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Welcome to
Social Production of Habitat.
This website section presents the theory and practice of
diverse people-centered development processes leading to the
realization of the human right to adequate housing. The term
“social production” arises from social theory, but “social
production of habitat” (SPH) has become commonly associated
with a particular type of social movement experience,
especially in Latin America. It refers to a range of
initiatives by ordinary people and communities to improve
their living conditions. This site emphasizes also the
necessary human rights—especially housing and land
rights—dimension of social production of habitat. It also
presents actual cases in
the Middle East/North Africa and
other regions and allows you to promote your own SPH
experience as well.
1.
This section begins with the Concept and History, for
those requiring an introduction to “social production” as a
mode of social and economic activity. [For more
information, click on the words “Concept and History” in
this paragraph, or on the “Concept and History” icon above.]
2.
This section presents the meaning and essential features of
Social Production of Habitat (SPH), which is the
particular category of social production that takes
advantage of social capital to carry out physical
development and improvement of living conditions. Herein you
will find (1) an introduction to social production as
social movements around the world have worked together to
develop their habitat and (2) some of the lessons derived
from HIC’s “Social Production of Habitat” Project
implemented through its Housing and Land Rights Network in
the Middle East/North Africa.
3. Social production is a feature of
Social Movements wherever they are formed, and their
accomplishments are particularly measurable where those
movements identify with a particular location and engage in
physical development as SPH. Social Movements and
their collective actions are diverse and vary by the space,
time, scale and intensity of participation, constituent
skills, objectives, the nature of their adversaries,
available resources and other environmental factors. This
section offers a typology that helps clarify generally and
comparatively the nature, role and function of social
movements in ushering in social change and social
production.
4.
Social Capital is a concept essential to social
movements, social production and social production of
habitat. This section summarized the principle features of
social capital. In the context of SPH, social capital
involves drawing on and further developing productive
solidarity relationships within a community toward the
completion of collective development tasks. Some economic
development pundits recognize the potential in local social
capital for serving the objectives proposed by external
parties. However, social capital in the SPH context is seen
as an asset rightfully belonging to the community of its
partners to be applied toward their own development needs
and plans. Therefore, social capital in this context is a
factor in ensuring local ingenuity and relevance of an
activity to meet locally generated objectives, while also
compensating for the relative scarcity of other resources.
5. The objective of the social
production of habitat is to “gain and sustain a home
and community in which to live in peace and dignity.” Thus,
social production of habitat serves as a model for people
and communities to claim and realize adequate housing as a
human right. Their practical solidarity to realize a shared
vision of a better life is wholly consistent with the norms
of human rights law as developed. Human Rights are organic to social production of habitat not only because of the international guarantees for self-determination of peoples, the right to participation, freedom of expression and the right to adequate housing Development of our human
civilization requires respect, protection and fulfillment of
the bundle of all human rights, and development as a human
right is derived from the combination of all these.
While self-motivation is a common feature
of the experiences presented here, government authorities
and other duty holders bear an active or passive role to
play in enabling (or impeding) social production. Quite
naturally, each human right that the SPH process touches
also carries with it corresponding obligations of the State
under binding human rights treaties. While this aspect of
the social production formula is elaborated in detail in the
HLRN Housing and Land Rights “Toolkit,”
it is summarized here in specific connection to provide
legal specificity that applies to the roles and
responsibilities of State actors and inhabitants.
7. HIC and HLRN have collected a variety of community self-development cases from all regions of the world through its global SPH Project. As these dossiers become available, we will post them in the SPH Case
Database. under the
SPH Experiences section. There you will find the diverse people’s processes presented by geographical region and by the strategies/techniques used in each case.”
8. The
site also allows you to Present Your Case by
providing you with a questionnaire designed to be consistent
with the other case studies found here for your reference.
You can record and include your experience on this site by
following the methodology and submitted the completed
questionnaire electronically for others to appreciate and
learn from.
By using this site and presenting your
social production of habitat case, you will be promoting
social production of habitat with Habitat
International Coalition and its Housing and Land Rights
Network. This final section contains information on HIC and
HIC-HLRN efforts and plans to promote social production of
habitat as an alternative to persistent exclusion,
marginalization and vilification of popular initiatives. It
records joint actions with other partners, and provides
examples and guides for further efforts to promote social
production of habitat as practical, effective and legitimate
modes of human-settlement production that the States and
governments are bound by law to support. The cases also
provide success stories and guides for communities and
authorities both to succeed in advancing their country’s
development process.
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