ABSTRACT
Slums have long been recognized as a dirty, unhygienic group of makeshift shanties with long queues of people for water, bawling babies literally left on streets to fend for themselves and endless cries of help. The world created by them within available tiny spaces, in response to the reality of their life as the urban poor who live in a different world altogether meaningful and enjoyable, are spheres where we can learn the meanings of designing to sustain the environment. India's booming economy has drawn an unprecedented number of people from the rural areas to cities where life for the majority has become harder. The historic city of Pune is an upcoming metropolis with a population of around 4 million people located about 200 km from Mumbai. Indian cities are moving towards urbanization at an extraordinary pace, resulting in emergence of an entirely new urban form with new development as well as informal settlements.
