Fascinating article in NYT on a 45 story building in Venezuela that has been taken over by squaters. I find the most interesting part to be how the vertical 'city'/'marketplace' has been created by the inhabitants at their own will
This has been happening in India for decades... probably not as high as 45 levels. And by the amount of abandoned high rise structures I saw in Guangdong province, I am sure it happens there too.
But there's a variety of new public housing projects out there where the local housing authority is building large structures for the sole purpose of encouraging shanty towns and squatting.
They're essentially striped mid-rises and high-rises with floors and utility shafts. The new incoming residents only have to stake a claim of ownership over the floor area they wish to develop.
I think in these areas, the most physically dangerous thing about the slums is their structural defects making them prone to collapse and other failures. So, the idea of providing a the rigid frame makes them somewhat safer as the largest risk has be minimized.
In addition, the fire risk in many slums or shanty downs is greatly reduced because most of them do not rely on burning fuel for light, heat and cooking.
The available of induction cooktops, 'cool touch' space heaters and light bulbs in many of these countries has significantly reduced fire risk.
The adoption of induction cooking in Asia is absolutely amazing. You can now buy small counter top units that are 12" by 12" and only an 1" thick now for less than a $100.
I do not think it is happening in India, in the same way as this example. Squatters occupy flat land in the cities, but the taller buildings are off limits.
this article was shocking. i'd like to contribute something more meaningful to this conversation, but the truth is that this left such a strong impression and so many questions/doubts in my mind that it will be a long time before i come to anything resembling a conclusion.
i once traveled through an area that had been destroyed by a war, and ended up in a wealthy, first-world city. i remember going to a museum where every exhibition had beautifully designed flyers translated into three languages in little pockets attached to the wall. i couldn't get over how much peace, stability, wealth, and societal organization had to exist before such a trivial thing was even possible. not far away, people were carrying dirty drinking water from a river. anyway, i'm going to think about this for a long time.
Skyscraper Squating
Fascinating article in NYT on a 45 story building in Venezuela that has been taken over by squaters. I find the most interesting part to be how the vertical 'city'/'marketplace' has been created by the inhabitants at their own will
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/01/world/americas/01venezuela.html
it's not just for humans anymore [link]http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-12573364[/link]
aaand i forgot how to make the link do the thing. awesome. bottom line: blimey there's a damn fox in the Shard!
This has been happening in India for decades... probably not as high as 45 levels. And by the amount of abandoned high rise structures I saw in Guangdong province, I am sure it happens there too.
I have to find the few examples of this...
But there's a variety of new public housing projects out there where the local housing authority is building large structures for the sole purpose of encouraging shanty towns and squatting.
They're essentially striped mid-rises and high-rises with floors and utility shafts. The new incoming residents only have to stake a claim of ownership over the floor area they wish to develop.
I think in these areas, the most physically dangerous thing about the slums is their structural defects making them prone to collapse and other failures. So, the idea of providing a the rigid frame makes them somewhat safer as the largest risk has be minimized.
Triple post!
In addition, the fire risk in many slums or shanty downs is greatly reduced because most of them do not rely on burning fuel for light, heat and cooking.
The available of induction cooktops, 'cool touch' space heaters and light bulbs in many of these countries has significantly reduced fire risk.
The adoption of induction cooking in Asia is absolutely amazing. You can now buy small counter top units that are 12" by 12" and only an 1" thick now for less than a $100.
I do not think it is happening in India, in the same way as this example. Squatters occupy flat land in the cities, but the taller buildings are off limits.
this article was shocking. i'd like to contribute something more meaningful to this conversation, but the truth is that this left such a strong impression and so many questions/doubts in my mind that it will be a long time before i come to anything resembling a conclusion.
i once traveled through an area that had been destroyed by a war, and ended up in a wealthy, first-world city. i remember going to a museum where every exhibition had beautifully designed flyers translated into three languages in little pockets attached to the wall. i couldn't get over how much peace, stability, wealth, and societal organization had to exist before such a trivial thing was even possible. not far away, people were carrying dirty drinking water from a river. anyway, i'm going to think about this for a long time.
http://www.latimes.com/business/realestate/la-fi-hip-downtown-offices-20150604-story.html#page=1
...SOON
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