Everything but Housing

Abstract

At the beginning of the twentieth century, housing came to occupy a prominent place in the development of modern architecture and urbanism. For the first time in history, the most renowned architects and planners began focusing on the dwelling needs of the most disenfranchised segments of society. Housing rapidly became the typology that most clearly represented the social agenda of modern architecture. However, starting in the 1960s, numerous housing projects began to be rejected and denounced around the world. During this period, John Turner began developing a radically new idea of public interest architecture through his interventions in the informal settlements of Lima, Peru. Rather than proposing new residential buildings, Turner argued that the architect should support and promote self-constructed dwelling initiatives carried out by the inhabitants themselves. In turn, upgrading efforts should focus on developing new infrastructure, urban spaces, and civic buildings. Turner’s theories were later adapted and expanded in programs such as the “Favela-Bairro” in Rio de Janeiro and “Social Urbanism” in Medellín, indicating a paradigm shift for social interest projects in Latin America. Once emblematic of modernism’s socially driven architecture, housing interventions became an important feature of informal settlements across the region. Recent developments, however, display the notion of social housing paradigms redefined by participatory frameworks and incremental design processes. If informal settlement growth remains the Global South’s most urgent urban challenge, the question is, what role should social housing play?