Slum Networking
Encyclopedia
Slum Networking is a holistic approach for improving urban infrastructure, developed by Himanshu Parikh
http://archnet.org/library/parties/one-party.tcl?party_id=421 of Ahmedabad
, India
.
It addresses a range of facilities needed by slum dwellers:http://web.mit.edu/urbanupgrading/upgrading/resources/bibliography/TOC/Slum-Networking.html
This is achieved minimal donor funding by maximizing community participation
and using microcredit
systems.
Drainage
and sewerage
are made lower cost by making them follow the topography
. Thus sewers do not need to be buried deeply, digging is reduced, and pumping of sewage is avoided as the sewers follow the natural drainage paths.
In a lecture for Engineers Without Borders (UK)
, Himanshu Parikh explained that his research into the growth of slums had led to the realisation that slums always develop along the natural drainage paths. Therefore the cheapest way to provide sewerage to a city is to build major sewers through the slums and connect the higher (and usually richer) areas of the city to them. This then provides sewerage to the whole city for a lower costs than just providing sewerage for the rich areas.
This approach opens up funding from local and national government, which can then be matched by donor funding if necessary to construct sewerage and water supply systems. The costs savings provide leverage to get local government to provide tenure
to slum dwellers. The slum dwellers, once given tenure, are willing to spend their own money on developing the slums as the risk of losing their investment is removed. Microcredit schemes mobilise this funding and allow slum housing to be connected to sewers and water systems and for slums to be landscaped and lit.
The evidence from Indore City is that two years after the upgrade programme the slums are no longer recognisable as slums.
and the Aga Khan Award for Architecture.
Himanshu Parikh
-Early life:Himanshu Parikh was born in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. He graduated from Cambridge University, where he obtained both his bachelor's and master's degrees in engineering sciences with honours.-Career:...
http://archnet.org/library/parties/one-party.tcl?party_id=421 of Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad also known as Karnavati is the largest city in Gujarat, India. It is the former capital of Gujarat and is also the judicial capital of Gujarat as the Gujarat High Court has its seat in Ahmedabad...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
It addresses a range of facilities needed by slum dwellers:http://web.mit.edu/urbanupgrading/upgrading/resources/bibliography/TOC/Slum-Networking.html
- roadRoadA road is a thoroughfare, route, or way on land between two places, which typically has been paved or otherwise improved to allow travel by some conveyance, including a horse, cart, or motor vehicle. Roads consist of one, or sometimes two, roadways each with one or more lanes and also any...
s and footpathSidewalkA sidewalk, or pavement, footpath, footway, and sometimes platform, is a path along the side of a road. A sidewalk may accommodate moderate changes in grade and is normally separated from the vehicular section by a curb...
s - storm drainageStorm drainA storm drain, storm sewer , stormwater drain or drainage well system or simply a drain or drain system is designed to drain excess rain and ground water from paved streets, parking lots, sidewalks, and roofs. Storm drains vary in design from small residential dry wells to large municipal systems...
- sanitationSanitationSanitation is the hygienic means of promoting health through prevention of human contact with the hazards of wastes. Hazards can be either physical, microbiological, biological or chemical agents of disease. Wastes that can cause health problems are human and animal feces, solid wastes, domestic...
and sewerageSanitary sewerA sanitary sewer is a separate underground carriage system specifically for transporting sewage from houses and commercial buildings to treatment or disposal. Sanitary sewers serving industrial areas also carry industrial wastewater... - water supplyWater supplyWater supply is the provision of water by public utilities, commercial organisations, community endeavours or by individuals, usually via a system of pumps and pipes...
- earthworksEarthworks (engineering)Earthworks are engineering works created through the moving or processing of quantities of soil or unformed rock.- Civil engineering use :Typical earthworks include roads, railway beds, causeways, dams, levees, canals, and berms...
and soft landscaping - street lighting
- solid waste management
This is achieved minimal donor funding by maximizing community participation
Participation (decision making)
Participation in social science refers to different mechanisms for the public to express opinions - and ideally exert influence - regarding political, economic, management or other social decisions. Participatory decision making can take place along any realm of human social activity, including...
and using microcredit
Microcredit
Microcredit is the extension of very small loans to those in poverty designed to spur entrepreneurship. These individuals lack collateral, steady employment and a verifiable credit history and therefore cannot meet even the most minimal qualifications to gain access to traditional credit...
systems.
Technical aspects
Drainage
Drainage is the natural or artificial removal of surface and sub-surface water from an area. Many agricultural soils need drainage to improve production or to manage water supplies.-Early history:...
and sewerage
Sanitary sewer
A sanitary sewer is a separate underground carriage system specifically for transporting sewage from houses and commercial buildings to treatment or disposal. Sanitary sewers serving industrial areas also carry industrial wastewater...
are made lower cost by making them follow the topography
Topography
Topography is the study of Earth's surface shape and features or those ofplanets, moons, and asteroids...
. Thus sewers do not need to be buried deeply, digging is reduced, and pumping of sewage is avoided as the sewers follow the natural drainage paths.
In a lecture for Engineers Without Borders (UK)
Engineers Without Borders (UK)
Engineers Without Borders UK is a UK-based registered charity and NGO, operated primarily by UK-based university students. Its mission is to Facilitate Human Development through Engineering....
, Himanshu Parikh explained that his research into the growth of slums had led to the realisation that slums always develop along the natural drainage paths. Therefore the cheapest way to provide sewerage to a city is to build major sewers through the slums and connect the higher (and usually richer) areas of the city to them. This then provides sewerage to the whole city for a lower costs than just providing sewerage for the rich areas.
This approach opens up funding from local and national government, which can then be matched by donor funding if necessary to construct sewerage and water supply systems. The costs savings provide leverage to get local government to provide tenure
Tenure
Tenure commonly refers to life tenure in a job and specifically to a senior academic's contractual right not to have his or her position terminated without just cause.-19th century:...
to slum dwellers. The slum dwellers, once given tenure, are willing to spend their own money on developing the slums as the risk of losing their investment is removed. Microcredit schemes mobilise this funding and allow slum housing to be connected to sewers and water systems and for slums to be landscaped and lit.
The evidence from Indore City is that two years after the upgrade programme the slums are no longer recognisable as slums.
Awards
The scheme has won several awards, including the Dubai Award,http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=211545 the 1994 World Habitat AwardWorld Habitat Awards
The World Habitat Awards were established in 1985 by the Building and Social Housing Foundation as part of its contribution to the United Nations' International Year of Shelter for the Homeless in 1987....
and the Aga Khan Award for Architecture.
External links
- Slum Networking - A Holistic Approach for Improvement of Urban Infrastructure and Environment
- The magic of slums, by Priya Florence Shah, Humanscape, VOL VI, 1 January 1999. Focuses on Himanshu Parikh.
- Talk by Priti Parikh, November 2004. (MP3 format, 44.39 MB) - Engineers Without Borders (UK) site.