John Turner Obituary

John Turner, who passed away at the age of 96, was an architect deeply inspired by the urban squatter settlements in Peru during the 1950s and 60s. Faced with housing challenges, rural Peruvian communities migrated to urban areas in search of a better life, but official planning and design solutions were inaccessible to them. Turner was profoundly impressed by their resourcefulness in creating their own housing and neighbourhoods, which he highlighted through his writings under the pseudonym John FC Turner. He presented Peru's urban squatter settlements, known as barriadas, to a global audience, reframing them as valuable resources rather than problems. These communities, primarily composed of impoverished individuals, occupied land on the urban periphery, subdivided it into residential plots, and self-built their homes with available materials. Over time, as residents integrated into the urban economy, these settlements became self-financed hubs of urban development.

John Turner's visionary perspective challenged the prevailing view that informal settlements were to be eradicated. Instead, he argued that their approach worked effectively for the people involved and advocated that professionals in the built environment should learn from them. Turner's influential ideas left a lasting impact on architects, planners, and other built environment professionals worldwide, inspiring a multitude of projects focused on providing essential services and in-situ upgrading programmes for marginalised communities.

Abstract based directly on source.