Housing in Pune

September 18, 2009 by Susan Taylor

Shelter Associates undertook the Dattawadi Housing Project following the May 1996 destruction of the Rajendranagar community’s homes in Pune. The project took one year, and represented Shelter’s vision in directly involving the poor in any matter concerning them. Rajendranagar women were trained in laadi, beam, and block making; they were also able to design their own life-size model house made from cloth to present to the Municipal Commissioner in expressing their wishes for the design. Throughout the year, the community contributed input and aid for the project.

On Wednesday, I visited the resettlement project on the Dattawadi site with Shelter social workers and a group of local officials from the state of Orissa. While it has been over a decade since the completion of the site, the building (and individual homes in particular) have been well-maintained and nicely personalized. The pictures below show a view of the second floor, the community toilet block on the first floor (the toilets are kept locked, and residents have keys for their use), and finally young children playing in the open corridor.

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