A prize-winning housing project is drawing attention for giving slum residents a direct role in designing the apartments they will move into. Instead of imposing a standard plan, the initiative invites people from a densely packed settlement to help shape homes around the realities of their daily lives.
For residents such as Pooja Gawali, the change is profound. She had been living in a single-room dwelling made of tin sheets, without indoor plumbing, in a space so tight that she shared it with her husband and in-laws. The roof leaked during rain, turning everyday life into a struggle.
The new building is being described by residents as a dream fulfilled because it offers something many of them have long lacked: safer, more durable housing designed with their input. That approach is what makes the experiment stand out, pairing new construction with participation from the people who know best what they need at home.
The project also highlights a broader idea in urban housing: better results may come when low-income communities are treated as partners in planning, not just recipients of aid. By centering resident experience, the development has become both a practical upgrade in living conditions and a notable model for future housing efforts.
