IE University just announced its first competition initiative “Houses for Change,” hosted by IE School of Architectureand Design. The purpose of the competition is to consider housing as an urgent and basic component of improving urban environments for the poor and at risk and to propose viable housing alternatives for those often neglected or left out. Architecture students and recent graduates of architecture, along with peers from other fields forming multidisciplinary teams, have a unique role to play in suggesting solutions and approaches in response to the housing crisis facing many cities today. Registration is free, and the deadline for submissions is December 16. More information after the break.
For the first time in history, more than half the world’s people live in cities. Over 90 percent of urban growth is occurring in the developing world, adding an estimated 70 million new residents to urban areas each year. This is coupled with estimates that about 1/3 of the world’s population are slum dwellers. These settlements may be called different names - slums, villas miseria, favelas, bidonvilles, shantytowns - all have a common denominator of urgency and they are fast becoming the norm in our societies. While urban poverty is a complex situation, the physical environment of housing is one crucial aspect to be dealt with if this problem is to be tackled.
