Housing, the basic human need for civilized living has become a complex problem for slum dwellers, who are closely intertwined with the developing countries' formal economy. Many internationally driven slum reform projects simply concentrated on engineering and construction solutions failed as they were inappropriate with the life-style of slum dwellers; their affordability; spatial and cultural settings of living environment and other needs. This research aims to concentrate on these aspects towards giving an affordable housing solution. The study area is selected at Karail slum, Bhashantek slum, Bhashantek Rehabilitation Project (BRP) in Dhaka city, Bangladesh. Based on field survey and oral history, it is found that, slum is not a living area full of negative things only. Slum dwellers play a key role in the improvement of their own living environment. The way slum dwellers live and use space and earn their livelihood have strong cultural, environmental, behavioral, spatial and economic influences(such as multi-purpose of open-air court; working area in an accessible distance; typical style of storing household materials considering the shortage of spaces and so on). The way slum area has been developed has some sequences (zoning of spaces) and patterns which are potentially applicable for giving affordable and sustainable housing solution. This study also shows the way our cities are building and the way urban poor trying to live there. At the final stage, suggestion and ideas are given according to the practical findings.

1. INTRODUCTION

Global population growth and its concentration in cities around the world is truly crucial. Today the systems of cities have become the world's social, economic, cultural and political matrix. As a result, mega -cities are created with high population density aimed poverty and limited resources makes a special environment, which is called slum.1 Slum is a low-income settlement and most visible concentration of poor people.2 The majority of them live in developing countries. Bangladesh is also a developing country, growing rapidly with its population. Especially in the capital city, Dhaka (Dhaka is going to be the fourth largest mega city by 2015)3, the growing rate is much higher than expected. The number of migrated people coming from countryside for the hope of better job and life, are huge. Since the independence (1971) of the country, these people have been living under same poor condition without significant achievements. Some NGOs are providing important infrastructure, education and health facilities, and the government of Bangladesh recently initiated some housing projects. Although it sounds good, but, the poorest and most vulnerable groups are unable to afford these market based solution. And most of the cases, the solution does not match with the living style of these people. The original residents tend to sell or rent their flats to speculators or to the middle and upper income groups. Grounded on this context, this research is exclusive to analyze and identify important spatial and cultural factors of life-style and living environment of slum dwellers to give them an affordable and equitable housing solution.

2.BACKGROUND OF THE RESEARCH:

・Slum dwellers play a key role in the formal economy of Bangladesh. But, general public know very little about them.

・Most of us consider slum life as a world of darkness where people can't live. But, the fact is, slum dwellers work hard to improve their socio-economic condition by themselves. They also have a 'design of living(findings from researcher's previous research).

・Researcher believes that slum is an integral, creative and productive part of a city. But, research regarding slum and slum dwellers are very small in number and professionals find their job quite risky being a specialist in this field.

3.RESEARCH AIM AND OBJECTIVES:

Aim: The aim of the research is to stand the idea that, slum is not a living area full of negative things only. There are some strong and meaningful elements available which are appropriate for better living environment; some small changes are required only. Another aim is to establish the truth that, only multi storied building with lots of structural, infrastructural facilities cannot be the main condition for better living environment for the slum dwellers. These people need that type of environment which responds functionally, culturally and economically.

Objectives: The central objective of the whole thesis is mainly two-fold. One is to identify the important spatial and cultural settings from the existing slum area. Other one is to encourage and maintain those essential elements and contribute them to the improvement of affordable housing solution with an integrated approach. Apart from these:

・Develop a theoretical understanding of slum dwellers and their housing situation in the whole world especially in Asia

・Learn about the slum dwellers, their future plan about their life and housing environment

・Experience personally(detail observation) the available situation

4.SIGNIFICANCE OF THE RESEARCH AS AN ACADEMIC PAPER:

・In the growing awareness of the progress of global urban situation, this research(although relatively little) may enhance the understanding the slum dwellers' situation especially in developing country like Bangladesh. This research may promotes a better understanding of low cost housing situation (of slum dwellers) monitoring through several kinds of survey and analysis in the field level with the collection of data at city and country level to understand the local as well as the national situation properly.

・Based on the findings of the study, this research will suggest more detail analysis focusing some special settings and try to find out affordable solutions based on an integrated approach. Thus researcher's gained knowledge and observation may promote other researchers doing research in the same field.

5.FRAMEWORK OF THE THESIS:

6.RESEARCH METHOD:

No technical or scientific analytical method has been used here. The main methodology is 'field research'. Field investigation has been carried out by taking interviews, writing documents, taking photographs and drawing sketches. The selection of each case study is made by a several number of site surveys and the notification of different household category. The issue that makes up the questionnaire is to ask the house users answer some important points regarding their household environment, use of functional space and culture of living. The target was to gather different type of sample as much as possible to have a wide variety of information. Another purpose was to find out dwellers' own ideas regarding spatial arrangement inside and outside the dwelling unit.

7.REASON BEHIND THE SELECTED SURVEY AREA:

・Dhaka(the capital of Bangladesh), the center of economy and other important facilities is known as one of the fastest growing cities of the world. This city can attract the migrants the most compared to other cities of the country is one of the most dominant factor of population growth here; although natural increase is also very high all over the country. Most of the largest low cost housing area or slums are located in this city. The population growth rate of Dhaka city is the highest than any other major cities of the world. Researcher believes that a survey area located in Dhaka city can give more information than any other cities.

・Bhashantek slum and Karail slum: These two slums have been chosen as the central survey area in Dhaka city. After the independence of Bangladesh, Bhashantek slum was developed by its dwellers around 1973. Slum dwellers in Karail slum have been residing over last three decades on about 90 acres of land with a population of 80,000, most victims of river erosion and poverty. These two slums have been located in different geographical locations consisting different characteristics.

・Bhashantek rehabilitation project (BRP): The first rehabilitation housing project for slum dwellers in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

8.ANALYSIS & FINDINGS:

8.1 Case study analysis: (spatial relationship)

Case 1

In most of the cases, slum dwellers live in one room house. They spend most of the day time outside their room for different household function and socialization. Dwellers in case 1 use outdoor spaces to get water from a common water-tap and one cattle shed for keeping cattle.

Case 2

From field survey it has been found that, extension(horizontally or vertically) and transformation(with temporal partition inside the room) of spaces is another common/typical feature in slum dwelling. To adjust with the increasing number of family member or new member(guest) or for giving rent(income source) dwellers used to do this.

In case 2, the south part is an extension of this dwelling where one extra room is provided for new member; kitchen and one guest space(semi-open space right the opposite side of the kitchen) are arranged. In front of that.

Case 3

As mentioned that, extension (horizontally or vertically)and transformation(with temporal partition inside the room) of spaces is another common/typical feature in slum; is also located in case 3 . To adjust with the increasing number of family member or new member(guest), the prayer space at the opposite side of the kitchen (inside the house) is transformed into a guest space(one small bed is added there).The comparison between case 2 and 3 are:

・There is no extra spaces for providing an additional room in case of 3

・Female guest can't stay at semi-open outdoor space (in case 3)

R=room; K=kitchen; T=toilet; C=court; W=tube-well; S=shop; St=store; P=prayer room; Pt=path; D=doorstep; Cs=cattle shed; G=guest space; V= veranda -------------=activity flow of different household space =Community gathering space/ court

8.2 Questionnaire analysis:

Questionnaire analysis regarding number of family members:

Questionnaire analysis regarding merit and demerit :

Questionnaire analysis regarding function and the usefulness of an open air court :

8.3 Hidden identity and valuable expression of slum and slum dwellers:

9.SUGESSIONS FROM PRACTICAL FINDINGS:

For proper functioning, combination of various necessary elements is needed. That is why, an integrated or holistic approach is proposed here for achieving the goal of affordable housing for slum dwellers. This approach can contains some characteristics which are:

・Designation of socio-culturally accepted and economically sustainable settlement.

・Adaptation of the low cost energy efficient housing technology for making the housing affordable to entire people.

・Active participation of all beneficiaries in decision making, construction, implementation and maintenance of the program.

・Construction, implementation and operation of the settlement with the partnership of 3ps (people, public organization and private organization).

・Provision of the soft loan to the house consumers through the facilities of the public organizations.

・Development of incremental type and skeleton type of houses.

・Incorporation of land for agriculture in the proposed land use plan.

10.CONCLUSION:

Today the cities and countries are admitted at what the problems of slums are and about how to solve them and they have generally found that the problems can be solved through the efforts of everyone especially the poor who play a key role in the improvement of their own living conditions. Our climate and culture has an incredible resource. The usability of open spaces is considerable, since so many daily activities carry out there. We think of housing only as built-up structures, as the boxes - and not of the open spaces which are so crucial to their proper functioning. This is why so many attempts at low cost housing perceived as a simplistic question of trying to pile up as many boxes as possible on a given site, without any concern for other spaces.4 So If we consider the environment, culture and climate, housing can be built in a more affordable way with the participation of intended people and thus, slum could be an integral, creative and productive part of a city.

Fig: location of Karail; Bhashantek slum and BRP

Zoning and road layout of existing slum area

Public;semi-public and residential zone in existing slum

Important semi-public node in existing slum

Different cluster of dwelling units in existing slum

Proposed cluster of dwelling units with open air court

Achieve a community character by establishing harmony between the built environment and the dwellers and their needs

Low storey household complex including rental option with common kitchen and toilet space (to save the service and construction cost)

本論文は、バングラデシュにおける現存のスラム居住者の居住実態の把握と居住環境の評価から文化的要因を見出し、スラム居住者のための可能な居住計画を試みるものである。

世界的な人口増加と都市への集中、貧困と限られた資源からスラムが作られ、スラム居住者にとって人間の基本的な文化的生活のための要求である居住環境の整備は問題となっている。バングラデシュも人口は急速に増加し、特に首都ダッカでは農村部から流入する人口は莫大であり、スラム居住者は貧しい状況の下で生活している。近年いくつかのNGOは重要なインフラ、教育、保健施設を提供し、政府はいくつかの住宅供給計画を始めたが、最も貧しく脆弱な人々はこのような市場ベースの住宅では購入できず、このような住宅計画は人々の生活スタイルに合っていない。多くの国際的に行われているスラム改善プロジェクトは技術と建設に集中し、スラム居住者のライフスタイル、購入可能性、生活環境の空間文化的セッティングや他のニーズに適合させることに失敗している。

ここでは、スラムは必ずしも否定的ではなく、より良い生活環境のために適用できる意味深い要素があり、小さな変化だけが求められるという考えに立ち、スラム居住者にとってインフラの整った高層住宅だけがより良い居住環境ではないということを明らかにする。これらの人々は機能的、文化的、経済的に応えることができる環境を求めている。

そのため、実存するスラム地区から重要な空間・文化的セッティングを識別し、これらの基本的要因を促進・維持し、統合されたアプローチにより購入可能な住宅供給の解決策の改善を試みる。

調査地は、バングラディシュ・ダッカ市のKarailスラム、Bhashantekスラム、Bhashantek改善プロジェクトを対象とする。

方法は、インタビュー、詳細な観察、筆記による観察記録、写真撮影、スケッチ描画によるフィールド調査である。

質問紙では、居住者に彼らの居住環境、空間の機能と生活の文化に関していくつかの重要な点を尋ねた。また、住戸内・外の空間的配備についての居住者自身の考えを探った。

調査から、スラム居住者は、屋外の中庭の多目的な利用、アクセスしやすい職場、空間が狭くても収納の場所を工夫する典型的なスタイルを持つなど、空間を利用し、生活は強い文化的、環境的、行動的、空間的、経済的影響を持っていることを明らかにした。そしてスラム地域が発展した過程はある連鎖、空間のゾーニングがあり、購入可能で持続可能な住宅供給の解決策へ適用可能性を持っていることを明らかにした。

スラムは通常、貧しい居住者の住む混沌としたカオスと見られるが、小さな近隣に集まる住居と共同の空間に開く、目に見えない秩序と目に見えるパターンがあることが見出された。最も貧しい集落でも、プライベートゾーン、セミパブリックゾーン、そしてしばしばパブリックゾーンに緑と水面があり、小さな店がある。道は歩行者や車の交通だけでなく、社会的、経済的、家庭的な活動にも好まれ使われる空間である。

最後に、調査から得られた実用的な発見に基づいた提案とアイディアを示した。スラム居住者が購入可能な住宅供給を達成するために、社会・文化的に受け入れられ経済的に購入可能な集落の明示、後から増築できるタイプやスケルトン供給タイプの住宅、農業や提案された土地利用などとの土地の共同など、統合された、ホリスティックなアプローチが提案される。

多くのローコスト住宅の試みは、与えられた敷地にできるだけたくさんの箱を積み上げることを試みた単純な解が多いが、もし我々が環境、文化、気候を考慮すれば、住宅供給はより購入可能で志を持つ人々が参加し、スラムは都市の中で不可欠で創造的で生産的な地域となりうるとした。

以上のように本論文は、バングラデシュにおける居住者の居住実態の把握と居住環境の評価により、スラム居住者のための可能な居住計画へのホリスティックなアプローチへの道筋を示した。

今後の住空間・住宅地の計画に重要な知見を与えるもので、建築計画学の発展に大いなる寄与となりうるものである。

よって本論文は博士(工学)の学位請求論文として合格と認められる。