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-historical |
-housing |
-refugees |
Housing Crises in Kabul City |
Indroduction: |
In the invitation of the governments of Afghanistan, Mr. Azadzoi traveled to Kabul in May of 1996 and then in July of 2002 to survey and investigate the damages in the city of Kabul. In 1996, a few months before Taliban takeover, the Kabul airport was not functioning, traffic barely existed, pavement roads none existing, pit holes everywhere, most neighborhoods were vacant, almost 1/3 of Kabul was destroyed and leveled to ground; public buildings, schools, and cinemas were closed and with no windows, doors, and glasses.. |
WAR DAMAGED BUILDINGS USED BY REFUGEES AS SHELTER |
Only a few neighborhood in Kabul was safe to go; downtown Kabul, Macroryan apartment buildings to the east, Shar-e-Now and Wazir Akbar Khan to the north, and Khairkhana to the west. These neighborhoods were safe to move around only during the day time. South of Kabul from Deh Mazang to Darualaman and west of Kabul from Kabul University to Qargha were un-inhabitable and were not safe to travel during the day time. 90% of the buildings in these neighborhoods were destroyed and leveled to the ground. Macroryan 4-5 story apartment buildings were occupied but were without electricity, running water, sewer, and heat. 2-4 families occupied one apartment and each family lived in one room and shared the kitchen (cooking area). Worth mentioning that electricity did not exist in the whole city. Some places like the Intercontinental Hotel used a generator for electricity for only a few hours a day. Fear and sign of mis-trust was felt in people's faces. Many had grown beard. |
In July 2002, the Kabul airport was open and the Ariana Afghan Airline started a few flights from Dubai to Kabul. Kabul Terminal was still without electricity and ventilation system. Roads were still the same but under repair and patch work. Traffic was visible and sidewalks were full of pedestrians. It was safe to travel to south and west of Kabul, but visitors were advised to travel during the day time and with security guards. Electricity was on and off an only in a few neighborhood for a few hours a day. New businesses and stores were opening. Almost all of the non-taxi vehicles belong to UN and International employees and foreigners. Refugees who were returning from Pakistan and Iran were searching to find their lost homes in the rubbles. Some had bagun to repair and patch their roofs, walls, and windows. |
Background: |
Kabul in the 1970's estimated to have a population of about half a million people. Its size remained within the 5 kilometer (3.1 miles) diameter from the center of the city, Pol-e-Pagh-e-Omimi. The two mountains, Asmai and the Sher Darwaza, cut the city almost in half into the north-west and south-west Kabul. The Kabul river flow in between the two mountain from west to east. A Master Plan prepared by the Russians in the late 1960's bagan to be implemented in the early 1970's. According to reports, this Master Plan was designed for a city of a million population. Today, the population of Kabul estimated to exceed 4 millions. The City of Kabul has grown in every direction without planning. Informal housing quarters have spread to mountains and agricultural land. Traffic is congested and polution is widespread throughout the city. There is no canalization system in the city. Surface water and sewer run over the streets and sidewalks. The air is poluted. Between 2002 to 2007, a large number of refugees returned back from Pakistan and Iran. Some who owned a property find it difficult to claim back the ownership becuase the property may have been sold and handed over several times in several form of documentation to several people. Those who found their property and proved to be the righful owner, began re-building their property. For most of the returnees the option was to settle in vacant lands and pitch their tents or to find shelter in abandoned damaged buildings. After September 11, the United States intervened directly in Afghanistan by sending troops and shaping a new Intrim government. The re-building process bagan and world attention focussed on Afghanistan. The problem was huge and enormous. Afghanistan needed to be rebuild from its foundation. |
Housing: |
Even before the wars, Kabul had never met the need of housing for its population. But at least everyone who lived in Kabul had some access to some form of housing to be called home. Electricity existed and was available to all. Water was available for daily consumption. Roads, some paved and some unpaved, existed. And, there was no homeless and no family lived in temporary shelter like tents and abandoned buildings. Today, Kabul is facing a daunting challenge in providing housing for the number of people live in Kabul. The population is increasing every year and the authorities cannot meet the challenges of providing basic services such as water, sanitation, transportation, electricity and public facilities such as schools, hospitals, and shopping areas. |
Housing Patterns: |
Generaly, one can find three types of housing patterns in Kabul; a) Formal housing patterns developed by the Municipality, b) Informal housing patterns developed gradually by the people, and c) traditional type housing development that existed and informally developed during times. This included the Old City of Kabul. |
A- Formal Housing Development: |
Between 1940s to 1970s a number of residetial neighborhoods were planned by the municipality outside of the Old City of Kabul. This included Shar-e-Now, Wazi Akbar Khan, Qala-e-Fatehullah, Taimani, and Khairkhana on the North; Karta-e-Char, Karta-e-Ce, Kota-e-Sangi, Celo, and Jamal Mena on the South and East, and Noor Mohammad Shah Mena. The pattern of these housing development was based on simple grid iron layouts and rectangular lot divisions of various sizes ranging from 200-400 square meter. Typically two story house plans, European style, was enforced to be built in these lots. |
Traditionally, people builts walls, 2-meter high on property lines to enclose their lots. Authorities enforced a minimum of 1-meter side set back requirement for the location of the house from the property line. Many have voilated this requirement and built their houses attached to their property lines and some back to back with their neighbores. |
Apartment Buildings |
In the 1960s and 70s, the Russian architects and planners were mainly responsible for developing a number of residential neiborhoods proposing 4-5 story apartment buildings.These apartment buildings were made of pre-fabricated concrete panels of approximate size of 3x4 meters hinged together. |
The project was proposed to house 10-50 thousands medium income government officials. It was financed to require a minimum of 10% downpayment and a monthly payment of principal with no interest. It tuned out that many of the high income families moved to these apartments. These apartment buildings had 2-4 bedroom units with a kitchen and 1-2 bathrooms and balcnoly. There was no elvator. Inner stairways leaded to 2-units on each floor. There was no second means of egress which is a voilation of the International Building Code (IBC) today. A typical unit layout was made up of a living room, a kitchen, a bathroom, and 2-3 bedrooms. Some units had a dining room. Almost every unit had a balcony. There was hot and cold running water in all units. All units were heated by hot steam radiators, but no air-conditioning. These buildings were badly damaged during the 1990s civil war in Kabul. |
B- Informal Housing Developments |
As Kabul bacame attractive in the 60s and 70s, many people moved in from other cities and villages to live in Kabul. The Municipality was not ready to respond to provide and develop additional housing neighborhoods to accommodate the increased population. Kabul was attractive for two reasons; economically there was job opportunites for everyone and there was relatively a better standard of living and pleasure in Kabul. |
Skilled and unskilled labor constituted most of the job market. There was also many public job opportunities as all the government institutions and Ministries located in Kabul. There were many boy's and girl's schools, Kabul University (the only University in the country), attractive shopping centers, bazaars, and market places, cinemas, and hospitals. Many villagers moved into Kabul from other parts of the country as farming and husbandry became less profitable due to drought and lack of technology. This population increase caused the city to grow in every direction with any prior planning. The settlement took place mostly in the outskirt of the city. Some moved into the mountain slopes surrounding Kabul City. |
Typically, the houses were one story high, mud brick, or mud (pakhsa), flat roof, walled, and very congested. There was no planned utility distribution, but almost all development received electricity, water, telephone and access roads, some paved, some unpaved. There was no sewage system and garbage collection and polution was the major concern. |
C- Traditional Housing Development |
Afghanistan predominantly remained as a rural soceity in the 20th Century. Urbanization took place at a slow pace in the late 1970s but certain cities like Kabul grow much faster in the 1980s. The wars in the 80s and 90s not only disturbed the growth pattern but also brought up many unfortunes that left Kabul as a ghost city. Over 90% of Afghanistan population lived in villages and towns that were planned 5 to 10 centuries before. The Old City of Kabul has a long history that dates back to pre-Islamic era. Until 1990 there was over 100,000 people lived in the Old City. Houses were compact and attached to each other with 4 to 3 story high with narrow allyways. In the countryside, the hosues were built as clusters where an extended family and a kin lived together. Qala (a large residential compound) is still a popular form of housing where an extended family build a fortified walled compound and several family lived inside in separate sub-divisions. |
Post-War Architecture and Housing |
After September 11, Kabul housing market jumped almost 10 times up. A house in Shar-e-Now that was rented for $400 per month before is now $4,000 per month. The value of the property increased at the same rate. Decent houses were scarce and the clients were almost all foreigners and aid workders. People began building new houses and repairing the existing houses. Most of the owners were Afghans who returned back from US, Europe and neighboring countries of Iran and Pakistan. |
With the coming of the Afghan Immigrants from overseas after 20-30 years of absence in the country also came new style of architecture. In the 60s and 70s Kabul residents built modern European style houses in the high end residential neigborhoods of Wazir Akbar Khan, Shar-e-Now, and Karta-e-Ce. (see above, Section A- Formal Housing Developmetn Photos). These houses were formed and shaped using reinforeced concrete slab floor, overhangs, and parapets. Many of these houses still exist and the owners began repairing, painting and upgrading. Others who found their houses destroyed and damages during the war beyond repair, decided to demolish and start new construction. Some found vacant lands and begin building new houses. In 2003-05, the housing market was hot. Rent of single family house with 4-5 bedroom jumped to $7,000-$10,000 per month. For foreigners and aid workers, Kabul became one of the most expensive city to work and live. On the contrary, in other sections of Kabul in the south, and west which was not considered to be safe for foreigners, the rent remained low,; $100-$500 per month depending on the condition of the house. Some converted their single family houses into guest houses and added meals, laundry, and security. Therefore, one house was leased to several individual on short-term contracts. The new style of architecture that is introduce to Kabul housing market has been brought from two countries; Pakistan and Dubai. Many of the Afghan marchants and businessmen spent their times during the wars in |
The new style of architecture is generall very rich in decoration, colorful and lots of details in columns, overhangs, facade, and window. It is less European but more Eastern, but one may not consider it Afghan style architecture. |
neighboring countries. Some may have been raised and grown there. When they came back to Kabul, they hired masons and builders who also were raised and spent their times outside of Afghanistan. So it is obvious that they built what they know how to build. |
From BAD to WORST |
I met a team of Developers from Iran who invited me to visit their site and see the model houses they built and that they are planning to market and sell to Kabul residents. Three or four types of single family, one story houses were built. They were 2-3 bedroom units with a kitchen and bathroom. They were built on vacant land near the old Macroryan Russian apartment building on the North East of Kabul |
These houses were built of concrete blocks, cement plaster inside and outsie, with heavy paint coloring on the interior and exterior. The roof was made of light steel frames, some light steel trusses, foam core insulation panels and bituminous sheet roofing. The roofs were sloped slightly and the window sills were high for privacy reason. The ceiling was sloped and open to exposed shiny insulation panel covers. The floor was bareconcrete. These units were priced from $20,000 to $40,000, not including the land and cost of utilities to be added. |
Village Housed in the outskirt of Kabul, Paghman |
Informal Hill top houses around Kabul |
Informal Housing Development in the outskirt of Kabul |
Various Housig development in the center of Kabul City |
A house in Shar-e-Now that was built in the 1930s-40s |
New Style Architecture and Housing in Kabul City |