Carren Jao – Architecture For The Underserved, For Under $15k

Badehus, Safe Haven Orphanage, Ban Tha Song Yang, Thailand – Photo: Pasi Aalto / Tyin Tegnestue

sustainablecitiescollective.com. November 20, 2012. My inbox is often filled with photographs or renderings of glitzy new developments, glinting under the sun. Of course, it looks great, but lately, I find myself tiring of hearing multi-million budgets, LEED ratings over again. I absentmindedly wonder, “How many of these buildings will truly be assets to their community long after these stats are lost in the ethers of the Internet?” (Can you really count something as lost in the Internet, anyway?)

I found my appreciation for architecture re-kindled with an introduction to the work of this year’s European Prize for Architecture winner, Norway’s TYIN Tegnestue. The duo was established 2008 and made their name designing community-sensitive structures in underserved areas of Thailand, Uganda, Sumatra and Norway. Theirs is an “architecture of necessity,” where beautiful form serves a true purpose.

TYIN involves the community in the design and building of their work and their materials are sourced nearby or from local merchants. Many firms follow these processes, but the product speaks for itself. TYIN’s structures are warm, appealing and feels organic. Here are some of my favorites.

Read more: Carron Jao –  Architecture for the Underserved, for Under $ 15k

SmarterCities Rio | Fareed Zakaria Speaks About The Intersection Of Globalization And Urbanization

Dr. Fareed Zakaria, Editor, TIME Magazine, speaks about the intersection of globalization and urbanization.

Affordable, Evident Building Methods

MMA architects has developed a simple building method using sandbags to create affordable housing in the townships of Cape Town. Sandbags are stacked onto a wooden frame, resulting in a thick wall which keeps both the heat and the cold out. This wall is then finished with stucco, which enhances the appearance of the houses.

See more: http://www.afrikamuseum.nl/blog/inspiration/affordable-evident-building-methods

Ruth Hall – The Impact Of Land Restitution And Land Reform On Livelihoods

africaportal.org  This thematic paper investigates emerging trends evident in the limited literature available on the impact of land restitution on livelihoods, and suggests ways of thinking about, and planning for, livelihoods.
The paper has a two-fold emphasis: its primary focus is on rural restitution claims where land has been restored, but it also addresses rural land reform more generally. Where land ownership has been transferred to land reform beneficiaries, similar patterns and challenges may arise, regardless of whether the land was acquired through the redistribution or the restitution route. The analysis is based on a synthesis of available quantitative and qualitative sources, including a relatively small but growing body of qualitative case studies.
The focus of this paper, therefore, is on the design and set-up of projects, the kinds of livelihood opportunities envisaged in business plans, how these are supported financially and institutionally, and the dynamics that ensue. On this basis, the paper draws lessons about how post-settlement support impacts on the livelihood potential of land reform projects and recommends ways in which such support can be optimised for maximum livelihood benefits

Download full text: http://www.africaportal.org/impact-land-restitution-and-land-reform-livelihoods

UN Habitat and the Norwegian Goverment Take Interest in Slum Dwellers’ Projects in Mukuru Slums

muunganosupporttrust.wordpress.com. Posted by Muungano Support Trust Bulletin. November 13, 2012 – The Norwegian Minister for International Development, Heikki Holmas and UN-HABITAT Executive Director, Dr Juan Clos visited Mukuru Kwa Njenga slums to share experiences with the slum dwellers as well as tour some of the ongoing projects such as the Mukuru Greenfields housing project.

The two visited the settlement to offer encouragement to the Kenyan people living in slums and encouraged the communities to instill confidence and scope to some of the projects they are engaged in, under the stewardship of Muungano wa Wanavijiji. The visit was organized by UN-HABITAT, SDI, the Norwegian Embassy, Muungano wa Wanavijiji, Akiba Mashinani Trust and Muungano Support Trust.

Read more: UN Habitat and the Norwegian Government Take Interest in Slum Dwellers’ Projects in Mukuru Slums

Chapter 14 – Synopsis

The ‘Foreword’ was written by Prof. Dr. Paul Schnabel, director of the Netherlands Institute for Social Research. In December 2010 his Institute published a report entitled Wisseling van de Wacht: Generaties in Nederland (Changing of the Guard: Generations in the Netherlands). In all probability, the Netherlands has this report to thank for being the best researched country as regards the pattern of generations.

Chapter 1 introduces generations. A thought experiment prefaces this introduction. Taking a hypothetical man, how would his life have developed if he had been born ten years earlier or ten years later? This thought experiment is also applied to a hypothetical woman. The thought experiment was devised by Goethe who included it in his autobiography published in 1830. If Goethe had been born ten years earlier, he would have been formed by Classicism; however, his actual date of birth occurred in a lee between Classicism and the Romantic Movement. During that lee he was able to prepare himself of his own accord for his part in the Romantic Movement, eventually becoming the leading light of the ‘Sturm und Drang’ movement.

In his autobiography, Goethe reflects on how major social events can affect not only the opportunities people are given during their lifetime but also the threats they face. What major social events influenced people’s opportunities and threats in the 20^th century and the beginning of the 21^st? How did these major events amalgamate people into generations?

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