Pattern of Housing the Poor in Informal Dwelling-Places (Case study: Abbas Abad, Sanandaj)

Demand for accommodation is one of the most significant needs of human beings the provision of which requires accurate and comprehensive planning in present complex social and economic circumstances. Informal dwelling-places, functioning as physical objectivity of urban poverty, is a response to such fundamental need by the poor. This condition of poverty and deprivation in particular part of urban society can be the result of inefficiency and poor national and local policy in accommodation. Although the poor's accommodation in informal dwelling-places is regarded as a chance and opportunity, it has certain features the lack of attention to it can result in urban unsustainability. On the other hand, informal dwelling-places can provide a wide range of accommodation for urban poor people. In case of providing the minimum criteria can highly influence the quality and quantity of urban accommodation and will meet the needs of the poor. Therefore, understanding the pattern of the poor's accommodation is indispensible for coherent planning. The pattern of the poor's accommodation includes fundamental features and follows a specific procedure that the poor provide their dwelling-places accordingly. This procedure includes, the method of purchasing the land, its ownership, technical specification and criteria, enjoying urban services, the quality of constructional materials, passage networks, financial provision, and construction procedure. This research aims to study and clarify the main features and patterns of the poor's accommodation in Abbas Abad region of Sanandaj based on quantitative-descriptive approach so that a generalized pattern for the poor's accommodation can be presented. This research reveals a drastic difference among appropriate accommodation from the poor's viewpoint, economically affordable accommodation for the poor and comprehensive patterns presented by the planners. In pattern of urban poor's accommodation, a habitable house is the one that includes the minimum criteria for the poor's lives. However, from the formal accommodation viewpoint, an appropriate house is the one that has the minimum criteria and standards that are not often necessary for the poor. These criteria generally fuel the expansion of informal housing.