Slum rehabilitation

We support deprived area rehabilitation projects by designing the basic spatial structure in
collaboration with the local population, authorities and institutes.

Worldwide more than 1,5 billion people live in slums. The cause of diseases, crime and threat in
these informal settlements is enormous. That’s why many governments struggle with the problems
of the slums. Many non-for- profit organisations are involved in slums, by delivering basic services
such as proper sanitation, clean drinking water, facilities for health and education, along with
economic development programs. Increasingly, there are more and more organisations that focus on
building techniques to produce cheap shelters. All these issues need spatial planning. Strong
knowledge of the social and physical context is required in order to make a framework in which new
facilities and newly built shelters will fit in.

We deliver the process, approach and the design in collaboration with local stakeholders, as a
precondition for transforming and rebuilding slum areas, along with the necessary facilities (such as
energy services, electricity, drinking water, sewer, schools, etc.).

Integrated Approach

We use principles of adaptive cities in a way that enables slums can transform into more attractive
middle class (sub)urban areas, containing a combination of housing and working space. Most slum
dwellers depend on possibilities for working far from their homes. Their travel costs are half,
sometimes even 70% of their income. We believe in an integrated approach that contributes to the
improvement of physical living conditions, and nearby work opportunities. In this sense these areas
can be transformed from icons of poverty into attractive (sub)urban middle class neighbourhoods,
which save city governments transport and community safety protection costs.

Social housing

Lack of income coupled with massive immigration to cities results in most Third World cities
consisting of greater than 50% of inhabitants living in slums. The availability of proper shelters or
rental houses are far from sufficient, leaving people to find their own proper accommodation.

Social housing can be a means to accommodate some of the people who come from rural inlands to
the cities, which stimulate proper living conditions and more attractive and healthy environments for
living. Our contribution to stimulate social housing is to design processes which encourages
collaboration between users, local authorities, housing associations, developers and charitable
organisations, thus leading to an increasing number of social housing.

Related projects:

2009 – Regeneration De Wierden, Almere Haven


Part of the integral approach in upgrading a housing settlement both physically and socially. A strategy was developed for urban transformation. The aim was to develop new housing and stimulate transformation.

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2008 – Participation International Workshop, Montevideo, Uruqay


Participation in a design workshop in combination with the Archiprix International Exhibition. We made proposals concerning one of the most deprived areas of the city and searched to establish better connections.

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