News on Habitat Events 2007
2nd October 2007
Inauguration of 3 community housing projects in Udornthani and a City Seminar to celebrate Udornthani as potentially the first city without slums. Udon's program began 3 years ago.
One day in Udon
Community Women's dance troop Celebrating in Udonthani
Community leader, Provincial governor, University Rector and Mayor at an inauguration in Udonthani - northern Thailand
Nearly 160 houses in this relocation project
Before: People lived in make-shift huts vulnerable to eviction
After: Affordable secure housing, with co-operative land lease
Many communities now have their own "welfare fund" and incorporate housing for elderly members into their community plans
This road-side community, under threat of eviction, joined others to buy land nearby with a CODI community loan.
There is an army of community women acting as contractors, housing and infrastructure engineers
Fr Jorge Anzorena talks with leaders at the new land site.
The 3rd community we visited was on-site up-grading, with re-blocking and land fill.
Surrounding the lake, which community youth now treat frequently with EM which has revitalised aquatic life and you can even swim in it now we were told.
A group from Laos came to Udon to learn about community centered up-grading. They will visit 3 other cities over the Habitat week
Before sunset, we visited a fourth community in Udon and spoke with young architects, leaders, advisors and families in a project where nearly 100 families had found land and had just completed their housing.
ACHR will soon post more complete details on most of these and other projects in Thailand so you can learn of the diversity and flexibility of this new and quite revolutionary housing, political and social process.