< Deplorable to Deployable >

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peFHthxPFz8&feature=player_embedded#!

The above video is about the Commonwealth Games which were held in Delhi, India this year and how the poor and homeless people were thrown out of the city to make the city look beautiful.

I think, one of the main issues is definitely the appearance of the places they live in, as they do not match up to the developing city's image which is trying to establish itself as a world city with an international look. If we don't want the city to look bad because of their filthy tent-like houses in various corners of city, the solution is not throwing them away from the city, I think ONE of the solutions (which I am proposing) can be making their dwellings better looking, and when we try to do that, the question arises again, why do these people need good/ "COOL" looking places and forms the vicious circle with never-ending argument. So, you give them tents to sleep in as an IMMEDIATE response, but bring them down after few years as they are potential slums.

These homeless people are the lifeline of the city, laborers-who make all those beautiful buildings, rag-pickers- trying to earn a living from cleaning up the city, rickshaw-pullers - very important transport system of every Indian city who cannot be replaced by a monorail/subway system for they can access narrowest of the streets and are much faster in traffic, cheap, environmental friendly. City has its responsibilities towards them and asking them to leave the city or giving them tents to sleep-in can not be a modern age architectural solution. Looking a bit beyond the problem, and analyzing the reasons for homelessness of rickshaw-pullers(highest number of self-employed homeless people), I think, instead of their deplorable housing conditions, they need deployable dwelling conditions according to their needs. Hence, this project!

Collages showing redevelopment of public transport stations which will have different activities during day time and night. After 11pm, when most of the transportation system is closed, rickshaw pullers come to the plug-in stations and sleep in their transmuted homes from their vehicles. During day time, these fixed stations will cater to various needs of passengers waiting for the buses. These stations will have water sprays for them to cool down during summers, seating options, some rickshaws can choose to stay there to sell magazines/water/fruits etc.

r-e-thinking our role as agents of social change

The final design problem will aim at a) the r-e-designed rickshaw, which can be morphed into a dwelling by night consisting of an eating station, sleeping area, cooking area and storage, b) a dock plug-in energy station where every night the vehicle comes, transforms into a house, plugs-in and get the water and solar generated energy from it for the light and cooking requirements, c) redeveloping the chosen site areas(public parks/bus stands/parking lots) where these fixed plug-in stations will be installed to provide them with a small community which can have gardens, water outlets, cleaning areas, water spray, repairing zones etc. which can be used by public during day time enhancing the uses of such places and can be used by rickshaw-puller communities during nights.