Page 38 - HUDCO Award for Best Practices - 2024
P. 38
THEME: HOUSING, URBAN POVERTY AND INFRASTRUCTURE
Anganwadi: they are designed and executed with built elements responding to the ergonomics of the kids.
Slum parliament: meetings/gatherings going to be housed in Makkal mandram. The open spaces are all carved out to host
communities socializing rituals.
Community Kitchen: In slum households, having an additional space for a kitchen is considered a luxury due to the constrained size
of their living quarters. Consequently, numerous families cook on the streets, sharing communal cooking spaces, which has become
an inherent practice passed down through generations. Therefore, provision of a community kitchen inside Makkal Mandram is
given.
Toilets: presently there are only 3 toilet blocks for 400 families in the pumping station. To meet the basic sanitation needs, toilets are
provided inside Makkal Mandram for its inhabitants.
Open spaces: as an anchor for housing community practices.
RESULTS ACHIEVED
Makkal Mandram has successfully transformed into a positive communal space that fosters a sense of safety and a healthy environment
for both slum inhabitants and others. The transformation is notable as it has shifted from being perceived as a negative environment
to becoming a positive communal gathering space. The community-driven initiatives especially Anganwadi and SHG’s have made
a significant impact on the overall well-being and perception of this space. Makkal Mandram now also serves as a venue for slum
parliament meetings (a body formed by the people of slum for people in slum, where residents gather to discuss and address their
rights, issues and challenges). There has been a noticeable change in people’s behaviour, with a significant decrease in vandalism
observed on the site.
1. The slum parliament’s local self-body components and verticals converge with various local bodies, becoming stakeholders
in sectors anchored by the Makkal Mandram, achieving convergence of social and governance stakeholders through built
infrastructure. This shift in participation and perspective among local officers has occurred since the initiation of the slum
parliament.
2. The space elevated the livelihood, providing validation for the community to initiate enterprising livelihood practices. The project’s
holistic inception ensured the meaningful evolution and coincidence of both livelihood generation and spatial infrastructure
components.
3. The space has brought about significant changes in community perspective and behavioural practices, with visible improvements
in hygiene, productive gatherings, and mutual awareness-raising efforts. The broad concept of convergence in this space has
expanded the boundaries of how people gather and channelize their social energy for the greater good, impacting both the
community and the governance body.
4. The Makkal Mandram is a scalable model with the potential to exert a considerable impact at both city and state levels by shaping
developmental models specifically designed for informal communities.
SUSTAINABILITY
SOCIAL SUSTAINABILITY:
• Social process has been the foundation.
• Participatory model has developed the project brief.
• The decision-making process, including naming it “Makkal Mandram,” involved people, with ownership resting with them.
• The cyclic process of people shaping the space and the space influencing perspectives and behavior is evident.
• Gender, particularly women, plays a crucial role in the livelihood project - Their presence makes them the guards and guide of the
place. Anganwadi makes the place child friendly and with women and kids playing a key role the inclusivity grades of the place
practically stay high.
22 23
