Continent: South America

Upgrading of Audi União Shantytown: Curitiba

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Upgrading of Audi União Shantytown: Curitiba

Policies and regulations
Promotion and production

Main objectives of the project

Date

  • 2014:

Stakeholders

  • Promotor: World Habitat

Location

Continent: South America
City: SCIA
Country/Region: Brazil, Ceilândia

Description

This upgrading project has been carried out in Audi União, one of largest and poorest squatter settlements in Curitiba, Brazil. The project has protected the households living in high-risk areas on the banks of the Iguaçu river, it provides safer and improved living conditions whilst avoiding evictions and ensuring that families are able to stay within the same community. It has developed an integrated multidisciplinary and participatory approach involving partnerships between the local community, local leaders, civil society organisations and government agencies at local, state and national levels.

 

Project Description

What are its aims and objectives?

The main purpose of the project is the protection of households living in high-risk areas on the banks of the Iguaçu river in Audi União shantytown. The project includes the improvement and/or provision of urban infrastructure (drainage systems, sanitation and flood control measures); housing within the local area for families living in high-risk areas, including one-, two- and three-bedroom units; recovery of areas of environmental protection; the regularisation of land tenure and social programmes contributing to safety and security, urban mobility, gender equality and social inclusion. Investments have also been made in the construction and improvement of public health, education, culture, sports and leisure facilities. Residents have been involved throughout the process through partnerships established between government agencies and local residents’ associations. The project has improved homes without resettlement and has only resettled those people who were at risk from flooding or landslides.

What context does it operate in?

Curitiba is one of the fastest growing cities in Brazil, with a municipal population of 1.8 million people. The city is known for a number of innovative initiatives to improve the local environment. Audi União informal settlement is home to 3,144 low-income families, many of whom were previously living in precarious conditions in an area of environmental protection on the banks of the Iguaçu river – an area which is prone to frequent and devastating floods. It is the largest and poorest informal settlement in the city of Curitiba, with 70 per cent of households earning less than the minimum wage and 86.5 per cent of households lacking adequate water supply, electricity, waste collection and drainage systems. With one of the highest homicide rates in the city, residents of Audi União face conditions of insecurity and vulnerability. Many of the houses are built on stilts and are constructed using poor quality building materials. The project has been implemented by Curitiba Municipal Housing Company (COHAB/CT), a public housing institution, established in 1965 to provide housing for low-income households in the city of Curitiba. Its activities are carried out with funding from local and national government sources as well as through public-private partnerships. COHAB/CT implements Federal Government housing programmes as well as programmes for urban and informal settlement upgrading.

What are its key features?

This comprehensive informal settlement upgrading project has been carried out in Audi União through an integrated, multidisciplinary and participatory approach involving partnerships between the local community, local leaders, civil society organisations and government agencies at local, state and national levels. Residents, through partnerships established between government agencies and local residents’ associations, have been involved throughout the process. The project includes the improvement and/or provision of urban infrastructure and services. Investments have also been made in the construction and improvement of public health, education, culture, sports and leisure facilities. New housing is provided to the families living in high risk areas and land tenure has been regularised. Social programmes contributing to safety and security, urban mobility, gender equality and social inclusion have been introduced. Flood control measures, though still ongoing, have led to a significant decrease in flooding in the area.

How is it funded?

Total funding amounting to US$19.5 million (R$38 million) has been provided by the CAIXA Federal Savings Bank (67.2 per cent) and by the Curitiba Municipality (32.8 per cent), covering the following areas: a) flood control; b) recovery of areas of environmental protection; c) construction and refurbishment of housing; d) land tenure regularisation; e) urban upgrading; f) social inclusion. In addition, the Municipality has invested in the construction and improvement of public facilities relating to health, education, culture and sports, as well as collaborating with the state government of Paraná on the provision of public security and leisure facilities.

What impact has it had?

The project has made significant improvements in the living conditions of residents, including flood risk reduction, increased security and improved sanitation and environmental conditions within the community and surrounding areas. Following the implementation of the flood prevention system, there has not been any subsequent flooding in the area, despite heavy rains and flooding in surrounding areas not covered by the project. Income levels have increased, with a 206 per cent increase in the number of families earning at least the minimum wage. There has been a reduction of 33 per cent in the number of violent deaths and 26 per cent in the number of armed robberies. Urban mobility has been improved through a range of actions, including the paving and widening of streets, public lighting, improved public transport (with 20 additional bus lines), selective waste collection and formal address registration. Residents have since been involved in carrying out improvements to their housing and there has been a gradual change in habits and in the relationship of residents with public/communal spaces.

 

Why is it innovative?

  • Integrated, multidisciplinary approach, including three levels of government, carried out through partnerships between a range of actors and levels of government. The complexity of the issues to be addressed required common goals, participatory planning and integrated actions that are environmentally responsible and socially just, with community members involved throughout the process.
  • Ensuring that families were relocated only where necessary and not more than 500 metres from their original homes, respecting community and neighbourhood ties. The conventional solution might have been a full or partial resettlement of the area, as it involves the occupation of an area of environmental protection, subject to flooding. This solution addressed the environmental problems whilst ensuring that all residents were able to remain in their community, avoiding the demolition of thousands of homes built with the efforts and financial resources of the community.
  • Going beyond physical improvements, establishing effective communication channels between community residents and government, addressing gender issues (particularly around land titling) and working to ensure the right to adequate housing.

 

What is the environmental impact?

The project has used conventional building materials, many of which are locally sourced, for the construction of the new housing units.

It has kept existing housing and communal buildings except in the areas of highest risk, making use of existing resources.

The project involves the provision of adequate water supply, sanitation, waste collection and drainage infrastructure, which was previously not in place in the Audi União settlement. A macro-drainage system has been built to address the issues of intense flooding in the area as well as delineating the boundaries of the settlement and areas of environmental preservation, with the overall aim of reducing risk to people and the environment. No flooding has been recorded in the area following implementation, despite heavy rains.

 

Is it financially sustainable?

The project has been carried out with funding from both federal and municipal government sources and in partnership with a range of other organisations and public service providers. In other projects, where similar levels of state funding were not available, COHAB/CT has obtained funding for its work through public-private partnerships.

The project has supported skills development to enhance local family incomes.

A range of training courses and activities focussing on income generation and employment were carried out within the community and by 2010 there had been a 206 per cent increase in the number of families earning at least the minimum wage. In addition, the fact that residents have been able to remain in their community rather than being resettled in distant areas has ensured that existing employment and access to places of work have not been affected.

 

What is the social impact?

The project approach demonstrates the strong commitment of all actors involved and has facilitated greater cooperation both within the community and amongst different government agencies and institutional partners. Local NGOs have played a key role in facilitating collaboration and the project has worked to foster a sense of belonging, confidence, permanence and continuity within the community, resulting in the strengthening of social ties and maintenance of existing relationships and networks.

The project works with highly-vulnerable families and seeks to implement strategies that oppose social exclusion and lead to a reduction in social inequalities. Women in particular have benefited from the project, particularly with regards to the land tenure regularisation/titling process where priority is given to women heads of household.

The project has worked to improve access to rights and information, promote citizenship and empower communities. Residents now pay government-subsidised utility bills and formalising property ownership, improving urban mobility and ensuring access to public infrastructure and services have all contributed towards enabling residents to take a more active role in society.

 

Barriers

  • From the outset, the problems faced were complex and required integrated and multidisciplinary solutions. COHAB/CT has worked in partnership with the community and a range of local organisations to address these issues in an integrated way.
  • Due to financial constraints, the original project did not include the construction of public health and educational facilities and there is a demand for schools and health units in the area, as well as leisure and recreational facilities. This has affected children and young people in particular, and the gap has been partially filled through the application of municipal resources in the construction of a municipal nursery, a youth centre, health units and a centre for social assistance.
  • Although there has been a significant improvement in living conditions and quality of life for residents, a few key issues still remain, including safe access to rail transportation and improved connections to the sewage disposal system, which is in the process of being carried out through another project.

 

Lessons Learned

  • During the implementation of the project, it was found that the problems arising from informal settlements in areas of environmental preservation affected the city as a whole, causing social, economic, physical and environmental damage.
  • Partnership working was essential, as the complex problems faced cannot be fully resolved by a single institution or group of people. The establishment of strong partnerships enabled discussions to take place based on the specific conditions in the area, as well as making it possible for government actions to go beyond purely physical interventions.
  • In order to establish these partnerships it is important to recognise the importance of engaging the three levels of government (federal, state and local), the various sectors within the municipal government and relevant organisations, local groups and professionals engaged in the pursuit of access to social rights, public goods and services.
  • In order to ensure a successful outcome, it is important to establish direct links between communities and government through a participatory approach, increased access to information and improved communication channels. It is recognised that a strong partnership between the community and government is critical to effectively guarantee the rights of citizens and the development of a sense of appreciation and belonging amongst residents.
  • Integrated actions in urban upgrading and infrastructure provision should be carried out in accordance with public policies relating to housing, sanitation, social support, health, education and the environment.

 

Evaluation

Monthly reports are produced on the activities carried out by the social assistance team, as well as gathering data on the housing units and other urban and physical intervention processes. The multidisciplinary team carrying out the project meets each month in order to strengthen communication and monitor the work that has been completed. A range of indicators have been developed for post-occupancy monitoring and evaluation with funding provided by the Brazilian Ministry of Cities, in order to give visibility to the results, impacts and level of satisfaction of the local community, as well as providing an opportunity to reflect on the implementation process and the effectiveness of the results achieved. A final research project is due to be carried out on the project encompassing three key areas:

  • Housing and Urban Environment: including basic infrastructure, urban mobility, environmental quality and housing.
  • Social Inclusion: focussing on access to public services (education, health, sport, leisure, culture, social assistance and public security), citizenship and participation and job market insertion.
  • Household Satisfaction: capturing the evaluation of local residents regarding their own housing conditions, urban infrastructure and services, as well as looking at the impact of the project on social and community life.

 

Transfer

The approach is currently being scaled up by COHAB/CT and is being applied in 64 active projects in the city of Curitiba in areas that, as in the case of Audi União, require integrated actions. In each case the approach is being adapted to local specificities and complexities.

Although there has not been any national or international transfer of the approach as yet, there has been a great deal of interest in the project and Audi União has received a number of national and international visitors, including the United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Shaun Donovan.

Links

Authors:

Community Management of Urban Infrastructure and Housing Improvements in Greater Buenos Aires

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Community Management of Urban Infrastructure and Housing Improvements in Greater Buenos Aires

Policies and regulations
Financing Progressive financing
Urban Design Liveability Regulación Técnica
Promotion and production Materials Self-management Cooperatives

Main objectives of the project

Date

  • 2013: Finalista

Stakeholders

  • Promotor: World Habitat

Location

Continent: South America
City: Buenos Aires
Country/Region: Argentina, Buenos Aires

Description

Over the last 20 years, Fundación Pro Vivienda Social (Social Housing Foundation – FPVS) has worked to improve living conditions in Greater Buenos Aires, by promoting social inclusion, empowering communities, improving housing conditions and connecting them to basic services. Since 2010, FPVS has been implementing the Community Development Plan (CDP) in all the communities where it works, giving a holistic vision and an increasingly important role to residents in the development of their communities. Three strategies have been defined to carry out the CDP: community empowerment, design and implementation of innovative projects and promotion of pro-poor businesses, with five programmes running to date, namely the Integral Gasification Project, Housing Improvement and Young Builders Project, Community Education Centre (CEC), Neighbourhood Development Observatory and Inclusive Business Park.

 

Project Description

Aims and Objectives

The mission of FPVS is to provide long-term, community-led solutions to the habitat problems facing low-income neighbourhoods. This participatory model relies on the active collaboration of residents, companies, banks and governments, and its central objective is to promote community development. The model aims to stimulate community life and civic participation, social capital, affordable access to goods and services, household budgets and savings.

Context

Rapid, unplanned urbanisation has given rise to alarming inequalities and housing deficits across Latin America. In Argentina, more than five million families rely on government action to gain access to services, but public policy has failed to meet their needs, leaving the process of urbanisation in the hands of local residents. In Greater Buenos Aires, over six million people live in poverty with limited or no access to basic services or affordable adequate housing. This, combined with a culture of distrust and disinterest among banks and companies, has led to financial exclusion and social marginalisation of millions of people.

The municipality of Moreno is characterised by processes of self-construction, high levels of informality and unemployment, lack of infrastructure and little or no access to basic and financial services. Only 19 per cent of the population has access to drainage, 41 per cent to potable water, 32 per cent to the natural gas network, 45 per cent of families live in precarious housing conditions.

Key features

The Project is being implemented in 18 marginalised neighbourhoods in the municipality of Moreno, in Greater Buenos Aires. It promotes social inclusion by empowering communities, improving housing conditions and connecting them to basic services. FPVS acts as a facilitator, promoting a model in which residents and a range of actors work together to achieve a common goal. Links and partnerships have been formed with public and private entities at local, national and international levels, which include financers and donors, government (at various levels), international organisations, technical support intermediaries, and research and academic bodies.

Community empowerment: FPVS trains local community members as Community Developers to work in areas of promotion, conflict resolution, administration, communication and computer science, generating social capital. Additionally, the Young Builders’ Project trains students from local technical school in construction and provides practical experience through internships and professional experience.

Housing improvement and gas supply: The Neighbourhood Trust Funds (NTFs) are used as a platform that provides a collective guarantee, ensures transparency and reduces the risk involved for investors. The NTFs act as savings and credit schemes, with initial funds provided by donations, which the FPVS has sought specifically for this purpose, acting as a collective guarantee for lenders. The model requires more than 60 per cent of residents to sign up to participate in the programme to make viable, who start repaying the loan once the service is provided. As part of the Integral Gasification Project, five NTFs have been set up to date (one for housing improvement and four gasification funds), bringing together 16,000 families from which 4,500 have already been connected to the natural gas network. The NTF set up for housing improvement serves all families participating in the gasification projects, to facilitate housing improvements and make better use of the new gas connection. The beneficiaries typically use them to purchase gas appliances such as hot water systems, ovens and heaters.

The model consists of a series of steps:

  • Residents are trained to participate in the projects as Community Developers, who promote the programmes in their blocks. Community organisation is consolidated via the establishment of NTFs.
  • A financial and technical plan is created for each household based on individual family needs. Later, a single proposal is made to the bank on behalf of thousands of residents, taking into account their diverse financial capacities.
  • The financers accept the collective guarantee offered by the community – this includes an additional sum (18 per cent) paid by residents to the bank until the works are completed (a contingency fund), which is returned to the community via NTFs.
  • After the works are carried out, the residents repay their loans at the pace they can afford (over a maximum period of 72 months).
  • Once the lenders have been repaid, the residents determine how they would like to reinvest the contingency fund into the community to further improve neighbourhoods with e.g. drainage, pavements, street lighting, or community centres.

Promotion of pro-poor markets: FPVS acts as a mediator, connecting demand for services and credit in low-income communities with goods and services from companies (bank, gas providers, etc.) which are apprehensive about working with these sectors, aiming to stimulate fair, inclusive and responsible business practices.

Covering costs 

  • FPVS relies on operational and institutional revenue to carry out its work. Operational revenue is obtained from the fees attached to the services to the NTFs and the administration of funding for the ‘Mejor Vivir’ programme (from the national government). Institutional revenue is sourced from open donations and project funding provided by the IADB (Inter-American Development Bank) and IAF (Inter-American Foundation).
  • Collaboration is promoted between companies, governments, local suppliers and residents as well as with local and international banks. More than US$5 million has been sourced from diverse investors, including resident’s contributions (36 per cent), Multilateral Investment Fund – MIF – (22 per cent), service providers (5 per cent), commercial credits (19 per cent), public subsidies (11 per cent) and FPVS (7 per cent).
  • The NTFs are established with initial funds provided by donations through FPVS.
  • The current, standard price of a household natural gas network connection is US$1,680. The average home improvement loan is US$340.
  • The current loan interest rate is 39 per cent. Given the high inflation rate (25 per cent), the actual rate is 14 per cent per year. Given the long period given to repay the loans (up to 72 months) and the small size of the instalments, the majority of families are able to repay the loans with little or no impact on the household budget. On average, residents take approximately 40 months to repay loans. The monthly repayment is made via the gas bill, and despite the payment, families increase their disposable income by five per cent per month due to reduced energy costs.

Impact

  • As per 2013, 16,000 families participate in five NTFs, of which 4,500 have already been connected to the natural gas network, having a positive impact on the health, quality of life and comfort for approximately 20,000 people in 18 neighbourhoods.
  • 8,500 micro-credit loans and technical construction support have been given to improve housing conditions of families.
  • Alliances have been formed with local grassroots organisations and international bodies.
  • 300 Community Developers have gained new skills, and 30 Young Builders have been trained to date.
  • Households with natural gas increased their disposable incomes due to reduced energy costs (five per cent on average) and home values increased (between 15 and 20 per cent), as a result of the improvements undertaken.
  • Communities are empowered and organised, and continue to make improvements on their living environment once the initial works are finished.
  • By acting as a nexus between the communities and service providers, the FPVS has an impact on the access of these sectors, which changed from being considered ‘high risk’ to viable clients for the companies serving them.

 

Why is it innovative?

  • Community trusts and innovative finance mechanisms are used to manage resources and deliver the project, using housing as a mobilising agent through which the community gets together to combine savings and resources, which it has pioneered in Argentina. The financial model offers a diverse range of plans, with high repayment rates.
  • Neighbourhood Committees and working groups are formed within and across neighbourhoods, and partnerships have been established with a number of actors. The project works on the basis of consensus and inclusion and all decisions are taken through a participatory process, with communities playing a leading role in managing every stage of the process.
  • Establishing an inclusive, pro-poor business model: FPVS acts as a mediator between the communities and service providers.

 

What is the environmental impact?

  • FPVS encourages the participation of local businesses, builders and gas fitters for the supply of materials and services needed for the different programmes, using a public tender process.
  • Home improvements made via the gas project encourage residents to consider changes in layout, insulation and the use of appliances in order to reduce energy consumption and promote new greener habits amongst residents.
  • Natural gas is a cleaner energy source than wood, charcoal, and kerosene, and its use for cooking and heating has a positive impact on people’s health and the environment.

 

Is it financially sustainable?

  • Although residents pay for the goods and services they receive, lines of finance have been made available to cover project costs. In the future, it is hoped that creditors and companies will participate in the NTFs making non-returnable contributions to finance part of the preoperational costs required to establish them, currently covered by donations through the FPVS.
  • Households participating in the gasification programmes have increased their assets by between 15 and 20 per cent, thanks to a rise in the value of their homes as a result of the improvements undertaken. On top of this, their disposable incomes have increased by an equivalent of five per cent, due to reduced energy costs.
  • The NTFs permit resources to be invested to address lack of infrastructure and in housing improvements. In addition to increasing home value and the savings generated by energy costs, residents can improve their houses incrementally, and use their proven credit performance to access other financial services from banks.

 

What is the social impact?

  • FPVS works to stimulate interaction between residents, banks and companies at a local level. The project helps to bring alive a spirit of community and solidarity amongst families, and a sense of trust and civic culture is cultivated through the participatory approach, resulting in neighbourhood development for the whole community.
  • Community Developers (mainly women) have been trained in areas that have not only improved their employment opportunities, but have also had a positive impact on their self-esteem and position in the community.
  • The Young Builders Programme trains students in local construction and provides practical experience in housing projects in their own neighbourhoods, generating local employment.
  • Families connected to the gas network suffer from a 50 per cent reduction in gastro-illnesses (as food is cooked more thoroughly for longer periods), 20 per cent less from respiratory illness and 40 per cent less from colds and flu thanks to improved heating and cooking methods (charcoal, wood and kerosene or gas bottles typically used otherwise).
  • FPVS is working with UNDP to allow residents to access legal titles to their homes and land. The planned activities include carrying out a study to understand different situations and types of land and home ownership problems in the area; producing a mechanism for residents to obtain property titles and normalising their situation within the existing legislation; undertaking training and awareness campaigns via the CEC; and providing legal support.
  • Social initiatives are being implemented to include the poorest families: the NTFs are open to all residents, and users begin to pay once they use the service. In order to make it available to all, the repayment plan is calculated according to each family’s needs and possibilities, including those in informal employment, unemployed and retired.
  • The model empowers residents to be agents for change. They are involved in every step of the process, and play a central role in the management and promotion of projects. The creation of NTFs requires between 60 and 70 per cent of residents to participate, and residents promote the project and are responsible for reaching this target level of engagement.
  • As well as their involvement as Community Developers, residents participate and benefit by acting as suppliers of materials and services needed to carry out the projects.

 

Barriers

  • Distrust and lack of coordination between stakeholders. This has been overcome by promoting collective social platforms, which increase collaboration and understanding. Public tenders provide a space to work together and overcome these problems.
  • Encouraging residents to invest in their neighbourhoods is a challenge. In order to overcome this, the creation of NTFs helps to promote investing in infrastructure and housing, instead of spending on consumer goods, helping to break the poverty cycle.

 

Lessons Learned

  • Experiences demonstrate the importance of including participants at all levels in the development of programmes to combat poverty. In fact, residents have the capacity to build their houses and invest their savings, with a high repayment rate (98 per cent).
  • Pilot programmes are used to identify successful strategies and create programmes with high success rates, specifically tailored to the needs of the community, providing important lessons on methodologies and timeframes for scaling up.
  • Working with governments is important to put ideas in the public sphere and help them to be heard by decision-makers. FPVS is collaborating with CIPPEC (‘Centro de Implementación de Políticas Públicas para la Equidad y el Crecimiento’ – Public Policy Implementation Centre for equity and Growth) on public policy implementation, in conjunction with central government programmes.

 

Evaluation

The Neighbourhood Development Observatory initiative, developed by FPVS with Torcuato di Tella University, aims to better understand the neighbourhoods and evaluate the impact of the other programmes. Additionally, FPVS will evaluate the results of the gas project in 2013, in conjunction with the MIF.

 

Transfer

The Integral Gasification Project, currently being implemented, is the direct result of the pilot experience acquired in two previous smaller scale gas projects: ‘Union por los Vecinos’ and ‘Redes Solidarias’ which connected 4,000 families in the same area.

In an informal manner, NGOs have taken the model and applied it to smaller scale projects.

A range of government and private sector organisations have requested technical assistance from FPVS to transfer the model to other parts of the country. In the context of the MIF initiatives in the country, the model will be transferred to a region outside the municipality of Moreno, where it will benefit approximately 3,000 families.

Links

Authors:

World Habitat

The Struggle for Housing in Central Areas

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The Struggle for Housing in Central Areas

Policies and regulations
Promotion and production

Main objectives of the project

The Associação Cortiços do Centro, Condomínio Vanguarda (Association of Tenements in Central Areas – ACC) is a grassroots organisation comprised of residents of cortiços, or tenement-style slums in collective buildings in central areas of the city of Santos. The ACC seeks to improve the living conditions of low-income residents of five neighbourhoods in Santos city centre, working to ensure the right of low-income families to have access to decent housing whilst remaining in central areas, close to jobs and making use of existing urban infrastructure. This community-initiated project involves the construction of 181 housing units for low-income families. The first 113 units are at the finishing stages and the final 68 units are due to be completed by the end of 2013.

Date

  • 2013: Finalista

Stakeholders

  • Promotor: World Habitat

Location

Continent: South America
City: Santos
Country/Region: Brazil, Santos

Description

 

Project Description

Aims and Objectives

The aim of the project is to provide decent, affordable housing for low-income families living in inadequate, overcrowded conditions in the city centre of Santos, addressing the issues of gentrification and displacement and working towards ensuring the right to adequate housing and the right to the city for all. Its approach seeks to empower residents to be agents of change within the community, working together to regenerate the neighbourhood and transform the reality in which they live.

Context

In the city of Santos, south eastern Brazil, approximately 14,500 people – the majority of whom are women and young people on very low incomes – live in precarious conditions in cortiços in the historic city centre. Houses built in the late 19th and early 20th century for well-off families have fallen into disrepair and now house up to 24 families each in overcrowded conditions, lacking in privacy, adequate sanitation, lighting or ventilation. Residents must pay very high rents and are often under threat of eviction. The area is known as having the highest rate of tuberculosis in the country, as well as the highest proportion of people living with HIV in Latin America.

Over the years, many government initiatives have been announced to improve the living conditions of residents in the area. The majority of these have not come to fruition, causing residents to become despondent and lose hope. In addition, a process of gentrification has begun to take place in the historic central areas, with rising property values due to a regeneration initiative that has recently been announced. As a result, an increasing number of families are being evicted from their homes.

Key features

Within this context, the ACC has taken a proactive approach to addressing some of the key issues, working to mobilise the community, engage with government agencies at the local, state and federal levels and obtain the necessary resources and technical support to provide concrete solutions to the critical housing needs of cortiço residents in the city centre.

In 2007, after spending time learning from the successful experiences of other grassroots organisations and examining local, state and national legislation and potential funding streams for housing with the assistance of a group of volunteer architects, the ACC was able to obtain a 6,000m2 plot of land in the Santos city centre from the Federal Assets Secretariat of the Ministry of Planning, Budget and Management and have it classified as a ‘Special Zone for Social Interest’ (ZEIS), enabling access to funding. The following year, funding was approved for the construction of the first 113 housing units and additional funding was secured in 2010 for the second phase of the project, involving the construction of an additional 68 units through a system of mutual aid and self-management of resources. Technical assistance has been provided by the Elos Brazil Institute, the Alliance of Housing Movements and local NGO Ambienta and a number of environmental features have been incorporated into the project, including rainwater harvesting and the use of solar energy. Following the key priorities established by the ACC, the project is characterised by high quality design and construction as well as a collective, participatory approach.

Participating families were selected based on housing need, family size and level of participation in collective activities and meetings. A conscious effort was made in the selection process to include residents from particularly marginalised groups, including older persons, persons without fixed income, young people and women-headed households. Fifteen per cent of the families had already been evicted from their homes as a result of the gentrification process currently taking place.

The project comprises a multi-use group of buildings that, in addition to the 181 one-, two- and three-bedroom housing units, includes a playground, communal areas (library, community bakery, training restaurant, internet room, multi-sport area, outdoor grill, etc) and commercial units on the ground floor. From the beginning, residents have been at the centre of the process, from the initial negotiations and mobilisation to collaborating with the architects through a participatory design and planning process, working in the construction through a system of mutual aid alongside skilled construction workers contracted by the ACC, and managing the project resources during the implementation phase.

Covering costs

Total project costs are US$5.66 million and funding has been obtained from two main funding streams of the CAIXA Federal Development Bank: ‘Crédito Solidario’ (phase 1) and ‘Minha Casa Minha Vida’ (phase 2), with counterpart funding received from local and state government agencies:

  • US$3.5 million in CAIXA federal funding (US$1.7 million for phase 1 and US$1.8 million for phase 2).
  • US$1.5 million counterpart funding from the São Paulo state housing agency (CDHU).
  • US$500,000 counterpart funding from the City of Santos.
  • US$150,000 in residents’ contributions in the form of labour.
  • US$12,700 was provided by the UNDP for the recreational areas for children.

In addition to contributing with their labour, self-management of the resources and construction process, residents make monthly repayments which are linked to income (ten per cent of income, or a minimum of US$25 per month, over a ten year period).

Impact

  • The experience has already had an important impact, both for the residents who have been actively involved throughout the process and for other grassroots groups around the country due to the enabling policies and legislation that have been created as a result of the experience. As a result of pressures mobilisation of these groups, national legislation has been approved that enables other community-based organisations and social movements to access federal land for housing construction. The ‘Concessão de Direito Real de Uso’ [Concession of full rights to the use of land / CDRU], now allows land to be handed over to the community for social housing purposes, giving it exclusive use of the land for a period of 99 years (renewable).
  • Residents have been trained in building construction and self-management of resources and have been able to access employment opportunities and set up their own small businesses. Two social enterprises, including a community bakery and jewellery-making business, are already running.
  • The project has succeeded in mobilising a diverse group of people who previously felt a sense of hopelessness. Community meetings went from having 15 persons in attendance to over 300 people currently participating.
  • The ACC has become a national example of struggle and victory for grassroots groups facing difficult situations and many other similar groups from around the country have learnt from the experience through direct exchanges and training carried out by the ACC.
  • The project is directly benefiting 800 cortiço residents (181 families) with the construction of new housing units.

 

Why is it innovative?

  • Partnership between a community-based organisation and government agencies at local, state and national levels.
  • The ACC was the first community-based organisation in the country to secure federal land through the CDRU as well as funding for housing construction through the Minha Casa Minha Vida programme, paving the way for other similar organisations.
  • Fully self-managed process, with residents involved in all decision-making, planning, resource management, execution.
  • Incorporation of environmentally sustainable features in a community-led mutual help housing project.

 

What is the environmental impact?

  • This project represents a first step towards improving overall environmental conditions in the historic city centre.
  • Conventional building materials have been used in the project, most of which are locally sourced. Recycled materials have also been used in construction, including recycled timber and roofing tiles made of recycled Tetrapak and toothpaste tubes.
  • In addition to providing safe drinking water and energy to residents previously living in precarious housing conditions without access to adequate services, the project also incorporates a range of environmental features such as rainwater harvesting systems and the use of solar energy for lighting common areas. Exchanges carried out by the ACC with other community groups have led to other housing projects adopting a similar approach.
  • An individual metering system is used to increase awareness of energy use and encourage energy efficiency.
  • A mini recycling centre has been established and environmental education activities are carried out with residents to encourage sustainable living practices.

 

Is it financially sustainable?

  • Funding for both phases of the project has been secured and includes post-occupancy work. Residents are responsible for ongoing management and maintenance.
  • The ACC is in negotiations with local and federal government agencies to obtain land and funding for future projects.
  • Income generation is key element of the project, with three social enterprises established to date, including a community bakery, a jewellery-making enterprise using recycled materials and a training restaurant. Spaces for these and other small businesses are included on the ground floor of the buildings, which are open to the wider community.
  • ACC has obtained funding to support the above income-generating activities from a range of sources, including the state-run energy company Petrobrás, HSBC Institute, Libra Terminais, and CAIXA’s ‘Housing and Citizenship’ NGO.
  • The project is affordable even for those on the lowest incomes. Household income must be less than three times the minimum monthly wage (i.e. approximately US$945 per month maximum). Repayments are linked to income, with residents paying ten per cent of their income in monthly instalments, over a period of ten years.
  • The combination of contributing their labour in the construction process along with affordable repayments has enabled families who would never previously have had the means to do so to have access to decent housing.

 

What is the social impact?

  • One of the aims of the ACC is to reduce the extreme social and economic inequalities prevalent in Brazilian society and to ensure access to land, housing and employment for low-income groups.
  • The project approach and mutual help construction process promote the values of solidarity and cooperation, prioritising collective action and social integration. Social inclusion is a key priority of project and residents include traditionally excluded groups, promoting the participation of all with the same rights and responsibilities, regardless of any social, ethnic or cultural differences. Women are active in leadership roles within the ACC and 80 per cent of the property titles are in the names of women.
  • All decision-making is carried out in Assemblies and residents work together at all stages of the process. The experience has brought together residents from different backgrounds and helped to create strong social networks.
  • Residents have gained skills in construction, community organising, dealing with social and legal aspects, procurement and financial management through the self-managed mutual help housing process. The three social enterprises that have been created involve a strong training element, and training is also provided in areas such as non-violent communication and human values.
  • Residents are empowered to take a leading role in the process, acquiring knowledge and experience. They have successfully lobbied different branches of government.
  • The process of self-management and collective production confirms the sense of belonging, increases self-esteem, provides greater security and enables residents to subsequently address other problems they may be facing.
  • ACC members have attended international events and exchanges, and the skills and abilities of other grassroots groups have increased as a result of these.
  • The project provides decent, safe and sanitary living conditions, in contrast to living conditions in the tenements. Monthly workshops are carried out with residents and healthcare professionals, with a view to preventing some of the more prevalent diseases in the area including HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, STDs, hepatitis and others.

 

Barriers

  • A company that was contracted to work with the residents in the first phase of the project did not fulfil its contract, leading to a one year delay until the matter could be resolved. Despite this setback, the first phase of the project is now nearing completion.
  • The counterpart funding from the municipal government was only received in late 2012. Given the fact that the project is located in an area where land speculation is high, the local government had limited interest in being a partner in the project. Through various demonstrations and negotiations, the ACC was finally able to obtain the promised funds.

 

Lessons Learned

  • The key lesson learned is that no matter how long it takes it is important to never give up on your dreams. The struggle has taken several years, people have come and gone, but the dream was kept alive until the goal was realised.
  • It is important to study all of tools that are available to help to secure funding and maximise the resources available.
  • Regarding the process itself, a key lesson is that working with people requires care and understanding – it is important to recognise that diversity enriches rather than divides.

 

Evaluation

Regular monitoring is carried out both by the ACC (on a monthly basis), as well as by the CAIXA Federal Development Bank.

 

Transfer

The project has received considerable local media coverage as well as featuring in two national TV programmes. Short films and documentaries have also been produced and many visitors have come to see the project, including grassroots groups, community leaders, international visitors and university students.

The project was extended to include a second phase, with the additional 68 units that are currently under construction.

The ACC is in negotiations with the Federal Assets Secretariat for more areas to be allocated both for new construction and the renovation of historic properties for social housing purposes, to help address the demand. Advanced talks are underway for the concession of an area of 100,000m2 to the ACC.

The ACC has carried out a number of workshops and exchanges with other communities to transfer knowledge and tools, and a blog has been created to share the experience more widely.

The ACC is currently advising two other community based organisations in the city who have secured land on which to build approximately 500 housing units.

The work of the ACC has led the Mayor of Santos to announce that further projects will be carried out in central areas to provide housing for low-income families. Funding is currently being sought for a comprehensive programme to transform historic buildings in the city centre into housing for low-income families currently living in cortiços.

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Fundació Mies van der Rohe Barcelona
World Habitat

Bathroom, kitchen and laundryin housing production: prefab wet cell-unit design for building retrofit

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Bathroom, kitchen and laundryin housing production: prefab wet cell-unit design for building retrofit

Mismatches
Urban Design
Promotion and production

Main objectives of the project

Date

  • 2021:

Stakeholders

  • Natalia Maria Gaspar
  • Paulo Eduardo Fonseca de Campos
  • FAUUSP — Faculdade de Arquitetura e Urbanismo da Universidade de São Paulo

Location

Continent: South America
City: Altamira
Country/Region: Brazil

Description

The Prefabricated wet cell-unit is a compact plumbing core. It is composed of panels and countertop of sink produced in micro-high performance reinforced concrete (HPC) and coated with epoxy paint and connected to each other by welded metal inserts – the HPC also alows covering the panels with tiles. Other elements, such as sanitary ware and accessories, PEX plumbing pipes, window frames and electrical installations are commonly found on the market. This Prefab Wet Cell-Unit for Housing Retrofit was thought as a cost-downsizing agent in housing production-process with the retrofit of old vacant building (like the ones located at the downtown of big brazilian cities, e.g. São Paulo’s downtown). The units will be moved to the aimed building by truck and will be elevated by cranes for getting inside the apartments. By using the prefab wet cell units, the apartment interiors are likely to be more flexible to the family needs, besides the fact that the unit will make faster the retrofit process. Therefore, having a more rational and industry-standard building site, it is expected decent working conditions, which will impact better incomes for the workers and formal, legalized jobs in the construction industry. The wet cell-unit can also be a relevant agent in the complete using of the land stock and in the infrastructure of the big brazilian cities.The Prefabricated wet cell-unit was selected in 2021 to be part of the exhibition “An architecture and urban planning guide to the 17 UN sustainable development goals”, organized by Instituto de Arquitetos do Brasil – IAB as part of the closing activities of the 27th UIA Congress 2021 Rio de Janeiro. Available at www.iabsp.org.br/exposicao_ods_iab_uia_2030.mp4 and at www.iabsp.org.br/guia_iab_agenda_2030.pdf. It was shortlisted at the International Award for Architecture Diploma ACXT/IDOM 2009 3rd Edition – promoted by ACXT Architects/IDOM Consulting Engineering Architecture. Available at tinyurl.com/acxtidom. And it was awarded silver winner in the Student category of the IDEA Brasil Award 2010. Available at tinyurl.com/ideabrasil.

The unit was proposed as a way to answer some important questions raised from the low-income housing production, especially the building retrofit aimed at social housing purposes:

It should be industrially prefabricated, gathering more working hours at the factory than in the building site, guaranteeing better and more comfortable conditions for the workers.
Having its cost in mind, the units should be compact for better horizontal movement (factory to building site track) and better vertical movement (by the cranes)
An easy plumbing installation (in-out water) and easy ways for keeping and fixing the unit were thought as design principles.
Minimum interference in the retrofitted building structure.
Unit compactness: use little direct area and little area next to the unit for circulation aims, when completely installed, as for optimize the apartment area available for other rooms.

Along the design process, we noted that the industrialized production of that bathroom or of that device is attached to the kind of building type, therefore it was selected the following types as a working platform: empty buildings located at the downtown area of big brazilian cities that are aimed at social housing by the use of the retrofit methods.

The bathroom is subject to the same precarious the low-income dwellings are subject to when they are built in self-help programs, along many weekends by their owners, in far away peripheries and urban fringes .The low-income families, subject to all kind of exploitation, can’t buy or rent homes in downtown areas due to real estate speculation over these places and can only live in far distant districts. However, the downtown areas of big cities in Brazil have the high rate of vacant buildings and are provided with an urban infrastructure and transportation means.

By industrializing the building of the house in Brazil, or in the scope of this study, by industrializing the bathroom-kitchen-laundry as a device attached to the apartment to be retrofitted, means not only turning higher the living conditions of low-income classes and making the building conditions of their homes akin to the quality of industrial processes, but also including those low-income families in the most advanced methods of production, guaranteeing the better working conditions and making them able to search for better housing financing programs. And makes them being effective part of the city.

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Social housing and cultural/commercial facilities for riverside communities living in precarious conditions in the city of Manaus, Amazonas – Brazil

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Social housing and cultural/commercial facilities for riverside communities living in precarious conditions in the city of Manaus, Amazonas – Brazil

Main objectives of the project

The project has the objective of providing housing for the impoverished riverside communities of Manaus (Brazil), living in precarious and risky situations.

Date

Stakeholders

  • Architect: Danielle Khoury Gregorio

Location

Continent: South America
Country/Region: Brazil

Description

The research is a criticism of the current production of social housing in Brazil, which creates generic models that ignore the social and cultural particularities of the Amazon region. Emphasizing the importance of rescuing the qualities of vernacular riverside architecture, the project incorporates features in its design familiar to residents of stilt and floating houses. Therefore, it allows the residents to identify with the house while valuing the Amazonian way of life and local knowledge.
Architecture takes shape according to the culture and not the other way around. The way this is done is by elevating the complex from the ground, as a reference to the popular stilt house. A floating floor, that varies in accordance with flood and ebb seasons, is also created, which is a common technique found in floating houses of the region, that allows for a continuous dialog with the local landscape. The housing complex not only offers quality housing but also spaces that foster culture and leisure activities, features essential for human development.

As a result, a sense of community is created and empowered. The access to those activities is intended for not only the residents of the complex, but also the surrounding communities. In that way, the project generates a micro local economy and cultural center for the region. Emphasis was placed on programs associated with job creation, in an educational and cooperative manner, using the local know-how to generate income. In order to reinsert the traditional practice of building fishing boats, a space in the building is reserved for a boat building school. A fruit shop and a fish market are located on the ground floor, incentivizing commerce of locally produced products.Also, a bakery school provides the community the opportunity of learning and working. An Environmental Education Center is created, providing learning spaces that enable educational actions aimed at raising public awareness about environmental issues. The project also holds a canoeing club, which incentivizes physical activities and reestablishes the relationship between men and water. Furthermore, there will be a recycling cooperative, generating employment and income while decreasing the amount of residues discarded in the environment. In addition, the building has ample external spaces, encouraging contact with nature and promoting community life. Aiming environmental sustainability, the project makes the best of available natural resources: the rain water is harvested and utilized in toilets. Sewage water is treated so it does not further pollute rivers and can eventually be reutilized. The solar energy is an alternative renewable energy used to provide electricity to the complex. Thermal comfort is done naturally by the dissipation of heat through cross ventilation. Also, the roof protects the interior spaces from direct rays of sunlight. The main structure of the building is made of reforested wood, which, during growth, absorbs carbon dioxide and generates less residues during construction phase. Furthermore, the building does not touch the ground, causing a smaller impact on the existing land and vegetation.

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