Micro Home Solutions & The Favela Painting Project

1. Micro Home Solutions & The Favela Painting Project Design with the other 90% Project: Will Callahan, Andrew Creamer, Kochan Desai

2. Favela Painting Project • Favela’s around Rio de Janeiro are notorious for high crime rates • 2007, JeroenKoolhaas and DreUrhahncame up with idea for Favela Painting Project • This socially entrepreneurial project meant to beautify neighborhood, bring media attention to need for improvements • 2010, employ local Santa Marta favela youth to paint murals over 75,000 sq. ft. of public square

4. Creativity in the Favela • They are using art, and not increased police or military forces to combat crime and corruption • Many studies have shown that the “broken window” theory is true, that the more dirty and run-down a city looks, the more likely people are to not take care of it, commit more crimes • Hired local youth, who will take pride in their work, and not let it get destroyed • Drew people to see from miles around, giving the community a sense of togetherness and importance • Taught them proper safety and painting methods, can be used for future self-sustainability

5. micro Home Solutions • In the Indian Government’s slum-resettlement colony of Mangolpuri, people moved away from the city are alloted 250 sq. ft. plots • In order to make any kind of sustainable income, people were building extra floors on top to sublet, these were often shaky and dangerous • Great demand for housing, increasing density of population • In 2010, Design Home Solutions created to “improve self-construction practices and accommodate rental models” • They offer small affordable home-improvement loans, and architects who design and monitor construction, to decrease danger

6. Creative Aspects of micro Home Solutions • With a relatively small amount of outside help, they are helping many people help themselves • Providing safe and affordable housing for the many homeless • While architects design and monitor construction, individuals build their improvements themselves, increasing pride in their homes, etc. • Boosting the economy significantly, giving more income to those who have plots of land, to spend in their local markets

7. Interview Impressions • People felt they had no access to affordable housing, couldn’t get jobs • Wanted to see something done with abandoned buildings, bring new business in, get rid of crime which tends to occur in these locales • Felt very little pride in the appearance of their community, other than the mural near Samaritan, underneath which many homeless people congregate

8. Re-using Unused Buildings Project (RUB) • Buy up unused, dilapidated buildings in the area • Offer people in the area opportunity to get in on the restoration, and transformation of these buildings into low-income apartment complexes • Similar to the Design Home Solutions Project, have architects to watch over building, but still produce pride in the people about their work • Hire local people, especially people who will be living in the building, to paint and decorate the outside • Put in a small playground/park, to create a central area for the community, sense of community