THE SHANTY: A MICROCOSM OVERLOOKING THE STREET
Landscape of the shantytowns
Typologies of shanties: construction methods, materials and dimensions
The shanties of the various nuclei belonged to diverse typologies which were
adapted to the pre-existing paths, to the lay of the land and to the internal
organisation of each shantytown as a whole. On the hills of the city there were
shantytowns with a certain air of the southern Mediterranean, while by the sea
they had a more maritime appearance and even included some stilt houses.
Shanties were erected on land which was purchased or assigned or was public
property. Some were built of quite solid load-bearing materials: bricks and
baked-clay roof tiles, while others were more precarious, with waste or recycled
material: wood, cardboard and fibre-cement panels.
The dimensions were minimal and varied according to the services and
equipment of the home: kitchens, latrines, wash-house. The interior space was
often divided into two areas: one for living in general and the other for sleeping,
separated by curtains.
With the passing of time, the shanties and the shantytowns improved both
their constructed condition and equipment, with the incorporation of electrical
devices and home appliances.
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