A Housing Alternative To Living In Quezon City's 7-Story Garbage Dump

Bryan Finoki tackles the spatial and socio-economic problems of shantytowns, focusing on recent tragedies in the Philippines. (Includes photos.)

1 minute read

April 28, 2006, 1:00 PM PDT

By Chris Steins @planetizen


In July of 2000 a typhoon hit Quezon City in the Philippines, triggering the avalanche of a mammoth 'garbage mountain' that buried over 2000 people.

"The disaster site is allegedly 'closed' now, but the heaping landscape of the greater dump itself is still home to roughly 30,000 inhabitants who burrow in and around what is perhaps the biggest piece of garbage architecture in the world. This hyperexcavated mound (climbing seven stories high in some places) provides income for close to 150,000 Philippinos who scavenge Manila's 7,500 tons of household waste collected and dumped there each day.

...Gawad Kalinga is quickly becoming an international NGO that originally began as a local movement in the Philippines, aimed at eradicating poverty by building villages and communities with squatters all over the country ...the organization has been so successful that the United Nations is studying the model to integrate into their poverty elimination programs. Meanwhile, Moleto is exporting it to other dire regions by assisting community groups in Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, India, Cambodia and South Africa."

Thanks to Archinect

Sunday, April 23, 2006 in Inhabitat

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Bird's eye view of manufactured home park.

Manufactured Crisis: Losing the Nation’s Largest Source of Unsubsidized Affordable Housing

Manufactured housing communities have long been an affordable housing option for millions of people living in the U.S., but that affordability is disappearing rapidly. How did we get here?

March 25, 2025 - Shelterforce

U-Haul truck on road with blurred grassy roadside in background.

Americans May Be Stuck — But Why?

Americans are moving a lot less than they once did, and that is a problem. While Yoni Applebaum, in his highly-publicized article Stuck, gets the reasons badly wrong, it's still important to ask: why are we moving so much less than before?

March 27, 2025 - Alan Mallach

Rusty abandoned oil well and equipment with prickly pear cactus next to it in West Texas.

Using Old Oil and Gas Wells for Green Energy Storage

Penn State researchers have found that repurposing abandoned oil and gas wells for geothermal-assisted compressed-air energy storage can boost efficiency, reduce environmental risks, and support clean energy and job transitions.

March 31, 2025 - Pennsylvania State University

Downtown Los Angeles skyline viewed from a distance with freeway and trees in foreground.

Updating LA’s Tree Rules Could Bring More Shade to Underserved Neighborhoods

A new USC study finds that relaxing Los Angeles’ outdated tree planting guidelines could significantly expand urban tree canopy and reduce shade disparities in lower-income neighborhoods, though infrastructure investments are also needed.

April 3 - USC Dornsife

Aerial view of Claifornia aqueduct with green orchard on one side.

California's Canal Solar Projects Aim to Conserve Resources and Expand Clean Energy

California’s Project Nexus has begun generating electricity from solar panels installed over irrigation canals, with researchers and state agencies exploring statewide expansion to conserve water and boost clean energy production.

April 3 - Turlock Journal

Close-up of older woman's hands resting on white modern heating radiator mounted on wall indoors.

HHS Staff Cuts Gut Energy Assistance Program

The full staff of a federal program that distributes heating and cooling assistance for low-income families was laid off, jeopardizing the program’s operations.

April 3 - The New York Times