Shelters on Wheels / बस में बसेरा

Proposed system of night shelters within bus depots using parked buses as room units to increase shelter capacity for the homeless in Delhi.

Long description

Cities are believed to be an efficient model of living, but majority of built spaces are used half-time of the day. The proposal of using buses as rooms derives its approach from believing in the idea to use our present resources efficiently without building mindlessly.

There exists an acute shortage in Delhi night shelter capacity which totals to 16,340 (~ 6% of homeless population). Poor location, adverse conditions and lack of safety in the shelters result in even lower usage (averaging only ~37% at night).

The project envisions to address this pressing need by utilising the city’s bus fleet (~4000 in number) parked at depots in the night as shelter units. Merging resources of DUSIB and DTC provides accessible shelter facilities for the poor, and helps monetize depots – which could in-turn facilitate better public transportation in the city.

More than 2 lakh homeless citizens of Delhi would have a better sense of ownership – be a part of the city rather than being tucked away in rusted temporary sheds on the roadside. ‘Shelters on wheels / बस में बसेरा’ attempts to be more inclusive of this ignored subset of population while kick starting a culture of conscious thinking about our resources and city systems.