Improvement of slums by adopting a low cost housing system under relaxed building bye laws

Abstract

Slums, typically occurring near the fringes of urban cities exist in an abject dereliction of the most basic standards of civil habitation, sanitation and health. Slum dwellers are compelled to eke out a subsistence from inhuman conditions of living and as a result, slums are not only infested with diseases, but in absence of civil regulations they also turn into ghettos of crime, human trafficking and drug abuse. In this paper, the authors attempt to suggest a relaxed set of building bye laws for a practical implementation towards better housing as a step towards a solution to this socio-legal issue. Estimation and costing of a model low cost housing system is also presented in compliance with the suggested bye-laws. Special consideration is made towards economy and social acceptability so that the suggested model is attractive to the intended beneficiaries as well as amenable to be adopted by the government and NGOs.