Housing Shaped by Labour – The Architecture of Scarcity in Informal Settlements

Returning to the example of the architect at the
beginning of the previous chapter, once the urgent
needs of the ‘client’ (resident) of the favela have been
understood, it is necessary to address how to implement
them. How can one integrate an enhancement
in living conditions, comfort and family well-being,
preserving and even improve the sources of income
generation of the resident? And foremost, how can
architecture address this issue where society itself
has failed? My answer is: through the restoration of
the social function of space in formal design.
To figure that out, it is particularly necessary to
assess the approach that is generally applied nowadays
in the ambit of requalification and resettlements
processes in most of the countries of ‘global
south’. And, more specifically, to understand why
the solutions that were attempted up until now are
mainly based on the absence of considering labour
(and social) practices in the design approach.
Until the industrial revolution, the concept of
home was still linked to working activities, which
often led to a mixed definition of space in the dwellings
of the city, as the philosopher Hannah Arendt
states in her book, ‘The Human Condition.’ 83 Actually,
work became inherent to the physical space of
dwellings from the early emergence of groups of
83 Hannah Arendt, The Human Condition (London: The University
of Chicago Press, 1958).
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