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The conservation of historic buildings depends on their physical maintenance as much as it depends upon their protection against external threats resulting from economic forces, the political climate, and human interference. Although physical conservation is what keeps the buildings standing, protecting buildings from these external threats can be considered more important because, without such protection, the buildings might not survive for any maintenance to be performed. To achieve the envisaged protection, proper management techniques are required. This article draws management inspirations from the unique and long-enduring tradition of the Islamic waqf, as practiced in the historic Stone Town of Zanzibar, now a World Heritage Site. The structure of waqf management is examined, along with aspects of finance and building maintenance. It was found that the ability of a management system to evolve according to prevailing conditions can be an effective shield against the external threats mentioned here. BACKGROUNDWaqf is an important traditional institution of Islamic society that normally involves the dedication of a donated property, the income from which is committed to serve specific purposes. Once dedicated, the property becomes waqf in perpetuity. Initially, the proceeds of waqf donations were intended to feed the poor and disadvantaged members of society. Later, buildings designated as waqf provided

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This paper presents findings from a study on urban poor housing in Dhaka city. Dhaka is a burgeoning mega city and capital of Bangladesh with population of over 12 million, 30 percent of which lives in informal settlements and is classified as urban poor. To make housing programs accessible to the urban poor, the apportioned cost must be affordable to them. As the resources of Government are meager, housing programs can only be sustained if aimed at full cost recovery. This study seeks to contribute to a sustainable approach of affordable housing for the urban poor by reviewing existing housing situation and supply trend. With a particular reference to 'Bhashantek Rehabilitation Project (BRP)', devised to house 80,000 urban poor, it addresses aptness of the project based on 'affordability', 'cost recovery' and 'replicability' concepts. The study revealed that the foreseeable outcome of the project has a clear disparity with its aim which might not contribute well to curve the housing dearth. Later, the study approaches the concept of tenement apartments for the impoverished city dwellers. Study results expose the preeminence of tenement apartments by admitting the trilogy which is affordable, capital recoverable and sustainable to replicate housing.

This paper clarifies the metamorphosis process of dwelling units throughout dwellers' occupation and extension in low-cost housing projects provided by the National Housing Authority (NHA) at Banpet District, Khon Kaen Province, Thailand. It has shed light on an apparent outlook on a survival strategy made by dwellers through their occupation time. Tenures showed their maneuver of space extension which could sustain low-income life activities. Apart from acting as a living habitation, the incremental self-help extended area itself could help residents generating their income within their houses, called the Income Generation Space (IGS). About 77% of houses in the research area conducted the extension. About half of dwelling units in the study area are extended for IGS. Moreover, the spatial characteristics of IGS as a multipurpose space can serve the desire of dwellers. Furthermore, it has a capability of solving the poverty issue as an essential possibility that is needed to be implemented in the near future low-income habitation strategy. IGS has supported the dwellers' continuous occupation and could also reflect the nature of how low-income Thai people have survived through basic given living conditions.