Programs and projects dealing with housing for the urban poor is often understood as provision of shelter, using the basic minimum standards set by national and state programs. Typical rehabilitation programs include construction of housing units, usually on the outskirts of the city where land is cheap, and relocation of communities from different settlements. 

These are often disconnected from the city fabric and offer 

little by way of social and economic opportunities for people being evicted and resettled. Tridev Nagar comprises of households that have occupied a vital space in the city’s fabric and populated with people intricately connected with activities central to the centre of pilgrimage. 

Though deemed ‘informal’, the settlement is rich with social and livelihood networks with fairly organised housing and social spaces. 

The proposal examined various options to all the stakeholders – state actors, residents and program directors – to negotiate a middle ground that was finally acceptable on all counts. Economic and financial models argued against outright eviction and monetisation of the land and existing social networks offered valuable clues to develop alternative proposals. 

The final proposal recognises the primacy of the street as central to the character and success of these settlements and recreated traditional models to enable social spaces at multiple levels beyond the ground. 

The massing of the development allows each household 

access to a street as well as designated open spaces and terraces to enable livelihood related activities. The architectural articulation of each house as well as attendant spaces are drawn from the exiting fabric of the settlement.

The proposal accommodated commercial needs of state institutions while remaining true to the cultural canvas of the larger city fabric. 

The project was an initiative of GIZ in co-operation with the Orissa Urban Housing Mission and the Puri Municipal Corporation. Tridev Nagar is located in Puri, Orissa on the east coast of India.