promoting dialogue among Habitat for Humanity’s worldwide partners 2006:Volume 13 Number 2 Developing holistic building plans by Larry English and Kate Bistline efore starting to construct a house, we know the or future. However, God designed community so that house must be designed. We depend on the exper- families would benefit from each other materially, socially tise of architects and engineers to ensure that the and spiritually. Because of sin, and its tendency toward Bcompleted house will meet the standards. Yet our mission self-preservation, God desired that such people would calls us to do more than build houses. How do we design live in relationship with Him, so that no man would rule “more than houses”? over another. First, we must have a shared idea of what it is that we To develop a decent community, we must work from are trying to build. According to the mission statement, the holistic concept of “human habitat,” i.e., a total living environment — physical, social, spiritual and economic — for sustaining and enhancing human life. Just as the design of a Habitat house in Mozambique differs from the design of a Habitat house in Romania, the design of a Habitat community will also be different. The program that we implement to achieve the decent houses in the decent communities will need to be uniquely designed for the context. Program design depends on an understanding of the context. Continued on page 2 KIM M AC contents DONALD What is environmental impact? . 3 Environmental Impact on Housing and Construction Innovations Defining sustainability . 4 Former President of the United States, Jimmy Carter, and thousands of volunteers from around the world have supported the community Mozambique: Caniço reed houses on Inhaca Island . 5 building work of Habitat for Humanity at the Jimmy Carter Work Project HFH builds for the disabled in China . 7 for more than 20 years. The building event has energized communities at Habitat for Humanity Vanuatu explores construction locations around the globe. techniques . 10 we want “decent houses in decent communities in which HFH Vanuatu: Concrete Interlocking Block technology . 12 HFH Armenia and HFH Kyrgyzstan in the World every person can experience God’s love and can live and Development Marketplace . 13 grow into all God intends.” Habitat East Bay builds “green” . 15 Today the term “community” is often ascribed to Beriköy: Communities building communities . 16 people living in a spatial or political entity, such as a sub- Compressed-earth-block walls in Mexico and Honduras . 18 urb, city or county. Community, as such, has no bearing ‘The Forum’ needs you! . 20 on relationships between people, shared culture, history Developing holistic building plans ing money require HFH to understand the legal frame- Continued from page 1 work of the country, both in terms of planning statutes and other development legislation, property law, contrac- Physical context: “Habitat” tual laws, etc. Understanding the extra-legal environment Habitat is a builder. It is the physical infrastructure and — i.e., the unwritten rules that operate in poor commu- environment that will provide opportunity for parents to nities — is most important as it is more difficult, even raise their children in a safe, secure and nurturing social dangerous, to enforce contracts in areas where the laws environment, and in stable and robust shelter that will are not respected or commonly upheld. provide protection from the elements, and physical and To build decent communities, we must start with a material security. In addition, such habitat should con- plan. The design of living environments is important be- sider proximity to opportunities for employment and/or cause they serve to shelter, nurture and enhance the qual- income generation, and be supported by public amenities ity of human life. They enable or disable social, spiritual and services which should include physical and social or economic activities. As such, the design must create infrastructure, recreational amenities, and public trans- the space to support a sustainable community, most criti- portation. While HFH is primarily focused on shelter, the cally when one is dealing with the poor. sustainability of the communities established through its initiatives is dependent on the provision or existence of Larry English is director of Program Design and the holistic physical environment. Development for HFH in Africa and the Middle East. Kate Bistline is research and evaluation specialist for HFH in Economic and financial context Africa and the Middle East. Habitat is a lender. The financial sustainability of a hous- ing program funded by HFH — i.e., the revolving “Fund for Humanity” — is very much dependent on the income sustainability of its mortgagees. Income stability is, in turn, dependent on the lo- Volume 13 Number 2 cal or national — perhaps The Forum is published quarterly in English, Spanish and Portuguese even the global — econo- Editor: Revolving my. What is important is Anita Mellott Fund that we recognize that the Copy editor: target group selected has Heather Wilkinson Graphic designer: associated risks, and that Debbie Nessamar these are identified and Portuguese and Spanish translations: very carefully considered Translation Station, Inc. Adviser: prior to investment, and that the project and financial Karan Kennedy system are designed to mitigate these risks. Distribution manager: Nancy Barnes: [email protected] Editorial policy: Social and institutional context We welcome the submission of articles, photos, news items and ideas. For more information, please e-mail The [email protected] or Habitat is a transformer. The needs of the poor extend [email protected]. beyond housing and most often are a higher priority Mission statement “The Forum” exists to enable the worldwide partners of Habitat for than shelter. Developing a decent community requires Humanity International to accomplish its mission by providing a collaboration between many players, as noted above. means to: • Promote discussion, the exchange of ideas and best practices, Accordingly, the institution which designs, implements and knowledge sharing; • Share concerns and challenge our standard ways of doing things; and manages should include such parties. The primary and stakeholders — the homepartners — are included at • Explore different methodologies and issues relating to housing and poverty worldwide. inception, and are capacitated to gradually assume responsibility for the environment, as HFH and other implementing partners transition out. Legal context 121 Habitat St., Americus, GA 31709-3498 USA The procedures for developing land and the risks of lend- 2 2006: Volume 13 Number 2 Environmental Impact on Housing and Construction Innovations What is environmental impact? he topic for this issue of “The Forum” is house costs and serve a lower income group: In Environmental Impact on Housing and Kyrgyzstan, a cane reed technology is revived and Construction Innovations. In exploring this combined with an innovative under-the-floor heat- Ttheme, we realized right away that it would cause ing system to produce a house that is low in cost confusion. Most people think about “environmental and energy efficient. In Mozambique, a caniço reed impact” in terms of how their program or intervention house is designed with a concrete floor and tin roof to is impacting the environment, but we wanted to explore produce a low-cost house that is also durable and half how local environments are impacting the Habitat the cost of the normal Habitat house. In Mexico and program and the construction innovations that result Honduras, soil-compressed blocks replace the more when we steadfastly focus on serving the poor. expensive cement blocks. This technology has been As we explored the topic, we realized that many of used by Habitat in Africa for many years and is remi- the words we use have multiple meanings depending niscent of the adobe construction that is traditional in on the local context — what do we mean when we use Latin America/Caribbean. words like sustainable, durable, affordable, decent 3 Using renewable, low-cost energy sources: For houses and decent communities? How do we balance Habitat East Bay in San Francisco, California (USA), affordability and durability? What makes a community sustainable means “green” building. This affiliate il- sustainable? lustrates how using energy efficient building technolo- The articles in this issue underscorethree approaches gies can produce a house that is affordable and save on that Habitat for Humanity is taking as we struggle with energy costs for years to come. In Armenia, solar- these questions. powered water heater systems save Habitat homeowners 1 Building community through partnerships: In as much as 20 percent of monthly income, the cost of Turkey, an innovative project combines the efforts of heating water in homemade immersion electrical boilers the private sector, academics and local government to that are not only costly but unsafe. build a sustainable community for victims of the 1999 While it is interesting to find commonalities in our earthquake. In China, Habitat for Humanity partners approaches, it is inspiring to note the diversity and with the Yunnan Disabled People’s Federation, Leprosy how solutions are tailored to specific needs. Even as Mission International and local government to build Habitat is searching for innovative ways to “scale up,” it houses and community structures specifically designed is still true that innovation also comes