// Abstract

Slums have existed in every major city in the world since time immemorial and they have been thoroughly documented through all available mediums. Slums usually house a subpopulation of diverse people and vulnerable groups with different social backgrounds. Over 800 million people still live in urban slums worldwide and this number is only expected to grow in the near future. Despite this, slum dwellers continue to play a major role is shaping the political and economic landscapes of our cities. 

India is home to one of Asia’s largest and most famous Slums, Dharavi. It is frequently known as a Slum of hopes and expectations. It consists of an entire ecosystem of networks, built over years and thrives with laughable state support. It is now a well-known fact that Dharavi needs a facelift and the people living there are in desperate need of better working and living conditions. 

The aim of the competition is to develop a place making project that will act as a Centre for change and community empowerment, in the heart of Dharavi, that will be wholly and truly owned by the people there. This will be a project that has the potential to become an umbrella institution for initiating change in Dharavi from within.  The programme has been developed in three parts and includes a range of activities that will help bring changes in a holistic manner and encourage people to work collectively. The project must be treated as a community common, completely public in nature. Participants are encouraged to add to the programme as deemed fit but with a strong reasoning. The proposed design is expected to have a mix of open and semi open spaces. It will be the first 24-hour running transitional space that will allow people to utilize it to its maximum potential.

This competition is open for all the Students, Architects, Interior Designers, Teachers, Firms & Studios from all over the world.

Get detailed competition brief, Auto-cad drawing and 3D sketchup model by clicking on the Download button below.