Eye Opener
A TAO staff member learns how other countries are solving their housing problems
by Beryl F. Baybay
“The solutions and successes taking place in Sweden and Tanzania began with small ideas, small changes and small actions.”
The world, the potpourri of cultures, pursuits and beliefs, has but a common aspiration – quality of life. I realized this when I was given the opportunity to participate in the Shelter Design and Development (SDD) Advanced International Training course held in Lund, Sweden in April 2008 and Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, in September 2008, through the sponsorship of SIDA. The five-phase short course also involved quick visits to Copenhagen, Denmark and Zanzibar. I was able to interact with 23 other housing professionals from Africa, Latin America, and Asia.
The two phases of the course in Sweden and in Tanzania were certainly no tourist trips. Lectures, workshops, paper work, and study visits to housing sites filled the schedule. But this gave the participants the advantage of gaining more than superficial knowledge of the two countries in a short time. The Swedish SDD tutors, who are involved in socialized human settlements studies and work globally, wanted to develop our sensitivity towards the poor and to influence us to consciously integrate sustainable plans and designs in developing socialized communities and low-cost housing units. The course conveyed that even the poor can be provided with decent, liveable and innovative shelter.
Most of the principles of sustainability and participatory processes in housing development taught in the course weren’t new to me because we have been applying them at work in TAO-Pilipinas. Nevertheless, the SDD course became a rich source of international experiences and a good training ground for honing interpersonal skills.
It’s interesting to learn how opposite the housing issues of the Philippines are compared to Sweden and Tanzania. The Philippines is concerned with providing more space for the Filipinos’ large household size, while Sweden is concerned with building smaller units to accommodate its average household size of 2.5 and the growing number of singles. If Filipinos are crying out for bigger plot sizes, the Tanzanians are considering scaling down their minimum plot size from 400 square meters to 200 square meters to address the issue of sprawl.
It is striking how the housing authorities of these foreign countries toil to develop, update and implement programs and projects adaptable and suitable to the shifting household trends and their culture and lifestyle. Despite having a lot of space and a small population, Sweden has long used planning to allocate land properly for the use of the people and to preserve the environment. Even Tanzania is not excusing itself in building on their entire land area. While looking at the vast lands of both countries, I couldn’t help but wonder how the Philippines would deal with having all these land. Nevertheless, the Philippines isn’t far behind in implementing housing policies and design guidelines; providing a wide range of housing options; and coming up with innovative and green plans and designs.
The SDD course and the travel involved ultimately taught me that the solutions and successes taking place in Sweden and Tanzania began with small ideas, small changes and small actions. Just like how the residents of Malmo, Sweden, redesigned Holma greenscapes to upgrade their big flats and save their community from social exclusion. And how the Tanzanian Federation of the Urban Poor diligently saved to acquire their land. The proposal for change that we were required to develop during the course – the project that I can implement in my organization and country to address housing issues, especially of the poor – is a small step for change. My project is the “Environmental Management for Resettlement Sites” focusing on solid waste management sites. However mundane or unnoticeable my efforts may be now, I believe these small steps will make big changes someday and will lead me to become a world changer.
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About the Author
Beryl Baybay is an architect and environmental planner, and Program Coordinator for the Education and Training Program of TAO-Pilipinas. She finished her Diploma in Urban and Regional Planning in the University of the Philippines. Before joining TAO-Pilipinas, she taught at the Department of Architecture of the Technological Institute of the Philippines for two years. Beryl’s interests include songwriting and playing musical instruments; reading inspirational books; and doing handicrafts.
Reflections | rp | 07 January 2009 |
