‘Tay, ‘Nay, saan tayo matutulog ngayon? Uncovering the challenges of sustainable housing development of slum communities: the case of Disiplina Village Bignay in Valenzuela city, Philippines

Abstract

Slum communities are typically marked by substandard sanitation, makeshift and overcrowded places of residence, insufficient water supply, dangerous and unsafe environments, and insecurity of tenure for the residents. The significance of an adequate place of residence cannot be overstated. Alongside its fulfillment of a basic human need for shelter, a decent home is of vital importance to the reduction of stress and illnesses of each person as it would lead to a better state of mind and body. What is needed first and foremost for the urban poor’s obtaining decent shelter is the help of the government. Resettlement projects are one way to reduce the vulnerabilities being experienced by the urban poor. Laws and policies passed which would tackle the problem of urban poor housing and relocation are reviewed in the study. Typically, the private sector is found to be in tandem with the operations of the government. Identifying the key difficulties and problems concerning these should prove to be tremendously beneficial to future sustainable housing development efforts. Disiplina Village was first put up as a response to the destruction wrought by Typhoon Ondoy back in 2009. It rendered many families living along Tullahan river homeless. In partnership with various companies originating in Valenzuela City as well as national agencies, the City Government of Valenzuela raised enough resources to build and sustain a resettlement area they aptly named Disiplina Village. By supplying the displaced families with a new place of residence, these families would logically be disinclined to return to their old places of residence, now deemed and classified asiv uninhabitable. This is one of the first steps undertaken by the City Government of Valenzuela towards its aim for an informal-settler-free city. The study examined existing literature focused on the sources of poverty in the Philippines, the political and legal structure surrounding housing resettlement, and finally, the tangible results of such through a case study of Disiplina Village in Valenzuela City, Philippines