Z13P14

Korail Slum, Dhaka and its lacking of Centres for social interaction Submitted for the Degree of BA Honours Architecture and Urban Planning, School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape, Newcastle University, 2019-20 Student number : 160733486

AC KN OW L E DGE ME NTS

I personally want to thank my supervisor Daniel Mallo, for guiding me throughout my dissertation and encouraging me to use my full potential. I also want to thank Armelle Tardiveau for helping me from the beginning and being such a motivating tutor. As well as all the tutors who have given me feedback on my dissertation.

Also, my parents and sisters who have been there with me through the peak of my stress and have provided me with moral support.

Last but not least, my gatekeeper and all the residents of Korail slum, Dhaka, who have taken time off from their busy schedules to help me with my research.

CONTENT PAGE Abstract

5

List of figures

6-8

Introduction

9-12

Literature review

13-19

Practice review

20- 25

Methodology

26- 43

Argument

45-49

Design Concept

50-58

Conclusion

59- 61

Bibliography

62-69

Appendix

70

Abstract: Slums have always been a neglected part of the city, where residents are not provided with primary infrastructure necessities. With the growth in urban population, there seems to be no solution for the slum dwellers. One of the fastest-growing and significant slums of Dhaka city, Bangladesh is called Korail slum, which is home to 400,000 people (Choudhury, et al., 2016, p. 12). Research shows that even though NGO’s have helped them with housing and sanitation, this is not enough to address all the issues that the slum dwellers are facing, all at once (Project for public spaces, 2014). Moreover, stakeholders do not consider planning outdoor public spaces, which is said to be vital for slums as it is a “much-needed respite from their crowded housing conditions, for fresh air and recreation” (Bratel, 2016). Hence, the aim is to explore the Korail slum, its infrastructure and absence of social necessities. Moreover, through the findings, recommend a centre of outdoor community interaction space that would be beneficial for residents now and in the future.

5

LI ST O F FI GU RES Figure 1: Location of korail slum (Adri, 2014, p. 84) Figure 2: Korail slum surrounded by residential and business area (Dhaka Tribune, 2019) Figure 3: Context of Korail slums clustered housing (South Asia , 2020) Figure 4: Rickshaw pullers waiting for customers (Author, 2020) Figure 5: Grocery store inside Korail (Author , 2020) Figure 6: Housing condition and environment (Author, 2020) Figure 7: Diagram shows benefits of having great public places around (Project for public spaces, 2018) Figure 8: Types of social capital: Bonding, bridging, and linking social capital (Dufty, 2016, p.6) Figure 9: An illustration showing use of open spaces (Dejtiar, 2018) Figure 10: Streets used for keeping construction materials and parking rickshaw carts (Author, 2020) Figure 11: Streets used for construction materials rather than cleaning it for exercise (Author, 2020) Figure 12: Streets vendors selling icecream at the middle of walkways (Author, 2020) Figure 13: A group of Kenyan, shantytown residents transformed garbage disposable area ( some used as fertilisers) into a community garden.

After three months of hardwork on the garden, the place has completely changed and is now used as food supply by 30 families (The Observers, 2008) Figure 14: Kounkuey design initiative (KDI) conducts workshops with local community, to involve them in work progress and also talk them through any confusion (Tyrrell, 2016) Figure 15: Playground built with recycled timber (Tyrrell, 2016)

6

Figure 16: Jaime Lerner, an architect, urban planner and mayor of Curitiba, Brazil (Jaime Lerner, 2018).

Figure 17: The Garbage that is not Garbage – Green exchange programme (Watch 13, 2014) Figure 18: Quinta Monroy increment housing (Word Press, 2014) Figure 19: Design concept of ventilation system and use of sustainable material (Kere Architecture, 2019) Figure 20: Use of local material and native people working on project in Gando, Burkina Faso (Kere Architecture, 2019) Figure 21: Khondaker Hasibul Kabir (Archnet, 2018) Figure 22: Ashar Macha: the platform of hope (Landscape Architecture for Humanity, 2013) Figure 23: Slum Communal Kitchen Rendering (Shen, 2018) Figure 24: Bird’s View Rendering of Slum and Railway (Shen, 2018) Figure 25- 34: The figures showcases a timeline of images through the route taken, from start to finish, as seen in Korail slum (Author,2020) Figure 35: Korail slum housing and infrastructure plans inspired by Maurice Mitchell’s mapping in Learning from Delhi: Dispersed initiatives in changing urban landscapes (Author 2020) (Mitchell, 2010)

7

Figure 36: Layered map of Korail slum showing Mosque, other religion temples, schools and public water supply (Saima, 2019)

Figure 37: Layered map of Korail slum showing commercial and basic infrastructure. This helps to understand the site in depth as well as give an idea about placement of future infrastructure (Saima, 2019) Figure 38: Expansion of Korail slum from 2001 to 2017 (Noshin & Hasan, 2019)

Figure 39: Density of Korail slum. As houses near river side are cheaper in rent, therefore more dense around those sides as well as near the main road for faster transportto work and school (Albuquerque, et al., 2018, p. 9) Figure 40: Map showing width of roads and pathways in and outside of Korail Slum. As deep inside the paths are towards Korail, the more narrower it gets, specially near the river side (Saima, 2019) Figure for all sub-heading pages: (Chowdhury, et al., 2012, p. 12)

8

I NTRO D UC TI O N

Introduction: The growth in urban population has been rising at an unimaginable rate over the last century and is worse in less developed or developing regions. The increase in population is about 2% annually in less developing nations and 0.5% in developed nations and so it is becoming increasingly difficult for the government to control. This is because the speed of growth in urban population and urbanised land is not proportionate to one another. With the rising cost of accommodations and other essential services, the low-income citizens are struggling to find an affordable home for themselves; leading them to settle in slums after they have migrated to the city (Mahabir, et al., 2016, pp. 399-400).

Figure 1: Location of korail slum

Slums can be defined as “neglected parts of cities where housing and living conditions are appallingly poor. Slums range from high density squalid central city tenements to spontaneous squatter settlements without legal recognition or rights, sprawling at the edge of the cities” (United Nations Human Settlements Programme, 2003, p. 10). In the global south, numerous slums and squatters have been emerging rapidly, and Dhaka city in Bangladesh is no exception to it (Habib, 2009, p. 259).

Dhaka’s largest slum established during 1985 is called Korail slum that expands across an area of 110 acres. People of Korail have been helped numerous times by NGOs such as DSK (Poor Health Centre), BRAC (Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee ) and MSS (Humanitarian Aid Organization) (Adri, 2014, pp. 85-87). They have assisted in building toilets, enhancing living standards, opening schools and care centres, but there has not been produced any work on providing residents with an essential infrastructure which is an outdoor public space.

10

This essay will elaborate on Dhaka’s most significant slum called Korail and its lacking of centres for social interaction. Most developers or NGOs do not consider planning public space as more emphasis is given towards housing and wellbeing. Although that is important, however, it is also stated that open space is vital for slum citizens as it is a “much-needed respite from their crowded housing conditions, for fresh air and recreation” (Bratel, 2016).

Centres for social interaction is believed to help increase social capital, civic identity and enhances daily lifestyle as well as wellbeing (UN-Habitat, 2014, p. 10).

The aim is to explore the Korail slum, its infrastructure and absence of social necessities. Moreover, through the findings, recommend a centre of outdoor community interaction space that would be beneficial for residents now and in the future. The essay will research on the characteristics of Korail slum dwelling, their daily struggle, as well as the infrastructure absence. Moreover, what is the necessity for outdoor social interaction space and how will it enhance slum identity and lifestyle. Lastly, to what extent is social interaction space is going to be beneficial for slum dwellers.

Background about South Asia and Dhaka: South of Asia has an estimated population of 1.7 billion people who are packed into “densely populated megacities” (Ahmed, 2018, p. 403). Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh and has a population of 12 million (stated in 2007).

The estimated population growth is increasing rapidly as 300,000 to 400,000 people from the rural areas are annually migrating to the city in search of better work and living situations. In 2005, a report stated that Dhaka city within itself has more than 5000 slum settlements which is nearly 40% of the city’s population (Choudhury, et al., 2016, p. 12)

Context on Korail Slum: One of the most significant and controversial slums in Bangladesh is called Korail slum, which is situated at “the heart of North Dhaka”. It is surrounded by residential and business areas called Gulshan and Banani and located near Mohakhali Bus terminal, which makes it very accessible and therefore, attracts more urban poor (Adri, 2014, p. 85). Korail was first established when it was illegally captured by few Bangladesh telephone and telegraph company employees in 1985 (Choudhury, et al., 2016, p. 13) (Sinthia, 2013, p. 702).

During 1988/89, the employees started to rent out houses, and thus attracting low-income citizens to come and settle. The location of Korail and its residential surrounding opened thousands of job opportunities for poor residents, and by 1992-95, Korail had fully emerged into a slum (Adri, 2014, pp. 85-86). Korail covers approximately an area of 95 acres to 100 acres (4km2) and is divided into four main sections by the resident, so it is easier for the dwellers to understand the site better (Choudhury, et al., 2016, p. 14)

Figure 2: Korail slum surrounded by residential and business area

Figure 3: Context of Korail slums clustered housing

11

Population and Housing Characteristics Korail has more than 40,000 poor dwellers residing in several small and vulnerable houses. Residents are mostly uneducated with minimum to no skills leading them to work in labour-intensive employement such as rickshaw pullers, construction workers, domestic helpers and garment workers (Choudhury, et al., 2016, p. 14). Unfortunately, they are not rewarded with a high salary but only with 2000 to 4500 taka( £20-45) a month (Guy & Jabeen Huraera, 2015, p. 309). The low income and high rents make it difficult for these individual to save up for future housing development; therefore, they are settling into 1-bedroom houses, crammed between numerous other houses. The sizes of the rooms are somewhat 80-100sq feet and are built from corrugated iron sheet, structured by bamboo or timber posts (Jabeen, 2012, pp. 130-131) (Adri, 2014, pp. 85-87).

As stated previously, there are few NGOS’s who have built public toilets, schools and medical centre for the residents to have a better lifestyle and future (Choudhury, et al., 2016, p. 14). Some of the more prominent NGOS’s are BRAC (Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee), MSS (Humanitarian Aid Organization) and DSK (Poor Health Centre) (Adri, 2014, pp. 85-87). Although the areas have numeral infrastructures, it lacks in providing the residents with social interaction spaces or hubs which are essential as they work as a “catalyst for slum upgrading in developing countries” (Cantada, 2015)

12

Figure 5: Grocery store inside Korail (Author , 2020)

Figure 4: Rickshaw pullers waiting for customers (Author, 2020)

Figure 6: Housing condition and environment (Author, 2020)

LITERATURE REVIEW

Isabel Cantada, in her article “Why public space planning is vital to improving slums” states advantages and future expansion of public spaces in slum prone areas. Few privileges of public spaces are (Cantada, 2015):

Literature review: Slums are often helped with housing, but it has been argued that it is more important to provide them with outdoor interaction spaces as that will help them “address many issues at once.” (Project for public spaces, 2014). As more people are migrating to the city, it is becoming significantly essential for citizens to access an amiable and versatile public space. Specifically, citizens such as elderly who require more physical activity, single parents, children to play and low-income slum residents with unpleasant living circumstances.

Furthermore, the housing and its neighbouring environment of the slum residents are not up to the living standards in terms of “quality and comfort” (UN-Habitat, 2014, p. 18). Hence, they require communal spaces to enhance their living situation. Plus, for relaxation and leisure and most importantly socialising with other slum residents (UN-Habitat, 2014, p. 18).

• • • • • •

Centres for social interaction and cultural expression; Drivers of economic development and wealth creation; Improved health, accessibility and safety; Environmental sustainability; Increased citizen involvement; and The perceived sense of ownership or tenure

Urban theorists have been emphasising on outdoor public spaces in planning for decades now. Jane Jacob (1961), in her book, advocates that citizens should fully take advantage of neighbourhood parks and sidewalks as it generates diversity and promotes citizen interaction in a city (Jane, 1961).

Unfortunately, slums do not have formal space for social interaction and hence have been excluded from the services of a proper public realm (Bystedt, 2011, p. 2).

Figure 7: Diagram shows benefits of having great public places around (Project for public spaces, 2018)

14

Centres for social interaction and cultural expression Communal spaces are often referred to as “The poor man’s living room” (Habitat III, 2015, p. 3) as it is a getaway for the underprivileged residents of slums as well as a way of “recreation, social, cultural and economic development” (Habitat III, 2015, p. 3).

Outdoor public spaces in slums can be a great way to socialise with the community and formulate a foundation of their identity (UN-Habitat, 2014, p. 13). Socialising spaces in such busy, cluttered areas can also promote equity and social inclusion that slums lack due to the absence of communal spaces (UN-Habitat, 2014, p. 19).

Urban spaces that are designed to promote social activity have the potential to drive a large sum of people together to socialise collectively. Akram M. Ijla states that “This interaction gives these public spaces the ethical and aesthetic power to build the social capital that underscores the stability of society, ............. without destroying the uniqueness of any group” (Ijla , 2012, p. 49). Social capital in slums is a vital component as it signifies having trust within each other, assist each other in need and participate together to achieve something meaningful for the society (Barliana, et al., 2014, p. 180).

Author Lyda Hanifan first acknowledged the term social capital in one of his books published in 1916 that discusses how neighbours came together to work and manage a school (Keeley, 2007, p. 102) (Mpanje, et al., 2018, p. 3). Desire, Pat and Ronan ( 2018) define social capital as “the institutions and relationships that shape the quality and quantity of social interactions in vulnerable urban settings which in the end enhances the community” (Mpanje, et al., 2018, p. 3). Therefore, in Korail were there are over 120,000 citizens (Adri, 2014, p. 86), social capital will help to resolve issues collectively and cooperatively within their community. This will be a space where individuals do not feel overlooked and have the ability to share their views and have intellectual interactions with each other and to help them make their community stronger (Ijla , 2012, p. 50).

Figure 8: Types of social capital: Bonding, bridging, and linking social capital (Dufty, 2016, p.6), Edited by Author (2020)

Figure 9: An illustration showing use of open spaces (Dejtiar, 2018)

15

Improved health, accessibility and safety:

Drivers of economic development and wealth creation:

This benefit of improved health and wellbeing is presumably the most common benefits of them all. Open spaces provide opportunities for dwellers to increase their physical activity through walking, playing sports and meditation. These forms of activities help residents to relax their muscles as well as decrease stress levels, therefore enhancing the spirit of life (UN-Habitat, 2016, p. 18).

A hugely undervalued benefit of social interaction space in informal development is the idea of entrepreneurship and business. For instance, outdoor social space can be utilised to carry out small businesses such as selling fruits, vegetable and more. This space will eventually be a much pleasant and legitimate order of working, rather than in the middle of the valley (as seen in korail site). Eventually, this will create a small hub for vendors to have their space to sell and earn money conveniently and efficiently as a higher number of buyers will be accessible in one space (UN-Habitat, 2016, p. 16).

Accessible multifunctional social spaces are sensed to be more vibrant and diverse, hence appeals numerous people to utilise the space. Therefore, it reduces fear of crime as a higher number of users are present, which makes everyone, especially women, feel safer and protected (UN-Habitat, 2016, p.

18).

Figure 10: Streets used for keeping construction materials and parking rickshaw carts (Author, 2020)

16

Hence, this wealth creation will result in economic development such as efficient circulation systems near the open space, for instance, cycling or walking pathways. Moreover, it will attract civil corporation to develop areas near the public space, hence promoting a better future for the civilians (UNHabitat, 2014, p. 24). Therefore, the use of social space, creating an efficient business purpose and economic development, will be profoundly propitious for the future of Korail Slum.

Figure 11: Streets used for construction materials rather than cleaning it for exercise (Author, 2020)

Figure 12: Streets vendors selling icecream at the middle of walkways (Author, 2020)

Environmental sustainability: As there has been an accelerated growth in population as well as industrialisation, it has resulted in a decline of open spaces. This has created a negative impact on not only the environment but also in people’s wellbeing and lifestyle (Faragallah, 2017). Research has shown that when green space is created and is well designed, more people are attracted to visit as well as reside near that area (Kruize, et al., 2019). Kim and Kwon’s research states that public value and sustainability are interconnected with each other, therefore, to ensure sustainability it is essential to have sustainable public spaces established around (Kim & Kwon, 2018, pp. 1-3). Social spaces often have colourful plants, trees and vegetation for sustainability, aesthetics as well as a source of food supply. Furthermore, residents can do community planting, which will also increase social capital (Birtchnell, et al., 2019, p. 100). This green networks, when correctly placed, will regenerate ecological systems and restore environment connectivity such as wildlife and watercourses and also support biodiversity in urban areas (UN-Habitat, 2014, p. 23).

Another advantage of planting trees is that it saves from floods as green spaces “increases water retention and infiltration and rescue runoff” (Kruize, et al., 2019). As korail slum is built entirely on the water body and have monsoon floods, hence, planting more trees and being more conscious about the environment can help them in preventing from worse floods (Haque, 2015).

It is needed not to overlook the benefits that sustainable public spaces have, as many researchers advocate on using environment-friendly material such as timber and recyclable materials (Kim & Kwon, 2018, p. 16).

Before

After

Figure 13: A group of Kenyan, Shantytown residents transformed garbage disposable area ( some used as fertilisers) into a community garden. After three months of hardwork on the garden, the place has completely changed and is now used as food supply by 30 families (The Observers, 2008)

17

Increased citizen involvement: Involvement of dwellers in the planning of certain infrastructure in the resident’s area has always been praised as a powerful and essential tool.

As this generates further ideas and planners and governance get to be transparent about their work. Cooperation in planning gives residents a boost of empowerment and awareness, which a lot of low-income citizens lack as they do not feel that they are a part of the community. Hence, as planners would now know the necessities and requirements of the society, it will be convenient to incorporate that into the design proposal. Therefore, creating a successful social space as it will feel more personal using the space that was established with the help of residents (UN-Habitat, 2014, p. 21).

Kibera public space project: For example Kounkuey design initiative (KDI) is a community development NGO who has been working in Nairobi, Kenya since 2006, helping and involving citizens to modify and transform polluted and cluttered waterways into clean and “productive public spaces�. KDI initiative of providing with basic amenities merged with citizen involvement, if implemented in Korail will give the residents a sense of empowerment and will make their daily life a lot more comfortable and stable (UN-Habitat, 2014, p. 22).

Figure 14 : Kounkuey design initiative (KDI) conducts workshops with local community, to involve them in work progress and also talk them through any confusion (Tyrrell, 2016)

18

Figure 15: Playground built with recycled timber (Tyrrell, 2016)

The perceived sense of ownership or tenure: Most slum upgrading projects have the mission of earning the rights for the dwellers to formalise and legalise their land, but this system takes years to accomplish. This leads to an unfinished cycle of upgrading the slum housing but not finalising legal documents and property registration through the system.

Eventually, the slum residents do not invest in refurbishing their houses, as they believe it would not be worth the effort for the long term (Banerjee , et al., 2012, pp. 20-21).

Research done by World Bank in collaboration with MIT shows that when community public realm is developed, it gives residents a sense of gratification in living in an upgraded area. Therefore, they invest more in their houses and surroundings, which further outcomes into an attractive looking society (Bystedt, 2011, p. 17).

However, reports also show that constructing streets or developing social interaction spaces can trigger private developers in investing in residential improvements. This creates a “foundation for future legalisation and regularisation of land tenure” (Banerjee , et al., 2012, p. 21) and therefore making the dwellers feel more secure in their own space, giving them the sense of ownership.

As Isabel Cantada says, “slum communities are complex and integral to the urbanisation process”. Hence, building and developing public spaces such as parks, market space and multifunctional hubs could be a way of including slums with the rest of the city; as of now, they are excluded from the community.

This public space will be an opportunity for slum residents to communicate and learn through the process of making public spaces and improve their future developments (Cantada, 2015).

19

PRACTICE REVIEW

Jaime Lerner: Curitiba, Brazil’s 3-time mayor, Jaime Lerner, is an architect and urban planner and has led several urban revolutions for the city. His planning and development for public spaces, transportation and environmental projects have made the town widely renowned (Jaime Lerner, 2018). His vision was to develop a masterplan that would be not only beneficial for the city at present but also revolutionary in the future. Therefore, he increased land use by establishing more parks, expanded green spaces and came up with ideas of recycling waste (Global site plans- The Grid, 2017).

One of the examples of his development work was a recycling program called the “Garbage that is not Garbage – Green exchange” where in exchange of recyclable waste, they were providing citizens with public transport passes, food, education, and jobs. This exchange program shows how “to use resources creatively to help bring greater sustainability to its residents” ((Global site plans- The Grid, 2017). Hence this type of recycling programs in Korail slum will be beneficial for the dwellers as well as the environment as most of the empty spaces are filled with garbage. The more clean and open spaces they have, the further they can use it for widening paths and increase green spaces to enhance environmental sustainability.

Figure 16: Jaime Lerner, an architect, urban planner and mayor of Curitiba, Brazil (Jaime Lerner, 2018).

Figure 17: The Garbage that is not Garbage – Green exchange programme (Watch 13, 2014)

21

Alejandro Aravena: Pritzker award winner Alejandro Aravena is an architect from Chile. His first development called the “Elemental: a do tank” focuses on projects that are related to housing, public spaces and transportation (The Pritzker Architecture Prize, 2019).

His project Elemental Iquique (2003) was in Northern Chile, where he had to redevelop housing for 93 families who have been squatting in that area for more than 30 years. Through finding housing issues and involving residents in several workshops and developments, his project finally succeeded (John Wiley & Sons Ltd., 2011). His construction concept was to focus on the mass of the houses, kitchen and bathroom. Later the residents can add details into it depending on their taste and necessity (Spatial Agency, 2019). This type of production technique is called “incremental construction” where the owner can add on and finish the final product (Murray, 2016).

Hence this scheme of developing the mass and leaving it to the residents to decide what they want to do with that space gives slum dwellers a lot more freedom. For an outdoor public area, residents can use the space for multiple purposes rather than having a fixed use of the whole space, depending on the person needs and affordability.

Figure 18: Quinta Monroy increment housing (Word Press, 2014)

22

Francis Diebedo Kere: Francis Diebedo Kere is a West African architect who is widely known for his construction methods and work for his community in Burkina Faso (Kere Architecture, 2019). He uses his knowledge that he gained from his studies in Germany and combines it with traditional techniques, affordable and local materials and involving native labours.

Therefore, the community will have a connection towards the project, and it will make them appreciate the structure more.

In addition to this, during the process, they will feel a sense of empowerment and will learn specific techniques that can be useful for their future infrastructure development (Goodwin, 2013) (McGuirk, 2010).

Figure 19: Design concept of ventilation system and use of sustainable material (Kere Architecture, 2019)

Hence his use of local, accessible material and constructing the structure with the help of native people is a method that can be executed in Korail slum future interactive space developments.

Figure 20: Use of local material and native people working on project in Gando, Burkina Faso (Kere Architecture, 2019)

23

Khondaker Hasibul Kabir: A Bangladeshi landscape architect and professor name Khondaker Hasibul Kabir has been well known because of his sustainable design work as well as his passion for helping slum citizens. In 2007, he decided to move personally in Korail slum, to understand the insufficiencies of the dwellers so that he can build a community space from his findings.

He then proposed “Ashar Macha: the platform of hope� (Bengal Institute, 2020) and with the help of his friends, he built it at the edge of Gulshan lake (Khan, 2015). The pavilion was made of bamboo and attached with strings and had plants and shrubs placed beautifully around to make it more welcoming and aesthetically pleasing. Adults and children alike loved it, as it had a section with books to read and a platform for kids to play (Davies, 2012).

Figure 21: Khondaker Hasibul Kabir (Archnet, 2018)

Unfortunately, due to flood risks in 2012, it had to be taken down (Khan, 2015).

Although the platform was small, it was made with simple material so it can be replaced easily wherever the dwellers desired to build it (Davies, 2012). This essence of repetition of materials, structure and different use of space can be highly effective for the Korail slum dwellers new developments.

24

Figure 22: Ashar Macha: the platform of hope (Landscape Architecture for Humanity, 2013)

Qi Shen: Air, water, slums- urban environmental health research and slum communal kitchen conceptual design for Dhaka – Award-winning conceptual design in FuturArc 2016 (BCI Asia) is a multifunction communal space, designed by Qi Shen, which showcases solutions for issues that slum members encounter in Dhaka. In his research report, he describes the lives and living situations of Dhaka slum dwellers.

Figure 23: Slum Communal Kitchen Rendering (Shen, 2018)

He critically discusses the pollution and environmental conditions in the slums that occur due to congestion, garbage and lacking clean water. He there on proposed a “mobilized, modularized and materially localized kitchen” which is constructed with affordable material such as bamboo structure and corrugated iron sheet (Shen, 2018).

Each structure will have different purposes such as biomass cooking, biogas cooking and rainwater collected in the tank and underground purification pool (Shen, 2018). As this design has been built focusing on slum dwellers, a similar approach being installed in Korail slum would be practical and beneficial for the residents. This design can be changed and played around with scale depending on spatial area, requirements and affordability.

Figure 24: Bird’s View Rendering of Slum and Railway (Shen, 2018)

25

METHODOLOGY

Methodology The research method chosen for this essay is the qualitative method which “emphasises on words” and analyses on user’s environment and lifestyle through interviews and mappings of the area (Bryman, 2004, p. 266). Whereas quantitative research focuses on data analysed in numerical form (Bryman, 2004, p. 62).

To understand the issues and lacking slum dwellers experience and additionally find out in-depth information’s from the residents, qualitative research would be highly beneficial. The site for the case study is called Korail Slum, which is situated at the heart of Dhaka, Bangladesh. The fieldwork has been conducted using the study done beforehand on ethnography and creative mapping.

Ethnography refers to a data collection approach where the researcher is fully submerged in their research area to be able to collect authentic and exclusive information about history and lifestyle (Bryman, 2004, pp. 267268). Alan Bryman, in his book “Social research method” talks about “micro ethnography” which is often a research route taken by many students. In micro ethnography, the researcher concentrates on a particular topic and monitors the area for a short period, usually a couple of weeks. This is a more helpful method for a more structured research topic (Bryman, 2012, p. 433). Along with ethnography, underneath qualitative research, there are also qualitative interviewing, focus group, language-based approaches and collection of texts and data which helps to analyse and find information in many different ways (Bryman, 2012, p. 383).

Another approach that has been taken for the research is called creative mapping. James Corner explains creative mapping as a process where we try to find the elements that are hidden in the site, and once we discover them, we try to represent them in a method that conveys the reader a story (Amoroso, 2010). He further states that “mapping is a fantastic cultural project, creating and building the world as much as measuring and describing it” (Corner, 1999, p.213). For architecture, mapping is a way to showcase the “transformations and effects” that has occurred due to an event and how it changed the region (Awan, 2011, p. 203). Awan 2011 talks in her article of how mapping and use of diagrams “are a fundamental part of methodology” (Awan, 2011, p. 216). It helps to map out the site, essential infrastructure in the area as well as help to identify future site developments (Awan, 2011, p. 216).

James Corner also states that, layering is a new type of method for mapping that has been widely used by urban and landscape planners. This includes layering individual maps and information’s one on top of another to produce a rich and heterogenous map surface. When all the information’s are overlaid together, “a stratified amalgam of relationship” appears amongst all of them (Corner, 1999, p.235).

Although the site is relatively public and can be accessed easily, it is quite crowded and has lots of in-between narrow lanes which makes it difficult to situate the ins and outs of the slum on the first visit. Getting access in a slum for ethnography could be a difficult step, but it is one the most key and effective way to get data (Bryman, 2012, p. 433). Therefore, I have consulted a residence of Korail who has been residing there for 15 years and was kind enough to show me around. It is said that having a gatekeeper can result to a smoother and informative field visit as they can tell us information’s which are hidden and can be extremely useful (Bryman, 2012, p. 435). I have done this fieldwork two different times, once during summer 2019 (July) and again during winter 2019 (December) with similar approaches.

27

Slum visit and experience: I visited the slum early in the morning around 8:30 am as most people start going to work around 9:30/10 am. As I entered, I saw a line of rickshaw pullers standing with their rickshaws, waiting for customers. Gradually the slum lane began to get a narrower as we ventured further in and it seemed like a small city itself as there were small grocery shops, tea stalls, clothing stalls and more.

As we walked, we noticed an NGO school called Educo school and students running from different directions, hurrying towards school. Interestingly, people were starting their day buying fresh fishes and vegetables just in the middle of the street. Right after all the shop lane, we entered through another lane which started the pathway of houses. The houses looked fragile and were constructed with flimsy wood wrapped with corrugated tin, and some had an earthen floor as well. On our way, we also came up to another NGO establishment, a Community palliative care centre called “Compassionate Korail” built by Worldwide hospice palliative care alliance, London, Uk and Bangladesh medical university.

28

F 25: Korail entrance

F 26: Tailor shop inside korail

F 27: Educo school

After that, we entered a very narrow lane which is the most common types of lanes in Korail. We then went into the gatekeepers house, and I was surprised to see how clean and tidy everything was. The room had green coloured walls with a bed, television, fridge and a few storage units. He told me that because of his and his wife’s job; they have saved enough to live comfortably here. I questioned why he is not shifting somewhere better with the money that he has saved; he said that it is closer to his and his wife’s workplace plus with kids’ school being close as well, this is the suitable area for them to reside.

Although I could see, most of the houses being clean and sorted, the lanes had pockets of garbage, many water pipes laying around as well as bamboos and broken bricks here and there. Most of the residents had a kitchen and toilet in the courtyard, which was shared with other families.

We walked back through the small lanes leading to wide ones, glancing through the houses and busy shops, listening to folk music being played through the radio and walking out of the slum. To wrap up the experience of the slum, I took a rickshaw ride back home and, in that way, I was also able to talk about Korail and its lacking social spaces with the rickshaw puller as well.

F 28: Fish being sold in middle of street

F 29: Narrow pathways

I have drawn plans and elevations of the houses and small things that I wanted to remember that has all the procedures and occurrences that have happened (Bryman, 2012, p. 447). During the first site visit, I talked with a few residents, trying to get answers to my research questions, but I was facing a few obstacles.

The obstacle was, even though I was able to wander around the slum, there were not many people available to converse regarding my dissertation. That is because everyone in the morning is rushing to finish cooking and showering, to head towards work. Most residents do not have specific weekends, and they all return from work around 9/10 pm which would be risky for me to go in the slum for research.

Hence after talking to a few residents as well my gatekeeper about this issue, they suggested a questionnaire would be easy for them as they can fill it in in their own leisure time. Hence, I prepared a semi-structured questionnaire (The questions were typed in Bengali to make it easier for them to answer ) which is a type of qualitative data collection strategy that includes prearranged but open-ended questions. This helps the interviewee to get the context of the research but can answer with their own opinion (Given, 2008). Additionally, if residents were free when given or taken the questionnaire, I could have a longer more unstructured interview with them regarding their answers as well as their experience and issue in Korail. (Bryman, 2012, p. 473).

F 30: Gatekeepers house

F 31: Kitchen area in courtyard

One of the limitations of qualitative research and semi-structured questionnaire is that not all residents actively volunteered in participating in this research. That is why, out of 40,000 residents (Choudhury, et al., 2016, p. 14), I was only able to get information from 25 people in a short time. Also, as sometimes, residents filled the questionnaire in their own time, few answers were too vague to get a proper result. Although i have tried to discuss those answers with them again, it was still limiting data collection.

The more research was done on Korail slum, the more questions I had regarding my research questions, therefore, I had to do a similar site visit again during winter (December 2019) too with a few changed/new questions. I then went back a couple of times with questionnaires or to walk around in a few spots where people were gathering more to see what they did in their leisure times. The fieldwork helped me to understand and figure out the things that were necessary to map for a better review of the slum as well as future recommendations.

Figures 25 - 34: The figures showcases a timeline of images of the routes taken from start to finish, as seen in Korail slum (Author,2020)

F 32: Front porch filled with garbage

F 33: Housing materiality

F 34: Rickshaw pullers

29

Korail slum housing and shop sections

30

Figure 35: Korail slum housing and infrastructure plans inspired by Maurice Mitchell’s mapping in Learning from Delhi: Dispersed initiatives in changing urban landscapes (Author 2020) (Mitchell, 2010)

31

Figure 36: Layered map of Korail slum showing Mosque, other religion temples, schools and public water supply ( Information taken from Saima (2019) and edited by Author (2020) )

39

40

Figure 37: Layered map of Korail slum showing commercial and other basic infrastructure. This helps to understand the site in depth as well as give an idea about placement of future infrastructure. ( Information taken from Saima (2019) and edited by Author (2020) )

Figure 38: Expansion of Korail slum from 2001 to 2017 ( Information taken from Noshin & Hasan (2019) and edited by Author (2020) )

41

42

Figure 39: Density of korail slum. As houses near river side are cheaper in rent, therefore more dense around those sides as well as near the main road for faster transport to work and school ( Information taken from Albuquerque, et al. (2018, p. 9) and edited by Author (2020) )

Figure 40: Map showing width of roads and pathways in and outside of Korail Slum. Further inside the paths are towards Korail, the more narrower it gets, specially near the river side ( Information taken from Saima (2019) and edited by Author (2020) )

43

44

A RG UM E NT

46

NGO Name

Project Name

Duration/ Establishme nt time

Funding

Project Purpose

Project Output

Project working areas

Description

Major Achievements

Phulki (Spark) (Phulki, 2015)

Phulki education training center.

Support for safer childhood of Girl domestic workers

3 years ( April 2012 – March 2015)

Shapla Neer – Citizens committee in Japan for Overseas support.

To reduce girl child workers and give them the right to enjoy their youth

For girls and women to be more confident and not to be pushed to be domestic worker

Korail Slum under Gulshan police station

1. total 105 girls have participated and graduated 2. 70 students got admitted into higher education 3. Rest have gotten better jobs with higher salary.

DSK- Dushtha Shasthya Kendra (Poor Health Center

WASH = Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (Singha, 2016)

July 2015March 2016

DSK Dushtha Shasthya Kendra (Poor Health Centre

To improve hygiene and sanitation in slum areas

Installing water supplies and toilets to improve their day to day life

19 an d 20 Ward of DNCC, Korail

1. Looking into the current situation of girl domestic workers and finding the issues and needs they have and therefore to solve and provide them with education. As well as extracurricular activities such as cooking, hand stitch, kill training and more for a better future job.

To resolve the safe water and sanitation related problems of poor people of urban some dwellers DSK has been implementing a WASG project in Dhaka, Chittagong and Khulna areas. The project was implemented in 107 selected slums and it will be continued till 2018.

“Moving from extreme poverty through Enhancing Economic Empowerment of Extreme poor household” (Singha, 2010)

3-year project (2009- 2012)

Shiree/EEPa GoB and DFID Partnership

Targeted towards the bottom 10% of extreme poor living in the urban slums in Dhaka who mainly are labors, housemaids, beggers, rickshaw pullers and disabled.

To help them gain a better position in terms of work and lifestyle. To provide with monthly money initially to give them the push and motivation

Korail and Kamrangirchar slums

Addresses the multiple causes of extreme poverty in Dhaka city by enhancing the capabilities of the extreme urban poor to cope with urban life through their household’s economic strategy.

1.Total 1539 households were benefitted from this 2. 31 people graduated from skill training.

3. 100 mothers were helped through their pregnancy.

1311 houses have been benefited because of improved access to safe water and safe drinking water supply.

Improved sanitation has given benefit 498 users and 300 people got health hygiene messages from this project

BRAC Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee

Humanitarian Aid Organization Manabik shahajya sangstha (MSS)

BRAC’s Education (BEP) (BRAC, 2016)

Before 2017

To provide education to young slum dwellers for a better future

Building schools

Korail

To provide education to young slum dwellers for a better future

Pre-Primary schools: 66 Primary schools: 16

Manoshi (Maternal, Neonatal and children health project) (Hossain, et al., 2009)

2009

Health clinics

Korail

For safer and better pregnancy journey for mothers. Also, for health check-ups for mothers, babies as well as disabled people.

Health volunteers: 40 Health workers: 5 Maternity and clinic- 1

Skills development programme (SDP) (BRAC, 2017) MSS care centre (MANABIK SHAHAJYA SANGSTHA (MSS), 2010)

Before 2017

For safer and better pregnancy journey for mothers. Also, for health check-ups for mothers, babies as well as disabled people.

To teach dwellers new skills which can be beneficial for them to get better jobs 1.Manabik Shahaiya Sangstha (MSS) is the oldest NGO, who are working for poverty alleviation, human rights and education

Training

Korail

To teach dwellers new skills which can be beneficial for them to get better jobs

Total skill training learner: 5 people

Care Centre

Korail and more

MSS has care centres in Dhaka opened 6 days a week in not only korail but also in Pirerbag, Keranigoni and Lalbag. They help working mothers with taking care of their kids as well as providing them with educational material, health services and food.

Figure 41 : This shows a table of projects done by more prominent NGO works in the Korail slum. As seen in the table, works have been done on building schools, toilets and care centres. There has not been done any work associated with a place for peoples interaction and relaxation. Therefore, it can be seen that this socialising site of Korail has been neglected or not thought to be important by the stakeholders. (BRAC, 2016) (BRAC, 2017) (Hossain, et al., 2009) (MANABIK SHAHAJYA SANGSTHA (MSS), 2010) (Phulki, 2015) (Singha, 2010) (Singha, 2016)

47

Argument:

Overpopulated shared space: is it favourable or unfavourable?

An essential part of the research is to analyse data found throughout the fieldwork and then identify the patterns. For this study, thematic analysis is the adopted approach taken. Braun and Clarke describe thematic analysis as “a method for identifying, analysing and reporting patterns (themes) within data� (Braun & Clarke, 2008, p. 79). This helps to understand and categorise the repetitive themes found during the analysis of interviews and questionnaires and organise them for a strong argument (Kasali & Nersessian, 2012, p. 5) (Bryman, 2012, pp. 578-581).

Additionally, in the questionnaires, it is essential to have an order in the questions regarding the research topic (Bryman, 2012, p. 473). Firstly, the paper had options to answer their gender, age and occupation so that it helps to get a wide range of opinions from different residents. It was also necessary to know how long they have been living in the slum as that indicated their perception regarding their living spaces. The maximum and minimum number of years living in the slum for the residents was 30 years and three years, respectively. Underneath are a few themes that can be seen throughout the research done on Korail Slum.

Displaced characteristics of housing and kitchen A great number of the people when asked about housing characteristics and ventilation, response to having an 8-9m2 (Adri, 2014, pp. 85-87) size room that includes zero or one small window with 1 or 2 fans. An average of 4-6 people resides in a room, hence leaving little space to walk around. This is an issue faced by many residents which is the problem of space and aeration. Hence most of the day times they keep their doors open, and during interviews, they have raised concerns on how they feel unsafe because of the open door but are helpless. They prefer going for a brisk walk around, but as there is no physical space to go and unwind, they end up coming back to their respective homes.

The questionnaire had a part of questions regarding having attached toilet/ kitchen or not, what issues they face because of it and lastly if any part of their house was modified or built by an NGO. Most of the residents do not have attached bathroom or kitchen, and most of the toilets were built or redeveloped

by NGO’s. Therefore, these infrastructures are placed in courtyard and are shared among few families (from the interview: maximum of 25 and minimum of 3 families). During conversations with them, they stressed how not having a kitchen inside houses can be an issue during monsoon season. Most of the kitchen space has an open roof and is small; therefore, it is congested and challenging to prepare meals when it rains. The maximum number of people do not have access to fresh water as well, hence constrained to drink contaminated water, leading to health issues.

Thus, when outdoor interaction space is suggested for Korail slum, it is needed to keep the issues in mind and suggest a few toolkits or solution for the vulnerable residents. Multifunctional places attract a wide range of people hence less fear of safety as more people are using the place, making everyone feel less uncomfortable (UN-Habitat, 2016, p. 18). Therefore, for Korail slum, interactive space is an option to improve health as well as safety and comfort.

48

Degeneration of social capital bridge

Scarcity of leisure and relaxation area

While asked how the bonding within neighbours and others is, they said it is good but could be better. Most of the issues occur when someone wants to cook, but all of the cookers are occupied, small arguments regarding toilet usage or with the homeowner. As most of the necessary infrastructures are place in the courtyard, therefore, everyone rushes to shower, cook and wash dishes early in the morning in order to leave for work.

During conversations about their activities in their leisure time or after work, they replied that either they go to a small tea stall near their house and hang out with their friends or stay at home. Most women do not feel comfortable going out after sunset, as there are not many lights, posts inside Korail slum; therefore, they feel safer staying home. During the daytime, they will go to their relatives or friends houses inside the slum if they wanted to chat, but other than that they are busy working, cooking or taking care of their kids.

This results in struggling to get space land so seads to arguments with neighbours. As they see each other all the time, they do not get a break for a breather. This is an indication to some extent of the lacking social capital which is said to be extremely important in vulnerable population areas (Barliana, et al., 2014, p. 180). That is because social capital creates a bridge between people which helps to create a better community as well as fight a problem together (Claridge, 2004). The decline in social capital can create more issues in slums than expected as well as create discomfort between the community.

Working residents criticise having no space other than their home to exercise as well as relax after a long working day. Mothers state that even though kids play in the streets with their friends, it is not the ideal environment they want their kids to be in. They would prefer a place where mothers can converse with each other, as well as kids, can play, therefore enjoyable for both the parties. Some residents want to plant trees and grow vegetables in their free time, but all the open spaces have been used for garbage disposal. One of the residents have said “where will we plant? We do not have enough space to walk around in the slum even� (Birtchnell, et al., 2019, p. 93).

As stated before, open spaces create opportunities for residents to increase physical activities and enhance mental health (UN-Habitat, 2016, p. 18). Open spaces can be used in various ways, depending on peoples needs and likings.

49

D ESI GN CO N C E PT

Design concept: Therefore, a design scheme can be proposed, which is affordable, multifunctional and sustainable. The proposal is a tool kit, which has been designed from analysing the information’s found in site visits and the materials used in Korail slum housing. The structure will have multiple possibilities of usage and can be scaled; however, the user wants it to be. The design has also been formulated from the arguments established in literature and practice review.

This design has been inspired by Qi Shen, who holds the second prize in “Conceptual design in FuturArc 2016 (BCI Asia)” as stated in the practice review. The plan showcases solutions for the issues that slum dwellers face daily (Shen, 2018).

Degeneration of social capital bridge

Scarcity of leisure and relaxation area

The design is not only inspired by Qi Shen, but also other architects and planners stated in practice review. In practice review, I have talked about Diebedo Francis Kere, his usage of local materials and native labours as well has Khandakar Kabir usage simple materials such as bamboo and jute strings to built his platform (Kere Architecture, 2019) (Khan, 2015). These factors have been implemented in the design. The design in figure 45 /46 is structured from bamboo, corrugated iron and jute strings. Bamboo is an extensively available material in Bangladesh and does not require much technical expertise. They are robust, durable and provide a sturdy structure for any infrastructure (Rahman, et al., 2017, p. 35) (Hannula, 2012, pp. 45-60). Most of the houses in Korail are made of corrugated steel and wood structure, therefore, it is not only available, but residents know how to use the material for future developments (Mohit, 2012, p. 615).

Architect and urban planner Jamie Lerner always emphases on using available “resources creatively to help bring greater sustainability to its residents” ((Global site plans- The Grid, 2017).

Hence with the help of slum dwellers and constructing the structure using bamboo and strong jute strings, this model can be built into a communal space with different activities beneficial for all the residents (Shen, 2018). This is a similar practice to what Pritzker award winner Alejandro Aravena does in his project Elemental, where they built the mass structure and left it to the residents to choose and customise how they want to use that space (The Pritzker Architecture Prize, 2019), better known as the incremental construction (Murray, 2016).

Displaced characteristics of housing and kitchen

Issues faced by Slum dwellers

Affordable, multifunctional and sustainable Bamboo, corrugated iron and jute strings.

Methods to tackle those issues Help of dwellers Communal space

Different activities beneficial for all the residents

Community interaction and use of space

Figure 42: Flowchart of figuring issues in slums and coming up with design idea (Author, 2020) 51

Customisable design toolkit

Corrugated structure

metal

sheet

for

roof

Jute strings to tighten up the structure

Bamboo structure for sturdiness as well as sustainability

Figure 43: Axo diagram showing construction technique of the bamboo structure and metal sheet as well well the materials used in the model making (Author,2020), inspired by (Shen, 2018) 52

1

2

3

4

Figure 44: Customisable usage of the model (Author, 2020) Customisable Design Usage: 1. First one has an inverted roof, in which the collected rainwater on the roof, can pass through the pipe onto a sink, which helps residents to clean their belongings or wash hands.

2. Second has also an inverted roof, which helps to collect rainwater and with the help of a pipe can fill the water tank 3. The third is also an upright shaped roof, with space for residents to eat food or to wait along with a table.

4. Fourth is an upright shaped roof which serves a biomass stove space so that residents can cook with a shade on top and the small opening at top can filter away the steam produced.

5. Another communal space is made using the same materials in which dwellers can hold meetings or even relax with other dwellers (can be seen in figure 46) 6. The surrounding space can also be used as a community garden and grow vegetables or plant flowers. This will benefit the ecosystem and increase biodiversity (Birtchnell, et al., 2019) (Hansen, et al., 2017) These are only six customisable methods that have been fabricated using the structure. Nevertheless, the possibilities of a new approach with this structure are endless. Customisable is an essential key as space; it is an issue in slum areas. From mapping, I have found the width of the streets, and even from the plan view, it can be seen how congested some of the spaces in Korail slum is. Therefore, dwellers can make this structure depending on the area as well as their needs rather than something unnecessary.

53

Figure 45: Narrative illustration of the usage of design model in context of korail slum (Author, 2020) 54

Figure 46: Narrative illustration of the usage of meeting space design model in context of korail slum (Author, 2020)

55

Model Pictures

56

57

Relation of interaction space and slum residents: While constructing the structure on the site, it is a necessary key for the designer to involve the citizens as it makes them feel empowered and a part of society. Dwellers involvement also outputs a lot of discussions and suggestions that are vital for any planning of infrastructure (UN-Habitat, 2014, p. 21).

Interaction spaces for slum dwellers are a place of socialisation, relaxation, as well as economic development (Habitat III, 2015, p. 3). The public space will have different components to it which will attract more dwellers to use hence more interaction among the residents. This will increase social capital, and the neighbours among themselves will be more comfortable, resourceful and trustworthy (Barliana, et al., 2014, p. 180). Moreover, it can also be a place for street vendors to showcase their items comfortably and not under the hot summer sun. It has been stated that carrying out business in public spaces is a “pleasant and legitimate� way of working and as a higher number of people are around, it helps the vendors to earn money conveniently (UN-Habitat, 2016, pp. 16-24).

Residents have shown concerns during the interview, how if they want to do meeting for an important slum issue, they have to either stand beside roads or in front of tea stalls. This shaded space in figure 46 will be an essential asset for those people concerned for the wellbeing of society. Having a structure like this will help the community to have a sense of ownership as it increases the land value and house owners tend to upgrade and work on their houses as the area dwellings feel more permanent to the dwellers (Banerjee, et al., 2012, pp. 20-21).

58

CO NC LUS I O N

Conclusion: In conclusion, researching and observing into Korail slum through interviews, ethnography and mapping, provided much information regarding housing, living conditions and lack of necessities. Looking back into the characteristic of Korail, it has been found that there are 40,000 low-income dwellers, living in vulnerable houses built of corrugated iron sheets and wood (Choudhury, et al., 2016, p. 14). Most of the residents live in 1-bedroom houses were 4-6 people reside, therefore creating a congested and unattractive environment (Jabeen, 2012, pp. 130-131) (Adri, 2014, pp. 85-87).

Analysing literature reveals how building outdoor interactive spaces work as “catalyst for slum upgrading in developing countries” (Cantada, 2015).

Therefore, it was required to look into the characteristics of Korail slum housing, residents struggle with infrastructures and how can those issues be incorporated within outdoor public space to increase slum identity as well as benefit the slum dwellers.

From interviewing 25 residents of Korail slum has revealed that slum upgrading projects are only focused on providing dwellers with necessary infrastructure such as toilet or water sanitation (Olthuis, et al., 2015, p. 271).

Analysing interviews has further determined that the majority of the houses do not have attached toilet/kitchen and that they are placed in the courtyard. This exclusion of kitchen space has created daily obstacles as well as arguments with other dwellers. Few characteristics of dwellers have shown an extent of social capital lacking that has occurred due to lack of space.

Slums do lack basic necessities, but the issues that have been stacking up in slums cannot be just solved through housing at once. Therefore researching on alternatives have shown that outdoor interaction spaces will help “address many issues at once.” (Project for public spaces, 2014).The toolkit, inspired by Qi Shein’s project showcases a multifunctional social space made with sustainable and available materials (Shen, 2018). It will provide space for kitchen, clean water, table as well as a sink.

60

They are hence improving the lifestyles of slum dwellers significantly. More people using the space will increase social capital and trust within each other (Ijla , 2012, p. 49). Open space will help them mentally and physically as it is going to have space for exercise and meditation. Space can also be used to economic growth purposes, as street vendors can create a space of themselves in there, which results in a legitimate order of earning money space (UN-Habitat, 2016, p. 16).

Additionally, when community public space is developed, it gives residents a sense of satisfaction about their living area. Hence, they start to refurbish their houses, as living around feels more permeant . More people find space for community gardening hence leading to a sustainable and better-looking community (Bystedt, 2011, p. 17). .

Social interaction space will further improve slum identity, as public spaces attract planners and developers to work into future housing developments (UN-Habitat, 2014, p. 24). This leads to people having a sense of ownership as dwellers feel more secured of tenure.

The design plan has not only been inspired by Qi Shen but also other practice reviews such as Diebedo kere, Khondakaer Kabir, Alejandro Aravena and last but not the lease Jaime Lerner. Reflecting on the designed toolkit shows few recommendations such as : • If it was possible to showcase the model to the slum dwellers, to get a review in terms of improvements and changes as they would know better what will work in their slum.

• This toolkit could be discussed with few NGOs to see if they think something like this can work in the slum • To provide the slum dwellers with a manual, therefore, they know how to make and use each model. Find a way to involve NGO; therefore, dwellers get help in term of purchasing materials and construction.

Therefore by looking into the toolkit design, it can be seen that the toolkit does address the issues faced by the dwellers and has a few recommended design to make their life a bit easier. Although slums can be “complex and integral” ( Cantada, 2015), they are a part of our community, therefore, accepting them and upgrading their space will be encouraging and uplifting for all.

61

REFERENCES:

Adri, N., 2014. ‘Climate-induced’ Rural-Urban Migration in Bangladesh: Experience of Migrants in Dhaka City, Royal Holloway,: University of London.

Ahmed, S., 2018. Just Sustainability in the Global South: A Case Study of the Megacity of Dhaka. Sage publications, 34(4), pp. 401-424.

Amoroso, N., 2010. The Exposed City: Mapping the Urban Invisibles. First Edition ed. USA, Canada: Routledge.

Awan, N., 2011. Diasporic urbanism: concepts, agencies & ‘mapping otherwise’, Sheffield, UK: University of sheffield.

Banerjee , B. et al., 2012. Streets as Tools for Urban Transformation in Slums: A Street-Led Approach to Citywide Slum Upgrading, Nairobi: UN-Habitat.

Barliana, S. M., P., D. C. & Paramita, B., 2014. The Urban Quality, Public Space, and Social Capital: Departing from Comparison of Three Cities. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, August, 10(1), pp. 180-190.

Bengal Institute, 2020. Khondaker Hasibul Kabir. [Online] Available at: https://bengal.institute/team/khondaker-hasibul-kabir/ [Accessed 20 February 2020].

Birtchnell, T., Gill, N. & Sultana, R., 2019. Sleeper cells for urban green infrastructure: Harnessing latent competence in greening Dhaka’s slums. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, Volume 40, pp. 93-104.

Birtchnell, T., Gill, N. & Sultana, R., 2019. Sleeper cells for urban green infrastructure: Harnessing latent competence in greening Dhaka's slums. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, Volume 40, pp. 93-104.

BRAC, 2016. Korail, Dhaka: Brac.

BRAC, 2017. Korail. [Online] Available at: http://www.brac.net/sites/default/files/factsheet/2017/urban/Korail-2017.pdf [Accessed 10 November 2019].

BRAC, 2017. Korail-2017, Dhaka: Brac.

Bratel, J., 2016. Thesis Chronicles, Urban informality: Improving open spaces in slums. [Online] Available at: http://colabradio.mit.edu/why-do-slums-need-open-spaces/ [Accessed 11 February 2019].

62

Braun, V. & Clarke, V., 2008. Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), pp. 77-101.

Bryman, A., 2004. Social Research Methods. 2nd Edition ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Bryman, A., 2012. Chapter - 17: The nature of qualitative research. In: Social Research Methods. 4th Edition ed. New York: Oxford University Press, pp. 379-414.

Bryman, A., 2012. Chapter 19- Ethnography and participant observation. In: Social research methods. New York: Oxford, pp. 430-467.

Bryman, A., 2012. Chapter 20- Interviewing in qualitative reasearch. In: Social research methods. New York: Oxford, pp. 468-498.

Bystedt, C., 2011. Public Space Planning as a Catalyst for Dweller Initiated Slum Upgrading: Ahmedabad, India, San Francisco: The University of San Francisco.

Cantada, I., 2015. Why public space planning is vital to improve slums. [Online] Available at: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2015/08/why-public-space-planning-is-vital-to-improve-slums/ [Accessed 10 November 2019].

Choudhury, Z. u. A. et al., 2016. Poverty and Violence in Korail Slum in Dhaka, Bangladesh, UK and Denmark: University of Dhaka, Department of Peace and Conflict Studies.

Claridge, T., 2004. Social capital and natural resourse management: An important role for social capital?, Australia: University of Queensland.

Corner, J., 1999. Agency of mapping: Speculation critique and invention. In: Mapping. London: Reaktion Books, pp. 231-252.

Davies, A., 2012. Creating Public Green Space on a Lake in One of the World's Densest Slums. [Online] Available at: https://www.treehugger.com/urban-design/community-garden-lake-bangladesh-improves-slum.html [Accessed 10 January 2020].

Faragallah, R. N., 2017. he impact of productive open spaceson urban sustainability: The case of El MansheyaSquare – Alexandria. Alexandria Engineering Journ, 57(4), pp. 3969-3976.

Given, L. M., 2008. The SAGE encyclopedia of qualitative research methods, Thousands Oaks, CA: Sage publications.

Global site plans- The Grid , 2017. The Vision of Jaime Lerner for Curitiba, Brazil. [Online] Available at: https://www.smartcitiesdive.com/ex/sustainablecitiescollective/vision-jaime-lerner-curitiba-brazil/253266/ [Accessed 13 November 2019].

63

Goodwin, K., 2013. Meet the architects: Diébédo Francis Kéré. [Online] Available at: https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/article/meet-the-architects-di-b-do-francis [Accessed 15 November 2019].

Guy, S. & Jabeen Huraera, 2015. Fluid engagements: Responding to the co-evolution of poverty and climate change in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Habitat International , Volume 47, pp. 307-314.

Habib, E., 2009. The role of government and NGOs in slum development: the case of Dhaka City. Development in Practice, 19(2), pp. 259-265 .

Habitat III, 2015. HABITAT III ISSUE PAPERS, New York: UN-Habitat.

Hannula, E. L., 2012. GOING GREEN A HANDBOOK OF SUSTAINABLE HOUSING PRACTICES IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES, Nairobi: Un- Habitat.

Hansen, R. et al., 2017. Urban Green Infrastructure Planning: A Guide for Practitioners, Milan: GREEN SURGE. Haque, M., 2015. Flooding in Dhaka City. [Online] Available at: https://uwaterloo.ca/environment/research-stories/sdgs/flooding-dhaka-city [Accessed 20 February 2020].

Hossain, M. A. et al., 2009. Mapping the Healthcare-Market for MNCH Care : The Case of Providers and Facilities of Korail Slum in Dhaka, Dhaka: BRAC. Ijla , A. M., 2012. Does public space create social capital?. International Journal of Sociology and Anthropology, 4(2), pp. 48-53.

Jabeen, H., 2012. The built environment and gender dynamics for asset-based adaptation in urban poor households in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Manchester: University of Manchester, School of Environment and Development.

Jane, J., 1961. The death and life of great americancities. New York: Vintage books.

John Wiley & Sons Ltd., 2011. Elemental : A do tank. [Online] Available at: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/ad.1235 [Accessed 14 November 2019].

Kasali, A. & Nersessian, N. J., 2012. Evidence-based design in practice: a thematic analysis. Revista de Arquitectura, 12(26), pp. 4-10.

Keeley, B., 2007. A Bigger Picture. In: Human Capital: How what you know shapes your life . Danvers, USA: Organisation for economic cooperation and development (OECD), pp. 94-105.

64

Kere Architecture, 2019. Kere Architecture: Projects. [Online] Available at: http://www.kere-architecture.com/projects/project-overview/ [Accessed 16 November 2019].

Khan, S. I., 2015. Beyond Karail. [Online] Available at: https://contextbd.com/beyond-karail/ [Accessed 10 January 2020].

Kim, S. & Kwon, H.-a., 2018. Urban Sustainability through Public Architecture. Sustainibility, 19 April, 10(4), pp. 1-21.

Kruize, H. et al., 2019. Urban Green Space: Creating a Triple Win for Environmental Sustainability, Health, and Health Equity through Behavior Change. Int J Environ Res Public Health, 16(22).

Mahabir, R., Crooks, A., Croitoru, A. & Agouris, P., 2016. The study of slums as social and physical constructs: challenges and emerging research opportunities.

Regional Studies, Regional Science, 3(1), pp. 399-419.

MANABIK SHAHAJYA SANGSTHA (MSS), 2010. MSS- Reports & Publications. [Online] Available at: http://mssbd.org/publications/ [Accessed 18 February 2020].

McGuirk, J., 2010. Profile: Francis KĂŠrĂŠ. [Online] Available at: https://www.iconeye.com/architecture/features/item/4454-profile-francis-kere [Accessed 13 November 2019].

Mohit, M. A., 2012. Bastee Settlements of Dhaka City, Bangladesh: A Review of Policy Approaches and Challenges Ahead. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, Volume 36, pp. 611-622.

Mpanje, D., Gibbons, P. & McDermot, R., 2018. ocial capital in vulnerable urban settings: an analytical framework. Journal of International Humanitarian Action, 3(4), pp. 1-14.

Murray, S., 2016. Half-built homes can ease slums. [Online] Available at: https://www.theigc.org/blog/half-built-homes-can-ease-slums/ [Accessed 15 November 2019].

Olthuis, K., Benni, J., Eichwede, K. & Zevenbergen, C., 2015. Slum Upgrading: Assessing the importance of location and a plea for a spatial approach. Habitat International, Volume 50, pp. 270-288.

65

Phulki, 2015. Project Details. [Online] Available at: https://www.phulkibd.org/projectdetails.php?id=9 [Accessed 18 February 2020].

Project for public spaces, 2014. RESILIENT CITIES THROUGH PUBLIC SPACES AND PLACEMAKING IN URBANIZATION. [Online] Available at: https://www.pps.org/article/from-government-to-governance-sustainable-urban-development-the-world-urban-forum [Accessed 24 February 2020].

Rahman, M. M., W, P., N, S. & S, A. T., 2017. Conservation of bamboo species in a mini urban ecosystem of Bangladesh. Journal of Biodiversity Conservation and Bioresource Management,, 3(2), pp. 35-42.

Shen, Q., 2018. Air, Water, Slums - Urban Environmental Health Research and Slum Communal Kitchen Conceptual Design for Dhaka. [Online] Available at: https://www.qishen.co/single-post/2015/05/22/DHAKA [Accessed 15 January 2020].

Singha, D. D., 2010. DSK ACTIVITY REPORT 2010, Dhaka: Dushtha Shasthya Kendra (DSK).

Singha, D. D., 2016. DSK-Activity Report-2016, Dhaka: Dushtha Shasthya Kendra (DSK).

Sinthia, S. A., 2013. Sustainable Urban Development of Slum Prone Area of Dhaka City. International Journal of Economics and Management Engineering, 7(3), pp.

701-708.

Spatial Agency, 2019. Elemental. [Online] Available at: https://www.spatialagency.net/database/elemental [Accessed 15 November 2019].

The Pritzker Architecture Prize, 2019. Biography of Alejandro Aravena. [Online] Available at: https://www.pritzkerprize.com/biography-ale-jan-dro-ara-ve-na [Accessed 15 November 2019].

UN-Habitat, 2014. Public Space in the Global Agenda for Sustainable Urban Development : The “Global Public Space Toolkit”, Rome: UN-Habitat.

UN-Habitat, 2016. Global Public Space Toolkit From Global Principles to Local Policies and Practice, Nairobi: UN-Habitat.

United Nations Human Settlements Programme, 2003. The Challenge of Slums: Global report on human settlements. London and Sterling, VA: Earthscan Publications Ltd. 66

FIGURE REFERENCES: Figure 1: Adri, N., 2014. ‘Climate-induced’ Rural-Urban Migration in Bangladesh: Experience of Migrants in Dhaka City, Royal Holloway,: University of London.

Figure 2: Dhaka Tribune, 2019. Global Liveability Index 2019: Dhaka named 3rd worst city to live. [Online] Available at: https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2019/09/04/global-liveability-index-2019-dhaka-named-3rd-worst-city-to-live Figure 3: (South Asia , 2020) South Asia , 2020. Engine of Economic Development - Strengthening Local Government and Citizens’ Participation. [Online] Available at: https://southasia.fnst.org/content/engine-economic-development-strengthening-local-government-and-citizens-participation [Accessed 1 March 2020].

Figure 7: Project for public spaces, 2018. What makes a succesful place?. [Online] Available at: https://www.pps.org/article/grplacefeat [Accessed 1 March 2020].

Figure 8: Dufty, N., 2016. A Society-First Approach to Flood Mitigation, Australia: Floodplain Management Australia Conference.

Figure 9: Dejtiar, F., 2018. Gehl: the paradox of planning informality. [Online] Available at: https://www.plataformaarquitectura.cl/cl/889446/gehl-la-paradoja-de-planificar-la-informalidad [Accessed 02 March 2020].

Figure 13: The Observers, 2008. Slum turned vegetable garden. [Online] Available at: https://observers.france24.com/en/20081020-farming-innovations-slum-kenya-biological-farm [Accessed 24 February 2020].

Figure 14: Tyrrell, M., 2016. Kibera Public Space Project. [Online] Available at: https://landscapeaustralia.com/articles/kibera-public-space-project-1/# [Accessed 24 February 2020].

76

Figure 15: Tyrrell, M., 2016. Kibera Public Space Project. [Online] Available at: https://landscapeaustralia.com/articles/kibera-public-space-project-1/# [Accessed 24 February 2020].

67

Figure 16: Lerner, J., 2018. Jaime Lerner, Mayor of Curtiba. [Online] Available at: http://jaimelerner.com.br/en/mayor-of-curtiba/ [Accessed 1 November 2019].

Figure 17: Watch 13, 2014. Mercado de Trueque (Barter Market) – Reference for the project (Phase 3a). [Online] Available at: https://wearethecityheroes2013.wordpress.com/2014/06/02/mercado-de-trueque-barter-market-reference-for-the-project-phase-3a/ [Accessed 2 March 2020].

Figure 18: Word Press, 2014. The benefits of Co-design in the fields of Architecture. [Online] Available at: https://caroisasi.wordpress.com/2014/12/14/the-benefits-of-co-design-in-the-fields-of-architecture/ [Accessed 18 November 2019].

Figure 19: Kere Architecture, 2019. Kere Architecture: Projects. [Online] Available at: http://www.kere-architecture.com/projects/project-overview/ [Accessed 16 November 2019].

Figure 20: Kere Architecture, 2019. Kere Architecture: Projects. [Online] Available at: http://www.kere-architecture.com/projects/project-overview/ [Accessed 16 November 2019].

Figure 21: Archnet, 2018. Khondaker Hasibul Kabir: Co-creation of Communities. [Online] Available at: https://archnet.org/collections/1667/media_contents/139098 [Accessed 2 March 2020].

Figure 22: Landscape Architecture for Humanity, 2013. Ashar Macha (Platform of Hope). [Online] Available at: http://laforhumanity.org/tag/khondaker-hasibul-kabir/ [Accessed 22 February 2020].

Figure 23: Shen, Q., 2018. Air, Water, Slums - Urban Environmental Health Research and Slum Communal Kitchen Conceptual Design for Dhaka. [Online] Available at: https://www.qishen.co/single-post/2015/05/22/DHAKA [Accessed 15 January 2020].

68

Figure 24: Shen, Q., 2018. Air, Water, Slums - Urban Environmental Health Research and Slum Communal Kitchen Conceptual Design for Dhaka. [Online] Available at: https://www.qishen.co/single-post/2015/05/22/DHAKA [Accessed 15 January 2020].

Figure 35: Mitchell, M., 2010. Learning from Delhi Dispered: Initiative in changing urban landscapes. 1st Edition ed. Surrey: Ashgate publishing ltd.

Noshin, P. & Hasan, M., 2019. Re-evaluating public space in urban slum: A case of Korail Basti.

Figure 36: Saima, K., 2019. Master Thesis presentation final. [Online] Available at: https://www.slideshare.net/kanizsaima/master-thesis-presentation-final-149032702 [Accessed 2 March 2020].

Figure 37: (Saima, 2019) Saima, K., 2019. Master Thesis presentation final. [Online] Available at: https://www.slideshare.net/kanizsaima/master-thesis-presentation-final-149032702 [Accessed 2 March 2020].

Figure 37: (Noshin & Hasan, 2019) Chowdhury, S. R. et al., 2012. A survey of the built environment in two Dhaka bustees, Dhaka and Manchester: The University of Manchester: Brooks world poverty institute.

[Accessed 20 February 2020].

Figure 38: (Albuquerque, et al., 2018, p. 9) Albuquerque, D., Yeboah, G., Pitidis, V. & Ulbrich, P., 2018. Towards a participatory methodology for community data generation to analyse urban health inequalities: a multi-country case study. p. 9.

Figure for all sub heading sheet : (Chowdhury, et al., 2012, p. 12) Chowdhury, S. R. et al., 2012. A survey of the built environment in two Dhaka bustees, Dhaka and Manchester: The University of Manchester: Brooks world poverty institute.

Dejtiar, F., 2018. Gehl: the paradox of planning informality. [Online]

69

APPENDIX Interview during winter, December 2019

Interview during summer, July 2019 Male/Female: Male

Age: 30

Occupation: Labour

1. How long have you been living in the slum and how many times have you moved? Any particular reason for moving home?

Ans: 2. What was the first house like and how is the current home (in terms of material and construction)?

Ans: 3. Do you pay rent yourself or does anyone help you with rents?

Ans:

Name: 1.

Ans:

Male/Female

Age:

Occupation:

How long have you been living in the slum?

2.

How big is your home and how many windows and fans do you have in it? How many family members do you live with (adults and children)?

Ans: 3.

Do you have a bathroom and kitchen attached to your house? If not, how many families are you sharing them with?

Ans: 4.

Ans:

Has any part of your home been modified or built by the NGO? If yes how did it help you?

Ans:

5.

Do you all have any public places, open grounds or community hubs in the slums for citizens to get together?

Ans:

5. How many people live in your home (specify children and adults).

6.

4. How big is your house? How many windows and fans do you have in your home?

Ans: 6. Is this your own home or do you have a landlord? Are the landlords good and helpful?

Ans: 7. If this is your own home, what have you changed and what do you want to change in the future (such as more windows, bamboo roofs, etc.)?

Ans: 8. Has any part of your home been modified or built by NGOs? If yes how did that help you?

Ans: 9. Do you have the skills to build a house? If yes, what skills do you have (like brick-breaking, floor-making, bamboo straw, etc.)?

Ans: 10. How can you make your home more affordable and sustainable with reasonable materials?

70

Topic: Creating public space in korail slum, Dhaka to make them a part of community

Ans:

If not, what kind of public place would you prefer?

7.

How do you think public space is going to help the slum and your daily life?

And: Yes, definitely 8.

Ans:

Also How do you think public space is going to help in your day to day life in slum?

9.

Ans:

If a public space is created, would you like to help with the construction?

10.

Do you think it will give people a chance to do good things and people will learn building techniques from it?

Ans: 11.

Will public space make you feel more as a part of the community?

Ans: 12.

Ans:

How is your relationship with your landlord and neighbours?

13.

Ans:

What are your views and opinions on outdoor interaction spaces?