What's On

STT STUDENT WORKSHOP 2009

EXPANDING ARCHITECTURE: DESIGN AS ACTIVISM

Designers and planners working with communities under threat of eviction

This is the second year of a collaborative workshop with students from various Cambodian Universities and the University of Helsinki spending 3 days looking at the current challenges for design students working in cities affected by forced eviction. Despite the recent world economic problems Cambodia continues to attract investment particularly in economic land concessions  (ELCs) and Special Economic Zones (SEZ). While development is to be welcomed in Cambodia, the use of forced eviction to remove families from their homes without reasonable compensation is causing widespread problems.

How then does the designer/planner respond to this? Avoiding the issue by saying it is not 'design'related is clearly not an option but then how to approach it? The answers are far from simple and in many cases unanswered. This workshop will begin to look at some of the issues and see what Cambodia's urban communities and concerned organisations are doing to confront this endemic problem.

Hallam Goad
Advisor
Sahmakum Teang Tnaut
PO Box 737
Kampot, Cambodia
T. 012 360472
E. hallam@camintel.com
W. www.teangtnaut.org