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Pressure for housing in the city was not being met by the private sector for fear of properties becoming seized by the government. The governmenthas not kept with demand for housing so the abandoned building and dozens of others in the city have become a last stand refuge for thousands.

The residents, who prefer being called neighbors rather than squatters, have turned the skeleton of the building into a functional community in which they are able to provideelectricity and water for themselves. The facade is dotted with satellite TV dishes and cement block terraces. The residents keep the building relatively clean and have formed a security detail at the entrances. Astonishingly, retail has flourished in the building with a small shop on nearly every inhabited floor and other services are sprinkled throughout the building. Recreation and child care facilities have also been established.

As the government is taking a hands off approach, the remarkable and resourceful neighbors have made the best of a unique and difficult situation. Residents have taken up 28 floors so far but with no elevators, lighting or even guard rails, the limits of occupying such a space are stretching even the hardiest of them. Sewage disposal is an issue, as is a lack of protection from falling. The story of turning a high-rise into habitation for the poor and homeless has been proposed by architects like Tom Morgan with his Slumdog Superstructure but the Tower of David may be the grandest test of what the possibilities of living in such conditions really means.

Via New York Times

Images New York Times and Skyscraper City