Emergence from Slums

"Emergence is the creation of systems of greater dimension than the elements that create it."

Figure 4. A triangle triggers a feedback function that produces three triangles, which themselves trigger the feedback function to produce nine triangles, and so on. This process can unfold as long as computational resources can be invested to increase the complexity of the object.

While a shanty town of narrow alleys and makeshift houses made of any junk at the garbage dump may seem to represent a society at the brink of collapse, it may just be the most natural way for our city to be developed.

Although they may appear to be random, new buildings and developments do not arise randomly. They are programmed when the individuals who inhabit a particular place determine that the current building set no longer provides an acceptable solution to environmental conditions, some resulting from external events but some being the outcome of the process of urban growth itself. It is these contextual conditions that fluctuate randomly and throw the equilibrium of the building set out of balance. In order to restore this equilibrium there will be movement of the urban tissue by the addition or subtraction of a building or other structure. In this way an urban tissue is a system that fluctuates chaotically, but it does so in response to random events in order to restore its equilibrium.

In a slum setting the occupants are apart of the organic being of the community. Their individual shelters affect the others around them. This contrasts with the idea proposed by architects like Le Corbusier of an entire city that had been planned out meticulously.



Le Courbusier's Ville Contemporaine was an unrealized project for three million inhabitants


Dharavi, India a slum city of over one million people

When a city is planned out from top to bottom they lose their adaptability and any chance for spontaneous urbanization. It is when a city is given a chance to evolve that they become complex and are able to solve problems on a multitude of levels. As a matter of fact the slums have such complex social networks that after Government funded apartments have been made, many of the residents chose to go back to once again to enjoy its rich social networks, where many had businesses that were their main source of income. This social interaction with the community cannot be found in a modern neighborhood design. Since instead of having of city that branches out, slums are a network of various resources and work very efficiently.

Figure 6. A comparison of a tree pattern on the left and a semi-lattice pattern on the right. The tree structure is made of groups and sub-groups that can be manipulated separately from others. The semi-lattice pattern is purely random without distinct sub-parts.

On the other hand, there are many everyday concerns revolving around shelter, water sanitation and agriculture that a slum city cannot satisfy. So how do we keep the existing social structure of the slums while improving the quality of life for slum dwellers?


A paper house has been recently developed by Bauhaus that contains a "resin-soaked paper processed to form thin, light -- yet strong -- panels. The material is also an excellent insulator, and is flexible, making it appropriate in areas at risk of earthquakes." It was designed with to help the living situation in slums with its cost effectiveness and environment conscious design. ($5000 for entire house)


This relatively cheap filtration system ($70) with a UV light to kill any micro bacteria that cause waterborne diseases like cholera and typhoid can be assembled with easily accessible components and will also run off solar panels where electrical grids are non-existent. The main advantage to this product is the fact it will recycle 5 liters a minute which means it can satisfy the needs of hundreds of people per day.


Dr Roshi's city garden capable making a household self-sufficient while using minimal amount of space and water. Its tools are made of materials available in most local environments such as: sugarcane waste, polyethylene bags, tires, containers and cylinders.


All of these technology are currently available and could be easily accessed. These are the building blocks that slum dwellers can use to improve their life quality. Instead of governments spending millions of dollars on predesigned housing solutions, it would be more effective to use the ingenuity the 1 billion squatters already have. To use their survival skills along with efficient techniques so that a new, better slum city can emerge.

By: Haley Zhou

Work sited:
Hélie, Mathieu. "Conceptualizing the Principles of Emergent Urbanism," ArchNet-IJAR: International Journal of Architectural Research, vol. 3, issue 2 (2009).

C.G.H, "New Design Could Revolutionize World Slums," Paper Houses, 1/13/2009, http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,601067,00.html, (accessed 11/3/2009. 11:15 pm)

"City Farming Innovations" http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/southasia/ruaf/CD/ho1.html
(accessed 11/4/2009. 1:15 am)

Kanellos, Micheal, "Technology May Quench Thirst for Drinking Water", 9/2/2005. 3:40 pm,
http://news.cnet.com/Technology-may-quench-thirst-for-drinking-water/2100-1008_3-5847384.html
(accessed 11/4/2009. 1:49 am)