Shelter, Women and Development: First and Third World Perspectives

Around the world, woman\u27s access to shelter is inextricably linked with her economic, legal, and social status. Policy makers, planners, architects, and other professionals must understand and factor in these crucial aspects when creating shelter for women. An international gathering at the University of Michigan College of Architecture and Urban Planning in 1992 provided an opportunity for dialogue between persons working in this field in the First and Third World and established an exchange of views in a global, multicultural context. The papers underscore the importance of housing to women\u27s economic, legal, and social development and emphasize the need to continue to address and act upon these issues across nations, cultures, and class.https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/books_fac/1001/thumbnail.jp

Modernization of Agriculture and the Monetization of a Village Economy in Deccan Maharashtra India

The focus of everyday life in Sugao revolves around farming. Village activity changes with the agricultural season and farm tasks are the rotating pivot around which village society is organized. The agricultural cycle has traditionally been geared, in the Sugao farmer\u27s mind, to the moon and the astrological sign (of which there are twenty-seven in the Hindu calendar) in dominance at the time. In practice, cultivation tasks have become associated with phases of the Hindu lunar calendar which give the farmer guidance when to do what in his fields. This paper describes some of the changes that have occurred in agricultural production in Sugao since 1942. The intent is to illustrate, with this case study of a village microcosm, some of the forces that have been set in motion by a combination of development strategies introduced during the post-Independence decades of development planning in India. Some of these have had as a goal the fostering of urban, industrial development, others of improving the health and education of people, still others, and most importantly for Sugao, of subsidizing and modernizing agriculture and inducing a shift to more cash-crop production. These strategies have had obvious and subtle effects on the Sugao economy and affected segments of the Sugao society in different ways. This paper documents, quantitatively as well as qualitatively, some of the changes that have occurred in the practice of agriculture in Sugao and their impacts on village peoples\u27 work and the village economy. The paper concludes with some conjectures about the future of development in villages like Sugao if this observed direction of change is maintained

Learning from California: Highlights of CRP Studios 2014/2015 AY

Dr. Hemalata Dandekar highlights the studio projects from both BSCRP and MCRP programs during the 2014-15 academic year. Fundamental in the learn-by-doing service-learning pedagogy embraced by the department, the studios help shape students into professionals that are fully with their communities

Learning from California: Highlights of CRP studios 2015/2016 AY

Dr. Hemalata Dandekar highlights the studio projects from both BSCRP and MCRP programs during the 2015-16 academic year. The studios are fundamental in the learn-by-doing pedagogy embraced by the department, and they help shape students into professionals that are fully engaged with their communities

Michigan Family Farms and Farm Buildings: Landscapes of the Heart and Mind

Our inaugural event features Professor Dandekar’s book Michigan Family Farms and Farm Buildings: Landscapes of the Heart and Mind, published in 2010 by the University of Michigan. The author begins with an informal talk about the book’s themes and her writing process, followed by conversation between the author and the invited respondents, and with other attendees.https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/convocpauth/1000/thumbnail.jp

Building Sustainable Housing on the U.S.-Mexico Border: Insights from Tecate, Baja California

An approach to creating sustainable housing in an informal community or colonia located on the railroad right of way in El Rincon, City of Tecate, Baja California, Mexico is the focus of this monograph. Drawing on technical research supported by the Southwest Center for Environmental Research and Policy (SCERP) and summarized in the report Housing and Sustainable Communities in Rapidly Urbanizing Border Regions this monograph organizes the findings to make them accessible to a lay and concerned audience. It presents an analysis of existing housing in an informal settlement, reviews the technical options for building sustainable housing in such environments, and contextualizes the challenges and possibilities of building sustainable housing within a particular site given regional and national trends and concerns. Prototype sustainable houses developed for specific contexts illustrate this approach. This monograph posits that “green” technologies are just one facet of building sustainable housing in low income communities such as El Rincon. Sustainability is context and site specific and derived from analyzing technical factors related to building such as climate, soil and vegetation type, water and materials availability but it must also account for other forces including: social factors related to culture, history, community and class; economic factors including productive capacity, skills and income; and organizational factors of governance, regulation, and the status and power of resident groups. Sustainable housing is attained through judicious choices in the design of the housing units themselves; in their orientation and configuration of layouts; in the materials of construction and their assembly and finish; and in the choice and location of landscaping and ground cover. Choices leading to sustainability need to be made by institutions in both the private and the public sectors and by individuals and the community. In short, building sustainable housing requires multiple actors and multiple commitments. This inquiry illustrates the complexity of such an enterprise and the necessity of bringing all potential stakeholders and players together in making decisions that yield housing which is sustainable over the long term.https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/books_fac/1000/thumbnail.jp

Earning a livelihood from one\u27s home: The Castillo Ladies of San Miguel de Allende

The CRP Field Trip to San Miguel Allende in August 2016 revealed several facets of Mexican urbanism, including social histories that helped to reveal the city’s development. In this article, Professor Hemalata Dandekar describes one such enriching experiences, noting its implications for planning