Establishing New Roots in Guatemala

Abstract

Poverty has long been a problem in Guatemala due to a major critical factor; the lack of a propper education. Unfortunately, Guatemala's high rate of illiteracy and homelessness contributes to the country's slow progress. These are recurring issues in many developing countries. Many impoverished districts in Guatemala rely on primary product production to sustain their economies, such as coffee, fruits, and handcrafted items. Rural towns frequently lack resources, resulting in a demographic shift in which young adults leave their hometowns to pursue opportunities. Individuals are frequently forced to leave their villages lacking adequate education, forcing them to work harder to maintain a safe and suitable living environment. The goal of this thesis is to develop and influence a long-term adaptable self-sustaining community, education, and infrastructure model that can be used in any environment. The goal of community strengthening is to ensure that adults feel secure enough in their living conditions to send their children to school and receive an education. This breaks the vicious cycle of adults lacking the necessary education to improve their circumstances and forcing their children to do the same. This research will look into a self-sustaining modular design community that can adapt to changing demands in a variety of contexts. It will also investigate how architecture can be used to address one of the world's most pressing issues, poverty.