Dwelling in informality :the settlement of Masaken, Sour as case study -

Abstract

The case of Masaken informal settlement in Sour reveals the conflict between the state’s use of the law as a tool for exclusion, and the dweller’s basic right to housing. For the former, “legality” is perceived as a finite and rigid concept used to exclude the latter from the housing market. The Masaken dwellers had started occupying the public housing project, and progressively spread to the adjacent government-owned lands. The resulting neighborhood attested to the close connections between the dwellers and their housing quarters. The control exercised by the local political parties obstructed the regularization of the legal status of their houses. However, the rupture of the rule of the law did not hinder the production of space in ways which were supportive of the community’s habits, social relations and religious rituals. The case of Masaken substantiates the binary conceptions which govern housing production, and underscores the importance of maintaining cultural and social connection with space. The thesis highlights the contrasts between the community’s production of space, and that which is governed by the state’s regulatory norms. While “legality” is a social construct that regulates human relations, I argue we cannot undermine the dwellers’ right to housing, especially in situations where the state has been absent from the housing market. Learning from the local-based techniques of spatial production, I propose a design intervention that allocates for community control over housing production. The thesis demonstrates that the design elements of the housing quarters that were produced according to the needs and aspirations of the users, and that are adapted to the growth of the community, are essential components for livable and sustainable housing.