Sanjaynagar: New Ways to Interfere with Space in Urban Settlement in India | Urban Creatures | Future planet

India, with nearly 47 million households, faces a severe housing shortage Habitat for Mankind. In addition, more than 93 million people live in huts without access to clean water, sanitation or rent. As a result of socio-economic conditions many of the residents in these areas are rejected as beneficiaries. Initiatives, projects and government programs and the help of independent professionals or voluntary organizations are needed to improve their housing conditions.

An interesting case Sanjaynagar Urban Residence298 families occupying two hectares of municipal land in the city of Ahmednagar in the Indian state of Maharashtra have been selected to implement an ambitious housing project improved through the study. Social Design Company. It is a pioneering initiative, born in 2018 and redeveloping a part of the settlement with a vision that focuses on the local community. Because, in its 40-year history, many of the residents have been able to avail various government housing schemes but none of them have actually met their needs.

The architect promises Sandhya Naidu JanardhanDirector and Founder Social Design CompanyThe Procedure Intervention in these types of settlements always follows the same pattern: the bureaucracy that dictates what to do sits in their offices. However, the panorama changes drastically when one looks closely at the inhabitants of the field: how shared spaces are created, how conflicts arise from them, and how they work together, because these environments are so rich in resilience and social cohesion.

The biggest challenge for Indian cities is undoubtedly space. While this is considered a limitation, the residents of Sanjaynagar have shown how they can help experts to open up new avenues for understanding unusual design and architecture. From experience, when architects and urban planners work with these types of vulnerable communities, we tend to introduce incompetence in many aspects because we are conditioned to design what looks right to us. For example, designing two rooms – living room and dining room – instead of proposing a single place for cooking, eating and studying; Or keep it inside the house without putting the bathroom outside.

Residents of Sanjaynagar have shown how unusual design can understand new architecture.

In this case, the program works in conjunction with a voluntary charity Snehalaya And seeks to build flexible and safe housing for the residents of Sanjaynagar, demonstrating the importance of participation and community life in the development processes of this type of project. Supports this initiative Curry Stone Foundation The subsidy is also provided under the government scheme Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY). In addition, the residents are represented by the Sanjaynagar Cottage Group in association with the Ahmednagar Municipal Corporation.

To be a part of this project, each family has to contribute one lakh – equivalent to 100,000 rupees or 1,231 euros – in construction, and they have the option of paying a higher fee to build additional services in their homes. Each house is 28.4 square meters and consists of a living room, a kitchen, an integrated bathroom and a bedroom with a balcony; But as explained on the agency’s website, the home can be customized to suit the owner’s personal circumstances.

The responsible architect commented, “There is a specific case where a mother and her three children meet the requirements for access to a home. However, all the children had families. We gave them the option to join by internal ladder, so we kept the family units together. Everyone only needs one kitchen, which means two of them can be reused for other functions. The mother had a shop and she asked me to turn the kitchen into a showcase. Became the second study room.

The project may remind us of the Quinta Monroe Community Housing Complex, designed by Alejandro Aravena in Iquique (Chile), where each can grow from 36 square meters to 72 square meters. The fundamental difference, however, is that this Indian initiative is fully implemented and shaped from the community.

Although only 33 flats have been provided so far, the group has a large fundraising campaign ahead of them as costs have risen as a result of construction delays due to epidemics and heavy rains. Almost 40%. However, when the plan is implemented, the whole process is coded to convince governments to introduce drastic changes in their policy as the idea of ​​designing from above does not work.

The project is very interesting as it revisits the process of intervening in vulnerable environments in India, proposes a design from within, highlights the need for transformation of powerful institutions and highlights the concern and political debate on how to live better in society.