Final Study Proposal by Geoffrey Kornegay

Geoffrey A. Kornegay

Proposal for a Professional Study In partial completion of the requirements for the Master of Architecture degree at Texas A&M University

ARCHITECTURAL INFRASTRUCTURE

Expected graduation date May 2012

Members of the Graduate Advisory Committee Dr. Peter Lang, Chair, ARCH peterlang@gmail.com Dr. Cecilia Giusti, Member, LAUP CGiusti@arch.tamu.edu Dr. Jesse Saginor, Member, LAUP jsaginor@arch.tamu.edu

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Table of Contents

Project Abstract

Background Hyper Urbanization

Informal Settlements

The Case of Mexico City

Three Types of Infrastructure

Case Studies Grotão - Fábrica de Música

Living Rooms on the Border

Parque Ecologico Lago de Texcoco

Goals and Evaluative Criteria

Project Description

Building Codes

References

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PROJECT ABSTRACT Over the course of half a century of “slum fixing,” and “urban revitalization,” the world has seen a broad spectrum of answers to the question, “what should we do for the urban poor?” From the short sighted “tabula rasa” to concrete mega-blocks of the hyper-modernists, each theory, though well intentioned, had flaws. More recent approaches encourage less intervention and more basic support. This method is gaining ground, but can fall short of providing a complete solution. By understanding not only the physical needs of informal settlements, but also the economic and social needs, a more complete approach can be taken to encourage positive growth in depressed areas. This approach will be utilized in the design of an “Architectural Infrastructure” facility in the Neza-Chalco-Itza settlement of Mexico City. By addressing all three categories of needs in a holistic manner, a design solution can be reached that truly meets the needs of the communtiy.

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PROJECT BACKGROUND Hyper Urbanization According to the United Nations’ Department of Economic and Social Affairs, sometime between 2005 and 2010, the population of the world reached a critical milestone and now, for the first time in history, more than half of the planet resides in an urban area. (UN-DESA, 2009) The same report estimates that by 2050, nearly 70% of the world will live in a city – 6.3 billion people. In an interview with the BCC, Hania Zlotnik, the director of the UN’s Population Division said, “Most of the urbanization is happening at the lower level… Our surveys and projections indicate that all urban growth over the next 25 years will be in developing countries. In developed countries, urbanization will remain the same or decline.” (BBC, 2005) Over the course of the next several decades, rural citizens of developing countries will continue to pour into cities at unprecedented rates. In its Population Challenges and Development Goals, the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs lists 22 countries that accounted for 75% of the world’s population growth from 2000 – 2005. 21 of those countries are a part of the developing world, with the lone exception being the United States. This report also provides several eye opening projections, including those in Figure 1, showing negligible population change in the developed world from 2005 – 2030, 2.2% annual growth of urban population in the developing world, and negative population change in rural areas. It also asserts that, “Particularly rapid growth is expected in the group of 50 countries classified as the least developed. By mid-century, the population of the least developed countries could more than double in size.” (UN-DESA, 2005)

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Figure 1. Selected Indicators for the Urban and Rural Population, 1950 – 2030. (UN-DESA, 2005)

Informal Settlements The UN’s HABITAT group reports that there are currently 1 billion people living in informal settlements around the world, accounting for 1/6th of humanity. This number is expected to double by 2030, at which time 1 in 4 people will belong to this group. Most of this growth is expected to take place in cities of the developing world with populations between 1 and 5 million – cities which are largely unprepared for such growth. (UN HABITAT, 2007) As

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seen in Figure 2, there are already more than two dozen nations with 5 million or more people living in informal settlements, all of them in the developing world.

Figure 2. Population of Urban Informal Settlements by Nation – (UN HABITAT, 2010)

In his book, Shadow Cities, Robert Neuwirth asserts that the majority of this population, “…are simply people who came to the city, needed a place to live that they and their families could afford, and, not being able to find it in the private market, built it for themselves on land that wasn’t theirs…. These squatters mix more concrete than any developer. They lay more brick than any government. They have created a huge hidden economy – an unofficial system of squatter landlords and squatter tenants, squatter merchants and squatter consumers, squatter builders and squatter laborers, squatter brokers and squatter investors, squatter teachers and squatter schoolkids, squatter beggars and squatter millionaires. Squatters are the largest builders of housing in the world – and they are creating the cities of tomorrow.” (Neuwirth, 2005, pg.10)

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The Case of Mexico City For its Global Report on poverty in 2003, the UN’s HABITAT group published, Understanding Slums: Case Studies, a series of in-depth looks at the most impoverished informal settlements in the world. Though the data is now several years old, it still provides the most complete analysis of this specific location. Mexico City faces all of the same problems with poverty, pollution, and infrastructure that any mega-city would but is unique in that its difficulties are exacerbated by the land itself. The entire city is built in a basin that has no natural outlet for drainage and whose water system has been manipulated by humans for over 500 years. Some areas of the city are flood-prone and today 30% of the city’s potable water must be brought in from sources over 100km away. “Water is undoubtedly the major environmental problem facing the city as a whole; and the lack of sufficient clean water is one of the major component factors defining slum housing.” (Connelly, 2003, pg. 4) The most prevalent, and often the most rudimentary, form of informal housing in the city is the colonias populares. They are characterized by a lack of services, building permits, and titles, high flood and landslide risk, and are often built haphazardly. This type of housing represents about half of the urbanized area of Mexico City and houses more than 60% of its population. (Connelly, 2003, pg.13)These areas are active business centers, home to microeconomies that support their inhabitants. It is estimated that at least 40% of the economic activity in the city is informal, thriving on cash transactions by people who make a living as small scale venders and who pay no taxes. (Sudjic, 2005) Three Types of Infrastructure The notion of infrastructure has proven itself difficult to organize. Many immediately assume the word is in reference to traditional physical infrastructure, such as electrical service 7|Geoffrey Kornegay_Final Study Proposal_Fall2 011

and roadways, and never consider any other possible contexts. Others merely differentiate between “hard,” (the aforementioned physical) and “soft,” infrastructure, which includes governmental infrastructures such as law enforcement, (Casey, 2005) but this is still too simplistic. Due to the complexity of this “soft,” subgroup, I prefer to further separate “social infrastructure” such as healthcare, education, civic and public interaction systems, and “economic infrastructure” which would traditionally be considered formal banking institutions, but in the context of informal settlements, is often the simple purchase, sale, and trade of real goods. Basic standards for “hard” infrastructure have been established for decades, making financial feasibility the only hurdle for its implementation and expansion in economically depressed parts of the world. While this physical system is vital to the improvement of informal living conditions, it must not exist in a vacuum. “Hard” infrastructure must be considered as an investment in conjunction with its social and economic counterparts. This “Social Capital” is defined by The World Bank as “the institutions, relationships, and norms that shape the quality and quantity of a society's social interactions. Increasing evidence shows that social cohesion is critical for societies to prosper economically and for development to be sustainable. Social capital is not just the sum of the institutions which underpin a society – it is the glue that holds them together.” (World Bank, 2011) To address the issues faced by informal settlements, we must understand that these forms of infrastructure do not function independently. Any intervention, improvement, or imposition must consider the implications on all three systems, and designers must address projects of every scale from a holistic point of view. By creating places, systems, and programs that operate to improve each type of infrastructure, we can ensure that needs are met on all three fronts.

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CASE STUDIES Case Study 1: Grotão - Fábrica de Música Architect: Urban Think Tank Location: Sao Paulo, Brazil Client: SEHAB, City of Sao Paulo Housing Authority

This multi-function public building is under construction in the Paraisópolis informal settlement of São Paulo, Brazil. Its program includes classroom and performance space for a pre-existing music school program, small sports facilities, public space, urban agriculture, commercial space, a transportation link, and a small amount of replacement housing. This is clearly a vast undertaking, but by designing each space for multiple purposes, the program can be condensed and the building can be occupied more efficiently.

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The site was formerly occupied by rudimentary housing equally dense as that surrounding the facility. A small section of the housing was destroyed by a mudslide – a common occurrence in this area of high erosion and steep terrain – creating a unique opportunity for investment. The building and site improvements create a new section profile for the site and serve to reinforce the hillside and prevent further erosion while creating much needed open space. The project won the Holcim Gold Award for Sustainable Construction for its design approach and integration of sustainable features at every scale. In its conclusions, the award committee summarizes by stating, “The project utilizes site orientation to provide a combination of both passive and active systems for maximum efficiency and low cost. The buildings and landscape work as one system that can effectively handle the varying conditions of the wet/dry season cycle. Prevailing winds in combination with an in-floor cooling system provide efficient tempering; the waste heat is stored in the terraces (as heat sink) during the day and emitted through hybrid-PV panels at night. Excess heat is vented through a solar and

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wind supported chimney. Water is reused on site; what was once a danger is now a resource. Wetlands filter the water through the site, which can be used for irrigation (in urban agriculture) and gray-water applications or further filtered through rapid sand filtration. An on-site water tank distributes excess water to the sewage system during the wet season and stores it for later use during the dry season.” (Holcim, 2011)

Images: Holcim Foundation – www.holcimfoundation.org Informantion: Urban Think Tank – www.utt.com

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Case Study 2: Living Rooms at the Border Architect: Estudio Teddy Cruz Location: San Ysidro, California, USA Client: Casa Familiar

This experimental community model is not just a proposal for a building, but rather a small scale reinvention of prototypical planning policy in United States. Along with non-profit developer Casa Familiar, Teddy Cruz designed a housing project that embraces the informal patterns and impromptu mixed-use development of the low income areas of Southern California. Paired with this project is the designation of what he calls, “AHOZ: Affordable Housing Overlay Zones” which create micro planning policy areas that allow for the inclusion of program that would traditionally be considered a “non-conforming use.” This allows for densification, which leads to affordability, and stimulates micro-economic activity in public spaces. The program includes housing, public space, workshops, a market, a community center, community gardens, and group kitchens, but more importantly, it encourages the social interaction between each of these spaces. In an interview with California Architect, Cruz says of the project, “In a place where current regulation allows only one use, we propose five different

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uses that support one another, suggesting a model of social sustainability for the neighborhood, one that conveys density not as bulk but as social choreography and neighborhood collaboration.â&#x20AC;?

Equally as important in Cruzâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s design is the ability to utilize a single space for multiple functions. Much of the ground level is left open as multi-function space to be used by the community for both planned and spontaneous events. This opportunity is a vital part of the culture of the neighborhood.

Images & Information: California-Architects - www.california-architects.com MoMA - www.moma.org

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Case Study 3: Parque Ecologico Lago de Texcoco Architect: I単ake Echeverria Location: Mexico City, Mexico Client: Department of Ecology and Natural Resources

Though this project is programmatically different, and on a larger scale than my proposed project, it addresses many of the same issues by virtue of its location and public nature. It represents a proposal for massive investment in urban ecology and social placemaking. Lake Texcoco is a largely abandoned zone, prone to flooding and neglected for decades, surrounded by some of the most economically depressed areas of Mexico City.

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The UN’s Mexico City case study in Understanding Slums focuses on this area and points to its water cycle problems and topography as key issues, stating. “[The] paradox of too much and too little water has characterized Mexico City’s growth throughout its history and has been a major factor in the urban segregation and the location of slums…. The steep slopes surrounding the extinct lakes are undesirable for most conventional building uses, and have provided a cheap alternative for unauthorized settlement.” (Connolly, 2003) The project aims to reestablish the hydrological cycle of the area to prevent flooding and to engage the surrounding communities through the provision of sports fields, trails, museums, and other community facilities. It is intended to serve as a “social catalyst” for the nearby informal settlements and encourage the reactivation of social, cultural, and educational networks in an underdeveloped part of the city.

Images & Information: Iñake Echeverria - http://www.parquetexcoco.com

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GOALS AND EVALUATIVE CRITERIA 1. The program should consider physical, economic, and social infrastructure and provide a holistic solution encompassing all three, not a series of individual solutions.

2. The facility should be adaptable for variable use in both short term (day-to-day) and long term (year-to-year) to account for the changing needs of the community.

3. The project should provide high quality public space to allow for social interaction amongst the members of the community.

4. The project should have a positive impact on the local environment by addressing sitespecific environmental problems and encourage local sustainability through education and services to the community.

5. The project should provide opportunities for local “sweat equity” investment by the community to create a “sense of ownership,” by the end users.

6. The culture of Mexico and informal settlements is very family oriented; therefore the program should encourage use by all age groups separately and together.

7. Displacement of existing housing stock should be kept to an absolute minimum. Any displacement should be accounted and compensated for.

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PROJECT DESCRIPTION This project aims to create a prototype “Architectural Infrastructure,” to service the unique needs of informal neighborhoods. It will sill serve as a “community center” which addresses the needs of the physical community, the economic community, and the social community. The intention is not to create a “stock” building to be used in all locations, but rather to develop a framework that allows for variability and therefore implementation in areas with differing needs. The Neza-Chalco-Itza settlement of Mexico City will be used as a test site for this project and the needs of this community will be used to develop the test program. As a specific site is chosen, the issues facing the site and immediate vicinity will guide the program, but possible features include: Physical Infrastructure: 

Water quality, delivery, and storage problems

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Garbage collection and disposal

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Power generation and distribution in the community

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Mitigating flood risk and air quality problems relating to seasonal water level change in the Texcoco Lake

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Mitigating soils and landslide risk if located on one of the many unstable hillsides

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Transportation and access

Economic Infrastructure: 

Public market

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

Small scale financial institutions

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Education facilities for teaching job skills and developing small business owners

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Community garden or other public project space

Social Infrastructure 

Public space both indoor and outdoor

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Sports and recreational facilities

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Performance and presentation space

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Cultural space for art or other exhibition

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Health clinic and related education facilities

Due to the nature of informal settlements and the people who live there, the service area of this type of project is limited to, “acceptable walking distance,” as understood by the users of the facility. This radial area and number of “targeted users,” will become the guidelines for the development of a specific program. It will be used to develop the schedule of facilities to be included in the project and the amount of built area dedicated to each use. To encourage spatial efficiency and extended occupancy, facilities will be designed to allow complementary uses to utilize a single space at differing times. This variable use of space should be encouraged in both indoor facilities and outdoor open spaces to create a sense of constant occupancy. It is understood that this facility would be one of many spread out across a large informal settlement. The goal is not to provide a single, massive solution for millions of people, but rather a network of related (though not identical) facilities, within walking distance of each other, to service the needs of a local community. As these needs vary throughout the settlement, so should the manifestation of the “infrastructure,” provided.

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BUIDLING CODES

This project will comply with the current building code of the Federal District of Mexico as well as additional standards of practice. Mexico is currently partnered with the ICC to revise its building codes, but the active code is: REGLAMENTO DE CONSTRUCCIONES PARA EL DISTRITO FEDERAL Building Regulations for the Federal District Published January 2004

This code is a bit convoluted and dated, so as a general guide, and to meet international standards, ICC and other codes will be used as a higher benchmark where necessary. These codes include: IBC 2012 – Intenational Buidling Code IECC 2012 – Interational Energy Conservation Code ADA SAD – Americans with Disabilities Act Standards for Accessible Design

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REFERENCES 1. United Nations – Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 2009, World Urbanization Prospects – The 2009 Revision; http://esa.un.org/unpd/wup/index.htm

2. United Nations – Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 2005, Population Challenges and Development Goals; http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/pop_challenges/Population_Challenges.pdf

3. Whitehouse, David, 2005, Half of Humanity Set to Go Urban, BBC; http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4561183.stm

4. United Nations – HABITAT, 2007, Slum Dwellers to Double by 2030; http://www.unhabitat.org/downloads/docs/4631_46759_GC%2021%20Slum%20dwellers%20to% 20double.pdf 5. United Nations Development Group, Data Collection 2010,

DevInfo Database; http://devinfo.info/

6. Neurwirth, Robert, 2005, Shadow Cities, Routlege; 7. Holcim Foundation, 2011, Comment of the Holcim Awards jury Latin America – Relevance to Target Issues; http://www.holcimfoundation.org/T1358/A11LAgoBR.htm

8. Connelly, Priscilla – UN HABITAT, 2003 Understanding Slums: Case Studies for the Global Report 2003 http://www.ucl.ac.uk/dpu-projects/Global_Report/cities/mexico.htm

9. Sudjic, Dejan, BBC, 2006 Making Cities Work: Mexico City http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/5061626.stm

10. World Bank, 2011 What is Social Capital http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/TOPICS/EXTSOCIALDEVELOPMENT/EXTTSOCIA LCAPITAL/0,,contentMDK:20185164~menuPK:418217~pagePK:148956~piPK:216618~theSite PK:401015,00.html

11. Casey, Sharyn, The University of Queensland, 2005 Establishing Standards for Social Infrastructure http://www.uq.edu.au/boilerhouse/docs/establishing%20standards%20web.pdf

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