A Waterfron Rediscovery Urban Strategy

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A WATERFRONT REDISCOVERY URBAN STRATEGY Cartagena - Colombia


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POLITECNICO DI MILANO SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND SOCIETY MASTER IN SUSTAINABLE ARCHITECTURE AND MULTI-SCALE PROJECT

A WATERFRONT REDISCOVERY URBAN STRATEGY Cartagena - Colombia

Supervisor Prof. Luis Vives Sanfeliu Student Carlos Manuel Valencia Villamizar 3


INDEX Abstract

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Introduction

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Cartagena de Indias - From Main City-Port to Unequal Touristic City

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Identification of Urban Issues

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Theoretical Framework : The City-Port

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Urban Area Of Intervention

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Background of the project The Latin-American urban developmentsz

The Spanish Colony in America - The Born Of Colombia Cartagena Historical Growth and Expansion Analysis of the City Current Situation: Main City Axxis + Urban Centralities: Polycentric City City Zones Division + Main Centralities: Centralities Dependency City Urban Dichotomy State: Internal City Development Division The Low Developed in the new City: A unequal City area in expansion

The Neglected Waterfronts: The last two Waterfronts at the use of the City WaterFront La Virgen WaterFront El Bosque Urban informal Expansion: StudyCase Medellin

The Waterfront Concept Analysis of The Waterfront Concept Related to the Cartagena´s Context The typologic classification of the waterfront project. The City memory in the Urban/Architectural Project.

El Bosque Waterfront - A Link With the Sea Restricted to the city Survey of the actual state of the area: Land Use Map According to the Urban Planning Policy

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INDEX

Existing Industrial Buildings

Brownfields and Bad State Industrial Buildings

Identification Visual Urban Characteristics: Block Morphology and Occupation

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Buildings in Bad Condition (Residential+Industrial) Waterfront State Traffic and Streets Conditions

Proposal

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Project Strategy Strip Intervention Model: A Scale Prototype to be applied to different seafronts Urban Strategies Masterplan Project Strategies acting in site: 1.The Waterfront Corridors 2. Permeability Strategy + Urban Acupuncture Effect Applied 3. Acupuncture Strategy Applied : City History Museum and Memorial

Conclusions

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Pilot urban strategy Final Concepts

Bibliography

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ABSTRACT

Unequal developments, Informal Settlements and Urban limits are concepts related to the cur-

rent situation in most of the Latinamerican modern cities, concepts that are in the agenda of all the countries with a balanced social and economical position that give them the possibilities of act against this issues. Colombia in the latinamerican context is one of the few countries that had strated to make some efforts applying diffenrent models and types of urban interventions to provide better quality and a more sustainable conditions inside the existing metropolis. Based in this scenario the project aims to Recovery and make and Urban Intervention of one of the Waterfronts in the internal Bay of Cartagena de Indias, Colombia. With the objective of improving the actual situation and urban connections of this seafront and the area around it, it will create an oportunity to increase the city dynamics and the historical values of the city. The project pretends also the possibility to provide an urban strategy to be apply in other waterfronts in the urban area as an actor to benefit less developed sectors. Keywords: Waterfront, Urban Limit, Informal Developments, Industrial Areas, Unrban Connections, Urban Mix Uses, Informal City Expansion, Brownfields, Regeneration of Industrial Buildings, Local Community, Different Scales of intervention, Urban Regeneration, Urban Acupuncture, Historical Heritage Values, Spanish Colony, Latinamerican Context, Neighborhood Renewal, Adaptability, Musseum, Public Facilities, Productive Spaces, Public Space, Block Configuration, Urban Density, Memorial Spaces, Landmark,

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ABSTRACT

Cartagena de Indias -Heterogenous City

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INTRODUCTION

Background Of the Project The City Of cartagena de Indias, has been a place for significant events in the history of the country, a city that has seen in the past great prosperity and wealth as well as had played an important roll in the consolidation of the Latinamarican nations since the Spanish colony times. Historicaly the city was the main port of the Spanish Empire in America, making of it, an strategyc point for the interests of diverse actors; the spanish empire, the brithis crown, the french crwon, pirates and natives habitants. All this create of cartagena a place where histories of battles, independece, slavery, treasures, kings, richness, conquers and heroism converge. It is possible to identify here a pupolation that from generation has share the meaning of being part of a city strongly related and dependent of the Sea as a medium of development, communication and welfare. With this background the city has been the medium where specific culture and identity had growth, providing big effects in the current state of the citizens, but that has started to be at risk of losing part of it´s cultural heritage due to lack of Promotion, Recognition and Protection of this past, the historical heritage memory of the city has been putting apart giving a new meaning of the city as a truistic destination for its beaches and tropical weather condition.

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ABSTRACT

The Latin-American Urban Growth In 1950 massive migrations from rural regions to urban centers occurred due to some important aspects like the end of Second World War, the economic crisis of 1970 and the change in the national policies and economies imposed by the World Banck. The consolidation of urban life due to the crisis of the agriculture sector and the increase of the quality of life in the cities contributed to the growth of urban population. The tendency of few but overpopulated cities was common factor in all the Latin American countries greating a general environment of social inequality and lack of governamental presence. This concentration of population in urban centers with a big demographic dynamic, created a heavy economic load for countries that were not prepared. The housing deficit, the lack of public services and goods were translated in social problems and also absence of urban planing and soil ouse policies created significant environmental impacts in the peripheries of the cities were this informal settlements were located. A demographic shift of 300 million people livng in urban areas in 1950 to 3.9 billion people living in the global south by 2030(1) with less than USD 2,5 make the study of how cities are growing an important issue for architects and planners in the wolrd.

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CARTAGENA DE INDIAS - From Main City-Port to Unequal Touristic

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CARTAGENA DE INDIAS - From Main City-Port to Unequal Touristic City

Cartagena was born as a City Port in 1st of June of 1533, founded by the spanish colonizer Pedro de Heredia, Host and initial big number of spanish attracted by gold of the Sinú Tombs and for the ships system routes that connected spain with america. The city played an important roll for the Spanish Empire as the most use port and as an strategic military point for the control of the lands in America and become the second city of the “Viceroyalty of Nueva Granada”, after Santa Fe de Bogotà. The city was for long time the place for heroic fights against pirates and armies send by the British and French crown who pretended in several time conquer the city to expand their Empires inside the Spanish America. The location of the city has provided a lot of conditions for the terrestrial and marine communication that had open the door for development and expansion. The History, The Sea, The Battles, The Port, The Culture Heritage, and The Mix of people, make of Cartagena A City a past to embrace and a propsper future to achieve.

The Spanish Colony in America - The Born Of Colombian Republic Since the first contact with America on 1942 under the direction of Christopher Columbus and after the recognition of this lands as new territories, this breakthrough in geographical science led to the exploration and colonization of the New World by Spain and other European sea powers, and is sometimes cited as the start of the modern era. Graphic 1- Political Territory and Atlantic Routes Of the Spanish Empire XVII-XVIII Century

As first explorers and conquers of the new continent, Spanish empire set out a big campaign to colonize the territory, extending their sovereignty and domain, from the Actual South-West of the United States to the begining of The Patagonia in Argentina, a first major territory that occupied almos all the continent of America. 11


CARTAGENA DE INDIAS - From Main City-Port to Unequal Touristic

The expansion of the Spanish Empire accomplished the foundation and development of several

strategical cities that were part of the system of Communication and Military Land Control of territory in America, At the same time this cities work as points od destination for the fleets that transported Europeans, Slaves and Supplies from Europe to Ameria, and at the same time Gold, Jewels, People and Exotic Fruits in the way back. Due to this direct nautical relation between the new world and Spain, Cities where the gold or the main fleets where stoping, started to be the target for attacks of Pirates, and other Europeans Crowns in order to get richness or to get in possesion of part of the spanish colonies. Several cities Cartagena, Veracruz, La Havana or Lima , became in points of interest of enemy companies. In the case of cartagena it was necesary to convert the city from a port town, to a Military-Port city. In order to defend the city from the constants attacks received, due to the condition of this city which was the first port of arriving from the spanish fleets arriving from Sevilla, and because it was departure place were the Ships were sailing to Europe full of all the gold recolected from Lima. The eighteenth century was a century of prosperity for the overseas Spanish Empire as trade within grew steadily, particularly in the second half of the century, under the Bourbon reforms. Spain’s crucial victory in the Battle of Cartagena against an extraordinary British fleet, in the Caribbean port of Cartagena de Indias, one of a number of successful battles, helped it secure Spain’s dominance of the Americas until the nineteenth century. The sovereignty and domain from spain across the atlantic force to create a second reign in charge of the control of local affairs and domains. 12


CARTAGENA DE INDIAS - From Main City-Port to Unequal Touristic

As a consecuences of this was created diverse Viceroyalties, and subdivisions of the territories at under the power of the Spanish Kingdom; Viceroyalty of Nueva Granada (Actual Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador and Panama), Viceroyalty of Nueva España (Mexico and United States), Viceroyalty of Peru (Peru, Bolivia)and Viceroyalty Of La Plata ( Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay). The destruction of the main Spanish fleet, under French command, at the Battle of Trafalgar (1805) undermined Spain’s ability to defend and hold on to its empire. The later intrusion of Napoleonic forces into Spain in 1808 (see Peninsular War) cut off effective connection with the empire. But it was internal tensions that ultimately ended the empire in America. The wars of independence in Spanish America were triggered by another failed British attempt to seize Spanish American territory, this time in the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata in 1806. The viceroy retreated hastily to the hills when defeated by a small British force. However when the Criollos militias and colonial army thrashed the now reinforced British force in 1807 and, with the example of the North American revolutionaries very much in their minds, they quickly set about the business of winning their own independence and inspiring independence movements elsewhere in America. A long period of wars began which led to the independence of Paraguay (1811) and Uruguay (1815 but subsequently ruled by Brazil until 1828). José de San Martín campaigned for freedom in Argentina (1816), Chile (1818) and Peru (1821). Further north Simon Bolivar led forces that won independence for the area that is currently Venezuela, Colombia (included Panama until 1903), Ecuador, and Bolivia by 1825. In 1810 a free thinking priest, Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, declared Mexican independence, which was won by 1821. Central America declared its independence in 1821 and was joined to Mexico for a brief time (1822–1823). Santo Domingo likewise declared independence in 1821 and began negotiating for inclusion in Bolivar’s Republic of Gran Colombia, but was quickly occupied by Haiti, which ruled it until an 1844 revolution. Thus only Cuba and Puerto Rico remained in Spanish hands in the New World. 13


Cartagena Historical Growth and Expansion

Expansion 1533 - 1886 Cartagena Was born as a City Port, playing and important roll for the Spanish Empire as the most important port and as an strategic military point for the control of lands in America.

Expansion 1886-1938 The constant attacks to the city made by Pirates and Brithish and French Naval Armies, made Cartagena become in a walled City in which the expansion outside of the walls was slow and the areas around the city was mostly use for agriculture.

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Cartagena Historical Growth and Expansion

Expansion 1939 - 1964 After the Independence from the Spanish Colony, the city began to developed and expand by the main axis of connection to the outside, A main road dedicated also to the train railway

Expansion 1964 - 1983 The high expansion of the city get stuck in this period because others cities as Bogota or Medellin located in the center of the country started to transform in big economical country centralities

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Cartagena Historical Growth and Expansion

Expansion 1983 - 2010 In the beginning of this period the city get back the status of importance in the country dynamics, but now as a touristic destination, almost completely dedicated to the tourism industry.

Expansion 2017 - Actual State The city in the last 7 years has spread in to the north and south maintaining an informal ocupation specially in areas destinated for industrial uses.

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Cartagena Historical Growth and Expansion

Graphic 2- Urban City Map Cartagena de Indias. The actual city present a irregular planing in which the informality of some developments has create a big effect in the urban configuration, creating a heterogenous Urban Tissue. The Extension of the city along the main axis has reduce in the last few years and the south of the city has receive new developments mostly informal ones.

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Analysis of the City Current Situation

Main City Axxis + Urban Centralities: Polycentric City

The Foot Print Of the city shows the expansion at the long of the seafront. The main axis that connect the city with the interior of the country had influenced the growth of the city and also connects the Old Spanish CityCenter with the new settlements. The historical importance and touristic use of the old city center made of this the biggest economical centrality of the city, But due to its linear growth is completely detached to the new actual city in which area all the other functions and dynamics of the city 18


Analysis of the City Current Situation

City Zones Division + Main Centralities: Centralities Dependency

The two main centralities of the city produce a urban influence. The centrality related to the old Spanish city center covers and impact just to one zone of the city mostly touristic in effect the most developed area. Meanwhile the second city center covers and influence a bigger area and several zones of the city but it doesn´t present a regular development or economical opportunities.

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Analysis of the City Current Situation

City Urban Dichotomy State: Internal City Development Division

The bipolarity in the development of the city, plus the morphological conditions establish a recognizable division, a “dichotomy” in which the area of the mayor development and economical movement is going to be continually affecting the healthy growth of the other part of the city. “A internal division that supports an unequal city” 20


Analysis of the City Current Situation

The Low Developed in the new City: A unequal City area in expansion

The area that presents a slow and low development, is also the area that cover a mayor part of the city. This sector of the city involved most of the regular dynamics related to the city-life and gobernamental activities. Also it is the main residential area of the city. For the condition of the expansion this area has started to mix with industrial uses that were previously outside of the metropolitan area but that now make part of the urban tissue. The sector present two of fronts with direct relationship to the sea and to the port.

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Identification of Urban Issues The Neglected Waterfronts:The last two Waterfronts at the use of the City

The interior area of the city still with big expectations for a better development, have a interesting morphological configuration that gives the possibility to the area to own two of the waterfronts existing in the interior of the bays.The two waterfronts are spaces with a lot of possibilities to the city and that increase the historical relationship of the city with the sea. Unfortunately the actual conditions of this waterfronts is not the most favorable to provide an important use to the communities and to the city. Both waterfronts pressent different conditions and diverse relations with the city, being La Virgen Waterfront an area most related to Residential informal settlements and El bosque Waterfront, a sppace more related to industrial uses 22


Identification of Urban Issues Waterfront La Virgen

This Waterfront is one of the two left seafronts remaining. The zone present a residential use.The lack of planing and the informal occupation has made of this a slums settlement sector. The City has developed an urban project to upgrade the quality of the waterfront but was not succesful. The project failed because the intervention that consisted in a public space along the waterfront with diverse facilities was planing without taking in cosideration the division effect that the existing highway creates between the waterfront and the neighborhoods around.

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Identification of Urban Issues Waterfront El Bosque

The urban sector know as El bosque, has an historical background being this one of the waterfronts of the main Bay of Cartagena, which has been from times of the Spanish colony the economical and transportation medium of development. The area present an unusual mix of uses in which industrial buildings and purposes had take and occupy the waterfront area, detaching completely the city and the sea and creating inappropiate conditions to the habitants. This scenario is being created by the lack of control and planing of the sector, letting the informal occupation spread around the sector that initially had a residential use.

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Identification of Urban Issues Urban informal Expansion: StudyCase Medellin

In the 1950´s the urban population of Colombia, Venezuela, Peru and Ecuador was 46.9% while in 1980 was 69.9%. This mean an increase of more than 50% of the population in the main cities, demanding services, housing and social facilities necessaries to have a good quality of life. This accelerated growth and the incapability of the government to provide safe housing and services produced the development of bog informal settlements with more than 180 million of people in the peripheries of the South American cities built in a precarious and unorganized way. Settlements far away from the progress of the developed countries oppose the theory of the relation between growing and development. Add to this commun scenario around the latin american countries, the internal situation of Colombia brings new external factors that create a big effect in the expansion of the main cities, the repression and violence as a result of the internal civil wars that in the 1960 incremented the informal urbanization mainly in Colombia, were the presence of differenct military groups created inestability in all the different ambits of the social development. This situation caused massive displacements from the rural areas to the cities, where the only alternative to establish permanent or provisionally was in lands without adequate urban processes and the absense of services, associated in many occasions with massive floods and soil movements, besides a high social economic segregation. As a numerical fact on 1st of december 2013, 5.185.406 people were register by the UNO as displaced habitants, creating an internal impact in the cities and more specific in the housing demand and urban capacity. The main regions affected by the internal displacement in Colombia were Nariùo, Antioquia and Choco, but the general desire of this people to find apropiate conditions to restart their lifes take the spread of this situation to all the main cities of the country. 25


Identification of Urban Issues This negative effect insity the urban context has reach Cartagena in an exponential picks in the last 20 years, creating a reandom expansion of the city and limitating the control of the land use for the urban planing office of the city. The most charateristic result of this spontaneous expansion has created the settlements of housing built unfavorable conditions and placed in locations where the residential uses is not allowed or not compatible. that way we can find mis of industrial buildings and facilities mix with residential buildings, or residential developments occupiying areas of natural reserves or with risk of flodding. Study Case - Medellin As a example of the methodologies that had started to be applied on urban planing and architecture developments related to the problems of informal expansion and settlements in precarious states, the city of Medellin in the interior of Colombia, is one of the most succesful reference of urban transformation and social inclusion. The city of medellin is located in the center of Colombia in the departament of Antioquia, one of the regions with higher percentage of displacement in the country. With a population of 3´821.729 inhabitants in the metropolitan area and its extension covers 110km2. The informal occupation of the hills and the border of the city was direct consequence of the rural violence and the lack of governamental presence. Nowdays according to UN the 8% (227.000 residents - 55.000 houses) of the inhabitants of medellin live in inadequate houses determinated by the lack of 5 aspects: durability of the houses, sufficient living space, which means no more than 3 residents per rom, easy access to water, access to adequate sanitation. The invasion of the city borders has caused several environmental and social issues. the progressive invasion to the hill suggest the scarity of the green areas for the city and the contamination of the natural creeks, besides the social problems that are produced by the disconnection of the periphery areas and the city center.The informal ocupation also affects morphologically the city, Creating diverse problems in the connections of the neighborhoods and influence the image of the city, due to the strong contrast that produce the informal developments next to some other areas with much better conditions and economic status.

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Theoretical Framework : The City-Port Graphic 3- Medellin´s urban Areas Divisions Map. The stong contrast between urban developments is an avidence of the social unequality.

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Identification of Urban Issues In the year 2004 the public administration of medellin in collaboration with the Urban Development Company EDU developed a new methodology or urban intervention called PUI (Integral Urban Plan) with the objective of act in a certain part of the territory. These are interventions originated from the general strategies of the territorial planing of the city taking as a priority the working towards zones of the city with the lower human development and the lower quality of life, focus the efforts in the improvemt of housing, public spaces, mobility, connectivity and natural environment. the urban intervention project had a methodology of action divided in three aspects: Physical, Social and InterAgency. With the aim of integrated the Slums and the social class less developed to the city. The trhee aspects were applied in the first integral urban project, the North-East Zone PUI. This project based in the methodology provided as an intial conceptual guideline the diversity of interventions all working together in differen urban scales In this order the project establish three types of interventions, acting together as a system; -The Urban Connection Intervention. (metrocable system) -The Individual Popular Intervention Areas (Public space local improvement) -The Comunal Main Facility Intervention Area ( Santo Domingo Library) The Project applied in the different scales has created an effect of change in the area, influencing the better behavior of the habitants of this area, increasing the social dynamics and the economical activities, providing spaces for the cultural purposes and generating an effect of inclusion and identity in the local community.

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Identification of Urban Issues Graphic 4 - General Masterplan and Intervention area North-East Zone PUI. Definition of the main connections, Selection of the place for the local interventions and the main facilities.

Graphic 5- The urban Connection Intervention. Plan of the intervention in the Andalucia Area, Improvement of the Main Urban Axis and creation of the metrolinea system, an aereal Cableway that connects the upper settlements on the hill with the metro system.

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Identification of Urban Issues

Graphic 6 and 7 - The Individual Popular Intervention Areas (Public space local improvement) Public Spaces dedicated to diverse activities or local uses all of them located in internal sectors of the slums, creting an interconnection between then that provides unity to the neighborhoods

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Identification of Urban Issues

Graphic 8 and 9 - The Comunal Main Facility Intervention Area ( Santo Domingo Library and Santo doming School) Architectonic elements providing an specific services to the community. The buildings had become in landmarks to the area or to the city as is the case of the Santo Domingo Library, Bringing to the community an special motivation to increase their identity for their neighborghoods. also played a fundamental roll in the intention to include this community to the city provinding this facilities that in regular cases will be placed in more favorable areas.

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Theoretical Framework : The City-Port

The Waterfront Concept In terms of definition The waterfront refers to the area of a city or town related to its dockland district, or the area alongside a body of water. It is possible to say in less commun extend that the waterfront is understood as the space of the urban area with specific characteristics in which the city has direct proximity to the water (sea, lake, river) and is not limitated just to the line that divided water and labd, but make reference to the “face” that extends in variable dimensions related to the conditions and realities of the urban and natural context.

Analysis of The Waterfront Concept Related to the Cartagena´s Context The natural condition of the City of cartagena shows a tangible relation with the sea, understanding that this relationship is a big advantage for the city. The waterfronts that the city pressent had host numerous and diverse uses, and in the current years the main use of the waterfronts are being related to the placement of turistic infrastructure, services and uses. From older times the city was recognize as a City-Port, in which the relation of the economical activities and social development derived from this medium, and is this the initial concept that it has to be applied when we want to make a deep reading of the city; Is a City-Port. As a city-port the waterfront is natural space part of the city and in this sence it should be understood in all its dimensions; is a part of the city as it can be a park, a street, a civic square, a hill or a subway. It is an element part of the complexity of the urban reality and it should be treaty like that, obviously taking in cosideration all the specific and unique factors and characteristics that the waterfront represents by itself. The use of this space for the citizens can be specify or determinated due to the use that this waterfront will host, that in the case of cartagena the uses for

“the waterfront... ...make reference to the “face” that extends in variable dimensions related to the conditions and realities of the urban and natural context.”

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Theoretical Framework : The City-Port the waterfronts has been selected under economical reasons and mostly focus in turistic or industrial private activities that provide a monetary benefit to a small part of the actual poppulation, and giving no space for the primary essence of this area that is the relation of the citizens with the water. In order to achieve a better use of the waterfront for the benefit of the city it is necesarry to define the waterfront project as an element of transformation that from the methodologycal approach as an articulate order of considerations, that related a peculiar vision of the Urbanistic-Architectonic discipline. To organice and unravel the procedure of the waterfront project it is necesary establish some methodologycal orders to guide the aim, the extension and the purpose of the project. In this way we can bring three elements that generate order to the conception of the project. -Physical Order -Figurative Order -Conceptual Order. Physical Order: refers to the understanding of the physical location of the project in which in this case is the Waterfront and its recognition as interphase area between the city and the sea, not just as a line of division or to a line that connects two points along the border of the sea. It should be take the originary meaning of the waterfront and relate it to an area of interest in which the intervention or the new developments fix the functional relation between the Port settlement with the city. In this way we make strict clearity to not relate the waterfront project with the nowdays currently projects related to puntual interventions or reconfigurations along the seafront line. 33


Theoretical Framework : The City-Port Figurative Order: this element of the methodology will permit evaluate our actions having in consideration elements the Simbolic Value of the waterfront to the social and city ambit. In this point the meaning of the waterfront term is related to the use that this area can acquires next to the possibilities of the project as generator of requalification. The waterfront as the space for the urban leisure, all possible actions to increase and benefit the city-life dynamics. Conceptual Order: Refers to an oportune relation between the instance of the architectonic project development, the culture of the city and the urban planing managment. It has to involved elements related to the community and the actual situation of the habitants in which deep social structure analysis and economic influence should be evaluated as factors to guide decisions in the project. Is not a result of a rational and comprensive way of thinking, but the oposite, is the success of the excersice of complex dimensions procedural and contextual. Base the propposal in the idea of unify the creative process, taking out every ideologycal value and updating to the view of the future uses related to the community. Involving different scales, disciplines and diversity professions. The intervention shoul be a result of the contemporary approach of the city in the project. The typologic classification of the waterfront project The reading of the waterfront area as and the methodology of the intervention project brings to light the identification of the type of waterfront that is intended to be intervened and acording to this identification we can help to define the new use and the direction of the new project. The waterfront project has to be able to resolve the problem of the coexistence between the port acttivities and the urban

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Theoretical Framework : The City-Port

activities, creating an articulated system of links between the city and the sea. According to this identification is possible to find a typological waterfront selection, that leads to define the intention of the project. In a similar line of ideas, the methodological theory exposed by Sebastiano Provenzano in his book PORTOCITTA Charatterizzazioni e Variazioni D`Identità di un Fatto Urbano presents a list of typologies that can help to classify the waterfront byt the use or state. He propose three classes of waterfront typologies project acording to possible uses to face: the Waterfront Infrastructural Port, The Vestige Port, the Hybrid Port. Insfrastructural Port: is an approach directly focus in the Port System. It is mainly related to existing waterfronts that host a existing Port that doesn´t have lost or pretend to reduce the use as a Maritime Terminal and the commercial or passengers traffic. In this condition the Project will have as a main objective the improvement of the infrastructure in order to advance with Port activities. Vestige Port: this type of approach is related to the ports that due to the changes of the city had stop their functions and have begun a slow decline and are characterized to present around industrial vestiges and traces of their past history. This Vestiges are a existing link with the past and the kind of intervention aims to the maintenance and the decreassing of new developments and buildings, focusing more in the revitalization of the area evoking the memory of the place with subtle interventions. 35


Theoretical Framework : The City-Port Hybrind Port: this typology it is focus in the existing waterfront areas that present a strong proximity to the urban developments and making of the port an special area of the city. It is this space in which the city has coexisted with the sea, but that due to the growth and the urban pressure of the area, the waterfront host diverse services facilities for the city and starting to occupied space for the people. It has an pseudourbana identity and looks to mantain the mix uses and the proximity with the city as an way of keep always active the area. The project under this scenario should look for maintain the values of the area to the future, controling the urban expansion to this sector and the development of spaces usefull for the confort community, provinding the wellfare and the city-life dynamics. The City memory in the Urban/Architectural Project. In the process of analysis, reading and understanding of the city in all its complexities social, morhfological and cultural, there is one element that is a primordial aspect to be considered in all actions to follow related to the transformation of the city and in this case of the waterfront, which is the Memorry f the city. The city, the habitants and the land that occupy is a vast and varied matterial that has its own memory, with a interesting state of discontinuous contunuity, that cross times and scales and that is visible through elements that signs this past. The project design strategy in the proccess to develope a new urban intervention must be derived from the traces of the past; the pre-existing traces are part of a vast system of overlapping patterns, uses and layers and the possibility of the new project is to involve and include the deep layers of history with the current as a new interphase, making of them and interactive system working for the community and providing a felling of identity.

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Theoretical Framework : The City-Port

“One can say that the city itself is the collective memory of its people, and like memory it is associated with objects and places. The city is the locus of the collective memory�. Aldo Rossi

The methodology from the archeology or memory trace to architectural design, is the syntantic construction that allows the recognition of the geographical areas as the field generator and traces and shapes the domminant forms. The contemporary Urban Traces can be found in original traces of the indestructible urban matter and context, and the interpretation of the signs express the potential of an original geographical and morphogenetic order in contemporary context creating an qualitative change. 37


Urban Area Of Intervention EL BOSQUE WATERFRONT- A Link With the Sea Restricted to the city The city of Cartagena had an extremely dependency relationship with the sea, element that had provided richness, development possibilities, transport and character to the town from times of the Spanish Colony. The bay in specific had been the door of the city to the world, the place for some of the most historical memories that had built a cultural heritage identity, that is in risk of disappearing. The Analysis of the waterfronts direct the attention to El Bosque area, the only one in the bay that presents a neglected state by the authorities , and which shows strong possibilities to the city being this a sector close to the new center, with low building occupation, low density, and lands still free of use, especially in the waterfront. The Lack of control in the use of lands has permit the use the zone for industrial activities occupying preferential spaces that could be use for the community. This industrial uses had spread in all the area affecting the residents around, due to the original Residential Use established by law.

Graphic 10 - Abstract representation of the El bosque Area

Graphic 11 - Land Use Map According to the POT Plan de Ordenamiento Territorial de Cartagena 2001.

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Urban Area Of Intervention Survey of the actual state of the area:

Graphic 12 -El Bosque Built Areas: Built and Voids Map of occupation.

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Urban Area Of Intervention Survey of the actual state of the area

Graphic 11 - Main Roads Connections. The sector present a vertical orientation generating a direction of the traffic flow in direction North-South/ South-North. There is two big traffic corridors crossin along the sector, two highways that are using mostly for Heavy Shipping Vehicules, that at the same time use the small secoundary roads of the area to reach the industrial zones of the waterfront.

Graphic 12 - Existing Green Areas El Bosque are pressent an aparently lack of green areas, it is just supply for some natural areas located in spaces outside the sector, one in direction to the city center, and the other one is part of the military private area dedicated to the Navy Academy, limitating completely the access for the community to this large green space.

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Urban Area Of Intervention Survey of the actual state of the area

Graphic 13 - Identification of Industrial Buildings The informal occupation of the area has giving the chance to some industries to acchieve the construction of Building completely dedicated to Industrial Purposes. Use that should not be related to the Mix use refered for the Land Occupation Law, in which this Mix use refers to coexistence between residential, commercial and institutional uses in the area. As result of this is evident the strong occupation of the indistrial use in the area.

Graphic 14 - Identification of Brownfields As a consequence of the informal occupation and the strong effect thay the industrial uses brings to the sector, is possible indentify a big quantity of brownfields or even Buildings with previous industrial uses that now are in total abandonment state and bad physical conditions. The residential informal settlements and the irregular occupation of the blocks also shows a big amounth of not use spaces at the interior off the blocks regulary closed to the community to prevent more informal developments.

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Identification Visual Urban Characteristics Abacus 1- Block Morphology and Occupation

2- Buildings in Bad Condition (residential+Industrial)

Regular Residential Developments occupation. Low Density

Informal Developments Occupation Slums

Mix Use Occupation. Industrial placed in residential area.

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Identification Visual Urban Characteristics 3- WateFront State

4- Brownfields and Streets Condition

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Proposal PROJECT STRATEGY

The project has as starting concept of process the understanding of the architectonic design as a urban background/figure of a timeless relation with the city. the identification of urban layers as fundamental superposition of infrastructure networks coexisting define the character as a meeting point between different ways and times. The layered order responds to a cordial relation between architectonic and local urban forms and orders of magnitude, density and complexity of the urban totality. STRIP INTERVENTION MODEL A Scale Prototype to be applied to different seafronts The Urban intervention to recover the use of the “El Bosque� waterfront to make of it a meaningful and useful space for the city has as first action, the objective to break the existing urban limits that this area presents making of the sea an element not reachable for the local community and the rest of the city. The Industrial Use and Buildings that occupy the waterfront had created security walls that face to the urban area , creating the first limit. Also the existing vehicular roads network in the area creates a strong limit forcing the direction of the city dynamics in north-South order, In which the High Vehicular Industrial Flow create an obstacle for the City Center areas to connect with the waterfront.

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Proposal Graphic 15 - Breaking the urban limites: Due to the vertical strong vehicular connections and the urban limites related to the industrial uses along the waterfront, the project is decided to act in the opposite direction, base in the intention of generate a horizontal development that involved all the sector instead of just a intervention in the seafront.

Graphic 16 - AREA SELECTED FOR THE STRIP INTERVENTION MODEL The area selected brings the possibility to create a horizontal project able to break the vertical urban limits that divide the communication of the waterfront wih the community and with the city center.

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Proposal Urban Strategies

Diverse Actions and Scales = Integral Proposal Diverse Urban Strategy Methods to create a positive and realistic effect in the Area. Each Strategy use is proposed for specific scales of the urban dynamic: “City Scale, Community/Neighborhood Scale, And Local Scale�. An Integral Strategy.

1. The Waterfront Corridors Strategy City Scale Intervention

A City Scale Intervention that pretends with Simple and Clear elements to break the limits and connect the city and to the Waterfront and to provided a horizontal access to it. Mix Circulation Corridors. Pedestrian + Biking Mainly Purpose and Low Speed Vehicular passage.

Graphic 17 - Waterfront Corridors Design Scheme

Graphic 18 - Waterfront Corridors Design Composition

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Proposal 2. Permeability Strategy

Sector/ Neighborhood Intervention Due to the Brownfields identified and the informal occupation of the blocks, it is possible to improve neglected areas at the interior of the block, creating a network directed to the Use of the Local Community in which new public spaces and secondary connections Creates a Vernacular Tissue activating the social and economic dynamics of the area.

Graphic 19 - Diagram of interconnections between blocks. Urban Permeability

Graphic 20 - Permeabilty plan on the El bosque Sector

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Proposal 3. Urban Acupuncture Strategy Local Intervention Identifying the points where a small action will cause a large and meaningful change. The model using Strategic Punctual interventions can create a new positive synergy and energy that help the desired scenario to be consolidated. The interventions can for Residential purposes, Public spaces, cultural or educational purposes, or spaces to encourage the economic and work possibilities to the community.

Graphic 21 - Diagram of identfication for acupuncture interventions. Public spaces, residential developments or productive spaces

Graphic 22 - Selection of points for specific interventions to create an effect in urban areas with condi48


Proposal PROJECT STRATEGY DIAGRAM 2. Permeability Strategy Sector/ Neighborhood Intervention

2. Permeability Strategy Sector/ Neighborhood Intervention

1.Waterfront Corridors Strategy City Scale Intervention

Strip Intervention Model City Scale Intervention

Graphic 23 - Project Strategy Diagram

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Proposal Masterplan

With the masterplan design proposal the project achieve the integration of the different scales of intervention, working as a System that provided a new relation with the waterfront by all the community and the city center.

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Graphic 24 - Project Masterplan

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Proposal PROJECT STRATEGIES ACTING ON SITE 1.The Waterfront Corridors The project intervention in a city scale is focus in the connectivity and the possibility of breaking the existing urban limits specially the limit related to the strong traffic flow across the north to south highways which created a difficil connection for pedestrians and affects also the use of the streets creating huge traffic congestions all deriveted to the industrial actvities of the sector. The strategy provides three direct urban connections from the city center to the waterfront, corssing and involving the area of intervention until they arrives to the waterfront in which a specific urban uses are placed (Public Sea-Pool, Museum and Workshops/Fab Labs Facility). The Waterfront corridor is designed in order to reduce the heavy traffic and providing better uses for the community, dividing the corridors in a Low speed vehicular path, Bike road and Green Strips and Pedestrian Paths.

Graphic 24 - Waterfront Corridor Disegn. Image of a intersection between one of the waterfront corridors. in which it is organices the space for pedestrians, low speed vehicules circulation. biking roads and green areas.

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Proposal

Graphic 25 - Waterfront 1 . Connecting the city to the waterfront and a City Facility. the corridor ends in a Sea-Pool Public Facility.

Graphic 25 - Waterfront 2. the intention of this connection is to relate the city to new espaces for the locals focus in Productive and economical Actiities. . The corridor ends in a WorkShop/ Fab Lab Faciltity Renewing old Industrial Buildings

Graphic 25 - Waterfront 2. The corridor pretend connect the community to an memmorial and cultural space. The waterfront corridor ends in a City History Museum.

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Bringing back the City-life and the neighborhood to the Local Community.

To improve the area and the conditions of the local community, the permeability strategy provides new spaces and inter-connections and dynamics inside the neighborhood with the use of neglected spaces at the interior of the blocks. There are diverse and different scenarios to made an improvement in which the selection of and specific action can be helpful for the community. In this cases the strategies are applied to a Block with Mix Uses ( heavy industrial and residential use), giving the chance to Regenerate the Old industrial buildings looking to convert them in new Facilities for the Community, providing to the residents sportive spaces, Trading spaces and Child-care services.

Internal Voids and Brownfields

Urban Block of Intervention

Actual State Block Intervention

2. PERMEABILITY STRATEGY + URBAN ACUPUNCTURE EFFECT APPLIED

Identification Of Build- Removing the Buildings Permeability Strategy Acupuncture StrategyBuilding Regeneration Healing Improvement effect ings and Conditions in Bad Condition

Proposal

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Proposal Graphic 25 - Ground Floor Example Intervention in a Block

Graphic 27 - General plan Example Of Intervention in a Block.

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Urban Block of Intervention

Proposal

Bringing back the City-life and the neighborhood to the Local Community.

To improve the area and the conditions of the local community, the permeability strategy provides new spaces and inter-connections and dynamics inside the neighborhood with the use of neglected spaces at the interior of the blocks. There are diverse and different scenarios to made an improvement in which the selection of and specific action can be helpful for the community. In this cases the strategies are applied to a Block with Mix Uses ( heavy industrial and residential use), giving the chance to Regenerate the Old industrial buildings looking to convert them in new Facilities for the Community, providing to the residents sportive spaces, Trading spaces and Child-care services.

“Actions and Uses according to the specific needs of the locals = heal the area and give appropriation and belong felling to the community� Graphic 28 - Sport and Trading Center (industrial Building Regeneration intervention)

Graphic 29 - Child-Care Center (industrial Building Rgeneration)

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Graphic 30 - Architectonic Plans Prototype Building

Proposal

New Residential building Proposal to increase Density of the Area Residential Proposal for typical parcel division inside the area´s Blocks

Graphic 31 - Urban Section A-A

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Proposal

Graphic 32 - Image representation of the interior of the urban block intervented by the strategies. (Permeable interior public space, New residential buildings, Sports Facility regenerated Building.)

Graphic 33 - Image representation of the interior of the urban block intervented by the strategies. (Regeneration of a industrial building to the creation of a Child-Care Center.)

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Proposal

Graphic 34 - Image representation of the interior of the urban block intervented by the strategies. (Sports and Trading Center Facilities regenerated Building.)

Graphic 35 - Urban Section B-B

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Proposal 3. ACUPUNCTURE STRATEGY APPLIED City History Museum and Memorial

A Space to Promote and Conserve the History Heritage and Military Naval Memory According to the Urban Acupuncture Strategy, Is important to read the necessity of the habitants to provide actions that can increase the life quality. Social and Cultural Aspects as the Identity of a population can be affected by an Architectonic or Urban Intervention. In this order it is proposed an Space dedicated to Promote and Protect the History Of the City, providing a relation between the citizens and the cultural memory. This development will Strength the felling of belongness and appropriation of the local community that will host a Landmark.

Graphic 36- Building Design Process. The Spanish Military Fortress - The walls against the exterior.

Graphic 37- Building Design Process. Envirting the Concept of Fortress 60


Proposal

Graphic 38- Building Design Process. The Walled Interior and the Sea - An Historical Relation

Graphic 39- Building Design Process. An Up the wall Walk Circulation

Graphic 40- Building Design Process. Open Fortress To the city and to the MemorialHistory

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Proposal City History Museum and Memorial

Graphic 41- Architectonic Plans

City History Museum an Memorial Building.

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Proposal City History Museum and Memorial

Graphic 42- West Fasade , City History Museum and Memorial

A Space to Promote and Conserve the History Heritage and Military Naval Memory. The concept of the fortress is reinvented to become in a building that protects the memory of a poppulation.

Graphic 43- Building Section B-B

Graphic 44- Building Section A-A

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City History Museum and Memorial

Proposal

Graphic 44- Exterior View City History Museum And Memorial Building

Graphic 44- Exterior ViewWaterfront Corridors and Urban Strategy 64


Proposal City History Museum and Memorial

Graphic 44- Interior View Memorial Space - City History Museum And Memorial

Graphic 45- Exterior View City History Museum And Memorial Building 65


Conclusions Pilot urban strategy The proposal can be an element able to create order and urban improvement in other points of the city with similar characteristics mainle in the relation with the seafront. The multi scale urban intervention and the Strip Model works together as a system of connection and messure to the city. In this way the Project is extended as a Pilot Urban Strategy to be Applied in other Waterfronts of the City.

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Conclusions Final Concepts “When circumstances defy order, order should bend or break: anomalies and uncertainties give validity to architecture”. Robert Venturi

• With the interventions that will be made to make the port functional and well accessible to its traditional functions, the actions from the city center will start to advance predictably right towards the port, returning to its citizens its ancestral relationship with the sea, as well to the waterfront a social function now unknown for the city due to the industrial areas, and becoming the relationship with water their point of strength • Actions and Functions according to the specific needs of the locals bring the possibility to heal and urban area or social condition with strong disadvantages and give appropriation and belong felling to the community. • The previous analysis and contact with the local community help to identify and organize the process follow for the urban intervention and the type of interventions necessesary. • The recognition of the memory of the city as a sign of identity and culture heritage provides the identification of new elements that can influence the design and create a link betwee the Architecture/Urban Project and the Citicenz. • The Urban Project has to be understood as Multi-Scale Intervention, requesting a deep analysis of differents dimmensions of the urban context, the social situation and the historical background. In order to accomplish a urban intervention that can generate a possitive effect, providing to the city, the sector, and the local community a coherent and integral improvement.

• The waterfront project has to be able to resolve the problem of the coexistence between the port acttivities and the urban activities, creating an articulated system of links between the city and the sea. • The memmorial Trace is an element that control, a strong sign that can offer order and direction to an idea and can restituite meaning to individual parts or areas that appear unrelated to each other.

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Bibliography Books • PROVENZANO, Sebastian. Portocittà. Caratterizzazioni e Variazioni d´identità di un fatto urbano. Maggioli Editore. 2012 • Barbiano di Belgiojoso, Alberico. Urban Design Of Big Projects, a method demostration for design and teaching. A Building complex for cultural and performing activities at Scalo Farini in Milan. Maggioli Editore. 2011 • Dall´Asta Gutierrez Juan Carlos. Segni Complementari, Luoghi Ritrovati. With English text. Maggioli Editore. 2012 • Peña, Alessandra and Restrepo, Anacarolina. Self-Sustainable Periphery. Incremented Housing And Neighborhood Renewal in Medellin Colombia. Politecnico di Milano. 2016 • Bugatti, Angelo and Dell`Osso, Ricardo. il Paesaggio del Waterfront tra Storia e Tecnica tra Mare e Terra. Maggioli Editore. 2012 • NACTO National Association of City Transportation Officials. Urban Bikeway Design Guide. Aprill 2011 Edition. • ELEMENTAL: Aravena, Alejandro; Iocabelli, Andres. Incrementing housing and Participatory Design Manual, Berlin . Hatje Cantz. 2013 • POT Plan de Ordenamiento Territorial de Cartagena. Alcaldia Municipal de Cartagena.

Journals-Websites • VARGAS, Ingrid; Jimenez, Eduardo; Grindlay, Alejandro; Torres, Carlos. Processos de Mejoramiento Barrial Participativo en asentamientos Informales: Propuestas de integracion en la ciudad de Ibagué. Santiago; revista INVI v.25 n. 68. 2010: 59-96 • Blogs ABC, Espeio de Navegantes, Blog de areologia naval. : http://abcblogs.abc.es/espejo-de-navegantes/2014/12/02/cartagena-de-indias-una-captura-de-su-pasado/ • Archis websystem. Mapa interactivo de Cartagena de indias: https://www.arcgis.com/ home/webmap/viewer.html?webmap=dd7f6cf906534d4f965f13ec59f1e645 • Geografia Infinita website, America Latina a través de los mampas antiguos: https://www. geografiainfinita.com/2015/02/latinoamerica-a-traves-de-12-mapas-antiguos/ • Centro de Investigaciones oceanograficas e hidrograficas CIOH website, Servicios Meteorologicos, cartagena de indias Colombia: http://www.cioh.org.co/dev/proserv/dat_generales.htm

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POLITECNICO DI MILANO SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND SOCIETY MASTER IN SUSTAINABLE ARCHITECTURE ANDMULTI-SCALE PROJECT


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