Recently I went to Bangkok to attend a regional meeting of this NGO network called "Coailition of Asian Housing Right". Different NGOs attended this meeting and share their experiences on helping the urban poor and their housing situations. In the last 10 years, due to the expansion and development of cities in Asia, many people who live in slum area contiune facing eviction due to new infrustructure development, property development for the rich, as well as government's idea on wiping the eye-sore of the city. However in many cases such as those in southeast Asia, the urban poor make up as much as 40% of the city population (work force), however they only occupy 2% of the land in the city, this shows such eviction has great unfairness nature. In places such as Thailand, some NGO help the people to upgrade the area by themselves so that they can show the government the value of their living environent, as well as the habitable nature.
3 comments:
hey mag, i love your pictures. they speak a thousand words. yes it's very sad that while high rise and mega projects are being built and celebrated, there are people who don't have a house to stay! it's worth thinking about and taking action upon eh. ~~~ h2
yes, you are so right! these days there are more and more mega mall and bridges, high way.. do we need a more efficient city, a high speed city? or consider the urban poor more who are the main grassroot workforce for the city.. A very good questions for decision makers, planners or even architects to ponder upon..
fiona, if you have time, can also visit this one: http://www.grasslandschool.blogspot.com/
cheers,Maggie
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