Author Description

Cities are emerging throughout Asia, Latin America and Africa that are actually divided into two cities: one that revolves around prestigious architectural projects and a second that is generated by immigrants. This proliferation of do-it-yourself neighborhoods in the Third World is largely ignored by architects and city planners. The Hidden Assignment: At Home in the City is a passionate and intelligent plea to direct attention towards these "slums," "barriadas" and "favelas," to reaffirm urban planning's mission to provide decent public housing. With photographs, texts, maps and diagrams, six successful housing projects in Thailand, Indonesia, South Africa, Peru and Brazil are explored here.