Precarious subnormal housing: diagnosis of human habitat in tenements in the city of Santos/SP, Brazil Ricardo Andalaft, Walter Barrella

Abstract

Tenement is a housing characteristic of disadvantaged urban areas, made up of buildings where rooms are rented to families, with shared use of bathrooms and kitchens. In Santos (São Paulo, Brazil), the first tenement house appeared at the end of the 19th century, and its main characteristics prevail to this day. They are highly unhealthy environments for human life, developing physical and mental disabilities in their residents. The objective of this work is to evaluate the human habitat in the tenement, characterized by the relationships between architectural and environmental conditions. Social and environmental indicators and parameters were used in the research in 1,497 properties, selecting 57 units to collect data on temperature, humidity, noise, lighting, and ventilation, in addition to the condition of roofs, walls and floors. It was found that the lack of maintenance in buildings is directly linked to the negative characteristics of environmental indices, and to low quality of life indices.