Thesis Abstract

By Kristopher Teubel

For this week's blog, I would like to present my current thesis abstract:

Affordable Housing Community In Chennai India

            The country of India, and the cities and townships found therein, are commonly plagued by poor conditions of infrastructure.  In poor neighborhoods, many households have inadequate potable water supply.  Fifty-five percent of the total households in India have no toilet facilities at all. On average, seventy-four percent of rural households lack basic toilet facilities while only seventeen percent of urban households lack these amenities (Gupta, Arnold & Lhungdim, 2009).

            This problem is exacerbated by the excessive population densities found in many of the country's urban environments.  The population density throughout the country in 2012 was 411 people per square kilometer and growing steadily ("Population density (people," 2012). Chennai India, the capital of the state of Tamil Nadu, stands as no exception.  With the current downward economic trends in the country, it seems more difficult now than ever to maintain basic amenities for low-income households in Chennai.

            The following thesis proposes the design of an affordable housing community in Chennai, India.  The design will facilitate the daily lives of the users along with building self-respect and the respect of others.  It is currently expected to accomplish these goals by providing various on-site amenities, such as a health clinic, vendor spaces, and athletic spaces for adults and children.  Furthermore, it will investigate progressive environmental design through materiality, construction methods, systems, and siting.

            Along with the individuals in the community, the proposal will also help the other local citizens of Chennai.  The site is projected to be abutted next to a main water way leading through the city before terminating into the Bay of Bengal.  The community will have a water filtration option that will help to clean the water used by, not only the immediate housing community, but other citizens who come to fill their containers.   Nearly half of the country's households have to travel to access potable water (Gupta, Arnold & Lhungdim, 2009).  The affordable housing community design will also act as an additional clean water source for the local citizens.

REFERENCES

Gupta, K., Arnold, F., & Lhungdim, H. International Institute for Population Sciences,      (2009). Health and living conditions in eight indian cities (400 088). Retrieved          from website: http://www.measuredhs.com/pubs/pdf/OD58/OD58.pdf

Population density (people per sq. km of land area). (2012). Retrieved from             http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/EN.POP.DNST?      order=wbapi_data_value_2011             wbapi_data_value&sort=desc