Team Supersudaca

“IN ORDER TO BE GOOD YOU HAVE TO BE EVIL” (Supersudaca)

There is a growing expectation common among well intended architects that an architecture that arises from the people (the so called bottom up approach) it is the ultimate solution to interventions in poverty areas of the cities, an appropriate response to decades (millenniums) of top down approach. But what if top down has better chances to become an authentic bottom up tool at the end?
Although Supersudaca is not against bottom up* we felt that the format and the situation of the workshop in Koliwada (Dharavi, Mumbai) did not provide with enough time + resources to actually make the bottom-up happen.

On the other hand we were not interested either in making a masterplan for the area (as it was also expected from the architects) neither we were interested in mapping something which is perhaps more complex than chaos itself in five days of work.
Our true context of the situation came from an article from the economist (special Christmas issue 2007) called ‘rising slum’. The article mapped the situation of Dharavi, its complexity, its problems of mega congestion and how people are incredible busy recycling Mumbai garbage production. Yet what strikes us more was not this, but the price that is speculated among developers of the land cost of Dharavi: 9 billion dollars! This we thought is the crucial issue, and perhaps also the reason why we were there without knowing.

Our hunch was close to be right; upon arrival we find more of the situation and about how the city government has appointed an special team to come up with proposals to redevelop Dharavi. Yet as in many movies we have seen the real plans of the enemy are secret, therefore the speculations are concentrating only on the predictable scenarios (basically apartment towers of ugly appearance and huge demolitions of slum), but what if the ‘enemy’ has different plans? What if the enemy suddenly seduces Dharavi habitants with its fresh promises of a better future for all? Would Dharavi suddenly be divided between loyalist and traitors?

The energy of the organization of bottom up activities to resist such redevelopment is huge, and yet you can always ask yourself why now? Why until now? The answer we speculate is not so much jealously or impotence with the powerful but it is fear to the unknown, fear to apocalyptic scenarios in which huge parts of Dharavi are cleared or bulldozed and new congested towers come to replace the current over crowded slums, fear to scenarios in which people are re-housed in a small place outside of the city. (Dharavi sits in the heart of Mumbai, that is one of the reasons why this land costs so much).

 DHARAVI INC Video

PEOPLE'S REACTION 

THE ARCHITECTURE OF ANCIENT WISDOM

“DIVIDE AND WIN”
It is not clear how private interests are behind this government plans but it would not be surprising if big businesses are rubbing their hands with this Mega redevelopment opportunity. And yet saying that could not we see it also as a big chance of the people living in Dharavi to demand much more from them? After all the people of Dharavi should not forget one thing, they have the power; they are the ones literally sitting on gold.
That is why we speculate that developers disguised as government (or vice versa) are going to come with seductive proposals to divide the people and eventually win the battle. This time we will take the first step. Yet before taking action we needed one last reflection.

“KNOW THY SELF. KNOW THY ENEMY”
What people of Dharavi want? Would they like interesting low-rise high density developed by talented architects? Do they want more parks or schools? Would they like to preserve their current situation with minimum improvements in basic services such as water, sewage, electricity, and internet? That is what we usually think they want to have, but wait, what if they want to live in a nice apartment? What if they are ready to change drastically their current living situation? Who knows? The only way to find out is acknowledging or projecting the worst case scenario (or best case depending on your opinion), a scenario as tempting as all the real evil temptations, temptations that actually make you think, if I was in their situation, would not I choose for some modern eco flat?

“IN ORDER TO BE GOOD YOU HAVE TO BE EVIL”
So we asked our team to develop scenarios of redevelopment as seductive as possible, disaster scenarios dressed in white silk. The idea is simple, if you really want to know what people want or don’t want don’t ask them openly the question, provoke them with seductive proposals.
Each team was encouraged to play the role of the developer with all of his weapons of seduction such as clear branding strategy, crisp renders, business cards, and executive behavior (The bottom up agent inside each of us had to wait this time in the bench).

Each team then came with four convincing proposals of redevelopment. The proposals were convincing and seductive, they actually make you think. Then each team was asked to research the reactions of the people to their “evil” proposals. The research should not only be conducted or restricted to the people of Dharavi but also citizens from other parts of the city.


Here we present you the proposals grouped under one umbrella, a mega-developer created by the teams : DAHARAVI Inc.

Supersudaca leaders:

Juan Pablo Corvalan (Chile)

Felix Madrazo (Mexico/NL)

Supersudaca team:

Calvin Chua / London, UK
Natalia Echeverri / Berkley, USA
Tommaso Dalla Favera / New York, USA
Subuhi Jiwani / Mumbai, India
Shaju Nanukuttan / Bangalore, India
Sridevi Padmanabhan / New Delhi, India
Prasad S R / Belgaum, India
Purvi Shetty / Bangalore, India
Tahaer Zoyab / Bangalore, India
Victoria ?
Praveen Manohar / Bangalore, India
Anupriya Subbian / Bangalore, India
Pradeep ?
Sridevi Padmanabhan / New Delhi, India