Costa Rica

Street scene with older single story buildings. A donkey pulling a cart crosses an intersection is coming toward the viewer. A dog in the street watches.
Typical street scene, San José, Costa Rica. June 1951

Currie’s engagement with housing in Latin America began with a housing study in Costa Rica for a U.S. foreign aid agency－the Technical Cooperation Administration (TCA)－and the Costa Rica Government.

  • Mixing clay for making tiles – under open shed, Liberia, Guanacaste. August 31, 1951
  • Making a brick kiln for the public works department, Liberia, Guanacaste. August 31, 1951
  • Slum Shacks, Bank of Rio Torres, San José. June 1951
  • Ideal type of old farmhouse, Meseta Central. August 1951
  • New shack built by squatter against wall of reformatory, near San José. July 1951

The farmhouse and urban shacks were built by their owners. United States aid agencies and partner governments adopted the custom of self-construction for their housing programs in developing countries.