They call it 'a dream fulfilled' -- new homes designed for (and by) slum residents

It's a bold new experiment and it's already won a prize. Residents in a jam-packed slum, many of them living in one-room tin shacks, help design their apartments in a brand new building.

<img src='https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/6704x4469+0+0/resize/6704x4469!/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F47%2Fe3%2Fc6082e5a4c75892b49f83d5da193%2Fnew-homes-for-slum-residents-01946.jpg' alt='Pooja Gawali and her family left the tin shack in which they'd live and moved into a new apartment building. She helped design their unit, which, she says, gives her much needed privacy and the space to take on a hobby. Her sewing machine occupies pride of place in her living room. The construction project has won an award for its innovative spirit.'/><p>It's a bold new experiment and it's already won a prize. Residents in a jam-packed slum, many of them living in one-room tin shacks, help design their apartments in a brand new building.</p><p>(Image credit: Viraj Nayar for NPR)</p><img src='https://media.npr.org/include/images/tracking/npr-rss-pixel.png?story=g-s1-135362' />