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    • br Potential of an inclusive housing program

    2018-10-29


    Potential of an inclusive housing program for development Apart from being an enclave, which geographically isolates the territory, biophysical features and past conflicts (such as the Indonesian invasion) have hampered the development of Oé-Cusse (Bugalski, 2010). Its context is marked by informality, lack of infrastructure, and low family income. On the one hand, housing stock has no basic infrastructure service and is built with precarious building materials that can generate public health problems. On the other hand, previous conflicts resulted in strong notch signaling bonds and identity because the home acquires much significance, such as a shelter and wealth generator as well as devotional, social, and familiar meanings (Fitzpatrick, 2012; Werna, 2001). All daily economic activities that occur in the housing plot are critical features of daily living. According to the 2010 census, most of the families in the Oé-Cusse Region work in agriculture, and small businesses may be located inside or near the housing plot itself. The self-building of homes plays an important role in creating a sense of belonging and pride. The land tenure process is unclear because of recent political transformations. Majority of the land tenure are based on a customary law. Land titles from the Portuguese and Indonesian periods are of dubious application (Fitzpatrick, 2012). In Oé-Cusse, the process is partially informal; that is, the public sector (through the regional planning department) is aware of the land owners/users and is even the manager of the land but devoid of any legal framework. This practice has several implications in the territorial and environmental context. Housing is an important factor for economic and social development that molds territories. That is, “territories are shaped by housing insofar as housing contributes to the creation of a particular territory, as in the shaping or urban blocks and the making of submultiple or infill arrangements” (Rowe and Kan, 2014). An inclusive housing program comprising of different levels of approaches and a wide coverage of the economic, social, and environmental context will facilitate an intervention at the territorial level though policies, at the neighborhood level through guidelines (Fig. 1), and at the building level through criteria and parameters for adequate housing.
    Methodology To obtain solid evidence, the methodology introduces public participation sessions with local communities. These sessions involved the Suco Council, which is a small community council formed by an elected leader and his political appointees for different areas, such as agriculture, youth, and women. These representatives (between 10 and 12 people) acted on behalf of the community. The sessions were conducted by the team with a local translator of Portuguese and Tétum (both official languages in East Timor) and consisted of two stages. The first stage was a group survey where the council was consulted in several areas. This survey was conducted by the team and all council members freely discussed and answered. The second stage consisted of validating the survey through fieldwork. The members of the council arranged a visit to the suco, showing its main features in terms of social, economic, and environmental aspects. Through observations and contact with the local setting and the people, the team validated the data gathered in the surveys. The inclusive housing program consists of three levels of approaches. The first refers to the policies that influence and determine the decisions and actions. The design of proposals and policies defines the working process, partnership scheme, and role of each stakeholder (state, private sector, and population). The second level refers to the general guidelines for an adaptive and sustainable settlement and housing stock. The third level occurs at the building level, at which the criteria and parameters for housing design and their outcomes are considered. This theoretical framework, which is divided into three fields, namely, social, economic, and environment, can provide insights into future housing projects. These units are to be built through a self-building process, and a public participation workshop will support the final housing design options. Fig. 2.