2Issue

Specific

Housing2.1 Inclusive Housing

2.2 Slums

2.3 Disaster

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2.1

2.1 Inclusive Housing

What is Inclusivity?

3.2A

Historical Overview

3.2B

The Case for a More Inclusive City

3.2D

Today‟s Exclusive City

3.2C

Inclusivity at the local level

3.2E

Inclusive Complexes

3.2F

ex-cludetr.v. ex·clud·ed, ex·clud·ing, ex·cludes1. To prevent from entering; keep out; bar: 2. a jar sealed to exclude outside air; an immigration policy that

excludes undesirables.3. To prevent from being included, considered, or accepted; reject: 4. The court excluded the improperly obtained evidence.5. To put out; expel.

ex·clu·sive1. Excluding or tending to exclude: exclusive barriers.2. Not allowing something else; incompatible: mutually exclusive

conditions.3. Not divided or shared with others: exclusive publishing rights.4. Not accompanied by others; single or sole: your exclusive

function.5. Complete; undivided: gained their exclusive attention.6. Not including specified extremes or limits, but only area

between them: 20-25, exclusive; that is, 21, 22, 23 and 24.7. Excluding some or most, as from membership or participation:

an exclusive club.8. Catering to a wealthy clientele; expensive: exclusive shops.

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2.1

2.1 AWhat is inclusivity?

There are different interpretations of inclusivity.

• Including future residents in the entire design process• Including different groups of people:1. Including all social groups: socially inclusive, but not necessarily

economically2. Including all economic groups: economically inclusive, but not

necessarily socially3. What we term super-inclusivity, or including different social and

economic groups

The level of inclusivity can be measured by:1. The physical proximity between different groups2. The level of social interaction between the different social or

economic groups

Economic status and occupation

Household structure

Cultural, religious or

ethnic differences

Education

Disability

Age

Sexual orientation

Caste system

inclusive1. including (almost) everything within its scope2. An inclusive list of Wiki formats3. including the extremes as well as the area between4. Numbers 1 to 10 inclusive

inclusiveness (uncountable)1. The property of being inclusive.

inclusivity (Social Welfare) (Sociology) (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) 1. the fact or policy of not excluding members or participants on the

grounds of gender, race, class, sexuality, disability, etc.

In the western context inclusivity has generally come to mean inclusion of the aged and the disabled, while in most of the developing world it implies economic, religious and cultural integration.

Inclusiveness can be better defined by first defining exclusiveness.

3.2A3.2B

3.2D

3.2C

3.2E3.2F

Exclusive Housing is housing which is inclusive to only one (or some) particular social or economic groups. It thus excludes everyone else not belonging to these groups.

In today’s scenario the criteria is generally the spending power, though there are many cases of housing being exclusive to a particular class or religion, for example, Jain only buildings in Mumbai. There have also rare instances of extraordinarily exclusive housing, such as vegetarian-only in Soami Ngar, New Delhi.

Inclusive Housing is thus housing which is not exclusive to any particular social or economic group.

Super-inclusive housing would include all groups of people, whether of different economic strata, religious beliefs, sex, familial and household structure, jobs or professions, disabilities, age, or even sexual preference.

In the western context inclusivity has generally come to mean inclusion of the aged and the disabled, while in most of the developing world it implies economic, religious and cultural integration.

Inclusive housing does not try to equalize everyone and bring them to the same socio-economic level, but rather accepts and respects their differences.

Leading from the different interpretations of inclusivity, there are also different interpretations of inclusive housing:

Socially inclusive or economically?The super-inclusivity discussed earlier is not feasible. Human communities centre on the existence of a shared interest that enables trust. Thus, generally, a community can be either socially inclusive or economically inclusive.

This report shall discuss economic inclusivity.

The level of Spatial IntegrationThe proximity between different economic groups can range from adjacent apartments on the same floor or adjacent plots to nearby sectors or zones exclusive to one income level.

The level of Social InteractionThere is debate regarding the extent of social interaction required. Some sources consider the existence of a ‘community’ paramount (and so only living next door is not inclusive), while others say that just spatial proximity is sufficient. One might claim that spatial proximity would automatically result in social interaction, but present examples of apartment buildings leave this open to argument.

For the purpose of this study we shall consider the opportunity social inclusiveness important.

Another interpretation of inclusive housing is to integrate the surrounding site conditions and residents with the designed housing.

Inclusive housing can also mean involving the future residents in the entire design process.

Most current housing is geared towards exclusivity. Amrapali SkyBungalows (bottom right) offer private lifts and separate staff lifts.

Unitech (bottom left) has a range of ‘luxury’ homes to choose from.

3.2A3.2B

3.2D

3.2C

3.2E3.2F

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2.1

[Before 3500BC]

During the Palaeolithic times, communities were small,homogeneous and extremely close-knit for safety fromwild animals. However, as soon as agriculture becamethe way of life, there was more prosperity and stability.Though initially, settlements like Catalhuyuk wereextremely compact, with common walls and equalityin society, eventually, the stability led to largercommunities, which had more time to interact witheach other, leading to disputes and distinctions as well.This is when social stratification started, with thepresence of a leader and his followers, reflecting in thearrangement of dwellings. Especially pre-classicalcivilizations , for example, Mesopotamia and Egypt,had an established social order, with the necropolisbeing central, surrounded by a ring of richersettlements, further skirted by the poor.

[3500BC to 200AD]

The Greeks were the first to plan consciously onthe basis of unity despite segregation.Hippodamian planning was based onoccupational sectors but provided communityspaces for ample exchange of ideas and topromote the feeling of community. Similarstrategies were used in Roman cities too, whichdeveloped their own typology for housing – theRoman insula, an apartment house having anarea of 73sqm, located in occupationallydivided sectors.

[700AD onwards]

In the middle-east, by the 7th century AD, Islamiccities took form, which is where the basicneighborhood concept started. Theseneighborhoods were cul-de-sacs with houses onboth sides, and only one gated entry. Hence,they were inclusive in a sense, and yet exclusive.Division of neighborhoods was on the basis oflineage. Tribals were highly honoured, followedby the Saiyids, who were the noblemen andthen the artisans and agriculturalists. Importantexamples include Damascus and Jeruselam.

[1100AD to 1500AD]

In the medieval city, the castle or palace was locatedat one end, church in the center surrounded by themarket, which was the main place for interaction. Thecommon man lived in densely packed, unhygienichousing. There was a segregation of the aristocracy andthe peasant. Eventually, the city exploded out of thewalls, with the richer people inside the walled city andpoor squatters outside. Some examples are Vienna andBerlin.

[1500AD to 1700AD]

With the renaissance, the medieval city was just cleaned and beautified further with gardens and avenues, i.e. no majorplanning changes were made. However, the an intellectual and artistic revolution took place because of which a newtype of class arose, apart from the nobility and peasantry – the clergy. These people were involved inmentally/intellectually demanding tasks, not farming or other physical strains. This also reflected in architecture andhousing.

2.1B(a)Historical Overview: Inclusivity in Housing Global

(Top) 3D of a Roman Insula

(Bottom) A typical medieval city

3.2A3.2B

3.2D

3.2C

3.2E3.2F

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2.1

Industrial Revolution

The Industrial Revolution was a period from mid-18th

century to early 19th century when major changes in

modes of production and technology occurred. The

Revolution had many important social and economic

consequences.

1. Migration

While industrial workers were paid higher wages than farm

labourers and there was thus an economic incentive for

individuals to find industrial jobs and move into industrial

towns. By the 19th century people were moving to cities in

unprecedented numbers.

2. Early Housing

Living conditions during the Industrial Revolution varied

from the splendour of the homes of the owners to the

squalor of the lives of the workers.

The Revolution reshaped the urban environment, not least

by concentrating workers in the new industrial towns and

suburbs linked and supplied by railways.

Garden Cities

The building of new towns was encouraged. The

founding of new communities had been pioneered in

Britain by town planner Sir Ebenezer Howard. The

“garden city” settlements of Letchworth (1903) and

Welwyn (1920), built according to his ideas, had been

designed as self-contained cities that were protected

from urban encroachment by greenbelts, or farmland

areas, and which contained proportionate areas of

residences, industry, and agriculture.

The Post-industrialized Society

The post-industrialized new towns were socially inclusive

to an extent, but they were certainly economically

exclusive. On the other hand, communal facilities

provided by some housing provided opportunity for

greater social interaction within the core (not necessarily

inclusive) group of residents.

Technology and Communication

Technological advancements have had a great impact

on social structure, especially in cities, which has directly

affected housing as well. This synergetic relationship can

be seen from the discovery of fire to the advent of

agriculture and more recently, the printing press and

industrialization. However, today, these advancements

are happening at an exponential rate with mobile

phones, computers and the internet becoming common-

place. Some impacts are as follows:

• Awareness and Globalization: People today are more

informed and there is a dilution of strict traditional

prejudices with a more universal attitude. This means

people by nature have become a little more

accommodating and thus, inclusive.

• Lack of personal interaction: Communication through

internet and phone calls has reduced personal face-

to-face communication. Also, gadgets such as

televisions etc. have reduced the need for people to

pas time by spending it with others – All in all, socially,

a less dependant society.

Poor people lived in very small houses in cramped streets.

These homes would share toilet facilities, have open

sewers and would be at risk of damp. Other workers lived

in sheds, railway yards, and factory cellars, without even

sanitation facilities or water supply. Settlements grew

around the factories. In some cases, housing was

provided to workers by their employers.

3.Socially Inclusive

These tenements were, in a way, socially inclusive

because they were shared by people from different social

backgrounds (but similar economic ones).

4. Decongesting Industrial Towns and Cities

By the early twentieth century, as a response to the

overcrowded and polluted conditions evident, people

were being induced to move out of the industrialized

towns and cities in order to decongest them.

3.2A3.2B

3.2D

3.2C

3.2E3.2F

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2.1

Indus Valley Civilization

Although some houses were larger than others, IndusCivilization cities were remarkable for their apparent, ifrelative, egalitarianism. All the houses had access towater and drainage facilities. This gives the impressionof a society with relatively low wealth concentration,though clear social levelling is seen in personaladornments.

Vedic

•These settlements, one of the earliest on Indian

soil, were automatically socially inclusive, due

to the absence of any other cultural group.

•However, economic and vocational

exclusivity is apparent from the basic planning

of such villages., based on the caste system.

•They consisted of four distinct quarters; the

marketplace with the traders and merchants,

the middle class (vaishya) quarter, the upper

class (kshatriya and brahmin) quarter and the

citadel. This clearly stratified society into

distinctly different built identities, separated by

the main thoroughfares. This vocational

planning was the basis of most cities that came

up later, though in varying degrees.

Tuglaqs

The Muslim invaders since the 12th century AD,had settled in and around Delhi and parts ofNorth India. These societies tended to alienatethe local Hindu population, as they taxed themfor not being Muslim. Obviously, inclusivity wasnot the order of the day.

Mughal

• Delhi‟s old city furthered the idea of the Vedic

village, except that there were a variety of cultural

pockets, called Mohallas, which were exclusive to a

particular religious group, say Hindus or Muslims.

• However, economic disparity existed within these

mohallas, which was evident in the difference of

dwelling sizes.

• Despite these differences, the settlement was a low

rise, high density one.

• The streets were meant only for pedestrians or

animals, making it the main artery for trade and

interaction.

• A similar situation is found even today, in the „Pols‟ of

Gujarat.

British colonial rule

• During the Raj, the colonial bungalow was the most common „housing‟, especially in New Delhi. This wascharacterized by a single story house, with a servants quarter at the back and a boundary wall all around. This setuppromoted the nurturing of a symbiotic personal relationship between the owners and the servants (such as gardener,cook etc.) These houses were inclusive within themselves, though a sense of community was still missing.

• The British lived in separatist colonies, often referred to as „white towns‟, with Indians in neighboring „black towns‟.Even newer cities like New Delhi were planned majorly for the aristocracy and the car, excluding the lower classes.

2.1B(a)Historical Overview – Inclusivity in Housing Indian

(Top) Plan of a Vedic village – division based on caste and occupation

(Bottom) Colonial Bungalow of Delhi

CitadelKshatriya/ Brahmin

VaishyaMarketplace

Servant’s quarter

Main House

Garden

3.2A3.2B

3.2D

3.2C

3.2E3.2F

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2.1

Liberalization [1991]

Post-Independence, what existed was a „License Raj‟

with stringent rules and regulations, which basically led to

widespread corruption, preventing smaller businesses

from coming up. This led to a great divide between the

rich and the poor, which was naturally reflected in

housing as well, which was certainly not inclusive.

The major breakthrough came with liberalization in 1991,

which resulted in the rise of the „middle class‟. Today

there is more homogeneity in society, than there was

pre-liberalization. Also urbanization has increased, which

means more poor people are migrating from villages to

cities. Thus, the city has to become more inclusive than it

ever was

Pre-independence Planning

The only significant colonial planning concept was the

one that Lutyens adopted for the design of New Delhi.

• Largely administrative and residential, the new city had

wide avenues and a very low density land use.

• The houses were primarily for the rich and the „poor‟

were left behind in Shahjahanabad.

• However, as discussed earlier, within a bunglow,

between the owner and the servants, there was some

amount of inclusivity.

Post-independence Era

With the end of British rule, the desire to start on a tabula

rasa became widespread. Modernism, which had been

catching on in the west for the first part of the 20th

century, came as the answer to new age planning. The

experiment started with Le Corbusier‟s Chandigarh and

was replicated, with some modifications, by many more

cities. Some of the major impacts of modern planning on

the inclusivity of a city, were:

• Gentrification

As seggregation of land use took place, certain parts of

the city would be specifically reserved for a certain kind

of housing. This not only killed diversity but slowly led to

inflated land prices, which resulted in the ouster of the

poorer masses to the city periphery.

• Intolerance towards the informal

Modern planning often advocated elevational control

and repetition of elements. Informal construction was

looked down upon and often removed or shifted outside

the city to „beautify‟ it.

(Below) Plan of Lutyens Delhi, designed by the rich, for the rich

(above) Mixed land-use pattern (above) Seggregated land-use pattern

Residential

Commercial

Official

3.2A3.2B

3.2D

3.2C

3.2E3.2F

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2.1

Buffer SpacesWhen different economic groups live close together, the characteristic and design of the buffer space or neutral zone separating them become of paramount importance.

These spaces, both ‘no –man’s land’ and so ‘everyone’s land’ should be areas where all economic groups can interact. Examples are:

• Parks and green spaces, which offer equal recreational opportunities for all economic groups

• Markets and commercial areas, which also directly offer employment to LIG and EWS groups

• Shared facilities like places of worship, hospitals, etc.• Transport nodes like metro stations, roads and paths

Hauz Rani and Saket

The importance of buffer spaces can be understood by considering the case of Hauz Rani in South Delhi. In the

2.1 EInclusivity at the local level

Inclusivity needs to be achieved on the local level amongst HIG, MIG, LIG and EWS neighbourhoods.

Employment and CommuteMost residents of HIG and MIG groups and some of the LIG group would travel to the commercial/ office centres for work. On the other hand, most LIG and EWS residents would find work in HIG and MIG areas in the service and informal sectors: for example as household help or daily service providers, or as vegetable, fruit and grocery vendors.

They would also help develop and be employed in local markets and other commercial areas serving HIG and MIG groups.

Having these different residential areas close-by reduces commuting time, expense and effort. The richer groups also benefit by having closer market areas, again reducing commuting time. Thus, integrating neighbourhood types on the local level –which automatically results in a more inclusive development- is also more convenient for all.

Infrastructure and development for allIn most modern cities the trend has been the displacement and shift of the underprivileged either towards the periphery of the cities or into areas which are “environmentally degraded” and thus do not provide viable living conditions for the rest of the masses. These areas do not receive adequate infrastructure and development funding and focus as compared to more affluent areas, and thus become even worse places to live, most times without even the most basic of services.

Achieving inclusivity on the local level, that is, having neighbourhoods comprising of different economic backgrounds next to each other ensures that development benefits are equally distributed and shared by all communities and not accrued to only one.

3.2A3.2B

3.2D

3.2C

3.2E3.2F

early1980s the DDA appropriated most of the marshy

land which was the site of the historical Hauz to construct

the Saket Sports Complex. Afluent Saket neighbours Hauz

Rani -a predominantly Muslim urban village- and the two

are separated by the Press Enclave Road.

At some point the DDA ‘sports complex’ was at a stage of development when it constituted three large fields without any barriers distinguishing the open spaces. Saket residents and the Hauz Rani villagers moved freely throughthe area and the DDAconstructed a paved pedestrian path and bridge which Saket with Hauz Rani. Children from Saket played football every evening with their peers from Hauz Rani.

In 1990 the interim sports complex was razed and supplanted by a more elaborate version. Since only Saket residents could afford the complex, the camaraderie was lost and the two neighbourhoods almost became hostile to each other for a time.

(Bottom) open space as buffer. (Right) Malviya Nagar, Hauz Rani and Saket separated by different buffer spaces.

Malviya Nagar

Hauz Rani

Sake

t

Shivalik

Bus depot

open

Metro

market

Pre

ss E

ncl

ave

Rd

.

Police station

Jal Board

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2.1

2.1FInclusive Complexes

Talking of housing complexes, inclusivity is not only

something that they ought to achieve with their

surroundings, but also within themselves. It is possible to

have people from different economic backgrounds

residing in the same housing complex. The factors which

are imperative for inclusivity to be achieved within a

housing scheme are:

1. Social Interaction or Employment

Consider a scenario where people from slightly

different economic backgrounds (say MIG and HIG, or

MIG and LIG) are „neighbors‟. The only possible reason

for these groups of people to want to live in such close

proximity, is the desire for social engagement and

shared community spaces. Both groups are usually not

dependant on each other in any other way. Such a

mix of housing is possible with variation in plot or

apartment size.

Now, consider a scenario where the complex houses

people with very large background differences in

(say EWS and HIG or MIG). Here, the only way the

housing can be inclusive, without inconveniencing

either party, is if the poor work for the rich, which

makes for a socially and economically sustainable

system. This is one of the most common typologies of

housing complexes, owing to a law which makes it

mandatory for a builder to provide a certain

percentage of EWS or LIG housing, when building for

MIG or HIG groups. More often than not, the EWS

housing is reserved for servants who work for the

people from the MIGs and HIGs.

3. Incremental Development

Affordability on the face of it is one thing. The unit

should be affordable in the long term as well. In short,

housing will only be inclusive if the poor see it as a long

term investment. This is because, land prices are

constantly increasing, and families from weaker

sections of society tend to increase in size. They

usually, cannot afford to buy another bigger

space/plot. This leads to problems of overcrowding

and unsanitary conditions.

The only way a housing complex can maintain

inclusivity is by making sure that the poor do not feel

the urge to sell their flat/plot and move out. This can

be achieved in the following ways:

• Additive Housing: Incase of plotted housing, if

adequate space is left, there is a scope of adding to

one‟s dwelling, when need be. This can also be done

by following a set of guidelines or ideas for adding to

one‟s unit.

• Flexible spaces: In case of apartments, or even

houses, the possibility of dividing a space into larger

number of usable units is extremely advantageous. For

instance, a one bedroom studio apartment may be

designed such that on the birth of a child, the same

apartment can be divided into two bedrooms.

2. Affordability

A housing complex can only be considered inclusive if

atleast some of its units are affordable by a range of

economic groups. Affordability within a housing

complex can be achieved in the following ways:

• Cross Subsidy: This is done by charging the rich with

market rates (or auctioning), whereas the poor are

given a small subsidy on their smaller units. In this

method the builder still makes a net profit as all

subsidy negotiations are within the same set of units.

• Variation in unit size: This automatically brings in a

range of plot or apartment sizes, which translates to a

variety of ranges.

• Credit/Loan assistance: These are small loans (micro-

finance) which are given to low income families so

that they can get a house without any delay,

potentially caused by inadequate finances.

• ‘Self help’ model: This is a development strategy in

which basic services such as plumbing and electricity

are provided in an otherwise empty site, which is then

left free to be inhabited by people. This means that

even plot sizes and house typologies are decided

unanimously within the group of people. The crux of

the idea is that traditional settlements were also

unplanned and hence more sustainable. This is an

application of that, except with proper services.

• ‘Site + Services’ model: In this model, the varied plot

sizes as well as service cores (stairs, water, electricity

etc.)are provided. The house itself is upto the

inhabitant to build. These flexibilities allow

personalization, not only in terms of tastes, but also in

terms of the amount of money one wants to spend.

• Low rise High Density development: High rises tend to

have higher building and maintenance costs

(Left) Doon Trafalgar, Dehradun; Housing complex with reserved EWS units. (Right) Artist’s colony, Belapur; Incremental housing with variation in plot size

3.2A3.2B

3.2D

3.2C

3.2E3.2F

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2.1

Incremental development

The architect designed a large number of combinations

for the dwellings so that maximum diversity could be

achieved. The possibility of vertical expansion and

peripheral additions was kept in mind.

Case Study

Project: Aranya Community Housing, Indore

Architect: Vaastu Shilpa Foundation

(B.V. Doshi, Ahmedabad)

Client: Indore Development Authority

Year of Completion: 1989

Site Area: 85 sq km (8.5 HA)

Ground Coverage: 58% Residential

6.73% Commercial

23.5% Road space

8.15% Open spaces

No. of Dwellings: 6500 plots (6 sectors)

Population: 60,000 (EWS-65%; LIG-11%; MIG-14%; HIG-9%)

Type: Site + Services

Social engagement and dependency

• ‘Spine and cluster’ settlement: There is a main arterial

road which is a very important economic stimulus, for

vendors etc. which binds the colony together. Also,

clusters tend to provide middle spaces which are a

great for community activities.

• Most houses have the „otta’ (outdoor platform) in front,

which becomes a place for social interaction and

enlivens the street.

Affordability

• Only services (connections + core) have been provided

on site. The actual building is left upto the buyer, for

more flexibility in terms of budgets and materials. 80

prototype houses were built by Doshi just as guidelines

which may or may not be followed for future

development.

• Low rise high density development model has been

adopted with tallest buildings being commercial centers

at the ends of the spine, which are 5 storeys high.

• Cross subsidy has been provided for EWS and LIG

groups by selling HIG plots on market value and

auctioning the land for commercial purposes.

• A variety of plot sizes have been provided, from 35.32

sqm for EWS to 613.94 sqm for HIG

(Above) Site plan - Aranya (above) Plots with basic services only (above) Street view in Aranya

3.2A3.2B

3.2D

3.2C

3.2E3.2F

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2.1

Economic zoning

This „Zoning‟ has been done to achieve a greater variety

of plots and prices.

•HIG groups have been placed near the highway

•MIG is near the arterial road

•EWS and LIG are in the middle

3.2A3.2B

3.2D

3.2C

3.2E3.2F

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2.1