Page 36 - HUDCO Award for Best Practices - 2024

THEME: HOUSING, URBAN POVERTY AND INFRASTRUCTURE

Makkal Mandram - A Community Centre for

Slum Inhabitants

Recycle bin (A Private Sector Organisation), Chennai, Tamil Nadu

BACKGROUND

Makkal Mandram (built-up area 7,283.72 sq. ft.) is located in the Pumping station slum Chinthadripet, Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Among
slum settlements (400 houses), the majority of inhabitants are labourers working for private sector industries and firms. Women
and children constitute the most affected group due to poor infrastructure, sanitation, and hygiene issues. Given that most family
members are employed, the younger generation frequently experiences insufficient attention and unmet needs. The site initially was a
dump yard consisting of two dilapidated buildings (Anganwadi and a community hall) which were demolished by retaining the trees.
The site carries a negative reputation among its inhabitants and is frequently subjected to acts of vandalism and illegal activities. This
perception contributes to a sense of insecurity and undermines the overall well-being of the community. The design of the Makkal
Mandram is such that it integrates multiple functions that keep the space active throughout the day.

PROJECT INTERVENTION

To develop Makkal Mandram as a democratic space for the slum with around 400 dwelling units with a population of 2000 people.
The slum facing issues like living beyond minimal space for dwelling units and a narrow street of 1.5m meandering through has
developed an unhealthy living ecosystem in terms of hygiene practices, sanitation, access to water, monetary burden to women,
higher dropout rates among adolescent kids and drug abuse among the youth. Hence the process of building was initiated as a
socially driven exercise where built interventions appear as a product of design strategizing social context.

Project intervention hence includes initiating slum parliament and running the same for 24 months and engaging the participatory
model to develop the community space model. Hence the brief is not prepared from outside, instead the brief of the space was
developed by the social process. The slum parliament will be the anchor and the guard of the Makkal Mandram.

The decision of converting the waste landfill area anchoring anti-social elements were jointly identified to be converted to Makkal
mandram by the community members.

The livelihood component was initiated with multiple units namma sandai (a provision shop), kilai (a nursery with slum contributing
on eco restoration of the city), pavai ( a unit that does value addition to fabric waste city is discarding), karai (a unit that contributes
to the hygiene product industry of the city) was initiated and Makkal mandram houses the anchor space for housing the units and
space for generating more as well.

Anganwadi was being temporarily placed in a gym building with minimal facilities. Makkal madram also houses the same and spaces
are designed to make kids a key stakeholder in the habitual treatment of the spaces.
The open space components are shaped to make the space more multipurpose to anchor various socializing rituals and interactions
in the community with increased plinth area for holding multipurpose activities.

The landfill site with dilapidated buildings have been converted by clearing the debris, saving the trees to convert them to ecological
landmarks, bringing physical infrastructure including street lights.
MAIN FOCUS OF THE BEST PRACTICE

a) Provision of basic needs for inhabitants

b) Access to land/services for the inhabitants
c) Citizen participation in urban governance

d) Convergence model: convergence of government departments
e) Equitable access to resources

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