Thesis (Ph. D.)--UCLA, 2008. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 146-154).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Catholic Theological Union at Chicago, 2001. / Abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 162-191).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Catholic Theological Union at Chicago, 2001. / Abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 162-191).

Thesis (M. Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 2005.

viii, 88 p. : ill. A print copy of this title is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number. / In recent years, researchers have taken a particular interest in the spatial concentration of poverty due to evidence suggesting that people liVing within certain densities of poverty are more likely to experience certain problems or what have become known as neighborhood effects. This analysis is a quantitative study, focused on describing changes in poverty concentration between 1990 and 2000 in United States metropolitan areas. The study reports changes seen at the commonly used 40% poverty concentration threshold between 1990 and 2000, while at the same time considering other concentration thresholds and how changing the threshold by which we evaluate poverty informs the general trends policy makers receive information about when changes in poverty occur. / Committee in Charge: Neil Bania, Ph.D., Chair; Jessica Greene, Ph.D.; Jean Stockard, Ph.D.

Climate change affects water resources suitable for human consumption, transforming water quality and quantity. These changes exacerbate vulnerabilities of human society, increasing the importance of adequately protecting and managing water resources and supplies. Growing urban populations provide an additional stress on existing water resources, particularly increasing the vulnerability of people living in poor neighbourhoods. In urban areas, official responses to climate change are currently dominated by Disaster Risk Management (DRM); however, more recently Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) has emerged to support the integration of climate change adaptation in water resource planning. Based on a case study of the city of Douala, Cameroon, the thesis examines the operational implementation of both frameworks, combining observations, semi-structured interviews with different stakeholders and a survey carried out in three poor communities. The research highlights the challenges of improving the joining of both frameworks to adequately reach the urban poor, whilst being alert to, and responsive to, the autonomous adaptation strategies the poor autonomously implement and develop. At present, the IWRM and DRM frameworks are implemented separately and do not clearly reach the urban poor who face three major water-related issues (flooding, water-related diseases and water access). Other institutional water-related measures and projects are carried out by authorities in the low-income communities, but the institutions still struggle to manage the delivery of basic services and protect these communities against hazards. The lack of effective outcomes of the institutional water-related measures and projects has led to a strong process of autonomous adaptation by inhabitants of poor communities. Driven by their adaptive capacity supported by the abundance in groundwater resources, they use coping and adaptive strategies to reduce their vulnerability to water-related issues, such as alternative water suppliers. Similarly, the frequency of the flooding hazard has led the urban poor to develop practices to minimise disaster impacts. However, the autonomous strategies developed face limitations caused by the natural and build environment. In this context, the autonomous strategies of the urban poor and the strategies appear to have a strong influence on each other. While institutional projects have initiated spontaneous strategies, other strategies reduce the willingness of the low-income neighbourhoods to participate in the implementation of official, externally derived development projects.

Bangladesh is the most densely populated country with 1188 people per square kilometers. It has a total population of 160 million people and among which more than 16 million people lives in the capital, and that makes it one of the most densely populated cities in the world. Consequently there are huge needs for high rise housing to accommodate all those people or otherwise shift them to other place. But our country, at present, does not have enough resource to build up a newer city so that they can solve accommodation, infrastructure and unemployment problems. Thus, the only option is privatization of the housing which also has started in our country and this scenario is appearing to be more devastating. These buildings does not respect nor reflect our culture, history, society, religion, norms, behavior or community. Additionally, these housing units at final level of finishing are out of reach for the low and middle income people even though it was intended to be built for the low income group. Urban poor is a problem and an also an opportunity for this City. They are actively taking part in the economy and they are the server of the 4th class services of the society. But they don’t have proper place to live and facilities to lead their life style. Thus they sometimes choose different path of life leaving behind community values. However, they have lots of potential in the city and can easily make them useful to contribute to the culture and the society of the city. With a better place to live that will support their life style, they can easily become the keeper of their culture and crafts. With proper housing they can produce income and support their families. We can easily rely on their craftsmanship to retain our culture. Architecture should be sustainable and for all. So I have decided to work on the housing for mid and low income group so that they can stay and serve the city. It’s not only the design strategy but also the complete systematic process so that it can ensure that the end user can afford it. Our country is rich in culture, festivals, history and religion. So the design process should be sophisticated and ingenious to keep it in place. Also in our country still it’s a common scenario that most of the house wives doesn’t add to any income for the family. From my perspective a sustainable design can make that happen too. Thereafter my thesis intends to develop an architectural solution that can revive this city of Dhaka through ideas sustainable for the city and dweller as well as systemize the infrastructure to manipulate their passive income strategy and ensure a healthy communal and social life for them.

Bangladesh is known for two things: poverty and floods. It is a delta country burdened with draining large amounts of water from surrounding countries and a heavy monsoon season that have caused numerous severe floods with large scale destruction throughout the country. Rapid urbanization and migration have put an immense pressure on the urban centres. Dhaka, the capital city and the largest urban centre of the country, is struggling to provide adequate housing and basic services for the urban poor who are forced to find accommodation in the flood-prone slums and squatter settlements of the city. The alarming rate of population growth further aggravates the problem of environmental degradation which in turn causes more severe floods. As one of the most vulnerable countries for climate change, Bangladesh must work towards providing flood-resilient, safe and affordable housing for all its citizens. My response was the LIFT (Low Income Flood-proof Technology) House: an affordable, flood-resilient housing solution for the low income families of Dhaka. The LIFT house consists of two amphibious structures that are capable of adapting to rising water levels. The amphibious structures float up on buoyant foundations during floods, and return to ground level when water recedes. It is a sustainable, environmentally friendly house that provides all basic services to its residents without connection to the city service systems, through the use of indigenous materials and local skills. This thesis documents the research, design, and construction of the LIFT house with funding provided by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC). The LIFT house was completed on January 2010 in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and has become a symbol for the city’s desire to provide sustainable, low-cost accommodations that are protected from floods.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 106-114).

Bangladesh is known for two things: poverty and floods. It is a delta country burdened with draining large amounts of water from surrounding countries and a heavy monsoon season that have caused numerous severe floods with large scale destruction throughout the country. Rapid urbanization and migration have put an immense pressure on the urban centres. Dhaka, the capital city and the largest urban centre of the country, is struggling to provide adequate housing and basic services for the urban poor who are forced to find accommodation in the flood-prone slums and squatter settlements of the city. The alarming rate of population growth further aggravates the problem of environmental degradation which in turn causes more severe floods. As one of the most vulnerable countries for climate change, Bangladesh must work towards providing flood-resilient, safe and affordable housing for all its citizens. My response was the LIFT (Low Income Flood-proof Technology) House: an affordable, flood-resilient housing solution for the low income families of Dhaka. The LIFT house consists of two amphibious structures that are capable of adapting to rising water levels. The amphibious structures float up on buoyant foundations during floods, and return to ground level when water recedes. It is a sustainable, environmentally friendly house that provides all basic services to its residents without connection to the city service systems, through the use of indigenous materials and local skills. This thesis documents the research, design, and construction of the LIFT house with funding provided by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC). The LIFT house was completed on January 2010 in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and has become a symbol for the city’s desire to provide sustainable, low-cost accommodations that are protected from floods.