The continent of Africa has the highest rate of urbanization, and the highest number of informal settlement residents. The UN predicts 1.2 billion people will live in these slums by 2050. Students from the University of Stellenbosch have created the iShack to give the high and growing amount of slum-dwellers safe, sustainable, environmentally friendly access to basic needs. The roof of the iShack (improved shack) is designed to collect rainwater, three indoor lights, a mobile phone charger and an outdoor light are powered by a solar panel on each shack, the windows allow better ventilation and air flow within the shack and sunlight heating, the walls are painted with fire-retardant paint (since most deadly fires are started with kerosene lanterns, the cheapest form of light), and bricks provide solid floors.
The house adds up to $300. This price doesn't seem much to us, but it could take years for slum residents to save up that much. The article goes on to explain the effort to find companies who are attracted to this challenge and encourage their participation in the housing market for the poor, as it is "a giant market."
What are some challenges you see in this iShack beyond its expensive price?
http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20130325-bringing-mod-cons-to-the-slums/1
The house adds up to $300. This price doesn't seem much to us, but it could take years for slum residents to save up that much. The article goes on to explain the effort to find companies who are attracted to this challenge and encourage their participation in the housing market for the poor, as it is "a giant market."
What are some challenges you see in this iShack beyond its expensive price?
http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20130325-bringing-mod-cons-to-the-slums/1
3 comments:
While I think that a family doesn't need a super nice house to meet basic needs or to be happy, I don't like the term "iShack." These are great developments, but I think it can confine the poor to the slums instead of creating greater social change.
I believe these developments could cause greater social change. I think the "iShack" will be extremely beneficial. However, its how they approach the situation that $300 is relatively expensive for slum residents. I would propose a gradual migration into an "iShack" village. First starting off with a couple "iShacks." A few slum residents are subsidized or loan the amount to move into these few "iShacks." In return, they work on building other "iShacks" for pay to pay back the loan. This is very risky but can happen. Despite the "iShack" being impressively innovative and creative, jobs like moving bricks for the floor or clearing debris are very unskilled but time demanding. These are jobs that slum residents can do. Overall, I believe you will see the cultivation of a sustainable, hardworking "iShack" village that will reduce sickness, hunger, etc. As the village grows, schools can be built and hospitals. This is all in theory, of course, there are many factors that may cause this to all crumble. I do believe that ideas and projects like this is great and that given a chance, people often times show just how determined they are to better themselves and the future for loved ones.
I see how the ishack is an improvement on the shacks that they currently live in, but I dont think that it will help in the long run. These ishacks seem like a short run solution to the housing issues in the slums but fails to take care of the problem of people living in slums. It seems like if they invested the money into other things like food, water, and human capital they would be more likely to combat the extreme poverty in these areas.
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