Study of self-modification patterns in community-led housing for low-income people in Yangon, Myanmar

This item is part of: Boarin, P., Haarhoff, E., Manfredini, M., Mohammadzadeh, M., Premier, A., (2021). Rethinking Sustainable Pacific Rim Territories. Proceedings of the 2020 APRU Sustainable Cities and Landscapes Hub PhD Symposium, Future Cities Research Hub, School of Architecture and Planning of the University of Auckland. ISBN: 978-0-473-53616-9

ABSTRACT

Community-led housing was initiated in Myanmar in the late 2010s to counter the housing shortage faced by the urban poor. It has been helping the urban poor to secure the tenancy and ownership of affordable houses. However, the lack of design guidelines with the limited technical knowledge and finance resulted in sub-standard housings which led to the residents implementing modifications in their own houses to fulfil their needs. This study, thus, identifies the self-modifications patterns and the responsible reasons in the community-led housings in Yangon. Using case-study method, the study found that the residents made spatial extension, material changes and added supplementary building elements. The changes are done mainly due to the low performance of house caused by problems such as material wear-off, space limitation and poor indoor environmental conditions. Unlike the initial design, the modified dwellings had become more urban-oriented, durable and aesthetically pleasing. This study reveals the residents’ changing needs and preferences while also raise the awareness of the housing flexibility and the indoor environmental quality as the design considerations. It contributes to the development of design guidelines for community-led housing that is both liveable and affordable for low-income families.