminar. I do not like to repeat what have been discussed through out the long sessions and thoughtful discussions. Rather, I would like to summarize in brief, what is done and what remains to be done after the seminar. I would like to share some of our major observations during the process of reviewing, and editing and presentations. At the outset, we tried to reach all sectors, who are dealing or thinking of the economically disadvantaged people of the world. We have received a number of papers from Architects, planners, urban designers and allied professionals in response to our call for paper. We tried to knock the doors of the policy makers, the govt. agencies, the NGO's, who are indeed active or needs to be active in the field. However, it is important to mention that we could not get any response from those who are virtually dealing with the poor- their dwelling and the rest of their living environment. We believe, the outcome of this seminar might attract the providers and policy makers and also the researchers who are involved in this field in real life. Through this event in BUET, we hope we have been able to generate a wave of thought and this wave may help the target group who are in our focus for last two days.

In oppose to the generally perceived thought that the architects mostly serves the fortunate of the society, this seminar puts the creative minds of architects for the other half of the society – the poor- who are rarely our clients. We get the feeling here that the architects are aware of the socio-spatial need of the poor, their economic and mental state. At large, they are concern about the total environment and living condition of the majority of the society, i.e. the economically disadvantaged people in our context. What is lacking in this ground is that the immense academic and practical progress in related fields in Bangladesh as well as in other parts of the world are less shared and not being communicated to a large number of Architects and allied professionals. In a way, many of them are trying to make the world beautiful for the poor ignoring their mental, behavioral, functional needs and most importantly their economic status. It ahs been found that some practitioners take the challenges to provide physical design solutions for the poor without thinking about their priorities and intentions to attain the ‘houses'. Moreover, shelter is not the only problem of the poor, they are also deprived of other community facilities and appropriate considerations in other public buildings as human being. These notions have limited the involvement of the architects and engineers who are engaged in the building industry. In other words the professionals are also neglecting the ‘cause' of the poor.

This seminar can be considered as platform to understand What is the present state of ‘Architecture for the economically disadvantaged'?

It can be concluded that the present state of Architecture for the economically disadvantaged is suffering from the following problems:

? Appropriate Technological solution are rarely establish and thereby adopted. Except a few papers, this seminar seriously lacks in fresh and genius ideas to use appropriate technology for the poor.

? It has been also uncovered that Indigenous material and techniques are less searched off by the researchers to provide alternative solution to the poor.

? We found that Architects, as such, are less associated with design solutions for the economically disadvantaged.

? Academic exercises/ researches and practical experiences are rarely dissipated among the professionals, the providers and the target groups.

? The experts generally agree that it is not physical design per se, but the overall socio-economic, political and cultural situation that inhibits people from accessing housing. Definitions of ‘house' or ‘shelter' are rarely understood by the designers from their (i.e. users') perspective.

? Poor's needs for ‘home-based income generation' are rarely recognized. It is also found out that less efforts have been undertaken for the improvement of the affordability of the target group.

? Lot of statistics have been generated in this seminar which might help to write more papers, but we believe time has come to take active measures and to be involved with the target group in real terms.

? Moreover, it has been evident from the presentations that many disintegrated efforts are being undertaken by different professionals, government agencies and NGO's, which needs to be taken care off under a unique umbrella from a technical university like BUET.

What remains to start after the seminar?

The life and living of the economically disadvantaged, therefore, requires extensive and comprehensive study to do justice to the theme of this seminar that indicates a new-found commitment to benefit the target group through architecture and the service of the architects and allied professionals. It indicates a need for continued research in this area if we really want to keep this spirit alive. We therefore urge upon this technically enlightened community to realize the need to set up a research centre at BUET in the name and style of arc-ed - Architectural Research Centre for the Economically Disadvantaged, as proposed by the honorable key note speaker, Professor Dr. Nizamuddin Ahmed.

Proceedings: International Seminar: Architecture For Economically Disadvantages

23 – 24 March 2007

First edition: March 2007

Department of Architecture, BUET, Dhaka

ISBN 984- 300- 000347- 0

Copy available: Department of Architecture,

Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology,

Dhaka-1000, Bangladesh .

Tel: 9665633, PABX 9665650-80, Ext: 7153, 7128,