ABSTRACT
Housing shortages in Brazil are a major social issue. Estimates indicate that 5,8 million housing units are needed, while 24,8 million existing units are inadequate. Meanwhile, approximately 3 million units remain unoccupied, due mostly to high rental rates. Problems such as a lack of clean water, sanitation, or energy provision, as well as inadequate space and materiality, are commonplace. One answer has been for architects and residents to seek alternatives to the system of housing provision.
This chapter examines several projects that have served low-income families in Brazil. Minha Casa, Minha Vida (“My House, My Life”) is a low-income and large-scale housing program in Brazil that has produced uneven results. By contrast, a project called Arquitetura na Periferia (Architecture on the Periphery) has allowed teams of women to receive training in design and construction with the goal of collaboratively building houses for themselves and their families. The chapter discusses such co-designed and self-help projects as a step towards self-determination, community building, and social sustainability.
