In 2005 the slum community occupying this land agreed to a development scheme in which the developer would build a high-rise composed of half-hotel, half-residential units, and the residents would get new units in the building at no cost. First, the slum was cleared and residents were moved to a transit camp building on the property while the housing for the residents was completed. The residents were then relocated to their new building and the hotel was built on the site of the transit camp. The relocation of residents to the transit camps and then into their new units took only 18 months.
- Residents had to prove they were living in the slum since 1995. The slum existed for 15 years before the redevelopment.
- The hotel and residences appear to be one building but there is no connection between them.
- The slum was larger than the property the developers built on. Residents said the slum was one community before the redevelopment, and the slum at the rear of the high-rise and residents of the new building remain one community now.
- Residents said are glad they took the developer deal and feel they are better off now than they were in their slum huts.
- Walking through hallways and visiting units, it was apparent that residents had customized the doors to individual units and had invested in their homes with improvements such as new paint and tile. The building was kept very clean.
Photos: Kate Cahill