The arts of survival
‘The slum is the measure of civilization’
Jacob Riis
Through trying to understand the severity of ‘slum environments’ we are able to begin to have an ethical stance on the topic of slums.
If western society is able to look from a distance at what has been created or allowed to develop in mega cities, such as Sao Paulo, maybe a twinge of guilt will be felt by western culture. At present it seems that western society has cast responsibility of the existence of the shanty towns on the dwellers that live there. Whereas, Jacob Riis suggests that western culture needs to take the blame for the severe standard of living that is taking place. For, as an ethical society, we should know better than to accept that this type of living exists.
Riis makes an interesting point about ethics which is that shanty towns are a reflection on our ethics and the choices we make as human beings. If we are able to accept and not feel guilt for fellow human beings that live in the mentioned conditions what does that say about our ethics?
How do we get out of this situation?
In the supporting lecture it was questioned whether design is able to help overcome the slum situation. I see the situation as a larger scale issue than design. Problems with less economically developed countries (LEDC’s ) go far beyond town/city planning. LEDC’s economic survival is crucial to whether these particular regions will be able to move out of the slum environment.
This topic is larger than a righteous designer saying how ‘devastating’ the situation is and how they as a designer are going to make a difference. I know this appears a pessimistic view. However, the outlook looks bleak on the subject. This is the difficulty in dealing with a topic as severe as ‘slum environments.’ It is all too easy to say ‘this out of my hands’ as it is also to say ‘make the world a better place’ but that is not to say, let us sit back and do nothing. I may not know of solutions but I know that the current situation is not acceptable to live with.
It was suggested, as Olivier Ward writes, that people began to argue positively for favelas in the class seminar, arguing that there was ‘enjoyment’ in living in such a place or that it would be ‘ok’ because ‘mother earth’ will sort out the situation. I do not believe that either of these suggestions made, were thought about in an ethical manner but it does go to show the extent to which people begin to try and detach themselves from the situation and also end up at ridiculous solutions to the problem.
I know of no answer to solve the problem of slums. It is possible when we look at solving the problem we are actually taking on the entire subject of developing less economically developed countries rather than the one particular aspect of slums. I have not come to any grand conclusion apart from that this is an issue that people need to become ethically engaged with in order for the slum environment to ever be overcome.
Planet of Slums by Mike Davis.
Self interest is why we should help, and why people will. Olivier Ward
Packard, Vance. The Waste Makers (London: Mckay, 1960).Papanek, Victor J. Design for the Real World: human ecology and social change (London: Thames and Hudson, 1995).Hawkins, Gay. Plastic Bags: Living with rubbish (London: Sage, 2001)
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‘We live in the age of the city. The city is everything to us – it consumes us, and for that reason we glorify it.’ Onookome Okome; Planet of Slums Mike Davis
ReplyDeleteOn one of the lectures, we were discussing slums and in what circumstances they come from. We were questioning if slums are the image of wrong design or is it just a Government Issue.
Jennifer gives us a photocopy of a book called Planet of Slums by Mike Davis. First chapter The Urban Climacteric says about globalization and mass urbanization.
‘The earth has urbanized even faster than originally predicted by the Club of Rome in its notoriously Malthusian 1972 report Limits of Growth. In 1950s there were 86 cities in the world with a population of more than one million; today there are 400, and by 2015 there will be at least 550.’ Planet of Slums Mike Davis
The numbers and statistics in this book shocked me. I even started to think that100 percent of the global worming problem is our fault. But that is one of many reasons why we have to live in a world like this and fight for our survival.
Everyone knows that slums are a massive problem in the world. Some people thinks that this is a ‘home’ for poverty, diseases, crime and all sorts of bad influence that not only affects others but also have a impact on economical and political side of the country. Slums are not only a creation of poor people but it is also a shelter for those who have been experience a natural catastrophes such us earthquake, flooding etc.
The question should be how designers and the Government can cooperate together to create better and more affordable places to live. Designers with their sense of aesthetics and financial help from the Government are able to design functional and ‘good looking’ houses or shelters, using materials for example, from destroyed buildings or natural sources, dependent on the country. I know it might sounds very cheesy but people all they care about is the look of their ‘front garden’. That is why designers with association with the local councils and the Government, can change the look and opinion of slums.
‘Everybody wants the same thing, rich or poor… not only a warm, dry room, but a shelter for the soul.’ Samuel Mockbee; 100 Years of Humanitarian Design Kate Stohr
In one way I agree with Sam in his opinion about slums ‘as a larger scale issue than design’. But from the other hand I do not agree with the way of which almost everyone take a ‘back up’ position when solving issues of slums. Sam in his blog entry says, ‘this is an issue that people need to become ethically engaged with in order for the slum environment to ever be overcome.’ It does sound very nice and promising but in the real life people who never experienced life in slums are usually people who are dealing with this problem sitting behind their desk. So saying about ethical way of dealing with slum issue is very far from the truth and much further away from the actual happening.
I would like to finish this thought by using a quote from the 100 Years of Humanitarian Design by Kate Stohr.
‘Systematic substandard housing conditions continue to plague the world’s cities. UN-HABITAT estimates that nearly one billion people (1 000 000 000), a third of the world’s urban population, live in slums. The agency projects that number will double by 2030.’