The home as workplace: a study of income-generating activities within the domestic setting

Abstract

Many studies of housing concentrate on the dwelling as a place of shelter for the household, as a unit of accommodation and as a key setting for social reproduction. However, in many parts of the world the dwelling is also a place of production: some or all of the household members may be involved in income-generating activities, ranging from small-scale, part-time tasks with few specific spatial demands, to manufacturing activities which may dominate the dwelling environment. This paper draws on a pilot research study into the housing implications of home-based enterprises undertaken in a squatter settlement in New Delhi, India. In addition to a questionnaire survey, detailed case histories of selected households' work and housing situations were recorded, and plans of dwellings drawn. Drawing on this data, the paper examines the spatial and social implications of income-generating activities and discusses how an analysis of the integration of non-domestic activities can inform and broaden our understanding of the meaning of home.

Unexpected negative outcomes of community participation in low-cost housing projects in South Africa

“…After extensive research in this area, Kellett and Tipple (2000) have concluded that the 'recognition of the symbiosis between domestic and productive activities can enrich our understanding of the meaning of home and could lead to more sensitive and supportive policy responses. These could, in turn, lead to healthier communities and encourage economic development.…”

Cairo's Zabaleen garbage recyclers: Multi-nationals’ takeover and state relocation plans

“…Where the place of work is also the place of residence, group identities are reinforced, strengthened by residence patterns of clustering by kin and by place of origin. There are implicit value judgments suggesting a natural and appropriate separation of domestic and work tasks (Kellett & Tipple, 2000). Planning norms, enshrined in zoning laws, insist on the separation of manufacturing, retailing and commercial uses from residential areas.…”

Forms of Informality and Adaptations in Informal Settlements

“…The relations between functional mix, accessibility, building density, street-life intensity, and public/private interfaces have been explored to provide a better understanding of the micro-scale informal morphologies (Kamalipour, 2016b). It has also been indicated how an informal structure can accommodate a mix of working and living (Kellett & Tipple, 2000). A vertical mix of formal and informal has been documented to shed light on the ways in which informal morphologies emerge and grow within a formal structure (Brillembourg & Klumpner, 2013).…”