26 February 2013

William Hunter, DPU Teaching Fellow on the MSc Building and
Urban Design in Development is currently attending and representing the DPU at
the annual UPCA/ACHR/ACCA Regional Meeting being held in Bangkok from February
23-28. This joint summit is the rendezvous point for the Asian Coalition for
Housing Rights and is attended by community representatives and delegates from
19 countries throughout Asia who are reporting on their involvement in ACHR’s
Asian Coalition for Community Action Program (ACCA). This fascinating event has
so far seen individuals from as far reaching as the Fiji Islands to Mongolia and
South Africa enthusiastically presenting their challenges and future agendas
for the second implementing phase, ACCA II. What is emerging from these
uniquely geographic regions and diverse communities is a shared directive
focusing on community savings through the prioritised role of women, better
communication within and between communities and government, and the evolving
participation of community architects in the upgrading of generally informal
settlements. The opportunity to share experiences and learn from the successes
and failures across such a large landscape is proving to be a most beneficial
time for all involved. As ACHR Secretary General asserts, the point of this
movement and any appropriate development is for “the poor themselves (to)
become the doers and the deliverers of solutions to the huge problems of urban
poverty, land and housing.” Here in Bangkok, amongst the passion and pride,
this charge seems very possible.