The urban poor of the third world cities living in slums and squatter settlements often have to support themselves or augment their meagre and uncertain incomes with small-scale business enterprises. This deceptively marginal sector of the urban economy in reality plays a vital role as a major percentage of the urban population are poor. These enterprises are, more often than not, home-based due to their lack of resources. The squalid and congested living conditions in these settlements are thus further compromised by setting up these commercial endeavour, but it is essential for their livelihood as employment opportunities occupy a primary position in their list of priorities. / This thesis studies the phenomenon of people in low-income housing settlements using their own homes for income generating activities and the compromise between the various uses of the same space. A field study was undertaken in a typical bustee in Calcutta, India to help illustrate this phenomenon. Sample surveys of a number of households where small-scale economic activity takes place were taken and studied in detail. How the integration of such activities in their daily living environment shapes, changes and influences their living patterns forms the main focus of the study.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.69775 |
| Date | January 1994 |
| Creators | Ghosh, Anindita, 1966- |
| Contributors | Bhatt, Vikram (advisor) |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Master of Architecture (School of Architecture.) |
| Rights | All items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. |
| Relation | alephsysno: 001402684, proquestno: AAIMM94247, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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