Habitat

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AKDN AND

Habitat

The improvement of human habitats has been a central concern for the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) and its institutional predecessors for over 100 years.  Central to that concern has been the quality and safety of housing.  Several agencies therefore work to address different aspects of the habitat, from helping communities mitigate the risk of natural disasters to the creation of filtration systems that ensure water is safe to drink.

The Network addresses many aspects of the habitat that have direct bearing on the quality of life in general. The Aga Khan Agency for Habitat, for example, has created over 70 small-scale, affordable interventions that range from smoke-free stoves to inexpensive insulation systems.  Since 1977, the Aga Khan Award for Architecture has been working to influence the design of buildings and public spaces by promoting excellence, sustainability and human scale.

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Other AKDN programmes have planted 120 million trees for fuel wood and construction materials, installed sanitation and drinking water systems, and built hydroelectric plants and electricity lines in rural areas. Although each has a separate mandate, the activities are designed to have a sustained impact on the continuum of development in any given area.

 

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Agencies

Aga Khan Agency for Habitat
Aga Khan Trust for Culture

Spotlights

Training women and men as first responders in disaster-prone areas of Gilgit-Baltistan
In the mountainous areas of Gilgit-Baltistan prone to floods, avalanches and rock fall, the Aga Khan Agency for Habitat is training local communities – women and men alike – to step up as first responders capable of providing rescue, relief and protection during emergency situations.     More
World Water Week 2021: Enhancing access to sustainable water supplies
 In mountainous Gilgit Baltistan of northern Pakistan, where communities are small and presumably tightly knit, mobilising residents to pay for and operate water infrastructure appears to work well in providing them sustainable access to clean water. To determine the feasibility of this approach in... More
Five lessons for participatory planning during a pandemic
Despite mass lockdowns and social distancing measures imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, urban planners and designers have continued work to support vulnerable communities around the world. The Aga Khan Agency for Habitat looked into the experience of some leading urban planning practitioners in... More
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News & Resources

In the Media
20 February 2022
Delhi’s outskirts abuzz with efforts to bolster Capital’s bee population
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Press Releases
15 November 2021
AKDN achieves IFC EDGE green building pre-certification
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Publications
05 October 2021
Habitat planning
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Habitat AT A GLANCE

100 million
AKDN has planted 100 million trees in Pakistan through programmes that address deforestation, transform degraded environments into productive green spaces, and mitigate the effects of climate change.
Trees for food, fuel and fodder
1.3 million
Each year, 1.3 million people living in some of the poorest rural and urban areas of the developing world have better access to safe drinking water, sanitation and sewage facilities provided by the AKDN.
Press release
700,000
In support of the Government's Clean India Mission, the AKDN is facilitating access to improved sanitation and hygiene for 700,000 people in 6 states.
Aga Khan Agency for Habitat in India
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