UP Integrating the Slums by the Regeneration of Arenales River in Salta 1
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Politecnico di Milano Scuola di Architettura Urbanistica Ingegneria delle Costruzioni Master Degree in Sustainable Architecture and Landscape Design
UP-SLUM INTEGRATING THE SLUMS BY THE REGENERATION OF ARENALES RIVER IN SALTA
Author: María Lucía Villalba ID: 862703 Supervisor: Gaia Piccarolo Co-Supervisor: Hope Strode July 2018 3
INDEX PART I .ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
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.ABSTRACT
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1. CHANGING THE IDEA OF THE SLUMS
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1.1 Slums: Origin and evolution
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1.1.2 The disseminated concept
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1.1.3 A stair towards change
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1.2 Slums in Latin America
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2. DEALING WITH SLUMS: NEW APPROACHES
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2.1 Slums as an urban experiment: Torre david, Model of Urbanism
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2.1.1 Torre David
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2.2 Plug-in the city
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2.2.1 Integrating the slums to the formal city: metro-cables
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2.2.2 Metro Cable
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2.3 Acupuncture in the slums
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3. POTENTIAL PLACES OF RESOURCEFULNESS
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3.1 From taboo to art exhibition
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3.1.1 Biennale di Venezia
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3.1.2 Art in the slums
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3.2 Be good, be resilient
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4. HOW SLUMS DEAL WITH ENVIRONMENT AND VICE-VERSA: ANALYSING THE SLUMS MORE SPECIFICALLY FROM THE ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS 60 4.1 Land of no one, pollution for everybody
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4.2 Cleaning the slums
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4.2.1 Sabarmati Riverfront: reconnecting Ahmedabad to its river
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4.2.2 Cantinho do Céu, Brazil
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PART II 5. VILLAS MISERIAS
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5.1 Slums in Argentina
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5.2 Types of Slums
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6. THE CITY OF SALTA
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6.1 Geographical Location
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6.2 History of Salta
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6.3 Shape of the City
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7. SALTA LA LINDA - SALTA THE BEAUTIFUL
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7.1 A look at the Larger Scale
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7.1.1 Environmental system
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7.1.2 Limits
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7.1.3 Infrastructure
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7.1.4 Land Use
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7.1.5 Density
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7.1.6 Slums in Salta
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7.2 A closer look
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7.2.1 Greenish city
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7.2.2 The river in the city
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8. AIM OF THE PROJECT
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8.1 The River
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8.1.1 Geographical Location
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8.1.2 Diagnosis
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8.1.3 Beyond the river
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8.1.4 The future of the city
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8.2 Borders of the River
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8.2.1 Urban Analysis
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8.2.2 Environmental Analysis
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9. VIEWS OF THE RIVER
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PART III 10. TOWARDS INTEGRATION 10.1 Brainstorm 10.2 Strategy of the project 10.2.1 Cleaning the river 10.2.2 Flood control 8
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10.2.3 Covering primary needs
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10.2.3.1 Rooms
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10.3 Reaching Up-slum through the years
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10.3.1 Cost / Benefits
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10.4 FInal design
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10.4.1 Master Plan
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10.4.2 Zoom 1: Biodiversity promotion
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10.4.3 Zoom 2: Urban garden
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10.4.4 Zoom 3: Landmark area
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Foremost, I would like to thank my advisor Gaia Piccarolo, and my co-advisor Hope Strode for their guidance during the development of this Thesis. Their invaluable input on this endeavour shaped into the finished product it is today. My gratitude goes to my sister Agustina who bore witness the ups and downs of this process from afar and gave me the strength I needed during these months, to my friends for all the beautiful moments that we shared and to my second family in Morigi. Special thanks to my parents for their unconditional love and support, who always listened and helped me in all possible ways they can. This thesis was developed with the assistance provided by Dirección de Vialidad de Salta, Municipality of Salta and Secretaríia de Recursos Hídricos which whom I very grateful. Agradezco enormemente a mis padres por su apoyo incondicional, ellos son los principales promotores de mis sueños siempre confiando y creyendo en mi.
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ABSTRACT The concept of slums is changing from a negative to a positive one. Initially, they were seen as degraded and impoverished places which lacked basic services. The solution given by the Government was evictions. Nowadays, researchers position them as potential places full of resourcefulness. Instead of evicting slum-dwellers, the government opts to work with them by improving and recognising them, by accepting their coexistence. The chosen area to develop this ideas is the city of Salta, in the north of Argentina, which is also my hometown. Analyzing Salta, it appears that the majority of the slums are placed on the riverbank. The riverbank of Arias-Arenales River is a downtrodden area of the city; it forms a shocking barrier in both natural and urban aspect of Salta. It divides the town into the north and the south with noticeable differences between them; where the north is wealthier than the south. The urban area around the river is one of the most problematic questions that the city urges to solve. The majority of the problems derive from the incorrect management of the river and its context, with the un-authorised occupation of the land. All these aspects contaminate the river and the landscape which makes the lives of slum-dwellers even more difficult. 12
The project seeks to create a green corridor that regenerates the river itself together with the slums by putting them at the centre of the attention with a requalification program that integrates them in the society, respecting and enhancing their traditions and way of living. To do so, three systems have been implemented: flood protection systems that vary according to the area and water treatment systems for black and grey water that comes from the slums as well as the requalification of the river water. Finally, a system of rooms which have been distributed along the area to cover the basic needs and to enhance participation of thecommunity. The three of them work coherently as a network, and they are connected through a green corridor that works not only for the slum dwellers but will also act as a new hub for the city and the tourism industry.
ASTRATTO L’immagine degli slum sta cambiando da negativa a positiva. Prima erano percepiti come luoghi degradati e poveri privi dei servizi di base. La soluzione proposta dai governi era lo sgombero. Oggi, molti studiosi li considerano luoghi ricchi di potenziale e di risorse. Invece di sfrattare gli abitanti, il governo sceglie di lavorare con loro per migliorare e riconoscere gli slum, accettando la loro coesistenza. L’area scelta per sviluppare queste idee è la città di Salta, nel nord dell’Argentina, che è anche la mia città di origine. Prendendo in esame il territorio urbano di Salta, emerge che la maggior parte degli slum sono situati sulla sponda del fiume. La sponda del fiume Arias-Arenales è un’area problematica della città; essa costituisce una barriera impressionante sia dal punto di vista naturale che urbano. Divide la città in nord e sud, con notevoli differenze fra loro; il nord è più ricco del sud.
Il progetto si propone di creare un corridoio verde capace di rigenerare il fiume insieme agli slum, ponendo questi ultimi al centro dell’attenzione con un programma di riqualificazione che li integri nel tessuto urbano e nella società, rispettando e valorizzando le loro tradizioni e i loro modi di vita. A tale scopo, sono stati implementati tre sistemi; un sistema di protezione dalle inondazioni che varia a seconda dell’area e un sistema di trattamento delle acque nere e delle acque grigie che provengono dagli slum, oltre alla riqualififazione dell’acqua del fiume. Infine, un sistema di piccole strutture (“rooms”) che coprano i bisogni principali di servizi, distribuite lungo l’area per incoraggiare la partecipazione e il senso di comunità. I tre sistemi lavorano insieme come una rete, e sono connessi attraverso un corridoio verde che funziona non solo per gli abitanti degli slum, ma anche come un nuovo centro per la città e per il turismo
L’area urbana intorno al fiume pone una delle questioni più complesse che la città deve risolvere con urgenza. La maggior parte dei problemi deriva dalla gestione sbagliata del fiume e del suo contesto, con un’occupazione non autorizzata del terreno che ha contaminato il fiume e il paesaggio, rendendo ancora più difficile la vita degli abitanti degli slum.
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PART I
CHANGING THE IDEA OF THE SLUMS The perception of the word slum is changing. It is shifting from a negative concept to a positive one. The process is slow, but it is happening. Scholars consider shanty towns as the future of urbanism; they see potentiality in places that were only seen as rubbish dumps. Several studies and projects have already made that position slums out of the shadows and as places that have something good to offer. 1.1.1. SLUMS: ORIGIN AND EVOLUTION The meaning of slum for the world The term slum appeared in 1820, to “identify the poorest quality housing and the most unsanitary conditions; a refuge for marginal activities including crime, ‘vice’ and drug abuse… – a place apart from all that was decent and wholesome”. [1] Since then it has been used all over the world with different translations to describe the poorest neighbourhoods. In Brazil, they are known as “favelas”, while in Argentina people call them “villas miserias”, “comunas” or “invaciones” in Colombia, “barriadas” in Peru and simply “barrios” in Venezuela. Internationally they are known as “slums “ or “shanty towns”, but they all refer to the most deprived places. In the academic world, the definition of slums [1] The Challenge of Slums Global Report on Human Settlements 2003, United Nations Human Settlements Programme [PDF file], Earthscan Publications Ltd, London and Sterling, 2003, p. 9 16
shares the same meaning, as stated in the chart below. As previously stated, institutions still think about slums with unfavourable eyes. It is true that these places lack a lot to become dignified neighbourhoods, but it does not mean they are degraded places where only bad things happen.
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1.1.2. THE DISSEMINATED CONCEPT Eventhough Shantytowns show a striking difference from the rest, they have share some mutual characteristics, them being them negative or positive. However, institutions and common public in general, normally think of slums only in a pessimistic way without further knowledge of the actual situation of those areas. As stated in “The challenge of slums global report on human settlements 2003�, slum areas have the most visible concentration of poor people and the worst shelter and environmental conditions together with economic, physical and social exclusion. It can be said that shanty towns present undesirable situations at three different levels: environmental, social and economic/political level. Poorest neighbourhoods are almost always occupying fragile, dangerous and polluted land that no-one wants, where people are exposed to environmental and human hazards related to transportation, industrial pollution, mudslides, garbage and floods. They are also recipients of the city’s nuisances, industrial effluents and noxious wastes, not mentioning the fact that these places are incredibly overcrowded. Regarding the social aspect, residents of the slums have been excluded and ignored from the opportunities offered to other urban citizens. They live a hard and uncertain life. Their life 18
chances are low; they are not able to obtain formal-sector jobs as they lack social capital, education and patronage. Moreover, they do not get any financial aid such as loans. On the other hand, those who manage to work in the informal sector, suffer terrible working conditions, with extended hours, unsafe workplaces and lack of rudimentary protection, where children are also employed. Slum dwellers do not have access to the fundamental rights, such as security and health. Some slums have the highest incidence of crime. More often, the people who suffer the most are women and children who are the most significant victims of all, but illness does not make distinctions among genders. People in slum areas suffer from plenty of illness such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and waterborne diseases. They usually do not have access to medical care.
All these circumstances make life of slum dwellers hopeless; with no aspirations. Residents do not find a way to show their children that there is another way of living. About the economic and political aspects, shanty towns have plenty of infrastructure problems: lack of proper housing, water and sanitation. There is a severe health risk, limited access to credit and to formal job market due to stigmatisation and discrimination, and to the geographical location. Slums do not appear on the maps, waste is not collected, taxes are not paid, and public services are not provided. They lack formal recognition, low levels of productivity and incomes.
Diagram of the three levels of situation of the slums 19
1.1.3. A STAIR TOWARDS CHANGE The concept of slums is changing. Where before there was only hopelessness, now there is future. The change is slow but is still happening, and every day more people see slums as places with potential. Scholars of science and arts, sociologists, architects, politicians and others, are studying slums. They carry out researches and experiments to understand the dynamics of the slums and take advantage of them. The first to do so was John Turner with PREVI, Proyecto Experimental de Vivienda for barriadas of Lima, Peru in 1968. Turner saw slums not as places that needed clearing, “but as creative and efficient solutions to the needs of the poor”. [2] “The PREVI was conceived to explore new ways of controlling the influx of migrants and avoid the spread of self-building projects in the city’s barrios. The Peruvian government and the UNDP (United Nations Development Program), working in conjunction with the British architect Peter Land, had drawn up pilot schemes inspired by the ideas of Team 10. Numerous archi[2] McGuirk Justin, Radical Cities, Across Latin America in Search of a New Architecture, Verso Books, New York, 2014, p. 21. 20
tects from a variety of countries were invited to use these projects as the basis for proposals for the individual parts of a high-density district of low-rise housing, with 1,500 units that would meet the requirements of modularity, progressive growth, flexibility and functionality. Each cluster in this urban collage presents different versions for different family groups: the houses were supposed to accommodate from four to six people in the initial phase and subsequently from eight to ten, identifying suitable criteria for growth”. [3] In the long-term legacy of this experience, other architectural practices more recently focused their research on the renewal of the slums, such as Jorge Mario Jauregui, Elemental, U-TT, Plan B, Equipo Mazzanti and so on. Jorge Mario Jáuregui is an Argentinian who has been working in favelas in Brazil. He has dedicated his life to social architecture, looking solutions for the people who are in need of.
[3] Lotus International, n. 163, 2017, Housing in the expanded field, pp. 64-69
From left to right: 1.House in PREVI 2. Plan of The Exerimental Housing Project 3. Arch. Jorge Mario Jáuregui, Centre for genertion
of work and income. City of God, Favela Barrio 4. Arch. Jorge Mario Jáuregui, Rambla Carioca, Passeio Público da Cidade, Favela Barrio 21
Together with BID (Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo), he founded the project “Favela Barrioâ€? in 1993. The goals of these projects were to integrate favelas into the city, and to treat them not as outlaw territories but as useful pieces of the city by improving mobility and creating public spaces. JĂĄuregui followed some principles for designing such as establishing contact with the community to see the slums through their eyes and understand their actual needs. On the other hand, several studios continue the work of upgrading slums such as Elemental, a Chilean firm led by Alejandro Aravena; El Equipo Mazzanti and Plan B in Colombia, among others. Elemental is a firm founded in 2001, dedicated to projects of public interest and social impact. One of the most critical works achieved by this firm is the incremental social housing in Quinta Monroy, Iquique, Chile. The complex prevents residents from being evicted by building them half houses that they can quickly enlarge when needed. The Colombian architects, Plan B and El Equipo Mazzanti, work in different public projects that place slums as qualified areas that have nothing to envy from the formal city. They make public spaces and cultural and sportive centres. 22
The aforementioned works set the slums as potential places with higher expectations. They did their best to take advantage of their conditions. They recognized the efforts and achievements of slum dwellers and used their strengths to magnify their opportunities. Not everything is black in the world of slums; numerous features show slums as optimistic places. Slums have a vibrant mixture of culture that leads to new forms of artistic expressions. They are a source of new and emergent cultural movements and levels of solidarity unknown in the suburbs of the rich. Even if slums are considered dangerous places, the truth is that there are low crime rates thanks to the strong social control system. Moreover, people struggle to make an honest living. Shanty towns are mostly occupied by immigrants, they are their first stopping point and the only one they can initially afford. Slums also work as refuges for women who are fleeing difficult situations created by divorce or marital disputes.
From left to right: 1.Elemental Studio, Quinta Monroy, Iquique, Chile. 2. Equipo Mazzanti, Biblioteca Parque España, Medellín, Colombia 23
About economic and political aspects, slums are the only large-scale solution possible to provide housing for low income people where the competition for land and profits is intense, otherwise, they would be in the streets. These housings are often revolutionary as they find rational and innovative shelter solutions. In addition, the construction and maintenance of lowcost housing and its infrastructure can provide significant amount of employment for semi and unskilled workers. Regarding incomes, the majority of slum dwellers earn their living from informal sector activities. Slums provide a number of important services to the city and the slums themselves and are interesting places in their communities.
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From left to right: 1. Boa Mistura, Luz nas Vielas, Sao Paulo, Brasil, 2011 2. Boa Mistura, Luz nas Vielas, Sao Paulo, Brasil, 2011 3. Illustrative picture of community in Favelas 25
1.2 SLUMS IN LATIN AMERICA The world has a population of approximately 8 billion (7.596.764.800 approx. according to the World Bank on 22 January 2018).[4] Approximately a quarter of the world’s urban population lives in slums (UN-Habitat, 2013). In the State of the World’s Cities 2012/2013, UN-Habitat estimated the number of people living in the slums of the world’s developing regions as 863 million, in contrast to 760 million in 2000 and 650 in 1990. In some cities in the developing world slum residents make up more than half of the population. In a list of the five biggest slums in the world, Latin America occupies the second place with the slum of Neza in Mexico City. 1) Orangi Town, Karachi, Pakistan Population: 2.4 million
Once a sprawling slum, Ciudad Neza, east of Mexico City, has become more like a suburb thanks to residents’ efforts to building a community and delivering public services. 3) Dharavi, Mumbai, India Population: 1 million 4) Kibera, Nairobi, Kenya Population: 700,000 Kibera, Africa’s largest slum, is just 5km from Nairobi city centre. It is home to more than 50,000 children. 5) Khayelitsha, Cape Town, South Africa Population: 400,000 According to the 2011 Census, the townships of Khayelitsha are home to nearly 400,000 residents, 99% of them beingblack. Activists, however, believe that the population is at least three times bigger.
Asia’s largest slum is believed to be home to around 2.4 million people, although no-one knows the exact figure. 2) Ciudad Neza, Mexico City, Mexico Population: 1.2 million [4] Population Worldwide. Retrieved from http://poblacion.population.city/world/la 26
See experience n°1
world population slum dwellers
From left to right: 1. Global Pattern of Urbanization,2015. Based on United Nations 2. Graphic of percentage of population of slums 3. Slums’s growth measure in millions 27
From left to right: 1. Orangi Town, Karachi, Pakistan 2. Ciudad Neza, Mexico City, Mexico 3. Dharavi, Mumbai, India 4. Kibera, Nairobi, Kenya 5. Khayelitsha, Cape Town, South Africa 28
Latin America has a population of 651.405.400 approximately [4] of which 175 million [5] are poor, them being indigent (lack of all the basic services) or poor (at least one of the essential services is covered) In other words, one-quarter of the population in Latin America is poor. This collection of data from Ibero America and the world shows how big the situation is. Despite the big numbers that might look scary for Europe, this continent has a proven track of improvement “Before Latin America was a byword for precociousness, corruption and illegal practices. Now economies are relatively stable, demonstrating the kind of growth that the US and Europe would die for”. [6] It is increasing its levels of urbanisation with the implementation of radical ideas in urban development and management.
[5] Noticias y medios de comunicación, Radio ONU [News and means of communication, Radio ONU]. Retrieved from http://www.unmultimedia.org/radio/ spanish/2016/03/el-numero-de-pobres-en-america-latina-subio-a-175-millones-alerta-cepal/#.Wmdol67ibIU
[6] McGuirk Justin, Radical Cities, Across Latin America in Search of a New Architecture, Verso Books, New York, 2014
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EXPERIENCE N° 1, A INTERVIEW WITH A STUDENT FROM PAKISTAN LV: Ali, I am going to ask you a few questions about Orangi Town in Karachi. Have you listened about this neighbourhood before? AZ: Yes, I did. We know about it because of the crime rate in that area, its widely on the news because of that. Furthermore, there is some gang activity in that area as well. Also, it is on the news when there is rain season cuz there is no proper sanitation, and the area gets flooded a lot. Except that no other reason. LV: Have you ever been there? AZ: No. I didn’t go there cuz its far away from the centre of the city. There is no recreational place there to go to, no restaurants or parks, also I have no relatives in that area. That is why I never went there. LV: What is your opinion about the place? Do you consider it a slum? AZ: The neighbourhood is considered poor and dangerous. I do believe it as a slum.
LV: What is your definition of slum and what makes you think of Orangi as a slum? AZ: Because on the news it always has sanitation problems, there are a lot of crimes happening there. They also suffer electricity shortage. LV: Did you know it is in the top 5 biggest slums in the world? AZ: No, I didn’t know. The interview shows how middle class and above do not know much about slums, they just know about it because of what they watch on the news. They do not have any interest in going there as obviously there is nothing that those places can offer in the sense of western ideals.
EXPERIENCE N° 1, B INTERVIEW WITH AN ARCHITECT FROM MEXICO CITY
LV: Did you know it is in the top 5 biggest slums in the world?
LV: Ernesto, as a citizen from Mexico City I wanted to ask you about Neza City. Have you heard about this neighborhood before?
ET: No way, there are much worst places for it to be on the list.
ET: Yes, of course. It is just another district of the city. LV: Have you ever been there? ET: Yes, several times to visit friends, do some group work for university. LV: What is your opinion about the place? Do you consider it a slum? ET: I definitely do not consider it a slum, it is a normal neighborhood, very crowed, in the sense of full of life. It is also very popular. LV: What is your definition of slum? ET: A Slum is a place with extreme poverty, without services, so I do not consider ciudad NezahualcĂłyotl a slum.
The interview with Ernesto suggests that what the world, more precisely western countries, define as slums are often a normal district, with some urban problems but not extreme as the media illustrate them. What may look as a shanty town in third world countries, are middle class or poor neighbourhoods in the developing ones, such as countries from Latin America.
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DEALING WITH SLUMS NEW APPROACHES
2.1 SLUMS AS AN URBAN EXPERIMENT TORRE DAVID, MODEL OF URBANISM
Slums continue being the same, all of them have more or less the same characteristics. What is changing is the way society looks at them, how it appreciates them. The negative aspects of the slums are numerous and well known, and governments are searching for solutions for their economic and social problem. What is interesting is the way the concept itself is changing. Slums are still the same; it is the formal city that now looks at the informal through a different pair of spectacles.. The debate has changed, where before there were poverty and crime, now there is resourcefulness. Slums are being understood as an urban experiment from which the city could learn; they are an example of resilience, adaptation and community involvement. Urban resilience is the “capability to prepare for, respond to, and recover from significant multi-hazard threats with minimum damage to public safety and health, the economy, and security”[7], in other words, it is the ability to return to a previous stable state. [7] Wilbanks,T. The Research Component of the Community and Regional Resilience Initiative (CARRI). Presentation at the Natural Hazards Center, University of Colorado-Boulder, 2007
Slums know how to answer to both natural and human dangers. Their inhabitants are able to quickly recover from the aftermath of a natural catastrophe such as fires, floods, landslides and so on. They can rebuild the dwelling units as fast as they built them the first time. On the other hand, slum dwellers are prepared for human threats such as evictions. They can pack everything and unpack it again in the blink of an eye. Another characteristic to take into account is the capability of adaptation. Most commonly, slum dwellers tackle the worst environmental conditions. Either they live in land of no one, or they squatter into illegal land, they occupy pieces of land that nobody wants due to its pollution, inaccessibility to services, work opportunities and city centre or that are easily damaged by natural disasters. On the contrary, some slum dwellers may live in empty lands or abandoned buildings in the historical city centre – as in the city of La Habana- or at the outskirts of the cities, it means occupying the countryside that is rather from the state or are private properties of companies or civilians.
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In any case, inhabitants adjust to the place in which they are living to their needs, they build houses over the edge of a cliff, under highways, and along the river bank- “against all the odds, slum dwellers have developed economically rational and innovative shelter solutions for themselves”. [8]
per slum, and it was not born as one. It is a social neighboorhood that gives houses to the people who used to live in the most terrible conditions such as slums. The district works only under the community rules that are what make this place possible.
On the other hand, slum dwellers have a strong sense of community. They usually are not just residents of a neighbourhood; they are part of something bigger, they are a community. “Poor people’s capacities for communal self-organisation and clever construction” [9] is what have made them survive. Through the process of participation, inhabitants work together to improve their neighbourhood; they leave aside the individuality to embrace collectivity which is the main way they get things done. As part of a group, slums dwellers can declare themselves as true inhabitants of a land, ask for services and improve their quality of their lives Several slums work this way, for instance, Túpac Amaru, a community in Jujuy in the north of Argentina, with Milagro Sala as its leader. They work on the basis of self-organisation and the right to employment what made them a sort of independent community with access to health, education and work. Tupac Amaru is not a pro[8] United Nations Human Settlements Programme [PDF file] (2003). The challenge of slums global report on human settlements 2003, Introduction, p. VI. 34
See Experience n° 2 [9] Davis Mike. Planet of Slums, Verso Books, London New York, 2006, p.71.
From left to right: 1. La Habana, Cuba 2. La Habana, Cuba 3. Row houses in Alto Comedero, Jujuy, Argentina. Image: Tomás García Puente 4. Alto Comedero, Jujuy. Image: Tomás García Puente 5,6,7 Milagro Sala 35
2.1.1 TORRE DAVID
Origin
Torre David, a 45-story office tower in the centre of Caracas, was almost complete when it was abandoned following the death of its developer, David Brillembourg in 1993 and the collapse of the Venezuelan economy in 1994. Today, it is the improvised home of a community of more than 750 families, living in a tenuous occupation, such is the case that it is called “vertical slum”.
The tower was conceived as a luxurious complex of offices, hotel and other services during the economic boom in Venezuela, or better said, at the end of it. Because of the death of its developer, David Brillemborug, the construction stopped. For thirteen years, Torre David stood empty, until the moment that a group of citizens chose it as their refuge during a downpour that was the end of Torre Confinanzas and the beginning of a vertical city. A phenomenon that is spreading to closer towers that are also being squatted.
Over the last years, U-TT - an international office- devoted itself to the study and understanding of Torre Confinanzas, commonly known as Torre David. Where some only see a failed development project, U-TT – Urban-Think Tankhas conceived it as a laboratory for the study of informal vertical communities. The architects laid out their vision for practical, sustainable interventions in Torre David and similar informal settlements around the world. They argue that the future of urban development lies in collaboration among architects, private enterprise, and the global population of slum-dwellers. U-TT encourages other architects to see in the informal settlements of the world a potential for innovation and experimentation, with the goal of putting the design to the service of a more equitable and sustainable future.
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Self-organization Torre David is a community that found its own organisation in the informality. Of the forty-five stories, the first half is occupied, and it will continue growing while new residents arrive. The tower has a head, Alexander “El Niño” Daza, and twenty-eight coordinators, one per each floor. They have weekly meetings
in the atrium, which is the expression of this new democracy. The building works with the participation of all the inhabitants, where they accept the rules that they have created for themselves, as the occupation agreement, the light taxes payment and the “enrollment� procedure to live in it. Furthermore, there are different committees in charge of several jobs, for example, the members of the electric team are the only ones allowed to manage the switch box. A city inside the city The informal skyscraper is a slum inside a tower where it is possible to find a grocery shop, beauty salons, butcher shop, tailor shop and so on. The corridors are the streets, the atrium is the main square, and it even has a gym at the top of the tower. Torre David is an independent city that runs under its own rules with plenty of services inside it. Even the nearness to the ground floor remembers the land speculation of a city because of the proximity to the city centre.
without architects; they built a city without an urban planner. This is what urbanism can learn from slums. It is of general belief that architects, urban planners and engineers face urbanism, professionals in general, people with a university degree. Torre David proves different, people that barely finished school, people from the outskirts, people that came with nothing were able to make a home from an abandoned structure, they saw the potential of the tower, and they took it for themselves as a right that they own. However, the right to adequate housing, is not supposed to be universal? The State could not meet their needs, so the people looked for them, they joined forces as a community and found theirselves.
Model of urbanism What was thought as a capitalist complex, ended up being a communal neighbourhood that works by itself and where the citizens are actors and not mere observers. They built houses
See experience n° 3 37
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From left to right: 1. Torre David 2. Appartment in Torrre David 3. View of Caracas from the Tower 4. Appartment in Torre David
EXPERIENCE N° 2 COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION When I was a student at Ciudad de Salta, I did an internship with a local architect. The studio decided to collaborate with the design of a small square in one of the Villas Miserias of the city. We went with a psychologist that had been working in the neighbourhood to know the property and the families there. People told us about their problems, their need for green spaces and they showed us their ideas, talked about their customs and what they wanted for that place: a space where kids could play under the shadow of the trees. People needed a common place where to drink “mate” with their families, somewhere to talk and share their lives. The neighbours discussed and projected all together sharing the same goal. After the visit to the place, we came back to the atelier and started designing the square. We drew it with the measures that we took and drew the first ideas. Even if the square was tiny, we managed to create different areas: a playground for the kids, a path to run with sitting areas along it, the location of the trees.
The feeling of community of belonging is powerful in the villas. It does not happen in the cities where neighbours of the same building do not know each other.
EXPERIENCE N° 3 A SCIENCE FICTION NOVEL While reading “Radical Cities” by Justin McGuirk, the chapter about Torre David, I experienced the accounts of McGuirk as if it were a science fiction film. The author tells his journey inside the tower as if it were a tour through a spaceship. Torre David seems the residence of apocalypses survivors or the shelter of some rebels who escaped from a fenced city and chose to live outside the law. Moreover, that is what the tower is, a futuristic building, something between reality and fantasy: a hybrid urban shape. “A man is slicing the ears off a goat’s head, while his companion is hacking at the carcass on a chopping block atop an oil barrel … rural pursuits that just happen to be taking place in the corridor of a skyscraper”. [10]
[10] McGuirk Justin, Radical Cities, Across Latin America in Search of a New Architecture, Verso Books, New York, 2014, p. 196.
From left to right: 1. PLaying Basketball in Torre David 2. Atrium of the tower
2.2 PLUG-IN THE CITY 2.2.1 INTEGRATING THE SLUMS TO THE FORMAL CITY: METRO-CABLE
city, so that there would be a reciprocal relationship between city and slum, between formal and informal.
Slums are isolated from the city centre; they are on the outskirts of the cities where nobody wants to live or in the land that has been squatted. They are usually neglected by the citizens but also by the municipalities, who do not even draw them on the city’s maps.
All these are possible throughout a correct transportation system, not only for the rich but also and mostly for the poor. “ The answer to a divided city is integration, and there is no integration without transport connections” [11]
The features above lead to a lousy communication with the wealthy part of the city. However, the question is: why would they connect the city to a neighbourhood that does not exist? Integrating slums is a matter of connectivity of transport and services. Firstly, there are several reasons to approach the formal to the informal and vice versa (not intending it as a transformation of the informal into formal). Connection means inclusion, the informal is also city, and it should feel part of it. Moreover, the majority of slums dwellers work in the city centre; therefore, it is not a caprice but a need.
Secondly, incorporating the slums into the system also means providing services. Basic needs should be covered such as access to water, sanitation and electricity; as well as civic needs like education, health and security. Only in this way a real connection could be achieved as both parts will be merged into one, as they should be. The integration of slums is possible with the acupuncture method, which means creating functional places in the slums that can grab attention not only from slum’s residents
On the other way around, slums should also have something that can attract the rest of the [11] McGuirk Justin, Radical Cities, Across Latin America in Search of a New Architecture, Verso Books, New York, 2014 p.167. 41
but also from formal citizens. Thus, the following equation: Transport + Hubs = Equality Through a correct transportation system together with the implementation of urban hubs along it, the poor neighbourhoods will raise and eventually become part of the city. 2.2.2 METRO-CABLE There are different systems of transportation which could contribute to integrate the slums into the city. According to the economic situation, geographical conditions and even political situation, each city decides which system could be implemented: e.g., improving the physical structure such as roads and bridges; carrying out public transportation lines like tram lines, subway and cable car, and so on. Among all the options, the one that is sprawling the most in Latin America is the “Metro Cable”, known as teleférico or car-cable as well. Poor neighbourhoods are often located in the most distant land, on the top of mountains that lack proper infrastructure in terms of transportation and above all they are short of public transports. [12] Diario El Comercio [Newspaper The Commerce]. Retrieved from http://www.elcomercio.com/actualidad/ciudades-america-latina-metrocable-quitocables.html. 42
Social Urbanism “The metro-cable or teleférico is an alternative transportation system, which restores the slum areas.Universidad Nacional de Colombia studied this issue. The research points out that this kind of public investment is thought to reduce the violence at the outskirts neighbourhoods, and even though they do not have a large capacity, they improve the quality of life and make the communication with the city much easier.”[12] Today, several cities opted for the cable car: Rio de Janeiro in Brasil, Medellín and Manizales in Colombia, Caracas in Venezuela, La Paz in Bolivia and Quito in Ecuador, which is currently being planned. Sometimes, metro-cables are planned as a new public system and other as extensions of an existing transportation system. In La Paz, cable-car works as an individual system, instead of going underground they fly on the air,
From left to right: 1. Map of Metro of MedellĂn. In colors the metro cable attached to the subway lines 2. Metro-Cable in Caracas 3. Metro Cable in MedellĂn
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whereas in Medellín, the metro cable is another arm of the subway. Regardless the city, teleférico has brought plenty of advantages. First of all, the time has been significantly diminished. In Caracas people used to walk 45 minutes, now they reach the same distance in 5, reducing at the same time the effort made by people climbing those hills. Moreover, it is a cheap option, sometimes even more affordable than other public transports. Metro cable is sustainable and is an excellent way to avoid massive evictions as they are on the air. On the other hand, their implementation often comes with the creation of new hubs, which improve not only the quality of life but also the self-esteem of the inhabitants. As well as the metro station positively influence their surroundings, often increasing the land speculation, so do the cable car stations, as revealed in San Agustín, Caracas.
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2.3 ACUPUNCTURE IN THE SLUMS Acupuncture is something which heals an area by not touching that particular place but by pricking at some other node to heal the pain of that area. The idea of curing an ailing spot with a modest healing touch by energetic signs can do everything with revitalising not just a very particular place but also the entire surrounding areas. To fetch an instant transformation, there should be a spark that sets off the current, which starts to spread, where a simple plan would not be sufficient. This is a good urban acupuncture.
The interventions can be permanent or temporary installations and they can also be linked to a larger urban plan like the infrastructure system. One point in common is the use of idle places or with few evictions. Several cities in Latin America already tried the method and succeeded, and different architects are devoted to it. For instance Jorge Mario Jauregui in Brazil, Giancarlo Mazzanti and Plan B in Colombia, U-TT in Venezuela, among others.
“Sometimes, a simple, focused intervention can create new energy, demonstrating the possibilities of space in a way that motivates others to engage with their community.� [13] When acupuncture is well done, it works incredibly good in slums, and it is an affordable measure. The problems of slums are too extensive. Moreover, developing countries cannot afford or manage all of them, as an alternative acupuncture functions really well with a small but precise intervention. They often come as a necessity more than as a desire for improvement. [13] Lerner Jaime, Urban Acupuncture: Celebrating Pinpricks of Change that Enrich City Life, Island Press, United States of America, 2015 p.4 45
3
POTENTIAL PLACES OF RESOURCEFULNESS
FROM TABOO TO ART EXHIBITION
As Turner said, “slums are sites of resourcefulness and creativity” [14], not only for themselves but also for the world. The circumstances over slums make them live in a sort of community where the inhabitants help each other. There is a sense of solidarity among them. This is one of the strengths of the slums, which can give a lesson to the world as well. It means to bring back the faith in humanity. Furthermore, these neighbourhoods host people coming from different backgrounds. “The vibrant mixing of different cultures frequently results in new forms of artistic expression” [15], in music, dance and politics. For instance, the music style, “cumbia villera” was born in the Villas around Buenos Aires and spread to the rest of the country and Latin America. On the other hand, slums are seen as potential places as they are the future of urbanism, they can teach the world about resilience and adaptation.
[14] McGuirk Justin, Radical Cities, Across Latin America in Search of a New Architecture, Verso Books, New York, 2014, p.70. [15] The Challenge of Slums Global Report on Human Settlements 2003, United Nations Human Settlements Programme [PDF file], Earthscan Publications Ltd, London and Sterling, 2003, Introduction, p.VI.
“Slums are primary examples of community-led urbanism and social resilience. Often, the State is incapable of providing for the lowest-income communities; therefore, they take matters into their own hands. The practices that underpin social resilience are prodigious and deserve attention from urban and economic planners in particular.” [16] They also catch the attention of artists, who take advantages of the characteristics of the slums and see them as potential places, at the same way that they approach art even to the more remote places, where art is often unknown or though for the rich people.
See experience n° 4
[16] The Academy of Urbanism: The future of cities lies in the slums. Retrieved from https://www.academyofurbanism.org.uk/the-future-of-cities-lies-inthe-slums/
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3.1.1 BIENNALE DI VENEZIA Nowadays it is getting common to introduce informal topics in cultural organisations such as Biennale of Venice, as we first saw with the Venezuelan Pavilion and then with other countries, such as Spain on 2017 Biennale of Venice. The exhibition was the first and significant step towards the future of urbanism. The illegal, the forbidden and forgotten city appeared in one of the most formal institutions. This is a proof that slums have something to show to the world, that they are architecture and in fact, an advanced kind of it with plenty of things to teach. This is how the slums stopped being a taboo and got to the centre of the attention. The subject was first introduced by the Venezuelan Pavilion on the 2012 exhibition. The exhibition was about Torre David, and it was carried out by Urban-Think Tank together with Justin McGuirk. The arsenal was transformed into Torre David. As the scenario of a play, they built unfinished brick walls; they put a bar, they served Colombian food. The visitors felt as being in a charming place in Latin America, but the pictures helped to bring the reality of slums into the pavilion.
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They showed not only the architecture but the life inside the tower, people´s apartments and services living side by side with the danger that implies dwelling in an unfinished skyscraper. Despite the adversities, inhabitant manage to make a life of the place. The photos showed the interior of the houses, normal people cooking and watching TV. It broke the general belief that slums are places of crime and violence and it made people understand the needs of thousands of people not only in Latin America but all over the world.
Venezuelan Pavilion for Venice Biennale, 2012 49
The topic of the informal was also present at 2016 Biennale di Venezia whit the Spanish pavilion: Unfinished. “It seeks to direct attention to processes more than results in an attempt to discover design strategies generated by an optimistic view of the constructed environment”. [17] “The exhibition gathers examples of architecture produced during the past few years, born out of renunciation and economy of means, designed to evolve and adapt to future necessities and trusting in the beauty conferred by the passage of time. These projects have understood the lessons of the recent past and consider architecture to be something unfinished, in a constant state of evolution and truly in the service of humanity. The current moment of uncertainty in our profession makes its consideration here especially relevant.” [17] In the first part of the exhibition, there was a metallic frame holding different realities that Spain is facing due to the economic crisis. One of this is the “Spanish Dream” exposition. The curators tried to show how the Spanish dream of owning a house broke because of the economic crisis, leaving plenty of buildings unfinished. The purpose of it is to reveal that society is forgetting [17] Unfinished: Spanish Pavilion, La Biennale di Venezia. Retrieved from http://unfinished.es/en/ 50
the sense of inhabiting by following the desire of becoming owners. To do that they prepared sets of typical interiors of houses in unfinished buildings. On the other side, the pictures looked a lot like apartments occupied by squatters, transforming abandoned buildings into real and comfortable houses. Once more, it gives us a lesson that humans beings are capable of adapting to different situations and transform it according to their needs, even into a place full of potential. “Architecture and resistance” shows other ways of building with an emphasis on the creator’s resources and intentions, breaking with the formal, allowing the informal to be architecture.
See experience n° 4
Spanish Pavilion for Venice Biennale, 2016 51
3.1.2 ART IN THE SLUMS Art empowers marginalised communities. It gives the community a voice, and it improves places. It joins the community and gives them a feeling of well-being, and at the same time it embellishes the slums. There are two types artistic approaches: one in which art is used for community involvement purposes and one where the slum itself become an art exhibition, either in official museums, where slums are the museum or in the film production. Involving the community Nowadays, it is widely spread using art to help slum dwellers express themselves and take actions in their future. It consists of creating museums, workshops, exhibitions or cinemas. Several projects follow these ideas, such as the “Slum Film Festival” in Nairobi where large open-air cinemas are settled showing films made by squatters, generally about their everyday lives. On the other hand, some places are opting for workshops where people can express their selves but also learn something that can help them grow. This is the case of Lagos, where they spotlight youth creativity by the creation of an art workshop where people are trained to make 52
a public performance, driven to promote peace and unity in the slums. This project is called “BornTroWay Creative Art Projects”. On the other hand, the “Museum of Favelas” in Rio de Janeiro, which tells the history and culture of the slums, showing their cultural heritage to the world.
From left to right: 1,2 “Born troway, creative art project” in Lagos 3,4 “Slum Film Festival” in Nairobi 5,6 “Museum of Favelas” in Rio de Janeiro” 53
Slums as art Exhibition Forehead mentioned, slums stop being taboo and now appear in official institutions such as Biennale di Venezia and Guggenheim museum. For instance, the work of Marjetica Potrc with her exhibition “Modernism takes roots” at Guggenheim Museum of New York in 2007. In addition, some artists take slums as their place of work, they find inspiration there, and they pursue the goal of helping slums dwellers. Several artist shares this idea, like JR, Hass and Hahn team, Os gemeos, Eltono and so on. Jr is a French photographer who, in some of his works, chooses the streets of the slums as his art galleries where he places photographs of the people in order to make them realise how powerful they are and to break common beliefs of slums as depraved places. The team Haas and Hahn have done incredible work to catalyse change in favelas and poor places all over the world. They hope to ignite other works by their interventions. Their most known work is Praça Canão in Santa Marta, Rio de Janeiro, where they founded “Favela Painting Foundation”, but they have been working in different countries such as refugee camps in Greece, Haiti and U.S.A. One upstanding point of the Dutch artists’ approach is that they hire local people for their works, teaching them a 54
new trade and taking into account their ideas and beliefs. Overall, art in slums may serve not only for the poor but also for the riches as plenty of works are appreciated from afar making them see that slums do exist, and something is happening there, not always wrong. It also functions as a way of employment where the community is involved in different processes as their ideas are often expressed.
From left to right: 1,2,3 Marjetika Potrc 4,5 JR 6,7 Haas and Hahn 55
EXPERIENCE N° 4 WELCOME TO THE MUSEUM OF STONES Five years ago, I was volunteering in Techo, an NGO that builds shelters among other social activities in the slums all over Latin America, and now Europe as well. That time my team and me were building one “emergency house” as the NGO calls it, in a poor neighbourhood in the North of Argentina. The shelter was for a mother and her three children. Naturally, the mom was helping in the construction of the house, so sometimes the kids, who were between 5 and eight years old, started getting bored and walking around. To keep them away from danger I told them we would make a museum of stones, as it was the only thing they had in big amounts and everywhere. We started arranging the “museum” when I realised they did not understand what I was talking about since they had never been in a museum before. It is of the common belief that art is fancy and expensive, therefore is for the rich people. Although many museums have free entrance to children, or special days when it is free of charge, in any case the most miserable people may see these elegant buildings as inaccessible and
forbidden, or they do not find out about these options due to the lack of access to the media.
EXPERIENCE N°5 THIS DOES NOT BELONG HERE In 2016 I was at the Venice Biennale as many architecture students. I went inside Spanish Pavilion. Once I was inside, I found a white wall with the statement of the exhibition in there. I read, but I could not imagine what was behind. I went around the wall, and I saw all those metallic frames hanging from the ceiling. I got closer and started watching the pictures; and I thought, “This is Latin America, it cannot be Spain”. Incomplete buildings are a common occurrence in Latin America, so much that nobody is surprised about them. Cannot say the same about Spain. The pictures look so familiar to me, and I guess this is how people abroad imagine not only South America but also the Global South. However, as the exhibition show, poverty and squatting happen in Europe as well as it is a problem that we all share.
Pictures from Spanish Pavilion, Venice Biennale 2016
3.2 BE GOOD, BE RESILIENT Urban planners and many scholars recognise resilience as a mandatory capability for the future of the cities. Resilience, as explained in the dictionaries, is the power or ability to return to the original form or position, after being bent, compressed or stretched. In urbanism and landscape, resilience is the capacity of the cities to return to an equilibrated state after a hit. Engle Bremond [18] describes resilience as a system’s ability of short-term coping and long-term adaptation. A community should be able to absorb impacts in the short term and self-organise and increase its capacity for learning in the long run. [19, 20]
and approaches that strengthen local administrations and citizens to better protect human, economic, and natural assets of our towns and cities. Resilience refers to the ability of human settlements to withstand and to recover quickly from any plausible hazards. Resilience against crises not only refers to reducing risks and damage from disasters”. [21] Slums dwellers know a lot about resilience, they build houses in the most hazardous places and under the most uncertain situations.
“Globally, 80 percent of the largest cities are vulnerable to severe impacts from earthquakes, 60 percent are at risk from storm surges and tsunamis, and all face new impacts caused by climate change...With 50% of the world’s population already in cities and substantial urban population growth projected over the coming decades, there is a pressing need for new tools [18] Engle NL, Bremond A, Malone EL, Moss RH Towards a resilience indicator framework for making climate-change adaptation decisions, 2013. [19] Chen N, Graham P, Climate Change as a Survival Strategy: Soft Infrastructure for Urban Resilience and Adaptive Capacity in Australia’s Coastal Zones, 2011, p. 1:379-88.
[20] Colding J, Barthel S ,The potential of ‘Urban Green Commons’ in the resilience building of cities. Ecological Economics, 2013, p.86:156-66. [21] Un Habitat, for a better urban future. Retrieved from https://es.unhabitat.org/temas-urbanos/resiliencia/ 59
They live day to day; they suffer evictions, natural disasters as mudslides, rain, floods and so on. None of them stops them, they know how to react, and they act fast and precisely. They are evicted from one day to another, but as fast as they were kicked out, they erect shelters, houses and even buildings in a blink of an eye.
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Illustrative images of resilience
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4
HOW SLUMS DEAL WITH ENVIRONMENT AND VICE-VERSA
ANALYSING THE SLUMS MORE SPECIFICALLY FROM THE ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS 4.1 LAND OF NO ONE, POLLUTION FOR EVERYBODY “Slums have the most intolerable of urban housing conditions, which frequently include: insecurity of tenure; lack of basic services, especially water and sanitation; inadequate and sometimes unsafe building structures; overcrowding; and location on hazardous land…. Slums are often recipients of the city’s nuisances, including industrial effluent and noxious waste, and the only land accessible to slum dwellers is often fragile, dangerous or polluted – land that no one else wants”. [22]
First of all, being the places not urbanise, they lack services. They do not have proper infrastructure, which also means public transportation system. Moreover, slums occupied polluted areas because they are closed to industrial areas, and even sometimes, they are a garbage dump. On the other hand, slums are frequently in risky places, like edges of cliffs, mountains with dangerous slopes or at the riverbank. They are exposed to mudslides, fire and floods.
They are often located at the outskirt of the cities, in places where nobody wants to live, or forbidden ones. Hence, they share all of some features related either to existing conditions or circumstances derived from the settlements. Existing Conditions Inhabitants are exposed to the worst environmental and human-made hazards. [22] The Challenge of Slums Global Report on Human Settlements 2003, United Nations Human Settlements Programme [PDF file], Earthscan Publications 62
See experience n°6
Ltd, London and Sterling, 2003, Introduction, p.VI.
From left to right: 1 Flooded Villa MIseria in Argentina 2. Houses built on a cliff in Barrio, Caracas, Venezuela 3. Landslide in BArriada, LIma, Peru. 63
Living Conditions In the beginning, people occupied the place as squatters. As time goes by, they build their houses; it can be said, they have made a sort of permanent settlements. Nevertheless, it takes much time until the government recognises them as formal or legal districts, which means they lack basic services such as water provision, sewer system or trash collection, and if they have, it is because inhabitants are probably stealing it from other neighbourhoods. Families share water pumps and sanitary fitting. The garbage gathers in the courtyards or the streets. Furthermore, there is not a proper infrastructure system. Mobility works through small passages, often climbing many stairs. Streets were not planned so they are not paved and plenty of potholes. The sum of the previous conditions and the ones added by their inhabitants, made slums a land of no-one, where rights are not assured, and duties are not always accomplished.
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existing conditions + living conditions = NO MAN’S LAND
EXPERIENCE N°6 THE REALITY IN THE SLUMS
houses. Yet people had already made a home of the place and it was impossible to evict them.
As a volunteer at Techo, I visited different slums in my city. The image that I got from them is that no matter what, they look like a bunch of trash. Neighbourhoods are dirty as they lack services; streets collect still water and garbage. The “green spaces” are degraded.
Later on, we surveyed a family, where the father worked as a taxi driver. The car was parked on one side of the street. I still wonder how he took the car there in the first place.
It is not only an urban problem but also dwelling units have an ailing condition. Of course, they vary according to the houses, but they usually have trash in the courtyards, which are also full of scrap, weeds and sitting water. Residents do not know what to do with the trash, so they just accumulate it. They take what they find on the streets just in case they can use it in their houses to discover there is nothing to do with them; as there are not trash collectors, all that stays in the houses. The first time I went to a shanty town, I was conducting surveys for Techo NGO. What certainly got my attention was that the so-called “streets” looked like roads in a jungle, they had different sizes along their path, they were full of potholes covered with stinky water, and trash was scattered all over the roads. I mentioned the fact to my partner, who had been doing the job for several months, and he told me that the land where the villa was settled was not supposed to be there as it was a floodplain, therefore, not suitable for
4.2 CLEANING THE SLUMS Several cities around the world are facing the pollution in their slums. Many times, the municipalities come up with a regeneration plan for the city that improves the quality of the slums but also returns to the city areas that once belonged to them and was depraved by informal settlements and bad management.
However, the intensive use damaged the river. Untreated sewage flowed into the river through storm water outfalls and dumping of industrial waste. This situation led to the ruin of the river and poor or nor development for the area, lacking necessary infrastructure and facilities. Such conditions made the river inaccessible, and it divided the two parts of the city. Slowly, the city turned its back towards the river.
In many cases, the most polluted places in the cities are the rivers, that is why many towns had implemented a master plan which solutions for the environmental and social problems. This is the case of Sabarmati Riverfront (India) by the urban planner Bimal Patel and CAntinho do CĂŠu (Brazil) by Marcos Boldarini.
The project aims at providing Ahmedabad with a meaningful waterfront environment along the banks of the Sabarmati River and to redefine an identity of Ahmedabad around the river, reconnecting the city.
4.2.1 SABARMATI RIVERFRONT RECONNECTING AHMEDABAD TO ITS RIVER Sabarmati Riverfront is a project in an Indian city devoted to recover and regenerate the riverbank. It was designed by the urban planner Bimal Patel. The river has been an integral part in the life of Ahmedabad since the city was founded in 1411 along the riverbanks, being it an essential source of water; it provided a backdrop to cultural and recreational activities. During the dry seasons, the river bed became a place for farming. With time it also offered a place for various informal economic activities, and the riverbanks were used as informal settlements.
Three goals are pursued: 1_ Environmental improvement: reduction in erosion and flood to safeguard the city; sewage diversion to clean the river; water retention and recharge.
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2_ Social infrastructure: rehabilitation and resettlement of riverbed dwellers and activities; creation of parks and public spaces; provision of socio-cultural amenities for the city. 3_ Sustainable development: generation of resources, revitalisation of neighbourhoods. To do so, the borders of the river has been reclaimed, adding 200 hectares to the land. The design team project also new bridges and adequate infrastructure when needed. The project seeks to be new identitarian reference for Ahmedabad by creating the skyline for the city along with it but also recovering the most inner neighbourhoods of the city and taking into account the growth of the town. Patel and his team looked for the participation of the citizens; they made their information and design process public creating a specific website for the project. They interviewed local people to know their perceptions. A key element of the project is a new linear two-level promenade. The lower promenade with a minimum width of 10 meters will run just above the water level, providing uninterrupted pedestrian access to the water. The upper promenade will host a variety of public buildings, cultural and educational institutions, public
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parks and plazas and a few areas for commercial development, while new traffic infrastructure will connect the riverfront to the city.
From left to right: 1. Master Plan 2. Previous situation of the riverbed 3. Render of the project 4. Render of the project 5. View of the project 6. View of the project 69
4.2.2 CANTINHO DO CÉU, BRAZIL Cantinho do Céu complex is a project of urbanisation and environmental recovery. The neighbourhood is located in São Paulo and faces onto what is known locally as the Represa Billings, Dam Billings. Numerous informal settlements characterise the place without the quality of life or infrastructure, which dump their sewer and pollution into the water source of all the city’s consumers. The strategy of the project has been to maintain as far as possible the characteristics of the temporary but now well-established settlements present in the area, introducing the changes step by step to check their impact on the environment and the population. The project looks forward to solving environmental, social and urban problems, considering each of them part of the other. To do so, the involvement of the community has always been fundamental, the design team and the people interact and share ideas and opinions. The Billings Reservoir is the largest reservoir in São Paulo, Brazil, covering 127 km2. It is named after Asa White Kenney Billings, the American hydroelectric engineer who built it. The reservoir supplies about 1.8 million people, but in recent years there have been problems with wastewater as well as problems associated 70
with informal human settlement in the surrounding regions. The environmental aim of the project is to guarantee the quality of the water in the dam, together with its preservation and vitalization without forgetting the citizen’s desires. Residents are the key part of the project, which directly looks for an improvement in their lives, respecting their costumes and the spaces they created when possible.
The team opted for an urban solution as the houses are more or less well settled. They had to bring the urban infrastructure necessary to these areas. Therefore, projects such as sewer systems, potable water distribution, drainage systems, road systems and paving were carried out. Only a few dwelling units had to be evicted, whether due to the impossibility of connecting them to the infrastructure, or to the risky situations to which they were exposed, especially those located along the banks of the Billings Reservoir. This made it possible to turn the area into a park, allowing the population to get close to the water. The objectives of the urban project are:
larise land titles for the lots. To carry on the strategy above, the team respected the identity of the place with their centralities and point of references, understanding the characteristics of each space. Cantinho do Céu is a new linear park visited not only by its residents but from people from different areas of the city. The place is the proof that the community and the reservoir can coexist. The decoration of the dense perimeter of the housing with irregular bands of colour made by Maurício Adinolfi contributes to the integration between the district and the surrounding landscape.
– Preservation of life through the correction of all the identified risk situations. – Urban integration among all the new interventions and the existing fabric. – Adjustments of the urban infrastructure with sanitary, environmental and mobility improvements throughout the settlement. – Access to infrastructure and of urban services and adequate provision of community facilities, recreational and sports areas. – Urban-environmental accommodation of the settlement and the new interventions to the neighbourhood as a whole. – Generation of the conditions needed to regu71
“These interventions seek to highlight the importance of public, collective space both to the city and to society, from the perspective of effectively transforming the social and spatial conditions that reinforce the right to the city moreover, to social inclusion. This is guiding thread of the Cantinho do Céu urbanization project. To reveal the importance of public and community space to the local population, transforming it into the main instrument for qualification of the neighbourhood. This valuation of public space … tries to rescue the sense of belonging to the city as a basic condition for the development of future generations. The Cantinho do Céu intervention has thus been working based on an understanding of the importance of this settlement by virtue of its scale and location in an area which is environmentally strategic for the city of São Paulo”. [23]
[23] França Elisabete and Barda Marisa (ed), Entre o Céu e a Água o Cantinho do Céu [Sky and Water, the Living in between the Cantinho do Céu], Prefeitura de Sao Paouo, Sao Paulo, 2012, p.178 72
From left to right: 1. Master Plan
2 ,3. Previous situation of the riverbed 4,5. View of the project
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Appeared the term SLUM
2 de Diciembre Popular neighbourhood made by Government, Caracas, Venezue-
1820 1930 1946 1953
1955
1958
Dictator Pinochet Chile 1973-90
Evictions Favela Slum eviction Dictator Ipanema, from Rio de Bordaberry Leblon, Janeiro untill Uruguay Lagoa1974 1973-85 Brazil 1960 1964 1965 1968 1973
Programm Favela Bairro Mario Jáuregui 1976
1985
1990’
1995
Elemental Alejandro Aravena Chile 1998
2001
Quinta Monroy by Elemental social houses, Chile 2003
2004
SLUM CLEAREANCE Villa 31, Bs.As Argentina
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Dictator Pinilla Colombia 1953-57 Dictator Jiménez Venezuela 1953-58
Federacion de Villas Buenos Aires Argentina
Dictatorship Brazil 1964-85
PREVI John Turner Lima Peru Dictatorship Alvarado Peru 1968-75
Dictator Videla Argentina 1976-1981
Consolidation of Favela Morro da Providencia Brazil First favela
Urbanization of Villas Argentina Law 148
Film “Cidade de Deus” “Urban Acupuncture” by Jaime Lerner
Lula da Silva PAC (programa de aceleracao do crescimento) Brazil Squatting in Torre David, Caracas Venezuela Cable car, U-TT Caracas, Venezuela Boy with kite Haas& Hahn
Film “Firmeza Total” Haas &Hahn Parque Biblioteca Esp iaña Mazzanti, Medellín Colombia 2004
2005
2006
2007
Evictions in Rio de Janeiro for Olimpics Games Brazil
Praca Cantao Santa Marta Haas & Hahn Brazil “Favelas, Learning from” Lotus International n° 143 Vivienda Social Monterrey, Elemental Mexico
2009
2010
2008
Torre David Venezuelan Pavilion Venice Biennale
“Radical cities” by Justin Mc Guirk
“Incremental housing and paricipatory design Manual” Elemental 2011
2012
Eviction Torre David, Caracas, Venezuela 2013
2014
Fabrica de Cultura U-TT Barranquilla Colombia 2016
2018
SLUM UPGRADING Fajardo, mayor of Medellin, Colombia 2004/2007 PUI (proyecto urbano integral)
“Planet of slums” by Mike Davis
“El tiempo construye” Huidobro, García, Torriti, Tugas Museu de Favela Cantinho do Céu, Boldarini Sao Paulo, Brazil JR Morro da Providencia
Scalator, Medellín Colombia Home for all, Toyo Ito after the Great East Earthquake, Japan
First UVA, Medellin Colombia
“Unfinished” Spanish Pavilion Venice Biennale Olimpic Games Brazil
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PART II
5
VILLAS MISERIAS
5.1 SLUMS IN ARGENTINA In Argentina, more than 2,5 million people live in slums according to a study made by TECHO in 7 cities which have the larger population of the country. The study revealed around 1900 villas and informal settlements in the metropolitan area and in the interior of Buenos Aires province, Córdoba, Rosario, el Alto Valle de Río Negro, Neuquén, Misiones and Salta, where 532.800 families live. The situation of shanty towns together with their social, economic, political and environmental problems are so noticeable that there are also movies denouncing the injustice as “Elefante Blanco” by Pablo Trapero. Slums in the country are usually located on the outskirts of the most significant cities. The biggest slums in Argentina are in Buenos Aires, some of the most famous are Villa 31, due to its central location, Villa Esperanza, Ciudad Oculta, and so on. The expansion of the cities creates a system that joins them through infrastructure and communication lines. Along these lines, shanty towns usually appear that framing the landscape. For example, between the megacities of Buenos Aires and Rosario, slums have settled following the course of the river Paraná. The same happens between Buenos Aires and Cordoba, and in the North of the country. 78
See annex 1
From left to right: 1. Slums in Argentina 2. Growth trend of slums 79
5.2 TYPES OF SLUM There are three types of villas miserias in Argentina: Asentamientos, Villas and Barrios Populares. Asentamientos or informal settlements, follow a grid and with the time they will be regulated. Their inhabitants do not think about their houses as temporary shelters but as houses that they will improve with the time. Asentamientos are more likely to be legitimised, and squatters will fight to become owners. On the other hand, villas or slums are irregular occupations in the vacant urban land. Squatters arrived and started building shelters on their own. Villas are crowded and precarious. They are often close to productive and administrative centres. Finally, barrios populares (popular neighbourhoods) started by initiatives from the government, follow the cities’ rules. They have a regular grid that divides the land into lots. The three categories are equally poor and suffer from scarcity. Their difference lies in the way they have been created. A study made by an NGO Techo in Argentina count a total of 450 villas, 1260 asentamientos and 124 barrios populares informales in the se80
ven biggest cities of the country. They also arrived to the following conclusions regarding occupation and size of settlements. About the occupation, 75% of the neighbourhoods were built in the “hormigas� (ants) way; it means people arrived gradually. 15% of the villas appeared because of collective invasions previously planned by the squatters which usually occur during the night. The state made 6% as social lots and the remaining 4% by other methods. There are four classifications according to the size. 53% of the slums are small, from 8 to 100 families. 34% are medium size, between 101 and 500 families; 11% are considered vast slums (501 to 1500 families) and 2% are considered macroslums with more than 1500 families.
From left to right: 1,2. Villa 31, C.A.B.A,Buenos Aires, Argentina - Villa 3,4 . Costa ESperanza, Buenos AIres, Argentina - Informal Settlement 5,6. Bajada San JosĂŠ, CĂłrdoba, Argentina - Barrio Popular 81
6
THE CITY OF SALTA
6.1 GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION The city of Salta is the capital of the province of Salta in the north of Argentina. It is part of the district Capital, that has borders with the northern districts of General Güemes and La Caldera, Metán to the south and Cerrillos and Rosario de Lerma. The province of Salta is located in the north of the Argentinian Republic, at a latitude between 22°00’ and 26°23’ south, and at a longitude between 62°2’ and 68°33’ west. It is part of “El Gran Norte Argentino” (the Large north of Argentina). It is the sixth biggest province of Argentina with 155.488 km2, 4% of the national surface. The city of Salta is located on the east part of the Andes Mountain, in the Valley of Lerma at the height of 1183 m.a.s.l, at latitude 24º47’ south and longitude 65º24’ west. The city is developed on both sides of Arenales River, that divides the city in north together with the city centre; and the south. In the last decades, the city has grown to reach the neighbouring municipalities, which make what is called “Gran Salta” (The big Salta).The Metropolitan area of Salta extends as much as 50 km outside the city of Salta, including towns like Campo Quijano, Villa San Lorenzo, Coronel Moldes, and Vaqueros. 82
Because of its geographical location, it is well communicated with Bolivia and the north of Chile. The province is an important agriculture and livestock centre. It produces corn, tobacco, grain, sugar cane and soya bean, which are exported to Europe through Buenos Aires, California and Pacific markets such as China, via Antofagasta port in Chile or by General Belgrano Railway. The International airport of the Salta City offers national and international flights to the adjoining countries.
From left to right: 1. Argentina 2. Salta Province 3. City of Salta 83
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ANNEX 1 ARE WE REAL? “En La Matanza no vemos la presencia del Estado. Vivir en un asentamiento es como no existir. ¿Por qué no existir? Porque si el Estado nos reconociera, tendría que hacerse cargo de nosotros”, dijo Eduardo Creus, residente de La Matanza. In La Matanza, we do not see the presence of the State. Living in an informal settlement is like not existing at all. Why not existing? Because if the State would recognise us, it should take charge of us” said Eduardo Creus, an inhabitant of La Matanza slum in Buenos Aires.
Retrieved from “Equipo Federal del trabajo” http://www.revistavivienda.com.ar/destacadas/villas-y-asentamientos-en-la-ciudad
6.2 HISTORY OF SALTA The city of Salta was founded on the 16 of April 1582 by Hernando de Lerma who was send by Viceroy Toledo. Lerma named the city “San Felipe del Valle de Lerma”. It is a general belief that the name “Salta” comes from an indigenous tribe that lived in the actual site of the city. In the viceregal era, the population snowballed as the town was doing businesses with Potosí (a city in south Bolivia) selling raw material. Salta was part of Viceroyalty of Peru until 1776 when the Spanish Crown created the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata. In 1783 it was named the capital of the Intendencia de Salta del Tucumán. During the May Revolution, which led to the independence of Argentina from Spain, the city served as headquarters of the expeditions towards Alto Peru. After independence, the city was economically ruined heading into a declined period for almost the whole 19th century. The population increased when the railway line was installed, together with immigrant’s arrival from Spain, Italy, and Arabs (especially Syrians and Lebanese). Since the mid 20th Century, the city experiments a fast demographic growth, going from 115.000 inhabitants in 1960 to more than 550.00 at the end of 2010. 86
From left to right: 1. Carlo Penuti, View of the City from San Bernardo Hill, 1854 2. Anonymus ,Salta’s foundation, year unknow 87
6.3 SHAPE OF THE CITY Salta was built following the “Leyes de Indias” (Law of Indians) that Spanish used to make cities in the new world. The founders implement an orthogonal grid of 9 blocks x 3 blocks as the town was delimited by channels on both North and South sides. As the time passed, the city started growing on all the sizes, following the grid. Nowadays, the city has no place to grow as in the north it reaches Vaqueros’ rivers with its municipality. On the South, the city touches its neighbourhoods towns, crossing Arias-Arenales river and on the west, the hills stop its growth.
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Original Plan of the City of Salta according to Leyes de Indias 89
7
SALTA LA LINDA SALTA THE BEAUTIFUL
7.1 A LOOK AT THE LARGE-SCALE
To understand the objectives of the project, it is necessary to know the city, to understand its characteristics and the landscape. “In fact, the field of operation of landscape urbanism is the large marginal zones of the city, and the choice of responsibility for the environment leads to an interdisciplinary approach that comprises architecture, landscape, urban design and landscape ecology. “ [24]
[24]Pierluigi Nicolin,Urban Landscape, in “Lotus International”, n. 150, 2012, Landscape Urbanism, p. 81 90
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7.1.1 ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEM The environmental system of a city is what complements it. It is what was there before the city and then has been modified by it. The map shows the city itself surrounded by rivers, hills and mountains, and some agricultural land. The environment of Salta can be understood in three different layers: water and nature. The mass of water is coming from the rivers that limit the city. To the North, there is La Caldera River and to the South Arias-Arenales River. The natural layer contains hills, agriculture and the valley itself. The city is overgrowing, this results in the lack of agricultural land, that is continuously being moved to the new outskirts of the city.
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city of Salta other municipalities
river agriculrual land
natural green spaces hills and mountains 93
7.1.2 LIMITS The rivers are defining the city. To the North, the river sets a limit. It is dividing the city of Salta from the Village of Vaqueros. To the South, the River Arias-Arenales which was once a boundary, now is inside the city, dividing it in a South and North part. There is a significant portion of military land which is putting a limit on the growth of the city toward the North. To the East, the city adapts its shape to the presence of the hills; the most important ones are Cerro San Bernardo and Cerro 20 de Febrero. To the West, the town has spread until reaching other municipalities present in the Valley of Lerma. To the South, the boundaries are nowadays set by what was left of agriculture.
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city of Salta
hills
limits 95
7.1.3 INFRASTRUCTURE The city has accesses coming from the East, the North and the South-West. The east access serves to collect the capital with the rest of the country, mainly with the South, and with Buenos Aires. The northern access allows communication to Jujuy (the northernmost province of Argentina) and the borders of Chile and Bolivia. There is also a secondary access from the south-west that reaches the city passing through the airport. The city has developed a master plan for Salta which takes into account several aspects, among which infrastructure. Regarding this topic, the planners designed circulation rings. The first one has been almost completed, except for the stretch that crosses military fields. The ring allows the city to join different points easily. On the other hand, a system of avenues makes possible the circulation across the city, in both north-south and east-west directions. The railway crosses the town in the north-south direction. However, it does not work to its full capacity as it is used mainly like a freight train.
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city of Salta other municipalities
river agriculrual land
natural green spaces hills and mountains 97
7.1.4 LAND USE The urban code of the city, the so-called “Código de Planeamiento Urbano Ambiental”, sets the uses of the land according to the city’s foresight. Therefore, it categorises it into a residential area, a mix-uses, an industrial and a special area. Each of them has different regulations about what can be built and in which way. The residential area can be resumed in four types that go from high density to very low density. For instance, in the R1 zone, it is possible to build up to nine storeys. The height and land occupation change depending on the housing area, where the minimum height and percentage of surface allowed to build is in the “private” neighbourhoods, know as “Countries”. A different institution regulates the city centre which pays particular attention to its historical value.
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mix-uses industrial area
special areas residential area R1
city centre
residential area R2
residential area R3 residential area R4 99
7.1.5 DENSITY In the map, it is possible to see the densities established by the urban code of the city. There are seven types of densities which vary according to the areas. References: Very high density (until 1900 people/hectare) High density (until 1600 people/hectare) Medium High density (until 1200 people/hectare) Medium density (until 1000 people/hectare) Medium Low density (until 600 people/hectare) Low density (until 250 people/hectare) Very Low density (until 200 people/hectare)
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Very high density -until 1900 ppl/ha High density -until 1600 ppl/ha
Medium dens.-until 1000 ppl/ha
Low d.-until 250 ppl/ha
Medium high d.-until 1200 ppl/ha
Medium low d.-until 600 ppl/ha
Very Low d. -until 200ppl/ha 101
7.1.6 SLUMS IN SALTA When analysing the slums in the city of Salta, it is possible to see that most of them are along the river Arias-Arenales. In Latin America cities often give the back to the river, differently from what happens in Europe , where it is normal to have rivers crossing the most important cities such as the Tiber in Rome, the Thames in London, Moldau in Prague, and so forth. When the Spanish founded cities in the new world, they chose sites close to rivers as they are sources of water, but they were careful enough not to be flooded by them, placing cities on a side. As cities started growing, the new developments avoided rivers, growing towards the opposites directions. Nowadays, because of the fast expansion of cities, rivers have been crossed, but they have not been included. The city continues on the other side of the river, but it jumps it, instead of integrates it in the urban fabric and planning. Planners do not know how to deal with rivers, so they are often abandoned places, full of pollution that facilitates squatters to settle there.
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As shown on the map, that is what is happening in the city of Salta, where the river has not been adequately included. The industrial area is located on the sides of the river, throwing their waste into it. As there is none or little regulation about the river, squatters made a home of the riverbank.
city of Salta
hills
limits 103
7.2 A CLOSER LOOK
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7.2.1 GREENISH CITY Natural and built environment should coexist, cities need the nature to be inside them and to surround them. It can be present in the form public spaces but also as a natural reserve. In the cities of concrete, green spaces are the lungs; they are primary necessities for their inhabitants. The following map shows the green areas in the city that can be public, semi-public or private, or natural and empty. Public spaces are the city’s squares or urban parks. Salta has three parks, Parque Bicentenario in the North, Parque San MartĂn at the city centre and the new Parque Familia in the South. Semi-public are intended to be places where everybody can go as far as he or she pays an entrance, such as sports clubs, the racing circuit and aviation club, among others. Also there are a significant number of green spaces which are in private lots, but they are still good for the city as they are a contribution to the green system. On the other hand, some places stayed almost in their natural state or without a planned intervention. Some others have been abandoned or do not have a specific purpose, which stops them from being maintained. 106
public spaces semi-public spaces private spaces
empty spaces natural urban areas
agriculture natural green areas 107
7.2.2 THE RIVERS IN THE CITY There are two rivers in the city of Salta. One of them acts as a limit between the municipality of Vaqueros and Salta Capital. This river is named RĂo La Caldera. The other one, RĂo Arias-Arenales pass through the city and has a high impact on it. The two rivers are born from different water sources that come from the mountain. Arias-Arenales River is the junction of Arias River and Arenales River which join their waters in the southwest of Salta City.
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8
AIM OF THE PROJECT
The project aims to develope a regeneration plan for the city that joins north and south. The area chosen is the urban sector of Arenales-Arias River in the south of the city. 110
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8.1 THE RIVER 8.11 GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION Arias-Arenales river is part of the catchment area of Juramento River and Arias-Arenales Catchment. “It has two hydrological systems with springs in mountain areas, the Arias river system and the Arenales river system. It also has two hydrological systems with springs in the stand area; they are the Seco or Isasmendi stream system and the Autodromo stream. On the other hand, there are three inter-basin systems, those of the Zanja Blanca creek, the Ancho river canyon and the Limache or Manantial canyon”. [25] The river passes through several villages before entering Salta. Arenales Stream goes through the villages of El Encón, San Luis, General Alvarado. The stream of Arias River crosses Villa San Lorenzo and some countries (private neighbourhoods).
[25] Municipalidad de Salta, P.I.D.U.A Documento Técnico 6: Parque Urbano de la Ribera del Río Arenales [P.I.D.U.A. Technical Document for the Riverbank or Arenales River] , Salta Article 1.1.3.1, p. 65 114
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8.1.2 DIAGNOSIS The riverbank of Arias-Arenales River is a negative area of the city; it makes up a shocking barrier in the natural and urban aspect of Salta. It divides the town into north and south with noticeable differences between them; the north is wealthier than the south. Regarding the borders of the river, both sides are precarious and have environmental and social problems. The urban area around the river is one of the most problematic questions that the city urges to solve. The majority of the problems derive from the wrong management of the river and its context, with the un-authorised occupation of the land. As time passes, squatters came and went, some of them evolved until they became permanent informal settlements. Many of them exist since 2002 which are probably the most needed and hazardous. During 2007 until 2009, new settlements appeared that continued to occupy the land. In some of them, slum dwellers got property rights over the lands they are taking. Due to the slum situation, the lack of public or green spaces on the riverbank and a weak communication with the city, the river bank is in a state of advanced deterioration. 116
Source: http://www.salta.gov.ar/prensa/noticias/1478/si or press of Gobierno de la Provincia de Salta
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8.1.3 BEYOND THE RIVER Touristic maps of Salta does not show the south side of the city. Some of them even delete the neighbourhoods in that area, showing that it is not considered part of the city.
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Source: Portal Informativo de Salta, http://www. portaldesalta.gov.ar/planos.htm 119
8.1.4 THE FUTURE OF THE CITY The municipality of Salta is conscious of the situation of Río Arenales; they recognise it as a risky area but still full of potential. Hence, they came up with an integrated plan called “Sistematización del Río Arenales” ( Systematization of Arenales River) which includes an analysis of the problems of the area and a plan of actions to be performed. It also gives a whole analysis of the river and its environs. The following information has been taken from “Documento Técnico 6: Parque Urbano de la Ribera del Río Arenales” (Technical document 6: Urban park of Arenales Riverbank). The systematisation of the river tries to solve the river’s issues on its whole. The most urgent are physical and social segregation that splits the city into two areas, provoking a lack of continuity in the road network, adverse effects on the ecosystem due to the human activities, and significant levels of marginalisation. To do that, the government looks for actions of environmental preservation that ensures all the ecosystems to survive together with the specification and actions needed to prevent floods. Respecting human settlements, the municipality of Salta searches for an urban consolidation of the slums, maintaining their location when 120
possible. The plan also takes into account the infrastructure of the area, providing a good circulation system and provision of essential services. The main aim of the systematisation is to transform the riverbank into a green corridor with social facilities.
Source: PIDUA 2, Documento Técnico 6: Parque Urbano de la Ribera del Río Arenales 121
8.2 BORDERS OF THE RIVER
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8.2.1 URBAN ANALYSIS Fulls and voids The map shows the buildings of the city touching the border of the river. The pattern changes according to the situation; some industrial buildings appear as a big mass. On the other hand, it is easy to distinguish formal residential areas from the informal city. The residential area has a low density. In the map, it is possible to see the courtyards of the lots which are the lungs of the blocks and finally the city. Differentiating between slums and formal houses is crucial. The poor houses do not have any space for the courtyard, and they form a homogenous mass.
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formal city
informal city 125
Empty spaces Almost the totality of the river preserves some empty spaces in the urban sector. At times, squatters temporarily occupy some of the areas, but then move somewhere else. Regardless, the empty spaces are not proper green areas as they are often landfills or areas with flooding risk. The empty places are properties either of the government or of different companies.
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empty spaces
127
Ownership of the land The situation of ownership of the land on the Arias-Arenales’ shore is different depending on the lot. In some cases, the owners legally occupy their lots; other times the land has been taken by squatters. However, landlords frequently sell small portions of their land to slum dwellers, often without the proper permission of the municipality. There is also State’s land. Some may have any function and are in an abandoned state; some others are occupied, permanently or temporarily, by squatters. Although, some properties of the State have a specific function well maintained. See annex 2 Most of the villas occupy properties of the Province or the Municipality of Salta. Slums also settle in private lands of big companies to a lesser extent. The main problem regarding the land occupation is the presence slums at the riverbank. Slums dwellers live in areas that were not supposed to be urbanised due to their proximity to the river that can be quickly flooded and has particular regulations.
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sport clubs land of the government
private owners companies
slums 129
Urban Fabric As explained before, the city of Salta was founded by the Spanish following an orthogonal grid. When the city grew, it kept the grid when possible, except when the topography did not allow it which resulted in changing the angle of it. The original urban fabric measures about 100m x 100m, it gets smaller in the new areas of the cities, where planners decided to reduce it at the half.
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grid
131
Infrastructure
Sewer system Water Any of the irregular settlements along the river has potable water. Not even Barrio Ceferino that is now regulated. The formal neighbourhoods do have drinking water.
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Regularized neighbourhoods have a proper sewer system. On the contrary, slums dump their sewa ge in the river without any previous treatment. However, the city has plans of building a collector pipe for these porpuses on the west side of the river.
Natural gas The majority of the area does not have gas system Storm Water drainage The river is the primary receptor of the storm water of the city. Ost of the canals arrive at Arenales River
Electricity The area is well served with electricity, although some areas get it irregularly.
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Road Network The North of the city has a capable road system, some of these avenues continue on the other side of the river, but the southern system has been remarkably less developed. Nowadays, there are nine bridges, one of which is a railway bridge. In some cases, the avenues cross the river to become a dull street. A situation like it, happens in the vehicular bridge beside the train bridge.
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bridges routes
avenues main streets
railway 137
8.2.2 ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS Hydrology Arias-Arenales Basin is born at Cordón Lesser to the west of the city; it goes through Las Yungas Jungle until it reaches the Valley of Lerma. Both Arias and Arenales River cross a rural sector with some villages in the Valley of Lerma. Arias river comes from the Hills of Medeiro, then goes through Grand Boug Neighborhood and then Salta City. Arenales River comes from the southwest area, crossing Atocha and Solís Pizarro villages. After the city of Salta, the joint of both rivers goes beside the Industrial Park absorbing some of their waste. More to the south the river collects the treated water from the Water Treatment Plant. The river continues till it reaches Cabra Corral Lake. As explained before, the river in question is the result of the two rivers Arias and Arenales that come from the Andes Range. The system of Arias River has water permanently, while Arenales River temporarily has water. From the hydrological point of view, Arias-Arenales River is part of Arenales Aquifer. Its water mainly comes from Potrero-Arenales River, and its reservoirs are also related to this river. After 138
crossing the city of Salta, the river is part of La Isla Aquifer that holds all the water coming from Arenales Aquifer. The volume of water changes according to the rainy or dry season. It increases during the summer which is the rainy season. During the swelling of the river, the water may take different courses when the riverbed is wide enough, which happens primarily before the river reaches Tavella’s bridge. The sources of the water come in the first place from the Arenales -Potrero Aquifier, in second place from the Lesser Aquifier, and finally from the different canals in the north of the city such as Canal Esteco, the canal beside Paraguay bridge and so on.
Source: Documento Técnico 6: Parque Urbano de la Ribera del Río Arenales 139
The course of the river The map shows the alterations in the course of the river over the years. The course has more possibilities of changing when its riverbed is wider. On the other side, the eastern side has a smaller river bed which does not allow water to change its path.
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Geology and soil characteristics The geological surface of the Arias River is a metamorphic-sedimentary basement, sandstones and pelites (Precambrian, superior-Eupaleozoic) with recent terrestrial and fluvial river deposits. On the other hand, concerning the Arenales River, it is a metamorphic-sedimentary basement (quarcitations, sandstones and pelites), fluvial deposits from the foothill and lacustrine clay sediments. It is characterised by transporting an appreciable amount of sediments (silt-clayey), which erode unconcealed deposits of the tertiary and quaternary. Between El EncĂłn (before entering the urban fabric of the city of Salta) and the crossing under the bridge of Av. Chile, the river bed is frankly stony and extremely wide (60-80 meters), in which the watercourse changes remarkably and frequently. On the other hand, between the bridge of the Tavella Avenue and the town of San AgustĂn (outside the urban fabric of the city of Salta), the river occupies the entire bed, passing between abrupt ravines and clay, presenting different depths according to the area and time of year.
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From left to right: 1. pelites 2.sandstones 3.quarcitons 145
Biodiversity Flora and Fauna in the area of Arenales River
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Environmental risk situation Areas susceptible of being flooded “The situation of environmental risk concerning the floods of the Arenales River is a product of the reduction of the section of the river before reaching the bridge of Av. Tavella. The companies that settled in the place have tried for several years to gain ground on the floodplain of the river. This caused the enclosure of the waters, causing the level of the same to rise several meters above the height of the bridge of Av. Tavella and flooding over the villas on the size”. [26] During the rainy season, from September to February, the rivers carry a much larger amount of water compared to the other periods of the year. The storms increases the amount of water, moreover deficient management of the borders of the river cause it to overflow casing several risks to the area but mainly to the residential neighbourhoods at the borders.
Seen annex 3
[26] Municipalidad de Salta, P.I.D.U.A Documento Técnico 6: Parque Urbano de la Ribera del Río Arenales [P.I.D.U.A. Technical Document for the Riverbank or Arenales River], Salta ,Article 1.1.3.7, p. 73 148 138
formal city
informal city
flooded area 149
Environmental Conflicts Different types of waste arrive at the river; some may come from the slums which do not have a sewage system, for example rain or residual water. Furthermore, some industries from the Industrial Park, illegally get rid of their waste throwing it to the river. The south part of the city has it Waste treatment plant throwing the liquids to Arenales river as well. On the other hand, slum dwellers leave the trash at the riverbed, creating many small rubbish dumps along the river. Another environmental problem is the lousy quality of the soil, that has been decreasing due to the loss of vegetation layer that leads to the erosion of the soil. All these activities contribute to the danger of flooding of the slums at the edges.
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ANNEX 2 EASY COME, EASY GO
The following image shows the changes on the private land. It can be seen that an informal settlement appeared in 2009 and how it grew until the year 2013. After that year it slowly disappeared. At the current year 2018, any squatting had happened.
ANNEX 3 CEFERINO It was January 31 of 2011, at 21:30, when the river overflooded and reached the neighbourhoods of Ceferino, 13 de Abril, Solidaridad, Democracia, Villa Lavalle, asentamiento 20 de Junio, Angelita, San Juan de Dios y Gauchito Gil, among others. The most affected was Ceferino. “La gente salía gritando del espanto, a los animales se los llevaba flotando la correntada y para colmo ya se cerraba la noche”, recordó Alejandro Pinikas, un comerciante. “People went out screaming of fear; the water carried away the animals and on top of that the night was coming.”
“Me acuerdo de ese día y se me pone la piel de gallina. En mi casa faltaban 50 cm para que el agua toque el techo”, recordó otro vecino. “I remember that day, and I get goose pimples. In my house, the water raised till it leaves only 50 cm to reach the roof”.
Retrieved from “Diario El tribuno”, [Newspaper El Tribuno] https://www.eltribuno.com/salta/nota/2014-9-5-0-37-0-ceferino-sigue-sufriendo-por-lainundacion-de-2011-inundacion-en-ceferino.
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VIEW OF THE RIVER
View of the river Arias-Arenales through the bridges that cross it. The photographic survey was instrumentalto analyse the relation between the river and the city and river and slums. It is also possible to appreciate the state of the river with its course, vegetation and degradation. 155
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PART III
10
TOWARDS INTEGRATION
10.1 BRAINSTORM The following drawing shows the main ideas that were considered for designing the area: -Negative aspects of the slums to be changed black text -Positive aspects of the slums to enhance pink text -Ideas to develop that will boost slums highlighted text
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170
171
10.2 STRATEGY OF THE PROJECT Taking into account all the analysis made, it is possible to find solutions for the area. The main strategy of the project is to integrate the slums into the formal city but without losing their informal characteristics. The integration has been thought in terms of transportation and mobility, provision of basic services, environmental actions together with a flood and pollution control and recovery of the green areas. Several actions have been taken to achieve desegregation; they can be divided into three categories: 1. Cleaning the river 2. Flood control 3. Covering the primary needs of the different villas miserias. 10.2 .1 CLEANING THE RIVER As previously stated, Arias-Arenales river is a state of degradation. Not only the water comes polluted from the agricultural land to the west of the city but also the slums contribute to its tainting as they pour out both black and grey water directly into the river without any previous treatment. 172
Each problem has its own solution, the streams of the river are cleaned through a riparian area in the western and eastern sector of the river beginning and end of the project’s area- as the riverbed is wider and allows transformation in the river course. The riparian buffer will also recover the natural space that once existed promoting the return of the varies species. A Phyto depuration process has been settled to recover grey water coming from the slums and the canals. Once the water is cleaned it will be used to irrigate the vegetable garden. The area will generate an urban garden in the middle of the city which will also functions as a green lung. Regarding black water, it would be cleaned by a water treatment plant imitating those installed at the south-east of the city but with the implementation of a carbon filter system that eliminates the smells. The plant will also function as a hub and new landmark of the town.
Riparian buffer dike
Phytodepuration system: fresh water system
Water treatment plant river carbon filter methane screening sedimentation
sedimentation
sludge treatment 173
10.2 .2 FLOOD CONTROL In order to protect the city from floods, different systems were implemented depending of the section of the river such as the width, the angles and edges of the river-course and characteristics of the river. The different actions also give room to new public spaces such as platforms and promenades.
174
1
2
3
2
4
5
6
7
8
9
175
1. Elevated path It allows the river to flood under it. The path serves as a touristic path that preserves natural and fauna as well. 2. River dam Its function is to reduce the speed of the watercourse. They are placed in two parts. The first one is located when the river becomes more narrow as it enters the urban area. The second is placed before the sharper curves. 3. Wider river Generate a more extensive section for the river removing the soil. This option is suitable for places where slums and city are already at the edge of the riverbed. 4.Platform + ramp It serves to protect the water to go into the city as they are 2m above the level of the street. It also provides a new public corridor that was missing in the neighborhood. 5. Platform + stairs It works as the previous system, but it changes the ramps for stairs as the riverbed is tighter. 6.Changing curve of the river This an idea made by the municipality of Salta. The river course turns suddenly which cause the water to overflood in rainy times. To solve this, a property will be expropriated to change the 176
course of the river. 7. Buffer zone/ dike The dike will protect the urban garden to get flooded and it will also create a riparian area. 8.Dig canals With the canal, new streams are being built that will take the excess water coming at the rainy seasons. 9. Permeable bridges It allows floods to the keep its course naturally. Pedestrians can still cross the river as when it is overflooded they can walk over the benches that will function as optional paths.
1 Elevated path
2 River dam
3 Wider river
4 Platform + ramp
5 Platform + stairs
6 Chsnging course of river
7 Dike / Buffer zone
8 Dig canals
9 Permeable bridges 177
10.2 .3 COVERING PRIMARY NEEDS The area of the project lacks not only basic services, like sewage system, public light, potable water and so on; but also civic institutions. An in-depth analysis done with data from NGO Techo shows the needs of each villa. The following chart and the infrastructure analysis previously done are a key survey to understand the real needs of the area.
178
Index of vulnerability 1 - 1,75 = medium 1,76 - 2,50 = medium high 2,51 - 3,25 = high 3,26 - 4 = critical situation
179
Albuergue
Bajo Costanera
San Antonio
Ceferino
13 Abril
land insecurity
2,28
2,76
1,81
2,13
1,82
energy services
3
3
1
1
3
2,33
2,33
1,67
1,67
2
water
2
2
2
2
3
electricity
3
3
1
1
4
sewage system
2
2
2
2
1
risky location
1
2
4
3
1
flood
2
4
1
4
1
emergency serv
2,19
2,50
1
1,50
3
firefighter
1,57
2,50
1
1
2,50
police
2,50
2,50
1
2,50
2,50
ambulance
2,50
2,50
1
1
4
tenure
4
4
4
4
4
education
1
1,33
1
1
1
kindergarten
1
1
1
1
1
primary school
1
1
1
1
1
highschool
1
2
1
1
1
streetlight
0
0
4
4
4
2,5
2,5
1,50
1,50
1,50
infirmary
1
2
1
1
1
hospital
4
3
2
2
2
1,57
2,50
1
1
2,50
pavement
3
3
0
0
0
transport
2
2
2
2
2
basic services
health
trash collection
180
CuĂąa
Villa Lavalle
Norte Grande
Average
land insecurity
2,53
2,70
2,36
2,26
energy services
3
3
3
2,56
basic services
3
3
2,33
2,29
water
2
2
2
2,12
electricity
4
3
3
2,60
sewage system
2
4
2
2,37
risky location
2
4
4
2,62
flood
3,50
1
1
2
emergency serv
2,50
1
1
1,96
firefighter
4
1
1
1,63
police
4
1
1
2,12
ambulance
4
1
1
2,75
tenure
1
4
4
4
education
1
1,43
1,11
1,10
kindergarten
1
1,34
1,34
1,08
primary school
1
1,34
1
1,04
highschool
1
1,60
1
1,20
streetlight
2,50
4
1,69
2,34
health
1
2,46
2,50
2,12
infirmary
4
1,86
3
1,48
hospital
2,50
3,07
2
2,75
trash collection
1
1
1
1,63
pavement
4
4
4
2,25
transport
4
1,98
2
2,24 181
10.2.3.1 ROOMS The rooms or cuartos in Spanish, are buildings that give solutions to the lacking needs. The idea comes from the HOME-FOR-ALL project which is “a base for those who lost their homes or jobs in the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11th 2011. They are spaces where people can get together and build a new community life.” [27] It was lead by Toyo Ito, Kazuyo Sejima, and Riken Yamamoto. “ The usage of the houses range from gathering spaces for people who live in temporary housing, places for communities to recover, play spaces for kids and bases to rebuild the agriculture and fishery industry”. [27] The rooms are placed equidistant one from the other. Their functions vary according to the position, and each villa has a room. They all have the same size -15m times 15m. In some specific areas, there is a combination of rooms that create a hub. That is the case of the cultural and opportunities room
[27] Home for all. Retrieved from http://www.homefor-all.org/about/ 182
1
2
3
4
5 6
7
183
Awareness room
The main function is to aware neighbours and all the citizens of the importance of taking care of the environment and respect the landscape. The room will appear as a tower, evoking the observation towers as it will allow people to study and gaze the landscape from it. Library, study room, flora and fauna room
Multifunctional room: Open space that can be closed and cover according to slum dwellers needs. It consists only of an open box. 3 flexible rooms
Opportunities room: The room function as a node. It is in a crucial position as it close to the biggest slums in Arenales river and to the Municipal Pool Xamena which attracts many people. It solves two significant problems. The first one is the lack of places to study as the public library is in the city centre and University’s libraries are both in the north of Salta town. On the other hand, it is a place to train slums dwellers and integrates them into the formal job, so they increase their incomes and improve their quality of life. Library, study room, classrooms, workshops ( trades, art, crafts, cooking, pottery, sewing and so on) 184
Community room and playroom: The community room is a place where the community can gather and spend quality time; it is a recreational area. The playroom is a place for the children.
Dining room: One located on the side of the river and next to the urban garden. They strengthen the feeling of community and participation. Often slums dwellers share their food, in this room, they can eat what they produce in agriculture garden. Dining room, kitchen, shed Market room: The old industrial building has been regenerated for the tree nursery and a market where the surplus fruits and vegetables can be sold. tree nursery, market Cultural room: open fair, slum exhibitions, auditorium, rehearsal room. It is located in the landmark area to act as a new hub for the city. It is an opportunity to show Salta and the world the potentialities of the slums. The museum of slums will show their culture and way of living. The open fair is built with frames that can be cover according to the needs. It can host events, the market for the things produce at the opportunities rooms and so on.
185
10.3 REACHING UP-SLUM THROUGH THE YEARS The project will take place in three phases. It is made this way to allow stakeholders (mainly government but also private ones) to phase out the investment. However, the main reason it is divided into stages is because some actions need to happen first to permit others. For instance, the urban garden will not occur if the water is not cleaned before. In this sense, phytodepuration occurs first and then the agricultural garden. Each action is explained in the following graphics, categorize in four zones: landscape flood protection, landscape mobility, community participation and water treatment. The circles represent the three phases: -Phase 1 : 1-3 years -Phase 2 : 3-7 years -Phase 3 : 7-12 years
186
Landscape Infrastructure: flood protection reforestation
Landscape Infrastructure: environment mobility study of environment
biodiversity motion
pro-
flood protection
repair soil dike
dig canals clean river
urban garden
filling land
reforestation
pedestrian bridge path elevated path observ. tower
bridge
irrigation phytodepuration
room as constr. shed murals
clean water
self constrution
water treatment
community room landmark
Water treatment
lamp-post
Comunity participation 187
PHASE 1 1-3 YEARS bridges elevated path dig canals rooms as construction shed existing trees filling land with soil removed remove land
PHASE 2 3-7 YEARS murals reforestation clean water system flood protection system rooms
188
PHASE 3 7-12 YEARS reforestation urban garden rooms
189
10.3.1 COST / BENEFITS A cost/ benefits analysis is useful to understand the real impact of the actions and their importance in the whole process. It analyses: COSTS Analysis of the cost of every action. They are divided into direct and indirect cost. The method used is TCO – Total Cost of Ownership. -Direct costs: Costs which are directly accountable to a cost object (such as a particular project, facility, function or product). Direct costs are directly attributable to the object. In construction, the costs of materials, labour, equipment, and so on., and all directly involved efforts or expenses for the cost object are direct costs. Direct costs are those for activities or services that benefit specific projects, for example, salaries for project staff and materials required for a particular project. Direct costs which are taken into account in the project: Labour, construction and energy costs, professional fee -Indirect costs: Costs that are not directly accountable to a cost object (such as a particular project, facility, function or product). It should be financially infeasible to do so for a cost to be labelled indi190
rect. These are those costs which are not directly related to production. Indirect costs which are taken into account in the project: Personnel training, maintenance, solve future problems BENEFITS The benefits taken into account can be social economics and related to administration. The main beneficiaries are the government and the society, especially the slums -Government economic benefit: Less damaged made by flood, attract tourist,reduce traffic jam, provide sustainable basic services, public spaces -Government administrative benefit: Personnel training, job opportunities, reduce poverty, education health -Government/society environmental benefit: Reduce pollution, environmental awareness and protection, river preservation, biodiversity promotion, embellishment -Society economic benefit: Job opportunities, avoid repairing damaged caused by flood, time reduction, nourishment -Society/ social benefit: Quality of life, participation, security, integration, mobility education, health, identity
benefits cost city gov.
MURALS direct indirect economic administ. environ. economic social
AMMENITIES
benefits cost city gov.
REFORESTATION NATIVE SPECIES direct indirect economic administ. environ. economic social PATH
benefits cost city gov. benefits cost city gov.
FILLING LAND- ENLARGING RIVER BED direct indirect economic administ. environ. economic social
COMMUNITY ROOMS: FIRST USE AS CONSTR. SHED direct indirect economic administ. environ. economic social
benefits cost city gov.
AMMENITIES
benefits cost city gov.
environment
COMMUNITY ROOMS direct indirect flood control well being economic 191 administ. environ. economic social
benefits cost city gov.
environment
ENITIES
benefits cost city gov.
URBAN GARDEN direct indirect infrastructure integration economic administ. environ. economic social
LANDSCAPE INFRASTRUCTURE
benefits cost city gov.
BRIDGES direct indirect economic administ. environ. economic social
benefits cost city gov.
REPAIR THE SOIL direct indirect economic administ. environ. economic social
ELEVATED PATH direct indirect economic administ. environ. economic social
DIG CHANNEL direct indirect economic administ. environ. economic social
pollution control
TURE
CLEAN THE RIVER direct indirect economic administ. environ. economic social
benefits cost city gov.
indirect economic administ. environ. economic social
LANDSCAPE INFRASTRUCTURE
benefits cost city gov.
PHASE 1direct 1-3 YEARS
benefits cost city gov.
PATH direct indirect economic administ. environ. economic social
192
benefits cost city gov.
PHYTODEPURATION direct indirect economic administ. environ. economic social
benefits cost city gov.
WATER TREATMENT PLANT direct indirect economic administ. environ. economic social MURALS direct indirect economic administ. environ. economic social
benefits cost city gov.
benefits cost city gov.
REFORESTATION NATIVE SPECIES direct indirect economic administ. environ. economic social
WATER TREATMENT
benefits cost city gov.
FLOOD PROTECTION SYSTEM direct indirect economic administ. environ. economic social
AMMENITIES
benefits cost city gov.
DIKE - BUFFER ZONE direct indirect economic administ. environ. economic social
LANDSCAPE INFRASTRUCTURE
FIRST D
PHASE 2 3-7 YEARS
ben cit
benefits cost city gov.
A
environ. economic social
benefits cost city gov.
COMMUNITY ROOMS direct indirect economic administ. environ. economic social LAMP-POST direct indirect economic administ. environ. economic social
benefits cost city gov.
benefits cost city gov.
REFORESTATION direct indirect economic administ. environ. economic social
MURALS direct indirect economic administ. environ. economic social
AMMENITIES
AMMENITIES
ben city
benefits cost city gov.
benefits cost city gov.
benefits cost city gov.
LANDSCAPE INFRASTRUCTURE
benefits cost city gov.
LANDSCA
environ. REFORESTATION NATIVE SPECIES economic direct social indirect economic DIG CHANNEL administ. direct environ. indirect economic economic social administ. environ. PATH economic PHASE 3 direct 7-12 YEARS social indirect economic administ. environ. URBAN GARDEN economic direct social indirect economic administ. environ. economic social
benefits cost city gov.
BIODIVERSITY PROMOTION direct indirect economic administ. environ. economic social
benefits cost city gov.
OBSERVATION TOWER direct indirect economic administ. environ. economic social
pollution control
infrastructure
integration
environment
environment
flood control
well being
193
ZOOM 1
ALBERGUE BAJO COSTANERA
LA RIBERA
S. ANTONIO
CEFERINO
Guide lines Scatter lines from the more naural into the more urban area
Linear park
Murals by local artis and community
194
Lamp-pos mation o
10.4 FINAL DESING 10.4.1 MASTER PLAN
REFERENCES EXISTING TREES REFORESTATION ORIGINAL COURSE OF RIVER NEW STREAMS OF THE RIVER FLOOD
13 ABRIL
JUAN 23
ZOOM 2 CUÑA
LAVALLE
ZOOM 3 TINKUNAKU
st with inforof the slums 20 JUNIO
Rooms NORTE GRANDE
195 SAN FRANCISCO
10.4.2 ZOOM 1: BIODIVERSITY PROMOTION
PHASE 1 1-3 YEARS bridges elevated path dig canals rooms existing trees
196
PHASE 2 3-7 YEARS murals reforestation
PHASE 3 7-12 YEARS reforestation
BIODIVERSITY PROMOTION AREA
4
NEW STREAMS MULTIFUNCTIONAL ROOM
V. ALBERGUE
AWARENESS ROOM V. BAJO COSTANERA
NEW STREAMS
A V. LA RIVERA SLUM ART
1
OBSERVATION TOWER
2 REFERENCES EXISTING TREES REFORESTATION TREE REFORESTATION TREE IDENTITY
OBSERVATION TOWER
m
3 0
15
30
75
45
GROUND PLAN 1:1.500
biodiversity promotion
elevated path
observation tower
Arenales river
reforestation
dining room
agriculture- shed
A
SECTION A-A ESC 1:500
2 Riparian area Recover the river edges
3 Observation tower to see the landscape and the recovery of the flora and fauna of the area
lamp-post
1 Reforestation tipical species of the region planted by the community Lapacho Rosado Tree use to give identity
4 Biodiversity promotion Return of the fauna due to the regeneration of the lanscape
197
A. ELEVATED PATH
198
B. OBSERVATION TOWER
199
200
A
B
201
SUCCESSION SECTIONS
202
203
OBSERVATION TOWER 3
1 Reforestation tipical species of the region planted by the community Lapacho Rosado Tree use to give identity
204
reforestation
dining room
agriculture- shed
A
2 Riparian area Recover the river edges
REFORESTATION TREE REFORESTATION TREE IDENTITY
m 0
15
30
75
45
biodiversity promotion
elevated path
observation tower
Arenales river
GROUND PLAN 1:1.500
SECTION A-A ESC 1:500
4 Biodiversity promotion Return of the fauna due to the regeneration of the lanscape
lamp-post
3 Observation tower to see the landscape and the recovery of the flora and fauna of the area
205
ECOLOGICAL SUCCESSION A-A ESC 1:200 Phase 1 1-3 years
Phase 2 3-7 years
Phase 3 7-12 years
10.4.2 ZOOM 2: URBAN GARDEN
PHASE 1 1-3 YEARS
PHASE 2 3-7 YEARS
soilrecovery re-used buildings bridges existing trees
buffer zone reforestation path phytodepuration murals
206
PHASE 3 7-12 YEARS reforestation agriculture rooms
AGRICULTURAL AREA PARKING LOT
3 DINING ROOM 4 TREE NURSERY
A V. JUAN XXIII FRUIT COLLECTION
V. CUNA
SHED MARKET
V. TINKUNAKU 5 PHYTODEPURATION 2 STAGE
1 BUFFER ZONE-DIKE
DINING ROOM
SHED
REFERENCES
A
EXISTING TREES REFORESTATION TREE REFORESTATION TREE REFORESTATION TREE IDENTITY m
0
15
30
45
75
phytodepuration
Slum
vegetable garden
cycle path
Arias-Arenales river
fruit collection
dining room
agriculture shed
GROUND PLAN 1:1.500
SECTION A-A ESC 1:500
1 Buffer zone provide wild abitat, attract pollinators barrier against floods filter pollutats from agriculture
2 Urban garden consumed by the slum dwellers surplus can be sell in the market
3 Lamp-post Info about slums, inhabitants, etc gives identity
4 Slum art made by local artist and community
5 Free water system Clean gray water from channals and slums to be used in urban garden
ECOLOGICAL SUCCESSION A-A ESC 1:200
207
A. DINING ROOM
208
B. BUFFER ZONE
209
C. URBAN GARDEN
211
A
212
C B
213
landfill using earth from land removed
SUCCESSION ESC 1:200 River floods over the land during rainning season
flooded
Arias-Arenales River
ECOLOGICAL SUCCESSION SECTIONS
buffer zone Buffer plants provide wildlife habitat attract pollinators barrier against floods filter pollutants from agriculture
riparian border
zone 1
dike
path
214
zone 2
zone 3
Villa Miseria
flooded area
0 - 2 YEARS
phytodepuration
Free Water System Cleans grey water from the channals to use in the urban garden. The water is pretreated to remove solid particles and then enters the basin
5 - 7 YEARS
Mural made by local artist with participation of the community to
phat
llection
215
Ter
216 CUARTO DINNING ROOM BUFFE
swelling of the river
dike
path
ripari
phytod phat
urban garden
7 - 10 YEARS
rritorial
ER ZOONE
Mural made by local artist with participation of the community to enhance slums
slum art
fruit collection
5 - 7 YEARS
Context
Ghana is a country located along the Gulf of Ghinea and the Atlantic Ocean in West Africa. Contrasting with the near dessert, the country consist in a green territory easily indentified by the presence of the Volta Lake. In the eastern region of Ghana there is a district called Yilo Krobo which is mainly an agricultural area. Small elevations and forest reserves are characteristical of this place.A Limestone mine named Yongwa quarry which joins 3 extraction points, is locaed there.
Volta Lake
Location
FLOOD SITUATION
217 URBAN GARDEN
Ghana - A
Legend
Main roa near to t
10.4.3 ZOOM 3: LANDMARK AREA
PHASE 1 1-3 YEARS dig canal room existing trees
218
PHASE 2 3-7 YEARS bridges reforestation path murals water treatment plant
PHASE 3 7-12 YEARS reforestation cultural room
LANDMARK AREA A
CULTURAL ROOM
1
V. 20 DE JUNIO V. TINKUNAKU
WATER TREATMENT PLANT 2
STAGE SLUM ART
3 RIPARIAN AREA
A NEW STREAMS
REFERENCES EXISTING TREES REFORESTATION TREE REFORESTATION TREE IDENTITY
V. NORTE GRANDE
m 15
30
45
75
new stream
new stream
GROUND PLAN 1:1.500 Arias-Arenales river
stage/ flood protection
plaza for events 6000 people
sedimentation tank
carbon filter
multifunctional frames
museum of slums
auditorium
0
SECTION A-A ESC 1:500
1 Water Treatment Clean black water from slums and return it to the river 1. screening 2. sedimentation 3.carbon filter (reduce smells) 4.sedimentation 5.sludge treatment 6. methane
2 Stage for publis events that incluedes all the citizens 2.500 smq
3 Riparian area new channals that generates a riparian area that which cleans the water from the river
219
A. WATER TREATMENT PLANT
220
B. CULTURAL ROOM
221
222
A B
223
SUCCESSION SECTIONS
224
225
226
227
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McGuirk Justin, Radical Cities, Across Latin America in Search of a New Architecture, Verso Books, New York, 2014 Municipalidad de Salta, P.I.D.U.A Documento Técnico 6: Parque Urbano de la Ribera del Río Arenales [P.I.D.U.A. Technical Document for the Riverbank or Arenales River] , Salta Neuwirth Robert, Shadow Cities: a Billion Squatters, a New Urban World, Routledge, New York, 2005 Suketu Mehta, Maximum City: Bombay Lost and Found, Vintage Books, Bombay, 2004 The Challenge of Slums Global Report on Human Settlements 2003, United Nations Human Settlements Programme [PDF file], Earthscan Publications Ltd, London and Sterling, 2003
Leguía Mariana (ed) , Latin America at the Crossroads, Architectural Design, London, 2011
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Magalhães Fernanda (ed), Slum Upgrading and Housing in Latin America, Inter-American Development Bank, New York, 2016 228
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Lotus International, n. 150, 2012, Landscape Urbanism Lotus International, n. 152, 2013, Capability in architecture Lotus International, n. 153, 2014, Commons Lotus International, n. 155, 2014, Geography in motion Lotus International, n. 158, 2015, People in motion Lotus International, n. 163, 2017, Housing in the expanded field
bio-a-175-millones-alerta-cepal/#.Wmdol67ibIU Population Worldwide. Retrieved from http:// poblacion.population.city/world/l The Academy of Urbanism: The future of cities lies in the slums. Retrieved from https://www. academyofurbanism.org.uk/the-future-of-cities-lies-in-the-slums/ TECHO na/
http://www.techo.org/paises/argenti-
Unfinished: Spanish Pavilion, La Biennale di Venezia. Retrieved from http://unfinished.es/en/ Engle NL, Bremond A, Malone EL, Moss RH Towards a resilience indicator framework for making climate-change adaptation decisions
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Un Habitat, for a Better Urban Future. Retrieved from https://es.unhabitat.org/temas-urbanos/ resiliencia/ Urban Think Tank http://u-tt.com/projects/
Home for all. Retrieved from http://www.homefor-all.org/about/ Noticias y Medios de Comunicaciรณn, Radio ONU [News and means of communication, Radio ONU]. Retrieved from http://www. unmultimedia.org/radio/spanish/2016/03/ el-numero-de-pobres-en-america-latina-su229
María Lucía Villalba 230