Shantytowns as inspiration for urban developments

 Wp-Content Uploads 2008 12 Shantytown

Architext Teddy Cruz is planning low-income housing developments in San Ysidro, San Diego, California and Hudson, New York that are inspired by shantytowns in Tijuana, Mexico. From GOOD:

Homes will be jammed together, with any leftover space commandeered by taco stands, market stalls, and gathering places…

Behind the precariousness of low-income communities, says Cruz, there is a sophisticated social collaboration: People share resources, make use of every last scrap, and look out for each other…

In collaboration with the nonprofit Casa Familiar, the San Ysidro development will include 30 housing units alongside spaces where residents can run small businesses. The model also accounts for sweat equity, allowing people who help with construction to gain rent credits for their work.

Shantytown, USA