Women's Voices

Abstract: In the rural village Umoja one can witness a reaction to the unequal society; the women opposed the deep-rooted cultural habits and created their own dream space, a place designed through the eyes of a woman. A village ruled by women, built up by their needs. The Umoja women’s way of life is very controversial and a huge contrast to the rest of the country. Looking at Nairobi, and the informal settlements the situation is completely different, but the dream about an equal space is the same. In this thesis we are looking at how architecture can work with the social issues about equality, focusing on the public room in one of the larger informal settlements – Korogocho. Due to the density the only space that is public is the street. The streets become the only space for interaction, as well as the place for political, economic and social activities. Through observing, analysing and interacting it is clear that the streets are mostly claimed by men. In combination with high levels of unemployment, crimes, drugs and alcohol creates a very insecure public sphere, especially for women and children. These vulnerable group needs new context that is not limited to the private home. Through a series of spatial interventions, we are interested in how architecture can question this norm, by understanding the street as a public area and analysing how it is used and can be used in the future.