Community architecture : an evaluation the extent of user participation in the design of their dwellings in Sri Lankan urban low income communities

Provider based mass housing, as a policy, creates a major problem of personalization of dwellings. The present government also believes in provider based housing policy for urban low income communities. However, it shows that the support based community design paradiam all over the world always has encouraged the user decision-making power and user has authentically participated in the process oriented policy. In community Architectural practice, 3major themes can be identified: 1) Participation] user centered 2) Flexibility] concepts 3) Enablement as professional role. In this study, more concern is given about the participation them which increase the user control over his dwelling design. In the first chapter, concept of community architecture and status of each party and their relationship to each party is going to be discussed. In the second chapter, actual meaning of user participation and itsdeeppsychological relationship with the home as a meaning unauthentic place has-been discussed in terms of human existence. The third chapter consists of two parts, the first part discusses the shanty community in terms of socio-cultural and behavioral criteria and try to develop the theoretical perspective about the shanty dweller, and the second part of this chapter mostly concerns about the million housing programmed as support-based community design process and its structure and the limitations are going to be discussed. With the fourth chapter, two case studies under the million housing programmed are being invested and the purpose of comparison and broadening the idea of user participation. Mxicali project is selected to be discussed under the following important criteria: 1) Extent of user participation 2) Success in terms of architectural compositioning. Before this, the million housing programmed has been discussed in terms of political, economic & social concepts Further discuss oaf the extent of user participation towards place making will also I worthy attempt at the evaluation of the million housing programm