Uncharted Territory

Sara Pantuliano

Disputes over land often start conflicts; and land is often a key issue when refugees and internally displaced people attempt to return home when the conflict is over. Access to land affects people’s choice to return and their prospects of recovery. Yet humanitarian agencies largely neglect these wi...

Mud as a Mortar

Clay is the inherent binder of soils which are used in building. Such mortars are generally used with adobe and compressed soil blocks.

Aerial Ropeways of Nepal

An introduction to aerial tramway / ropeway transport in Nepal including tuins, a river crossing mechanism. .

Mud Plasters and Renders

Mud plasters are used for houses built from mud but can also be used for buildings of stone and fired brick.

School Buildings in Developing Countries

Building schools is a significant area of construction activity in many developing countries. This document explains some issues relating to planning and construction at low cost.

Dry Stone Causeway

Causeways are a strong, low-cost means of river crossing.

Clay as a Binder

Clays are the main binders of earth and are made up of very small mineral particles leached out during the erosion of rock.

Trail Bridge Building in the Himalayas

Artha Tuladhar

A co-publication with Helvetas in their Experience and Learning in International Cooperation series, this publication describes the rural infrastructure support work conducted by Swiss development agency Helvetas in Nepal and Bhutan where over 4000 trail bridges have been built in the last 40 years....

Fuel for Free?

Kelvin Mason

This book covers the use of wastes in firing clay bricks via case studies in Zimbabwe, Sudan, Sri Lanka, and Peru. With respect to both livelihoods and the environment, energy efficiency in brickmaking is critical. Not only does increasing energy efficiency serve to reduce brickmakers’ fuel costs an...

Confronting the Crisis in Urban Poverty

Lucy Stevens, Stuart Coupe, Diana Mitlin

The challenge of urban poverty is growing every year. It is predicted that over 95% of global population growth between 2000 and 2030 will take place in the cities of the developing world. If current trends continue, the huge majority of those will end up in slums. Tackling urban poverty, however, h...