69
DIRECT OBSERVATION
53 (left) Taubman Team Walks Through Occupation Towards Instituto Anchieta Grajaú.
observation around the creek comes from the importance of protecting this water feature, especially as it relates to tenure security. Over the course of the three-day site visit, 110 direct observation checklists were completed. Although we did not observe every house, the direct observation method ensured that most streets within Ocupação Anchieta were covered. Question 17 is open-ended and has been excluded in the analysis.
The direct observation checklist included only measures of physical conditions. Housing and infrastructure indicators from the UN-HABITAT Program and WHO inspired checklist items (UN Habitat, 2004 and WHO, 2017). Students gathered data by filling out a series of checklists approximately every two housing structures near the creek and every six housing structures in the rest of the Occupation. The reason for concentrating direct
The checklists included six questions that addressed the proximity of housing to the creek and stormwater runoff (1 and 8-12). Out of the 110 direct observation checklists collected, the Taubman Team found that the overwhelming majority of houses (91%) have already been relocated out of the creek and springs vegetative area, and only a few foundations remain (Question 1). One-hundred and forty houses surrounded the creek until an NGO,
WATER AND STORMWATER
FIELD METHODOLOGY
Direct observation surveys helped identify current, observable conditions at the Ocupação Anchieta site. Points of interest included litter, sewerage, topography, stormwater and greywater runoff, construction materials and styles, as well as evidence of electricity and other technology. Surveyors supplemented these checklists with written field notes and geo-located phone pic-tures. These surveys were informed by UN Habitat, the World Health Organization, and the 2015 Santa Marta Capstone, also under direction of Professor Ana Paula Pimentel Walker.
The direct observation method allowed Taubman Team students to gather data on housing typologies and materials, prevalence of solid waste and pollution, and types of infrastructure related to sewage, water, and electricity. Students collected data at the parcel level. Although residents had informally delineated lots at the time of occupation, they have never been formalized. Students observed conditions of the housing structures and the lots surrounding it.
