Human Topographies

human topographies

Marshall Ford 006851598

CONTENT 1/ABSTRACT 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06

ABSTRACT / NARRATIVE site selection context/people/data client precedents site visit

2/PROGRAMMING 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07

GLOBAL SCENARIOS SETTLEMENT PATTERNS PROXIMITIES PROGRAM DESCRIPTION SPACE SUMMARY RESOURCE ALLOCATION CODE analysis

3/ALTERNATIVES 3.01 3.02 3.03.01 3.03.02 3.03.03 3.04

default living unit THE MODULE social model economic model production model URBAN ideology

4/DESIGN 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05

the new settlement ideology foundation for verticality terrain unit vertical systems 06-08-2011

5/SOURCES 5.01 5.02

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CONSULTATIONS LITERATURE AND PROGRAMS

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The megacity is created by expansion controlled only by the needs of the people. Growth continues outward as verticality becomes less and less possible.

Incredibly rapid patterns of settlement are creating cities too big for comprehension.

What do we do before this expansion creates problems too big for comprehension?

Mexico City

1/Abst The societies at the fringes of the world’s megacities are exponentially creating the aesthetic and physical features of our future inhabited landscapes. As a massive form of modern urban sprawl becomes normal, the poor become the ghosts of a city’s history, buried in unabashed development and lost settlements.

Informal, unregulated settlement is the natural way to occupy space at the fringes of these civilizations and in fact provides very strong advantages including automatic adaptability and flexibility. However, a new type of architectural urban settlement on the outskirts of these metropolises is necessary for future expansion. Specifically: an insertable support system providing the framework for organized expansive growth, in turn promoting and inevitably creating urban design on a city level incorporating housing, services, open space, and functional infrastructure in a new system of fringe urban living. The justification in allowing this growth to continue is in the organized manner in which it would occur. This literal framework would only provide the necessities for self-sustaining growth (adequate structure for future dwellings, connected infrastructure, necessary public facilities, 6

tract etc‌) allowing for continued organic expansion within its pre-defined, but not pre-organized pieces.

Not only must the inhabitable spaces become transportable and internationally accessible, but infrastructure and artificial public space must also have potential to be packed in thousands of shipping containers bound for the world’s ports. The size of these pieces is necessary in order to break down the dauntingly massive scale of the global issue of mega-sprawl, and provide an appropriately scaled insertable solution into pre-existing, dense, intricate, but failing communities and areas where rapid growth and expansion is inevitable. The informality of current settlements on the outskirts of cities like Mexico City and Mumbai has become a social and political issue due to land ownership discrepancies, lack of suitable resources, and an unplanned, disjointed infrastructure. I propose a project which considers strategies for new informal/formal urban development located in Mexico City, the largest megacity, and develops a new system of inserting (or creating) societal necessities in a devoured landscape.

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1 Theory - the necessity of growth By 2030 8 billion people are projected to live in cities; 2 billion will live in slums (Clothey 2006).

International politics and relations are too inefficient to create any foreseeable “solution” to this massive issue. This proposal investigates the architectural potential in creating a (self) sustainable, promising future using modular, flexible systems. Formally, the barrios in the hills of Mexico city seem unstructured but in reality have grown to accommodate a not-so-crude system of organization and infrastructure [Figure 1].

The problem lies in the fact that this is not a sustainable system of growth. As exponential growth occurs, the scale of current spatial and formal architectural solutions will not meet the demand for the extra billions.

Infrastructure including waste, water, power, and transportation quickly becomes outdated and forgotten as the fringes creep outward. Open space is non-existent as people overtake natural landscapes and ejidos’, specified communal lands in the outskirts of Mexico City (Castillo 2008). Spatially these areas are extremely condensed. The Dharavi slum in Mumbai has a density of 18,000 people per acre (Clothey 2006). Extreme density creates a situation where organization becomes crucial for survival and leads to incredible social problems. The solution to these varying extremes comes in a form not much different than the current settlement method, but architecturally efficient, mobile, and integrated with the existing urban fabric; perhaps a growing megastructure not devoid of human necessities but a prototype of a new kind of (vertical and horizontal) urban survival, eventually an adequate model of insertable well-structured human settlement.

Figure 1. Urban topography in central Mexico City. An overwhelming, autonomous system of densification. (from UCobserver.org)

2 Patterns of Settlement – the ultimate problem The system of land ownership in the outskirts of Mexico City is ambiguous; however, the residents who do settle in these areas create communities literally more valuable than the pre-planned communities offered by the government (Turner 1977). The pattern of settlement in these areas is ultimately considered squatting; however after continued growth these communities become as permanent as inner city tracts.

Initially, a very, very low-income family will either illegally buy a piece of land (legally considered public) 8

or simply settle on a piece of land and begin building a “self-built” home (Turner 1977). These homes are initially envisioned as temporary but as time passes and the surrounding areas quickly infill, a permanent neighborhood is created organically. Necessities like electricity, plumbing, and sanitation are improvised.

Electricity is stolen from a neighbor a quarter mile away or the closest power line while sanitation systems become rivers in the middle of the neighborhood.

Although this informal settlement seems like a natural human occurrence, the truth is by settling in this way many urban necessities are completely ignored as the fight for land becomes more crucial. Often these communities lack grocery stores, schools, and necessary transportation infrastructure (Casanova, 2010).

Essentially, the residents become trapped in their own neighborhood. On the other hand, this cancerous spreading of communities has great communal values and actually creates a somewhat utopian system of living many architects imagine in contemporary conceptual designs for master plans and mass housing.

However, there are many further problems. The government subsidized mass housing in the inner city, over time, becomes less valuable than these illegally acquired and constructed plots on the outskirts as it lacks any potential to be expressed architecturally. With Mexico City’s expansive metro system it is very possible to live in these outskirts while still working in the inner city. These residents are the very poor who have escaped the inner city to “own” their own piece of land.

In this way, architecture becomes a key factor in the relationship of residents to their dwellings, and thus the informal, organic, individual character of these settlements must not be completely lost. However, the massive scale and unorganized urban structure of these rapid growth settlements must be examined for this type of settlement loses many urban necessities in the process. An explosive, uncontrolled type of growth leads to the three main issues that must be addressed: lack of infrastructure, unsustainable urban growth conditions, and ambiguous land ownership.

3 Site – location for a prototype Possible future sites for employment (relative to El Distrito Federal) include the sprawling district of Nezahualcoyotl to the south, Chimalhuacan nearby, Xico (a site of constant major flooding), and El Caracol, a massive, circular, blank former salt production site to the north. Specifically, the site to be initially developed (my site) is less than 10 miles north of Distrito Federal in the foothills below Pico Tres Padres, nearby El Caracol [Figure 3 and 4]. This site provides an essential case of the fringes of urban sprawl in Mexico City and provides organically formed, tectonic architectural formations prevalent in many Latin and South America barrios and favelas. The organization is structured around a broken grid of worn streets and ambiguous concrete paths. The formal composition is mainly half finished or composed of deconstructed concrete dwellings inhabited on the hillside. The connection between a new ideology of fringe urbanism and the existing urban fabric has incredible potential here.

The nearly 160 acres of terrain is erratic and extreme as highlighted by seemingly endless roads running down hillsides and eroding concrete paths allowing for patches of impromptu green space and trees. This area is currently built into a hillside and there remains a distinct difference between the imperfect concrete dwellings and the crudely inserted government subsidized infrastructure. Connections to more permanent and prevalent urban infrastructure also provide a viable argument for inserting this new form of fringe urban settlement. The interventions necessary here range from street scale necessities to large scale connectors to the overall urban fabric (Casanova 2010). The site itself is located within a mile of the Mexico-pachuca Highway and within two miles of a primary aqueduct. More importantly this is a place where the existing infrastructure is ambiguous and incomplete but potential for growth is dangerously high. Even with the given proximity to a primary thoroughfare this area remains strangely disconnected from the city with little 9

Figure 2. Site at city scale (top, image from Google Earth) Figure 3. Site at neighborhood scale, solid line is specific site, dashed line is potential expansion opportunities (bottom, image from Google Earth)

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or no necessary pieces of urban development like schools or essential shopping which have been looked over as more and more residents settle permanently.

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Micro-Context

(see 1.02 - Context) In Mexico City, the places where humans inhabit the last inches of space they can acquire are called Ciudades Perdidas or “Lost Cities.” These are the areas that most likely do not have water, power, or sewage connections and are ignored by the public entities that could provide them with such, mainly because they are hidden from the formal sector. The hillside areas I am exploring are not exactly Lost Cities or the typical urban slum, but somewhere in between where political ignorance still exists while the urban settlement ideologies are rampant. Specifically, the land chosen for this prototype is located about 10 miles outside of Mexico City in the hilly, informal outskirts overlooking El Caracol and the Northern stretches of the metropolis. Socially, these areas have a diverse population in terms of professions, economic status, and family makeup. Many residents work in the formal sectors of the city in factories or services while others maintain smaller micro-economies within the neighborhoods managing repair shops, markets, and localized services. The economy in these areas seems to be imported as citizens work outside the home, many times in the formal sectors in the center of the city.

Economically, these regions are considered the “irregular periphery” where the residents are either “very poor” or “extremely poor” many times making less than minimum wage (UN Habitat). Nonetheless, within each community a range of wealth can be seen exemplified by the completeness of homes, especially size.

While many homes are unfinished and undecorated, others are complete, painted, with panes of glass and wooden doors similar to a home in “middle-class” communities of Mexico City. Some homes can range up to 2000 square feet with 2 or 3 stories, albeit not completely structurally sound by contemporary standards.

It can be assumed that although the home is complete, it once started like all others and thus the family has been in the community for a long time. Very few homes actually go up “for sale,” rather they are passed down to further generations or handed off once the family needs to move on. Some homes do go up “for sale” or rent leading to another micro-economy of real estate which is mainly contained in the hillsides Around 40% of homes do not have electricity in metropolitan Mexico City, and even more are without it in these areas. In other countries this is almost 100% in the poorest areas. Connections to primary drainage and sewage are only available to 40% of residents, most in the formal communities in the center of the city.

Each home usually houses a nuclear family and eventually extended family in about 20% of homes. Many times, depending on size, a dwelling could be housing up to 12 people although averages are anywhere from 4-8 depending on the research group but usually around 5 (UN Habitat). In the poorest areas, almost 50% of homes will house 3 or more people per room. Most residents are between the ages of 5 and 30 (about 80% according to UN Habitat), a broad range, but showing how young the population actually is.

The literacy rate is very high (over 90%) and the average number of births for a woman over 15 years old is less than three. Overall, these communities maintain a fairly sustainable lifestyle but not a sustainable way of settlement. Overpopulation per household is not the issue but the problem lies in the extremely rapid expansion of these communities fueled by the exploding youthful population.

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Client – permitting a necessary autonomy

(See 1.04 Client)

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Figure 4. Site Roads (opposite page, image from Google Earth) Figure 5A & 5B. Current Site Context (top & bottom respectively, image from Google Earth)

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Precedents

(See 1.03 Precedents) The precedents that exist in the context of urban reconstructions on this level range from conceptual megastructures to mostly failed attempts at gigantic mass housing projects. Theorists like Yona Friedman or Constant Nieuwenhuys, along with other major figures in the megastructure movement of the 1960’s have proposed overarching ideologies on massive scales, whereas other precedents actually exist mainly as examples of failed prototypes. The Unidad Habitacional Nonoalco-Tlatelolco project in central Mexico City [Figure 6] is one example of a failed mass housing typology. Originally built in three sections, separated according to “class,” the complex was an offensive set of “102 apartment buildings, 7 medical facilities, 22 schools, and 500 small businesses serving the 80,000 residents (Medina 1985).” The complex was a living city with the necessary facilities to sustain all of its residents. However, over the years, after earthquakes, and the Tlatelolco Massacre, the complex declined to a current 50,000 residents. The major issue is are the facilities that used to power the somewhat successful social dynamic of the place are now almost completely gone; the fire stations and police facilities have all but disappeared and crime has skyrocketed.

On average there are 6 serious crimes committed per day (Reforma 2005). The structures have become so dilapidated that nearby construction projects are halted due to the instability of the buildings. The question is whether the original setup was sufficient or if failure was inevitable. In comparison to current government subsidized projects the major difference is people were living vertically, not sprawling over thousands of acres. But essentially this is a prime example of a utopian solution to an autonomous problem which created more problems than solved and immediately declined once actual residents were implanted.

A socially and politically relevant precedent occurred in 1954 when several hundred families “parachuted” onto a government-owned ejido in a coyote organized occupation of the land. The land was “uninhabitable,” the ground was muddy in the winter and dusty in the summer yet the squatters fought off government attempts to relocate and were able to form some sort of establishment. This area eventually became simply

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Figure 6. Unidad Habitacional Nonoalco-Tlatelolco (eldefe.com)

Figure 7. New Babylon, Constant Nieuwenhuys. “…a reflection on the conditions of urban design in the wake of historical catastrophe” (van der Ley and Richter 2008)

“La Colonia.” In 1958 the government officially recognized the area as a colonia proletaria (legalized squatter settlement) and shortly thereafter necessary urban infrastructure began to form including schools, molinas (tortilla shops), paved roads, and running water. As the squatters realized their residences could become permanent each dwelling began to improve until the area became a fully formed community complete with infrastructure (Eckstein 1977). But as communities settle further away from the city center, government abilities to intervene with necessary urban pieces of program become incredibly stretched.

While La Colonia was within reach of the central parts of the city and primary infrastructure, the area I am exploring is much farther, in extreme terrain and just outside of Mexico City’s political boundary.

Solutions to these massive urban dilemmas are not solely governmental but many are ideological. The vision of utopia has great potential to exist in these communities because of their autonomous nature and organic organization. The megastructure movement, specifically, exemplified these radical ideas to create a flexible solution to the overgrowth of contemporary cities. Peter Cook in 1964 envisioned a “plug in city” where a massive city structure created a mega-framework for plug-in pieces of humanistic infrastructure.

More importantly, Yona Friedman created a similar, preceding concept with a “mobile architecture” notion where these inserted pieces would be transportable, flexible, and adaptable to the user’s needs. Constant Nieuwenhuys [Figure 2] employed further philosophies into creating a “New Babylon,” an urban and architectural design concept which spanned countries creating a socially connected megastructure of all living necessities while keeping an individually scaled relevance (Alison et al. 2007). While these theories remain unbuilt, the principles behind them may potentially become implemented on smaller or more modular scales. The idea of the Plug-in City or Ville Spatiale may not necessarily be insertable into this terrain but the ideologies put forth by the megastructure era have great potential to be envisioned as an overarching solution, or at least metaphorically and physically structural intervention into these areas.

One group that successfully intervened into several poor, rapidly expanding areas is Urban Think Tank.

Their theory in architectural approach is the residents in these areas know what they need but not how to 15

Figure 8. Two Million Homes for Mexico. Livia Corona. 2010.

acquire it (Casanova 2010). An example is in Caracas where Urban Think Tank intervened with one piece of infrastructure: a cable car system linking the barrios in the hills to the urban center at the bottom. After implementation of this simple urban device the cable car system introduced new social and economic possibilities for the entire community and became a catalyst to future necessary development such as commercial districts around each stop (Casanova 2010). However, the entire process began with intense immersion into the social landscape of the area in order to discover exactly what was needed to create a more efficient and livable system of settlement. This may be the most realistic solution, to intervene on very small scales with a much larger agenda in mind. Architects at MVRDV are creating relatively scaled down projects like Sociopolis or Silodam, where new methods of vertical living are being explored in a scaled megastructure where units are flexible, re-usable, and in some cases, re-buildable. Contemporary solutions have begun to scale down from megastructure to a more sustainable and buildable set of solutions. However, although these solutions have been successfully experimented with, this area of Mexico City needs something specific and culturally, physically, and politically relevant in order to create an environment where this specific form of informal growth can continue.

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Typology – a new ideology – mass housing vs settlement

Existing similar typologies are unique to only the poorest of neighborhoods. While many professional practices and international urbanism studios envision somewhat utopian, organically formed, socially relevant sprawling architectural solutions, barrios, favelas, and slums are the only places where this typology actually exists, and the issues are evident. The ideologies put forth by minds like Constant 16

Nieuwenhuys [Figure 7] or MVRDV offer an ingenious remove and replace strategy aimed at replacing the structure of these settlements to a degree where socially the place is completely altered (Alison et al.

2007). This is the primary problem. What do we do with existing, sprawling informal urban development?

Should it be replaced, regenerated, or removed? First the necessary pieces must be inserted (see Chapter 1: Theory – the Necessity of Growth). Secondly, the typologies that already exist must be preserved in some way for the society to continue. These places must generate money and a sustainable system of community.

The typology of this project lies somewhere between urban design and megastructure. In reality, the typology is the project itself, creating a structural system of parts that will accommodate this rapid expansion in a contained structure while still allowing for the method of growth to occur. Architecturally the structure itself may become very utilitarian but the pieces inserted into it have potential to be expressive, unique, and purposeful.

The idea of mass housing is potentially the most dangerous. As with many case studies in Mexico City (see Chapter 5 – Precedents – Unidad Habitacional Nonoalco-Tlatelolco) mass housing is the antiinformal settlement, and actually loses value rapidly and within a few years becomes less desirable, less economically feasible, and less valuable than the informal, organic communities at the fringes. Mass housing manifests itself in seas of indistinguishable concrete structures organized along straight lines and colored with a generic yellow and white pattern. These homes are built en masse and thus as cheaply as possible with zero attention to future owner or future use. In Figure 8 the somewhat organic, but very temporary market is obvious, running like a vein through the indistinguishable tract of houses. The reason the illegal settlements work and the governmental settlements do not is not due to quality of materials or location but how and by whom they are created. The truth is when a resident builds their own house it becomes much more important to them. When outward expression is permitted in these non subsidized, self-built areas the residents actually live safer and happier than in the generalized inner city. Shortly after inhabitation the crime rates in the developer tracts raise dramatically while the “temporary” settlements, once permanence is explored, become much safer (Eckstein 1977). The ultimate problem with mass housing [Figure 8], and why I am exploring something cautiously opposite, is it “denies involvement and initiative of the inhabitant (Habraken 1972)”. Without resident involvement these places become democratized, organized to an extent where the image and idea of community is eliminated for an easy, cheap, fast solution to the sprawl at the fringes of Mexico City.

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Structure – support structure and infill

The structure must be democratized to an organizational extent but preserve the autonomous nature of community settlement that exists currently. With this in mind, the proposal is to create a support system, a framework for pieces of an architectural prototype to be inserted inside. Instead of a standardized method of building, this is an organized growth, thus architecturally creating the framework into which contemporary trends of informal, autonomous (Habraken 1972) settlement can still occur. Specifically this is a structural mega-system of growth preparedness and prototypes for the pieces that can be inserted inside. The architecture comes in three parts: the system itself, the infrastructure (and connections provided), and the pieces to be inserted.

The system itself will be something structural but architecturally adaptable, modular, and visually enticing.

Similar images may be derived from megastructure ideologies like Yona Friedman’s Ville Spatial or Eckhard Schulze-Fielitz’s Raumstadt model (Figures 9 and 10). In these examples, the framework is provided and the humanistic, autonomous (or at least partially autonomous) pieces are grown or placed inside. These projects were an architectural response to the rapid industrialization and urbanization that had to occur after the Second World War, and led to a massive housing shortage and were created to counteract the “existing 17

static and monofunctional city (van der Ley and Richter 2008).” In a similar situation, the rapid growth of Mexico City is necessitating a solution which is just as mobile and just as flexible as that proposed

by Friedman, but in a more tumultuous environment due to extreme terrain, complicated infrastructure problems, and an already-existent population.

Infrastructure must manifest itself architecturally through becoming organized, spatially relevant, and perhaps hidden to a great extent to allow for maximum spatial freedom. The primary concern for infrastructure in these autonomous regions is that it exists in an organized form. Instead of electrical wires extending unprotected across a community, mobile power systems, or at least a new organizational structure must be put into place that interacts seamlessly with the new modular built form. Sanitation must be integrated into the primary support structure as well as plumbing and other utilities in order to further provide the organizational necessities for the massive amount of mobile dwellings that will exist within this structure.

Lastly, programmatic infrastructure on an urban level must be accounted and accommodated for. Schools, markets, transportation, and health services must have an appropriate slot to be plugged in to. These may be the most democratized pieces of the project as they have to be the most normal and functional in order to sustain the rest of the community. Open space is also key to providing necessary breathing room in these perpetually densifying zones. Furthermore, programmatic infrastructure may also include reclaimed public lands for farming or production in order to make the community profitable and lasting.

At the smallest scale of architectural necessity is the individual home itself, or the pieces to be inserted.

These pieces must be modular but at the same time absolutely customizable and adaptable to different topographic, climatic, and personal needs. For instance, the unit of an individual factory worker will be different than one of a family of four (Turner 1977).

The differences between users are income levels, access to materials, and skill sets of the occupants. Each piece must also be adapted to environmental conditions. A unit on the north side must be adapted to solar and wind conditions differently than a unit on the south side of the structure. However, the best results of these adaptations will result through an autonomous building pattern or system, rather than providing completely pre-designed units to fit into a set number of slots. Essentially, the user creates their piece of the puzzle. This is the ultimate architectural problem: providing a framework (structurally, with social and service infrastructure) where autonomous settlement can continue in a controlled manner. Perhaps the role of the architect in this context is to provide a model or guide for how these homes are to be created in order to allow the user to create their own piece. At the furthest extent of architecture on this scale, the designer will create a prototype unit and an image of what several hundred (or thousand) of these pieces would become in an ultimately controlled framework environment.

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Program – a profitable, sustainable continuation

Mexico City has only recently become a megacity with such rapid urban growth outward that infrastructure and development has begun to disintegrate formally. In the last half of a century the city has expanded by over 15 million people (Castillo 2008). This calls for an introduction of a new system that formally and spatially tightens this sprawl while allowing the aforementioned typological advantages of these dense communities to continue. In Mexico City one primary issue is land ownership. “Self-built Homes” are the primary ingredient of these informal communities and represent 51% of all homes in Mexico City (Grinberg 2005). These homes are specifically “not for profit.” As land in these communities is consumed many people settle illegally on government owned lands and ejidos, communal lands. The rapid consumption of land creates a need for an immediate, sustainable response. But more importantly, this new system of expansion must programmatically and structurally consider basic necessities, almost all of which are 18

Figures 9, 10. Ville Spatiale, Yona Friedman. (van der Ley and Richter 2008)

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lacking in these areas: water, power, waste, and open space.

Currently, at these autonomous communities throughout the outskirts of Mexico City, many dwellings remain unfinished due to depleted funds and almost all are created and settled illegally on public lands.

Programmatically these areas are incredibly high density residential with only the most basic necessities scattered throughout the neighborhoods. Each home may house multiple families and many times do not meet even the most basic standards for “housing.” Even temporary housing must provide “access, shelter, and tenure (Turner 1977)” and although the housing in these areas of Mexico City is originally intended to be temporary, permanence quickly begins as the family becomes more established in the neighborhood both socially and physically. These are permanent settlements. Access is completely ambiguous and unstructured because transportation infrastructure follows far behind the construction of these neighborhoods. The potential is tremendous in these areas because most are actually fairly close to transportation corridors including Mexico City’s expansive metro system, the 7th busiest in the world with 1.414 billion passengers per year (Metro.df.gob.mx 2009). These corridors also offer the opportunity for future commercial or industrial program where the users of the future project may become employed relatively close to their home. “Shelter” is relative here. Most homes are unfinished and considered temporary, however only the construction quality is at a temporary level.

Families here have no means to move and thus are living in homes that do not meet the standards of permanent housing. The tenure of these dwellings is not adequate for the user’s needs (Turner 1977).

Basically the programmatic ideology of these areas is dense temporary housing, but the reality is that these places are permanent neighborhoods of ultra-dense housing with few necessities included into the autonomous, mostly-non-existent plan. Specifically, this project will incorporate all necessary programs to continue an autonomous community in a structured manner, while providing essential, modern, adaptable, flexible, and potentially modular necessities including social and physical infrastructure (schools vs roads), necessary open space, and connection to city services. The overarching program ideology will be housing for the expanding population. Following housing must be urban necessities and structure including educational facilities (perhaps the most lacking piece of current urban settlements), commercial facilities (basic needs like grocery stores or repair shops), and open space on the scale of the city. Currently most

Figure 11. Infrastructure conditions on site, power theft, and inadequate street systems against a much larger urban backdrop. (image from Google Earth) 20

open space sprouts from cracks in the existing loose urban model. Instead green and open space must be provided at an urban scale in order to provide recreational spaces, urban breathing room, and places to begin a sustainable future of growing local crops and constructing self-sustaining power, water, and waste infrastructure. Spaces for these varied programs must be provided in one support system.

Figure 12. Site on the hill in the distance from the Mexico-Pachuca Highway (image from Google Earth)

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Zoning and Codes – political context for an abstract theory

See Chapter 3 – Site, for more zoning and political context of the site Zoning in these areas is incredibly vague. Since almost all of the rapidly expanding edges of Mexico City have developed at least somewhat illegally usually by squatting, zoning becomes whatever the residents create. The timing between the settlement of these communities and the government zoning process is completely disjointed (Casanova 2010). In this case the area is primarily high density residential with single family homes packed in tightly along the hilly streets. Nonetheless, these homes are many times occupied by more than one family. The informality of the settlements leads to no official commercial, industrial, or open space zoning so those pieces end up filling empty places, green space usually last (Eckstein 1977). The result is an extreme lack of open space and essential services. Like La colonia (see Chapter 5 – precedents) schools and stores are secondary to the excessive residential sprawl. Safety facilities like fire stations and police stations are just as rare because governmental pieces of framework are last in these developments. In the end, these communities are originally very unsafe, uneducated, incredibly dense and devoid of any open space.

The lack of codes in these areas also provides no reinforcement for safety or regulation of building. The existing homes are originally meant to be temporary and thus are constructed using crude techniques and outdated, unsafe materials. Earthquakes are common in Mexico City and the fringes are where most deaths occur due to unsafe building conditions. Almost 64% (Grinberg 2005) of all building in Mexico City fits into the category of minimum to economic levels (very poor to poor) which raises the issue that these are not isolated occurrences of inappropriate building standards, but the majority of the city is constructed on faulty principles. Specifically, providing a safe and modern framework is necessary to provide these areas with an appropriately structured and organized urban system if this type of informal growth is to continue.

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Climate and Site Conditions – physical context for an abstract theory

See Part 3 – Site, for topographic information and proximities The physical context of the chosen site is fairly extreme. Currently, concrete roads are poured in rough patches to allow for the hilly terrain to be accessible. The site itself is a hill which seems to extrude from the surrounding landscape but is covered with concrete dwellings. The climate in Mexico City is mild for most of the year, the highest temperatures reaching into the mid-80’s while the lowest temperatures rarely dipping below 20 degrees Fahrenheit. The reason for the mild temperatures is due to Mexico City sitting at over 7,000 ft in elevation with the specific site is even higher. Since the site straddles a hilltop the possibility for somewhat high winds is great. Current settlement patterns indicate that residents prefer light in the mornings and more shade in the afternoons as the north side of the hill is much more settled than the south, which is also noticeably less affluent (less green space, smaller dwellings, less paved roads).

Power is still provided through fairly illegal means as every electrical pole is draped with many more wires than intended. The site is fairly typical of these types of settlements across Central and South America where the less affluent population forms settlements in the hills which eventually become part of the city and thus acquire minimal infrastructure and utilities. The difference is that while favelas in Brazil are almost untouched by government intervention, these neighborhoods in Mexico City are eventually connected to the rest of the city through government provided infrastructure and funding.

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Conclusion

This project is the beginning of a new system of autonomous but structured settlement with all necessary pieces for a successful urban environment. Ultimately and specifically it is a structurally sound, vertically and horizontally organized framework with prototypical, architectural, autonomous pieces that are inserted into the urban landscape in a minimally but specifically controlled environment. The scale is diverse and relative to each site. At this site the scale will be fairly large; about as prominent as the hill itself. My role is to develop the beginning; the seed. Specifically it begins with the architectural framework, a nonstandardized system of organized growth. This is something literally structural, systematic, and at a very large scale. After the structure is in place the pieces are grown from within the structure as autonomously as possible with specific provisions to allow for institutional program, commercial program, and open space.

The goal is to allow for a certain level of inevitable, autonomous growth to occur within this megastructure while reserving adequate spaces for politically and socially necessary program. Eventually the image of this place will become an incredibly dense, perpetually changing, urban scaled structural system filled in with pieces of inserted architectural forms and necessary program, penetrated by open space program which may simply be spaces that were never settled.

The explosive and uncontrolled growth in Mexico City over the past century has necessitated an inhibiting piece of urban infrastructure to allow the city to catch up, or even better, connect to these areas immediately. The problems are the lack of necessary infrastructure, the unsustainable rate and methods of building, and the political issues of land ownership and permanence. I propose that a system of safe autonomous growth is possible in an organized environment, but one has yet to be provided. The theory of the megastructure only goes so far into solving, or beginning to solve a problem like this. The structure has to be relative to the site and adaptable to future sites. The pieces of infill must be organized efficiently to allow for maximum open space and take advantage of sustainable conditions of the site. Eventually, through controlling the exponential growth occurring in the outskirts of Mexico City, the project should provide its own power, water, and economic social structure (make money). Most importantly the project must be self-sustained and the growth must be allowed to continue without the framework system ever becoming filled to capacity but instead infinitely expanding flexibly and modularly. The architecture in this project is in 22

the design of the framework, the theoretical placement of the framework in the relative, existing urban plan, and the development of a prototypical unit that could be inserted into the framework. The design will never be complete and the architect will never have absolute control. Instead, the user will have control over their specific piece and be allowed to make the ultimate decisions (as is the case now in these communities) about proximities, site selection, and material choices. This ultimately becomes a new system of inserting (or creating) societal necessities in a devoured landscape and allowing current, unchanging trends in human settlement to occur in a perpetually modernizing world.

Figure 13. Hypothetical merger of existing autonomous settlements and theoretical megastructure intervention.

Mexico City is the 3rd largest city in the world. The pattern of growth has been a steady rapid expansion of over 375% every 10 years, pushing the boundaries of Mexico City’s fringes. This rapid, constant, but not explosive growth makes Mexico City the ideal location to test this hypothetical typology and ideology.

With over 60% of the population considered “poor� and even more living without clean access to water, sanitation, or power this becomes a location where expansion must be organized and safe. Political turmoil and the dauntingly massive, permanent informal micro-societies in the hills here create an environment electric with social necessity, extreme terrain, and political uncertainty. And with a population largely consisting of young people the contrast between fast and cheap affordable housing and the self built ideology this city is founded upon is increasingly growing. This is where a new typology is inserted.

1.02 24

site selection

25

The context of this project is global. The specific international scenarios provide the context for the responding architecture while the broader political, social, and physical context leads to the ideology behind the project. This prototype is not for one scenario but the application to an infinite number of scenarios not bound by time or physical location. But the necessity to create a prototype facilitates the need for a specific site to examine it’s potential.

Ciudad Perdidas in Mexico and favelas in South America are part of this global scenario

1.03 28

context/people/DATA

Information and most graphs provided by UN Habitat, “The Endless City,� and urban-age.net

29

30

Map 7: Metropolitan Mexico City: population density by census tract 2000

Map 2: City growth 1500 to 2000

Source: OCIM-SIG Project Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana Azcapotzalco/CENVI; National Population Census (2000)

Source: OCIM-SIG Project Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana Azcapotzalco/CENVI; Consejo Nacional de Poblacion

Map 3. Metropolitan Mexico City: Distribution of population by census tract 2000

Map 15: Metropolitan Mexico City: percentage of population earning less than 2 minimum wages, by census tract. 2000

Source: OCIM-SIG Project Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana Azcapotzalco/CENVI; Consejo Nacional de Poblacion

Source: OCIM-SIG Project Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana Azcapotzalco/CENVI; National Population Census (2000)

Map 6: Metropolitan Mexico City: topographic map and present day built up area (urban census tracts)

Source: OCIM-SIG Project Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana Azcapotzalco/CENVI; National Population Census (2000)

Map 8: Metropolitan Mexico City: absolute and relative population growth 1995-2000. Increase in population and mean annual population growth by delegaci贸n and municipality, 1995-2000

Source: OCIM-SIG Project Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana Azcapotzalco/CENVI; National Population Census (2000)

Map 18: Metropolitan Mexico City: location of irregular settlements 1990, by census tract

Map 14: Metropolitan Mexico City: percentage of households headed by women, by census tract. 2000

Source: OCIM-SIG Project Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana Azcapotzalco/CENVI; National Population Census (2000)

Source: OCIM-SIG Project Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana Azcapotzalco/CENVI; National Population Census (2000)

Information and graphs provided by UN Habitat

31

32

Map 22: Metropolitan Mexico City 2000: dwellings with "shanty" roofing, by census tract

Map 23: Metropolitan Mexico City 2000: dwellings with only one room, by census tract

Source: OCIM-SIG Project Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana Azcapotzalco/CENVI; National Population Census (2000)

Source: OCIM-SIG Project Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana Azcapotzalco/CENVI; National Population Census (2000)

Map 24: Metropolitan Mexico City 2000: average house occupancy rate by census tract

Map 25: Metropolitan Mexico City 2000: average inhabitants per room

Source: OCIM-SIG Project Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana Azcapotzalco/CENVI; National Population Census (2000)

Source: OCIM-SIG Project Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana Azcapotzalco/CENVI; National Population Census (2000)

"EXTREMELY POOR" LESS THAN 1.5 TIMES MINIMUM WAGE

IRREGULAR PERIPHERY STREET, RENTED ROOMS

17.00%

IRREGULAR PERIPHERY, CONSOLIDATED PERIPHERY, RENTED

"VERY POOR" 1.5-2.5 TIMES MINIMUM WAGE

"MODERATELY POOR" 2.55 TIMES MINIMUM WAGE "WITH ECONOMIC PROBLEMS 5-10 TIMES MINIMUM WAGE" "MIDDLE CLASS" 10-25 TIMES MINIMUM WAGE

"AFFLUENT" 25+ TIMES MINIMUM WAGE

16.10%

ROOMS

CONSOLIDATED IERREGULAR SETTLEMENT, SOCIAL INTEREST HOUSING, RENTED ROOMS

CONSOLIDATED IRREGULAR SETTLEMENT, SOCIAL INTEREST HOUSING, RENTED APARTMENT

CONSOLIDATED SETTLEMENTS, FORMAL SECTOR RENTED OR OWNED HOUSING

"RESIDENTIAL" HOUSES, CONDOS. & APARTMENTS

28.30%

14.90% 15.30%

8.50% % FAMILIES

Source: income Distribution and "poverty definitions": Boltvinik J. “Incidencia e intensidad de la pobreza en México”, in Boltvinik, J. and E. Hernández Laos (1999) Pobreza y Distribución del Ingreso en México, México, Siglo XXI, p. 194. Based on the National Survey of Household Income and Expenditure. Housing Types: own assessment.

Map 26: Metropolitan Mexico City 2000: percentage dwelling with no inside tap

Map 28: Metropolitan Mexico City 2000: dwellings without sanitation by census tract

Source: OCIM-SIG Project Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana Azcapotzalco/CENVI; National Population Census (2000)

Source: OCIM-SIG Project Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana Azcapotzalco/CENVI; National Population Census (2000)

Information and graphs provided by UN Habitat

33

5

Client – permitting a necessary autonomy

The client must be an organization with potential to create these structures. These organizations include the Comision Nacional de Vivienda (CONAVI or The National Housing Commission) in Mexico or others similar to the Regional Housing and Urbanization Service (SERVIU) in Chile (Grinberg 2005). In fact, many Latin and South American countries share a similar slum typology and structure including the favelas of Brazil and the Barrios of Venezuela. Theoretically the best solution is to provide a new commission for providing self-sustainable solutions to these self-destroying communities and sell that idea to some sort of investor or developer with the means to actually make this happen. If three entities cooperate successfully (national or local government, housing organizations, and a developer) the governmental body provides the minimal infrastructure needed to start, the housing organization provides the expertise necessary to create these autonomous communities, and the developer is enticed through some sort of lucrative business plan to provide funds, materials, services, advertising, and/or labor.

Although public housing is synonymous with urban failure, a new form will not be. This project is partially a reaction against the INFONAVYT (Mexican government subsidized housing) projects which already exist in mass across this metropolitan area (Esquivel 2010). In coordination with other groups like the Tu Casa subsidy program, a government organized program that “focuses on the low-income population that needs to acquire a home or improve or expand the one they already have (Grinberg 2005),” a new system of providing a framework for a continued urban autonomous settlement system is absolutely possible financially and theoretically. Ultimately the formerly government subsidized system would establish itself as a self-sustaining system, performing with “urban self-sufficiency” on levels scaled to the size of the megacity allowing for future funds to be allocated to new areas in need of a solution. These new areas are the new sectors for expansion. In this way, the project is a prototype for all neighborhoods, not just a solution for one.

Once the system begins to govern itself the governmental bodies are basically removed from the situation allowing the localization of governing bodies and public services including police, fire, and health facilities.

However, since the government will have provided the system with infrastructure, they will still be involved in the upkeep and expansion of those pieces of the system. The housing organization will continue to organize the selling and allocation of resources to future inhabitants and act as the primary go-between a new user and their future. The developer may eventually be phased out of the project as the system begins to support itself. But, this may also mean more commercial housing developers will enter the project as the scale grows in order to allocate the development appropriately instead of one developer monopolizing every new system in it’s entirety.

In essence the client is the national government in the beginning and would become commercially available to developers as the project became more real and after the primary infrastructure and contact roads were installed and operating.

1.04 34

Client

THIS IS NOT THE CLIENT

Failed and successful ideologies relying on the same principles and attempting to solve or mediate relevant social, political, and architectural issues to the proposed project. In the background of this page is a “solution� to the housing crisis on the fringes of Mexico City: single family homes aimed at those who would otherwise settle in informal communities. The isolation is evident.

1.05

Precedents

Image by Livia Corona

Unidad Habitacional Nonoalco-Tlatelolco Mario Pani 1964 Still seen hovering over the freeway, the Torre Banobras seems virtually empty but remains a symbol of failed mass housing projects in Mexico City over the last century. Although efforts have moved towards single family homes instead of apartment blocks the same effects of depersonalization and mass development are seen. Tlatelolco is one of the most dangerous places in the city with 6 major crimes (rape, murder, robbery) occurring every day.

The initial concept is actually very similar to this proposed project: provide all necessary services within self contained blocks with the intention that the sense of community with elements of safety, open space, commercial opportunities, and education, would form from these provided pieces. However, over time this concept failed with most safety facilities now vacant and most apartments either occupied by seniors or gang members. Much of this decline was ignited by the Tlatelolco Massacre that happened 10 days before the 1968 Mexico City Olympics where 28 student protestors were killed (although actual numbers may be over 100) by the Mexican Police.

The primary issue is the flawed typology employed in the design and construction.

The lack of any individual optimization and the brutal, monolithic living arrangements provided by the complex were destined to destroy the imposed sense of community. While in the hills, where settlement is illegal but self driven and self built, this is a place where low income families were placed in a box and directed where to shop. Although it was originally a safe place with the numerous public safety buildings, over time it was bound to become a scary place. This is evident in other communities too, where too many houses are built [figure 1.02.2] and the families themselves are ignored. Where individuality is thwarted in a city of over 20 million, crime begins to rise, and the quality of life dwindles to almost nothing.

NONE NONE

Personalization

Expansion

Openings 38

Images from LIFE, Skyscraper City

39

Metro Cable

Urban Think Tank 2007-2010 Urban Think Tank’s Metro Cable project in Caracas is a singular intervention into informal communities attempting to act as a catalytic project creating hubs and direct connections to the formal city. By allocating mostly unused land as stations for the cable car, travel times are significantly reduced and lucrative commercial opportunities are quickly available. Each station has many similarities but also unique features like cultural, social, and system administration facilities. These include gymnasiums, daycare centers, and open public spaces.

In an interview with Marielly Cassanova of Urban Thinktank, based in Switzerland, it seems the most crucial part of the design process in a project like this is the analyzation and familiarization of the surrounding community. Through interviews and community meeting sessions, Urban Think Tank was able to access the appropriate locations, scale, distances between stations, and aesthetic values of each specific community in Caracas. These consultations also provided crucial information on the missing necessities in each respective community, thus, placing new supermarkets at some stations while others benefitted from much needed introduced open space.

Transportation, along with other infrastructure, is the most important piece of this new Urban Fabric. This is a case study that has examined the global issues in these communities and the disconnect the informal inherits while organically breaking from the formal city. The idea of catalyst may not be specific to this problem but transportation infrastructure is something that can, and needs to, grow with the informal and extend as the city expands. As a utilitarian piece the Metro Cable works perfectly, but the long term results of the conceptual plan are just beginning.

$

$

Advertising

$ $ $ $ $ $ Stores/Hub

Money

Expansion

Connection 40

Images from u-tt.com

41

Quinta Monroy Housing Elemental

2004 (built in 9 months) Informal, self built housing in Chile is, albeit on a much smaller scale than Mexico City or Caracas, but very similar in terms of the “Americas” typology.

Most construction is done with cement block and concrete with a similar salvaged material infill pattern to the hills of Tijuana or Rio de Janeiro. Elemental Architects adapted this existing typology into this new housing development and the results are clear: it worked. Every unit is a 3 story concrete block tower, stripped of any decoration or color, the user is in charge of everything but construction. Each tower is separated a specific distance in order to provide for structurally sound expansion room inbetween. Within a year of construction this space had been filled with customized additions to the original concrete structure.

Residents began to accommodate their lives into these plain concrete walls and within a few months of residence had transformed the framework of a house into a comfortable and unique home. In all reality, it was a gamble that the spaces would be filled at all, or at least for residential use. However, by providing a very inexpensive cost per square foot (about $20 US), families who would otherwise live in informal communities had the opportunity to move in here with the same advantages of the seemingly unstructured hillsides.

After 5 years this small group of houses has become integrated into the surrounding community, a feat rarely achieved by any new development in informal settlements. With a very small piece of land (30m squared) the only option was to build vertical and then infill where necessary. This is the exact issue in the informal settlements in Mexico City except the constraint isn’t an invisible development line but the concrete dwellings on all four sides of the new development. But expansion provides more opportunities than infill. The scale of Quinta Monroy is appropriate and the ideology of “build vertical, save room, let them infill” may prove to be a viable solution for the claustrophobic hillsides of Mexico City.

Personalization

42

Expansion

Materiality

Images from mfa.fi

43

Borderlands Teddy Cruz 1999 Extraordinary social and political conditions drive Teddy Cruz’ work. His studio is a response to the border condition between the United States and Mexico and the extremes in wealth, density, and politics are highly visible. Through his projects he critiques these conditions in an almost ironically optimistic way, using the traditional bright colors of these areas but creating proximities and typologies almost counter-intuitive to the existing standards. He considers the urban “micro scale� the neighborhood and treats this as an urban laboratory of the 21st century.

His biggest objective is to expose and reform the top-down approach of settlement in these conflicted border areas. The struggle between the rebuilding and reshaping of these communities and the desires of their citizens is exemplified in his work and development strategies.

But what can be said about a critique on a political environment if the projects themselves are not relevant most to the people but their environment, both socially and politically. The images of his work are incredibly powerful, but to live in an image is to live exactly the opposite of how the people in these communities desire: individually and flexibly. Nonetheless, the strategies developed for the settlement patterns and housing typologies in these case studies are absolutely relevant to the hills of South and Latin America, especially in Mexico City.

Materiality and construction techniques are traditional yet innovative as the new structures are adapted, flexible, and familiar, albeit somewhat ridiculous.

Essentially, the question is whether or not success lies in completion, use, or constructed image. For the purposes of this project, it must be all 3 to construct a feasible prototype, with a useful and flexible purpose, which also acts as an image of future habitation in the autonomous communities in sometimes disputed territories like India, Pakistan,and Mexico.

Personalization

Expansion

Colors 44

Images from california-architects.com

45

Ville Spatiale Yona Friedman 1960 “A megastructure at urban scale for a mass society consisting of individualists.�

Friedman created a relatively simplistic system of an infrastructure in which individualist homes would be placed. Essentially the system would be designed by the architect and what goes inside is designed by the occupant, thus allowing for ultimate freedom, controlled in a system of provisions. The problem with the Ville Spatiale is the reasoning behind it, of which there is very little. Mostly a response to the overdensification of cities and the lack of free space, the system towers over what it is trying to mediate. Although the ground plane naturally becomes open space, it is in shadow as this looming structure poises itself above the existing urban landscape. It works perfectly for those who choose to add to the structure, but for those concerned with maintaining the typical lifestyle, the concept is obtrusive.

But the proposal that a structured system is installed in which freedom in design is allowed in a somewhat controlled environment is directly applicable to the socially impacted areas of the world. However, the design must be specific to those regions in order to allow growth to continue and not just be replaced. While providing a set of rules for expansion is appropriate, these rules must also take into consideration terrain, social atmosphere, political context, and existing building strategies. The same structure can not house the concrete building typologies of South America and the salvaged dwellings of Africa.

Personalization

WITHIN

WITHIN

WITHIN

WITHIN

Expansion

Open Space

46

Images from http://yonafriedman.blogspot.com and “Pro Domo”

47

New Babylon

Constant Nieuwenhuys 1959-1974

Not so much a response to the megastructure movement as a re-envisioning of the future assumed by the so-called founders, Constant’s New Babylon project was a two decade long project with an extensive collection of models, drawings, ideas, and writing about a future human environment where everything would be fully automated and thus the residents would only be bound to their creative desires. Because of this automation, complete freedom would allow the occupants to shape their lives purely around their desires and create a society where every person exists as themselves within the larger whole. “Suspended above the earth’s surface, its flexible structure would provide a new environment for these new types of inhabitants who might collectively elaborate the mobile elements of its interior (van der Ley and Richter 2008).” In essence desire was the limit of the self built architecture within this flexible system. Similar to the autonomous communities of the 21st century, the dwellings consuming the hillsides and vast plains are fueled by the desire of the inhabitants but unlike the utopian society built on Constants beliefs, limited by money, human necessities (water, food, power), and political constraints.

The studying of New Babylon exhumes the utopian ideologies rampant after the destruction of World War II and begs the question of whether these thoughts can become part of the new typology of global autonomous communities. The problems lie in the limitations. Instead of a society where automation has taken over, it is a society where automation is not present and the labor of the country relies foremost on it’s citizens, many of whom live in the informal outskirts of metropolitan areas. Instead of expression because of ultimate freedom, these places are drenched in personal expression as a sign of outward individuality in a society where very little is actually allowed. New Babylon is most like the informal regions because of the ability to express, but there is still an utter lack in the freedom that New Babylon is built upon, although the hope for that freedom will always exist.

Personalization+Expansion+Open 48

Images from “Megastructures Reloaded”

49

“as IRome visited the site today. This city is the most intense place I have ever placed myself in. As dense but for miles. As fast as new York but uncontrolled. As beautiful as Switzerland but dark, and deafeningly quiet. We drove. The freeway led us to a road called Insurgientes funneling us into miniature lanes leading through the heart of the city, just west of the Monument of the Revolucion. We passed empty towers, beautifully unstable towers, and promising towers in construction. The driving became more tense every mile and although one would think exiting the city would bring less confusion, more clarity, any sense of clarity disappears as one enters the mountains. We began to leave the city northward and we entered the Mexico-Pachuca toll highway. 14 pesos to exit. It led us up between two monumental hills and after the crest, the smoggy city waiting patiently behind, a new, foreign world appeared. The terrain of the mountains was defined by the thousands of unfinished concrete brick and mortar dwellings. It was as if the hills had been PIXELATED in order to be inhabited. From a distance the most expanses felt empty and solemn.

Reminiscent of a cemetery filled to capacity. As the highway sped past the hills definition continued of these things and I began to see people, satellite dishes, rooftop gardens, and strings of Christmas decorations floating from one house to the next. We passed my site rising to the left like an ancient ritual site, inhabited by the followers.

But this is not a follower settlement, it is a survival settlement. As expansion is forced, necessity fuels rapid growth at the hands of the occupants. We exited the highway to the right for that was the only allowed direction. We were led by blurry satellite images and sense of direction. Since we had passed the site on the highway we headed south towards the city and eventually forced ourselves to gamble on a sidestreet hoping it would take us to the hills to the west. This was a surprising industrial area with smokestacks and silos rising on either side but a relatively wide road in front of us. We began to notice massive speedbumps, thousands of which we would encounter in the hills. We reached the underpass a narrow dirt thoroughfare governed by two locals who waved us through and thus we had entered the world of concrete, rebar, and hope. We began on a frontage road to the freeway, billboards advertising a piece of the tract home expanses to the east, offering salvation (supposedly) from the treacheries of those hills. Soon we arrived at a congested intersection in the tiny but bustling town of Santa Maria Tulpetlac and were coerced by the taxis inches away to turn right down the main thoroughfare, unfortunately away from the hills but through the center of this one lane town. Informal but necessary food stores, internet cafes, and miscellanies lined either side of the road and the traffic (foot and vehicular) was incredibly lively and purposeful. Many were uniformed school children and I continuously asked myself “where are they going.” But I had to navigate where we were going so I said “follow that taxi” to my mother so we cut off a line of drivers to turn left down a straight sidestreet, passing the main square of this miniature city. We followed the taxi past a Catholic school (I will talk about faith later), and under another freeway underpass, back to the base of the hills. We eventually found our way to a very pleasant tree lined street with mostly complete houses on either side, many with the residents livelihoods stuffed in their garages. Vacuum stores, framing shops, dentists offices, and snack shops. There was even a “Collegia” pasted between a few nicer homes on the west side of the road.

But then I looked further west, up the hill where the temporariness of this place became evident. Concrete dwellings with rebar sticking above the top levels begged for another story and ultimate permanence. it became clear that

the further up the hill you lived, the less permanent

1.06 50

site visit

51

your existence was. There were also less trees, less room, and more incredibly inefficient roads.

But we couldn’t find a way up immediately, instead we had to navigate northward through a few dead ends, and impassible roads altogether. We did what we had to and followed another taxi up. These places start without building codes, and the infrastructure is even farther behind, which is the reason for the incredible incline of the hills we conquered in our nameless Chevy compact. At the top of this one I got out of the car. It was solemnly quiet. I could see for miles and miles yet the only noise I can remember is a rooster in the multi-tiered stone gardens above me. Ahead was a dominating church tower and as we approached it, fences and incompleteness barred us from entering but the faith in these communities became evident.

The necessity of a belief in something here is the reason a church was built instead of a home. The planning is done by residents and thus faith is included in the planning. It’s a necessity. As we continued through the hills we caught glimpses of impromptu shrines to Mary and Jesus. These people have little but their necessities but with faith and hope it must become bearable, a reason to build and a reason to inhabit for when nothing else exists, trust will succeed.

We continued up the hill, avoiding taxis by pulling over which also allowed me to snap pictures. The shops were in the ground floor of the houses, and these places were not only for goods, but for services: medical, automotive, and faith. We saw one cemetery, walled off on the southern facing side of the site, followed by a large flat open space, assumed to be a dump. We mostly drove along the hill for up or down was treacherous to the point where I started to become familiar with the place. The materials were common and are assumed to be local. Mainly concrete brick, with concrete foundations, and steel rebar reinforcement. However, non-structural decoration took many forms. Doors were beautiful, wooden in some cases or sculpted metal in others. Paint signified greater permanence although graffiti mostly blended into this devoured, crumbling, human landscape.

Finished roofs are corrugated metal although most roofs are just the floor for the assumed next story.

Where corrugated metal or brick could not provide enclosure, tarps, shipping palettes, or pieces of fencing sufficed.

many roads would end in favor of steps, open space, or simply could not follow the near vertical terrain.

Power is assumed to be stolen then stored as lines crossed the streets everywhere usually intersecting at one wooden pole per block. Another thing to note: although upper floors are not finished they are used for anything from hanging clothes to children’s play equipment. Now the roads. They are all concrete, poured in section, grated for traction (in some outlying areas the roads remain unpaved). But they are uncontrolled, winding from block to block and diving down the hillside at unimaginable angles of descent. We attempted to follow one down. One section of the road had turned to rubble and just a bit farther became an almost vertical descent. The tension of reversing from the precipice of this drop back up through the rubble was incredible. As a brother and sister quarrelled in front of us a young boy understandably laughed behind us.

The friendliness of this place was unexpected for some reason but always present. The roads were always populated and although any distinct urban structure was non-existent, the residents sat on the curbs, in the garages, talked in the impromptu gardens, street corners, car hoods, doorways, and the almost nonexistent open spaces. The impermanence and informality lended itself to a strong sense of community and a very unstructured but happy way of life. We received plenty of looks, but none were more than curiously attracted. Most residents out were schoolchildren of every age, but all demographics were represented walking along the sides of the road, socializing, aware, and devoid of the usual distractions of a formal society (technology). But the optimistic happiness of these people is infectious and envied. , where

autonomous society seems to produce autonomous sociality 52

An

53

relationships and interactions are real and common. Not forced. Pure and unplanned. Second nature and automatic. These are the pieces that can so easily be left after urban intervention. I must never forget the individual and their social and societal connections for when this is lost, everything these communities have thrived upon is in danger.

We begun to head down. The views were incredible in all directions. To the north millions of tract homes across a flat, high mountain landscape. To the southwest, the expanses of dwellings, . The photos will help with these. Once we made it to the bottom we followed a road by a creek, past a small, black horse, and into the center of congested Santa Maria Tulpetlac and waited for at least half an hour on this road in traffic, blocked by a broken car and selfish drivers. We eventually retraced our tracks back to the first main road we were on, and realized the primary mode of transportation, besides walking, is this impromptu system of taxis which in all reality are just thousands of unmarked white vans driving residents from the hills to the main road so they can buy building material at Home Depot or eat lunch at KFC. This part of the drive was the most intense of the trip. It felt like India (or what I’ve heard), unfollowed lanes, proximities of less than a foot, and hundreds of thousands of cars going somewhere unknown. Nonetheless, we lost ourselves again and after almost getting ripped off at a gas station, almost entering a dangerous one way street, and spotting a large industrial fire nearby one of our previous underpasses we found the freeway. I took around a hundred pictures of the landscape as we passed still in awe of the rolling terrain of the inhabited mountainsides. It was more a scene of ancient times than the age of the internet, however one could argue . We retraced our path to the hotel and I realized we passed the imposing tower of Tlatelolco, this tall, strange, seemingly uninhabited pyramidic monument to the failed ideals of brutal, institutionalized, organized, mass living. We finally reached the hotel and I bought some internet and had a hamburger. From my room now, it’s 11:25 pm local time and I am lost, staring at the blinking lights, north, 10 miles in the distance. I wonder if they can see me.�

landscape of inhabited pixels

age of excess and extremes

a rolling

this is the purest sign of the

12/13/2010

54

55

Mexico City is a prime example of the necessary rapid expansion in the last bits of erratic terrain at the edge of the megacity..

Here is where the prototype can be developed for modularized future expansion.

Site

2/Prog The project is a proactive framework of site conditions for future settlement. This means the program is a specific set of parts that can be combined into infinite necessary combinations as the user sees fit. These conditions and parts are determined by existing factors such as demographics, faith, historical settlement trends (patterns), proximities, production capabilities, and infrastructure systems. The project would become a system that can grow, grounded in pre-determined site conditions. Literally this is a structural system with connections to infrastructure and open space would be installed, then pieces of program (to be examined in this chapter) would be available for individual arrangement and insertion based on individual preferences. This will be modular and re-arrangeable.

To determine where implementation is necessary it is first required to examine global conditions.

58

gram

59

2.01 60

Global Scenarios

61

statistics

Nairobi

aesthetics

population/ density

expansion rate째

3,138,295

11,678+ /sq mi

settlement patterns

formation

infrastructu

1250% +689,000

historically permitted informality

most areas have water, power, waste managem

895% +647,000

legal & illegal

most infrastruct formalized an available

+ 10 years

terrain

Istanbul

13,120,596

Cairo

19,439,541

341% +962,000

overlooked informality

Karachi

13,052,000

682% +1,803,000

land invasion

electricity and available, water yet available

Mumbai

21,900,967

539%

systematic squatting

systematic thef basic utilities mostly not avail

217%

illegal infill makeshift

available in mo formal areas b lacking in infor settlements

Shanghai

6,195 /sq mi

44,521 /sq mi

9,585+ /sq mi

59,368 /sq mi

19,210,000 7,070+ /sq mi

+1,874,000

+1,425,000

planned system but limited availability in t poorest area

Manila

20,795,000

1826% +1,124,000

long term squatters

little or no infrastructure the poorest are

Los Angeles

17,786,419

717%

legal

all infrastructu formalized an available

available to mo stolen and insufficient in t poorest area

111,574 /sq mi

8,205 /sq mi

+387,000

Tijuana

1,784,034 5,729 /sq mi

1166% +133,000

informal permanence

Mexico City

20,450,000

379%

illegal parachuters

mostly stolen b eventually conn to formal syste

672%

no laws, tent cities

non-existant systems of was management water, and pow

249%

informal barrios

government eventually provi loose utilities

293%

displacement favelas

15,475+ /sq mi

Port au Prince

1,728,100

Caracas

3,196,514

Rio de Janiero

50,648 /sq mi

3,707+ /sq mi

14,387,000 12,382 /sq mi

+704,000

+412,000

+208,000

+604,000

째since 1960

62

little or no infrastructur

politics

structure / materiality

internationality

individuality

sociality / people / home*

production

intervention

continent

salvaged materials as have no scrap material incl. power, or metal, wood boards, anagement and mud brick

Little room for indiv.

Expression through micro-businesses and skills. Homogeneous housing type.

5-8

Informal sector dominates the formal; farming and imported manufactured goods

proactive/ fashionable

Africa

formal structure astructure concrete, brick, and zed and other historical lable materials

Formal nature of settlements mean exterior decoration, planting, color, and laundry lines provide definition.

4-8

Manufacturing and commerce make up more than 70% of the economy.

fashionable

Europe

4-6

65% self-employed, immense informal sector with hundreds of thousands of micro enterprises

none

Africa

8-10

Agriculture, manufacturing, services, and trade.

20%+ unemployed

disaster/ reactive

Asia

Very localized and self sustaining with most production occurring in the home and within the slum itself.

proactive/ fashionable

Asia

Highly industrial and trade oriented; proximity to the formal city allows residents opportunities in all sectors.

ignore

Asia

50% work in the formal sector, others in labor, farming in the outskirts and along rivers,

none

Oceana

ructure

systems imited lity in the st areas

varied concrete [block] high rises, mud brick shelters

Exterior color and decoration. Patios and terraces allow for some expressional release.

y and gas water not ailable

concrete block some mud homes traditional decor, metal/tin roofs

Exterior decoration through customized blocks and textiles.

Muted colors delineate separate homes.

ic theft of utilities, t available

salvaged + semi-permanent incl. corrugated metal, brick, concrete roofs, and scrap misc material

Very limited expression due to extreme density.

Some individuality through business and unique skills.

e in more areas but n informal ements

formal structure & salvaged materials traditional decoration

Some decoration through textiles, but extreme density and proximities have created a societal shadow of these places.

or no ucture in est areas

salvaged materials incl. corrugated metal, concrete blocks and wood

Extreme density stifles expression and limits it to the rivers edge where boats, organic patters, and some colors define.

structure zed and lable

formal structure wood framing, with stucco, plywood, or typical sidings

Where there are loose guidelines residents use color, their yards, and additions to customize single family homes.

e to most, n and ent in the st areas

wood/conc structure salvaged materials incl garage doors, tires, and boards

Materiality, color and size of home defines household. Space allows for gardens, and outdoor public / privates paces.

tolen but y connect l systems

concrete structure corrugated metal, concrete block, recycled materials

Materiality and color defines the home. Small religious shrines dot the landscape. Rooftops are customized spaces.

concrete structure with concrete block, sometimes wood structure

Little opportunity in tents but in homes indiv. comes from color, decorative accents, and additions for more people

xistant of waste gement, nd power

nment brick / concrete y provides exposed or colored utilities stucco and tin roofs

or no ructure

concrete [block] tin roofs, block walls, recycled materials

Bright colors, rooftop gardens, and unique architectural design provide expression in very compressed hills.

Historical permanent establishment has created famous colors and personalized outdoor and rooftop spaces.

1 family / home

1 family / home

1 family / home

1-2 families / home

4-5

1 family / home

2-4

1 family / home

5-6

1 family / home

2-4

1 family / home

4-6

1-2 families / home

4-6

1-3 families / home

3-10

1-3 families / home 1 / tent

4-5

1 family / home

3-7

1 family / home

Structured economy in numerous formal sectors throughout the city. Transport is easy.

fashionable N. America

Limited localized businesses, strength in manufacturing and services. Limited farming or production.

proactive/ N. America fashionable

Localized economies with goods and services, some connection to formal sectors in downtown.

proactive

N. America

Some farming, most are unemployed due to recent disasters, others work in labor or are self employed

disaster/ reactive

N. America

Most jobs are in the center of the city and thus residents travel there to work.

proactive

S. America

Localized economies offset by an upsurge in the regional economy mainly in industry, commerce, and building

proactive

S. America

*most homes are 1 very small room째

63

Caracas

In the Venezuelan city the divide between formal and informal is painfully delineated, in this case, by a freeway. The settlement patterns of the informal communities directly respond to topography and climate while the same landscape in the background is covered by ambiguously placed towers and apartment buildings. [photo courtesy of Eduardo Kairuz]

By examining the way current homes form, expand, and contract around the world, program can be extracted from those additional pieces. For instance, in Port-auPrince expansion occurs out of the back of the home to add bathrooms or extra bedrooms for additional family members. But in Shanghai, that expansion may occur vertically to provide urban breathing room or more space. Settlement patterns occur in a 3-dimensional environment therefore accommodations must be made for vertical, horizontal, and diagonal settlement. From studying these patterns, new pieces of program for a new system can be extrapolated.

2.02 66

Settlement Patterns

Nairobi

Dense clusters of long, low lying buildings housing several families in separate rooms. Commerce is done in the same way and streets are mainly spaces in between buildings although some larger roads do exist. Expansion is usually horizontal.

Rio de Janeiro

Colorful, densely packed homes. Green space is adequate, located on rooftops and unbuildable corners.

Usually one main road for the entire favela and very small paths for direct access to dwellings. Expansion is usually vertical since most space is devoured.

Mexico City

Concrete houses aligned along fairly established, yet very crude roads. Services and commerce is placed in the first floor of homes and expansion is planned to be vertical from the beginning of construction.

67

Current locations of commercial spaces, open space, services, infrastructure, and residences in relation to each other is the primary guideline for where these pieces will be placed in the new system. These proximities determine where new pieces are needed and the distances that these programs can be placed from each other in a brand new system in future developing sites.

2.03 68

Proximities

images from Google Maps 69

Existing Program [quantities]

an area of 1/4 mile by 1/4 mile very close to the chosen specific site is examined street by street digitally and in person for several types of crucial program. This data is gathered on a map and then sequenced as a set of points (the matrix is the grid of streets) with a certain maximum distance to the farthest resident. This data is crucial in determining the distances residents will travel to reach a basic goal like a market or pharmacy. Proximites to each other are not considered at this point but are noted for future use. max distance* #/ 1/4 mile

usersยบ

markets

515 ft.

57

117

shrines

670 ft.

10

670

education

1534 ft.

2

3350

safety

NA

0

NA

health

938 ft.

2

3350

open space

450 ft.

5.9 acres

1135/acre

6

1116

recycling

772 ft. *from farthest house

ยบper module based on population estimates and densities

preferred module per 20 homes: markets = 2 shrines = 1 education = .25 safety = .25 health = .25 open space = .25 acres recycling = 1

70

color

100

50 71

Existing Program [proximities] each programmatic data point is analyzed for proximites to each other. The distances between each are somewhat regularized in these informal settlements so in order to continue these patterns, the correct proximities, distances, and amounts of each type of program must be kept intact. A ratio is established in order to develop an appropriate module containing the correct number of programmatic pieces per block. For instance, in Mexico City, for every 1000 residents there may be 10 markets, 4 religious shrines, 2 pharmacies, and 1 school. This, however, will change in every location. max distance* #/ 1/4 mile

usersยบ

markets

515 ft.

57

117

shrines

670 ft.

10

670

education

1534 ft.

2

3350

safety

NA

0

NA

health

938 ft.

2

3350

open space

450 ft.

5.9 acres

1135/acre

6

1116

recycling

772 ft. *from farthest house

72

color

ยบper module based on population estimates and densities

73

74

Sources of livelihood are placed in the front of homes,

an urban landscape formed from necessities.

75

The project is a proactive set of rules for future expansion.

Modules of combined program will grow/ multiply relative to human necessity in order to continue the necessary expansion of the world’s megacities.

2.04 76

Program Description

The pieces to be inserted into the structure are: LIVING SPACE

Housing with a similar function and typology as what already exists in the poor areas of the world except growth will be controlled, structure/safety will be formalized, and expansion will be easy. The tendency of residents is to inhabit and create a home that can grow and be customized for added family members while establishing permanence. This tendency is to be provided for through expansion abilities and infinite modular options.

COMMERCIAL SPACE

Markets will still have a direct connection to the neighborhood but a necessary separation from the houses themselves. The tendency throughout the world is that commerce is done from the first floor of the home. This is still possible in terms of proximity to the neighborhood but a necessary separation will be implemented.

OPEN SPACE

The tendency of open space use is human occupation. Open space is devoured. This open space will be protected by program, proximity, and production.

PLACES OF FAITH

Religious facilities are never formal, they are created by the inhabitants out of necessity. That necessity is provided for but still not formalized.

SERVICING SPACE

Services tend to be informal but in this system they must be formalized for purposes of safety and health.

Unlike the other pieces, servicing space must be allotted, specifically located, and specifically designed.

URBAN SCALE CONNECTIONS

Infrastructure is usually stolen or nonexistent. Connections to this is key. Connections to the city-center are also necessary to provide lucrative employment opportunities and further urban connection instead of sprawl.

77

Specific program elements are summarized here based off analysis of chapters 2.01-2.03, and case studies provided in chapter 1. These are the necessary pieces for function, but also the pieces that can be altered to suit the users’ needs, thus some of these elements are purposefully ambiguous. All are assumed to eventually insert into the overall framework of the place, but to be pieced together first as individual units formed from several pieces of program. However, some standalone units like safety components and production facilities may be separated.

Housing [the specific programmatic piece] Bedrooms: in many scenarios bedrooms are nonexistent. When space is at an absolute prime, everyone lives in one room. Many of the numbers in the chart in 2.01 for people/house are based on a single room living condition, and many times those single rooms act as everything the typical house contains. In India for instance, the size of dwelling is miniscule and many times simply cannot accommodate any separation of space. In the Americas bedrooms do exist however and thus must be accommodated for in the design of this system. In Haiti, the bedrooms are separated by sex. In Mexico City bedrooms are separated from the main living area, and many times are the only room separated, thus bedrooms are a necessary program in the dwelling. Bedrooms provide necessary privacy and also offer a sense of safety and refuge from the heavily used living space. In the new structure the bedroom may simply become “private space� for those who cannot afford an additional bedroom or space. Nonetheless, it becomes a primary programmatic piece in each module. It will be connectable to all future spaces of the home including necessary utilities.

Living Space: this is the most important program in the entire structure because in many places this is the only piece of program that exists. In Mumbai, Nairobi, and Cairo the living space is also the working space, sleeping space, cooking space, and communal gathering space. In environments where no program hierarchy exists, this is where everything happens. In the Americas the living space is where cooking and gathering does occur but a hierarchy also exists with separate exterior spaces and bedrooms. This is primarily due to the extra space offered by the outlying hilly topography these communities are settled upon. The new system will provide a similar model where the living space can accommodate all these functions and will be directly connected to exterior spaces, any bedrooms, and the front of the house. The living area must be flexible in terms of size and function and thus will be the most expandable part of the house, acting as a flexible core. It is the primary piece of the home and, if sold as a kit of parts, the default piece every user begins with. It must be structurally sound and connectable to any utility hookups and future programmatic pieces.

Kitchen: the kitchen is interchangeable and rarely a separate entity from the living space in almost all similar international communities. This is primarily to save space (and money). There is no problem in this 78

trend, in fact, it should be continued. Instead of providing a separate kitchen module, it will simply be a customizable insert into the home. The customization will be the choice of utilities, color, materiality, and size. Cooking habits vary from society to society and thus providing a kitchen with the basic necessities (stove, sink, possible refrigeration system) will suffice in these neighborhoods. The availability of hookups for future appliances allows for the possibility of future expansion whenever necessary.

Facilities: in many communities bathrooms are shared, and very crude. The purpose of this system is to offer every user the possibility of an individualized bathroom, or at least the connections for one in the future.

In reality, not all users may be able to afford a bathroom to begin and thus community facilities may be installed as separate modules. In all other cases, for safety, comfort, and sanitation purposes bathrooms will be directly connected to living spaces and possibly bedrooms. They may be simple: just a toilet and sink, or showers and tubs may be added later as the family sees fit. This all relies on a connection to the formal sewage, water, and waste systems assumed to be provided by the basic structure of the new frame.

Front of house with shrine, leaf decorations, and bright paint.

The tendency in almost all of these settlements is to use one source of water for all needs, and although this is an acceptable trend, providing separate sources of water for cooking and bathing is ideal. Nonetheless, in many communities, any source of water is a great improvement and the primary reason to include a facilities module.

Outdoor Space: directly accessible and private outdoor space is a necessary programmatic element for providing self-sustainability, room for expression, and space for drying clothes. This also becomes unprogrammed space for private socialization, entertaining, and the base for necessary future vertical expansion in some settlements. Privatized outdoor space also provides relief for every dwelling. This area will usually be placed on rooftops in mountainous or extremely dense terrain. In places where more land is available, like Haiti or Tijuana, outdoor space may be an extension of the home at ground level as this 79

will be the cheapest option. In any case, this open space must be directly connected to the household and privatized. Outdoor space is basically nonexistent in most informal communities due to rapid densification and must be provided in order to establish a system of urban relief, possibilities for individual agricultural production, and spaces for future temporary and permanent expansion. Unlike interior space this is not provided as a module or attachment but created from the exterior spaces of each programmatic part.

Practice / Creative Space: this module is very optional, but for many families essential. This space is very flexible and can act as anything from an office to a religious shrine. Extreme flexibility also allows this room to transform into another bedroom or expand as the family expands.

Commercial Space: current typologies place the commercial space of the neighborhood in the bottom floors or front of the house. By removing this ideology completely, the current typology is damaged.

However, if there is a module offered that allows business to occur from the same vicinity as the house, but separated from the living spaces it will allow the current tendencies to continue while allowing the separation of private and public space. This will also provide a direct connection between the “practice/ creative space� and a storefront to sell whatever goods are created there, in addition to the localized agricultural production performed in private or public open space. In a way, the availability of this attachable piece is very important for the continuation of tradition for some, and the ability to move away to a more lucrative way of life for others.

Walls: provide a third dimension of space which, in these extremely dense situations, are the most available way of expression, flexibility, and storage. Walls can provide spaces for,storage of food, storage of necessities, or displays of familial keepsakes. For each module the walls must also be flexible and customizable to provide each household proper storage, expression space, and structural stability. In this way, every piece of the home must be flexible; able to accommodate infinite uses over the lifespan of the material and able to move, change, or be removed whenever necessary.

Front of House: the front of the house is comprised of several parts depending on societal values: porch, stairs, front door, front windows, decoration, awnings, or storefronts. This is where the user is most creative and where the expression of the home is most noticeable. Because of this, the front of the home must be bare enough to accommodate for all future expressions of self and provide proper materials to allow for attachments, additions, and alterations to the primary facade. Even the simplest building materials can be used for facade decoration including corrugated metal, wood boards, clay tiles, paint, and textiles. Every settlement has different tendencies for decoration of home and these must be provided for in all future structures in terms of materiality and form. For example the facade of a dwelling in Karachi may have textiles acting as the front wall whereas a home in Rio de Janeiro will have a concrete block facade. In a globalized system both tendencies must be possible in the module and overall structure of the system.

Open Space Farming: agricultural production provides a lucrative business opportunity and a restoration of purpose for these devoured landscapes. Most land in these areas was originally allocated as public or agricultural land, and by restoring both purposes in this new structure the system is efficient and self sustaining. This can be a piece added on rooftops or in unbuilt areas at ground level. The topographies (especially in Central and South America) are prime for hillside farming and production and thus the structure itself may provide areas for open space, while ground level, since the residential pieces will be elevated, will provide plenty of room for future agricultural production. Agriculture also offers the opportunity to continue an autonomous way of life with growing, production, and sales all happening within the community. In this way, the proximity of farming land to residential and commercial modules works best when very, very close in order to provide a direct connection to home, workplace, and production zones.

80

personal

terraces

sport

pavement/field

rooftop garden

?

*neighborhood integrated agriculture is also possible

farming

relief

open

creekbed

designated

playground

unbuilt

81

Andres Escobar of Columbia scoring a fatal own goal in the 1994 World Cup (Image via ezine1.com)

82

Brothers playing soccer in a Rio de Janeiro favela (Image via flickr)

Sport: In 1994, the Colombian national soccer team was favorited to win the World Cup and had an entire nations hope and pride resting heavily on their shoulders. In their first round game against the United States on June 22nd, 1994 all that was lost as Andres Escobar, one of the teams leaders, deflected the ball into his own goal and lost the game, in turn, losing all hope for Columbia to advance to the next round. The country was sent reeling with disappointment, lost hope, and no foreseeable end to the corruption occurring throughout the country at the time. In away, the last chance to create a new image for the nation was lost in a matter of seconds and the blame fell to one man. Everyone watching could tell that Andres Escobar was absolutely lost in that moment; but about his life, and the dreams of a country that had just been shattered. Two weeks later, Escobar was murdered outside a nightclub during an argument about the now infamous goal, a moment in Colombian history that still defines the country.

it was not about soccer anymore

Sports are not only a past time in these places but an expression of national identity and pride. Children play soccer in the streets as one of the only forms of entertainment, interaction, and social education available. Dreams are built on sports, and for many children, the hope of becoming a star on the national team is the only real motive to achieve success and become something great. Games here are played anywhere including dirt fields, parking lots, roads, and unfinished houses. The ball is the only necessary piece of equipment and thus the game is available to everybody, even those with very little otherwise. The issue with developing autonomous communities is the filling of space. Once a community becomes so dense that open space becomes rare, sports get lost and must be played dangerously on rooftops or in the roads placing children at risk of injury from all directions. Nonetheless, even in the densest slums, any amount of open space is reimagined and assumed to be athletic fields or courts.

Specifically programmed open space is necessary to provide relief but also opportunity for sport. In the larger open areas on rooftops or existing landscape created by a re-densification of typologies, soccer, cricket, or basketball could be provided for. These spaces often become dilapidated or unused in current settlements due to lack of care, but if implemented properly in the overall framework of this new modular system, sports fields will be protected and well used. The pieces themselves will be determined by the placement of other pieces. In other words, if larger spaces are provided for community services, larger fields can be provided on rooftops, whereas in vertically diverse portions of the overall structure, smaller sporting facilities can be installed like handball or basketball courts. Unlike the United States, places of sport must be integrated within society and not separate for both protection of space and ease of use.

Once installed, although programmed as athletic fields, these spaces may inherently become the center of town since they are where most social interaction occurs anyway. However, they cannot be compromised by permanent settlement so any sort of structure will not be allowed in these spaces, and in order to protect from the expansion of the community itself, the programming of goal posts, bleachers, or field lights will create a zone that is very unattractive for settlement or expansion.

83

Relief: comes in the form of small, somewhat ambiguous open spaces used for several purposes. If the system is purely modular, each module will provide a 1x1 module of open space on the rooftops which can be used for any necessary purpose and expanded as each module expands. Therefore a 1x1 piece may be a sitting area or barbecue pit, whereas a 3x3 or 4x4 area may become a garden or laundry facility for the community. In areas where density is incredibly high (Shanghai, Mumbai, Karachi) this typology already exists in relative forms, but can be improved upon and offer relief to vertically and horizontally tight spaces.

These high density areas also lack the room for purely community spaces and rooftop relief offers this flexible typology for meeting places, common dining rooms, or service facilities. In it’s simplest form these places will remain unprogrammed and be purely urban relief spaces where there is simply no module of the system.

Open: these areas are similar to relief spaces except they remain open at all times. Although users may have a temporary purpose, there are no permanent ideas attached. Socializing can occur but the essential purpose is that provided unintentionally by roadways (if existing): simple open space. They work with any module because of the ambiguous and unprogrammed nature. Open areas must be completely integrated within all other modules to provide diversity, relief, and actual use. Without this connection these areas will deteriorate or be settled upon.

Commercial Space Shops/Market Space: these spaces are usually incorporated into the home. In the new system the idea is to continue that direct connection to one’s workplace but disconnect the literal store from the literal home in some way to restore the image of home to the residents. This also allows for greater safety and profitability of the business because it will act more as a commercial storefront and less as a yard sale. In addition, the purpose these places serve as gathering spots (especially in the Americas) will be satisfied through this separation. The spaces in the stores will be ambiguous and flexible and may come as a separate piece from the home but will be directly attached to the home itself through literal doorways or something similar. The connection to open space and the community is less important than the direct connection to the owners.

However, easy recognition and access by the surrounding community is still very important in order to continue the system of living in these communities.

Repair/Service Shops: are necessary and act similar to “Shops/Market Space” because they are usually located within the residential structure. The difference is that these places are much less desirable because of the introverted service they offer and the fact that they do not provide a location to socialize or casually shop. However, these places are still financially lucrative and necessary for the continued functionality of the community. They may be removed if proper transportation is provided to formal versions, but if transportation cannot be immediately provided, pieces of these may be implemented. If these shops are to be offered as a piece of infill they must be specialized in form and function in order to provide more efficient, and thus, more lucrative service than before. It may be more reasonable to separate these shops from the residential pieces since their services are undesirably in terms of proximity. However, the employees must live nearby and have easy access to their place of employment.

Places of Faith Shrines: although these can be nothing but spontaneous, the extra spaces provided for expression in each modular piece may act as a shrine. In Mexico City these are throughout the hillside communities and act as makeshift symbols of faith. Most are directly attached to homes but can also be seen from the public street. Shrines act as both a symbol of individual expression and a symbol of community fellowship. The difficulty is providing an accurate size and shape for religious expression. In most cases throughout the 84

Embedded shrine in San Angel neighborhood with fresh flowers.

world shrines are not inhabitable spaces but showcases of hope or optimism on the side of a home or other edifice. The shrine begins as a simple act of faith but over time is added upon by residents and passerby’s.

The beauty is that the expansion of the shrine itself is unplanned and purely humanistic. The humanistic element is perhaps the most important element to save when rethinking the idea of these places and thus the shrine becomes a very important piece of the overall structure in this new system. Through the simple allowance of space, shrines may or may not be constructed. The residents will provide themselves with other necessities if needed.

Gathering Places: are basically empty rooms. Infinite problems arise through the idea of providing empty interior space in these dense communities but if permitted to be programmed, these spaces may become spiritual centers for the community. The practice of religion in these areas does not necessitate any specific design issue but does require interior space to provide adequate worship at all hours. Since this is an international prototype, the inclusion of any specific ritualistic architecture is not productive.

Instead, this piece of the system will serve infinite purposes and be an empty room when first constructed.

The proximities to housing must be direct, whereas connections with any other piece of the system are negligible. Currently, religious gathering spaces form organically, sometimes in living rooms or outside.

By providing a specific place for meetings of all types to occur, faith can be practiced in a comfortable, protected, sacred environment. However, if these gathering spaces become too specific, the outdoor “relief spaces� offer even more flexibility. The tendency of people in these areas is to form their own places of worship so in order to continue the current autonomous system of practicing faith the pieces must provide potential for these practices, not necessarily suggest it. These pieces may also serve as necessary relief centers in case of emergencies since many formal relief centers are constructed post-emergency or are located far from these communities.

85

Services [piece level] Waste management: waste in these communities is a critical problem. With little transportation infrastructure the ability to move waste out is almost impossible. Some try to recycle waste and use it as building material, but some trash is simply unusable such as organic waste. For everything that must be trucked out, certain modules must be provided for temporary storage prior to removal. But this temporary storage must be inputted as far from housing as possible for safety, health, and comfort reasons. The main purpose is to provide a clean and safe environment for inhabitants. In the poorest areas waste begins to accumulate in the streets and creates a very unsafe environment for all members of society. Containment of this problem can be solved in a modular system, especially if it is connected to formal infrastructure and waste removal systems. Many of these areas are located within the primary districts of the formal megacity within less than a mile of removal systems. The problem simply becomes “who will take out the trash?�

Recycling: has become a business and a lucrative one at that. Many recycled goods can be reused as building materials or household utensils. Of course, there is issue in removing that commercial aspect and replacing it with a utilitarian one. However, if systems are inputted where citizens are rewarded or paid for recycled goods, it can become a community endeavor which will clean up the neighborhood and provide a financially viable addition to the localized economies creating jobs and a localized effort. Recycling building materials is a massive market in these economies. Many homes, especially in flatter terrains like India or East Asia are built primarily from recycled goods thus, personality, shelter, and safety is created from recycling. This means the storage and distribution of recycled material must be efficient, safe, affordable, and reliable. One solution is to create spaces for the selling of these goods, or at least adequate and safe storage for later use. Proximity to other program is not necessarily a problem since there are no safety or comfort concerns. Minimizing waste and maximizing recycling potential is very possible using the plug in system.

86

Recycling collection at a house.

Services [urban level] Healthcare: analysis of proximities in these regions shows very few formal healthcare facilities like clinics or hospitals in the direct surroundings. Doctor’s offices are usually informal (similar to markets) and offered where there are open interior spaces for the profession to be practiced, in many cases, just a room.

Pharmacies do exist in a formal nature in the more structured settlements, but in places where communities lack necessary transportation and utility infrastructure pharmacies are almost non-existent. For example, in the hills of Mexico or in Cairo, where slums are very urban and many times vertical, supported by eventually well defined roads, healthcare facilities do exists. But in the sprawling slums of India or Africa the lack of any sort of formal infrastructure also means health becomes very informal and provided only when necessary. By creating a health module adaptable to doctors offices, clinics, and pharmacies in terms of materials, utilities, and size, the distances from residents to treatment can be greatly minimized. This would also provide further vocational opportunities for residents and begin to form nodes within the community where health, safety, and education could become centralized.

Safety: the most frightening outcome of the proximity and informal development research was the extreme lack of safety facilities including fire and police. Interviews with former residents of these areas have showed that police forces become municipal which is an extreme danger as what starts as a group of residents providing safety for their communities becomes extreme gang violence. In Neza, south of the international airport, these gangs have become so dangerous that the fear of the community itself is enough to protect it’s residents from outsiders (Gordillo). This raises the immediate necessity to insert modules of both vocational training facilities and safety headquarters facilities. Inserting the vocational training facilities will redirect the informal police groups into a structured training program with their overall purpose remaining the same, but creating a safer method of controlling violence in the community. Although these modules could become centralized, smaller kiosks could be distributed more evenly throughout the community to minimize travel distance in order to provide maximum safety and convenience to residents and workers.

Education: the current education ideology is providing one major school for about every 20,000-25,000 residents. Considering more than half of these residents are children, over 10,000 children must use one formal school. In turn, this also means many children are not attending school and are becoming involved in other, potentially unproductive and dangerous activities. In many communities of Mexico City classrooms are a single room that also doubles for a meeting room, a church, or even a living room. In Haiti, one 500 square foot room can accommodate 50 children per session, at two sessions a day, totalling 100 children per day. To form a successful learning environment it is assumed that the learning place must be separated from all other uses to provide concentration and permanence. By providing a standardized classroom module, the size of each cluster of modules would be determined by the amount of children in an approximate 1/4 mile radius (based on proximity studies). From here other programmatic elements could be added including gymnasiums, cafeterias, or auditoriums. Combined with “relief” open space modules including playgrounds and sport fields the school would eventually become formalized and established.

The power in this establishment is the organization and formation of the cluster. Another method is allowing the classrooms to be separated, similar to the current situation, but establishing each module as a distinct learning environment. Proximities to residents must be minimized in order to provide safety for the children walking to school and enticement to a nearby place of education and friendship.

Transportation: current transportation in the hills of Mexico City relies on the masses of white, unmarked taxi vans. These are the primary automobile that uses the semi-paved roads. In the residential areas traffic is not an issue. However, in the very dense commercial areas approaching the formal city traffic can be choking.

Although a block away there may be no cars whatsoever, on the primary road that goes over the freeway it may take over a half an hour to travel half a mile. Connections to the formal city are very poor, although 87

many residents work there. Recalling the Metro Cable (see 2.02) a single piece of ambitious transportation infrastructure can provide an incredible catalyst for an entire community. By inserting one station that connects directly to relatively distant workplaces, shopping, and necessities opportunities for employment are automatically created. The area surrounding the station also becomes a primary hub of foot traffic and thus creates an environment prime for commercial development, in turn creating a very centralized center of town. The node any station will create may provide proximities and prime locations for development of any “urban level services.�

The issue with inserting these pieces in existing communities is the demolition of residential units.

To alleviate this, stations would be placed in either open areas or minimally intrusive areas and any demolished buildings would be replaced and enhanced. A single connection to the city, whether that be a subway line, cable car, or formalized taxi road provides infinite opportunities to people on both ends of the line including upward mobility in employment, higher education, and a better standard of living.

These primary connections are incredibly important and must connect to already existing urban scaled transportation infrastructure. Secondary and tertiary connections to this station must also be provided and eventually create a hierarchical network of connecting pieces leading to the formation of the structured and efficient urban fabric in these expanding territories.

88

Taxi going under freeway.

89

In the overall system, gross measurements will vary depending on how many units exist at any one time.

In each individual unit, gross measurements will vary depending on the attachments and additions completed over time. The system is always growing and thus the areas and volumes of it are always changing.

In this chapter the module sizes for each unit are listed as a range in order to accommodate potential size requests and changes. Examples of potential combinations of program per unit are located in the previous chapter.

BEDROOMS

CO OMMERCIAL

CREATIVE SPACE FACILIITIE ES

FACADE

KITCHEN

PRIVA ATE E OPE EN SPA ACE

2.05 90

Space Summary

SH H

CE

CHURCH H

TRANSPORTT

REPA AIR SHOPS S REC CYCLING

SAFETY

L

SH HRIN NES S CEMETTE ERIIES

OPEN N WA ASTE

program element / module

ft² / module

# / module

occupants

dimensions

living space

250-500

1

2-8

15’x15’

bedrooms

100-256

1-3

1-4

10’x10’

kitchen

0 [attachable]

1

NA

5’x5’

facilities / bathroom

25-100

1-3

1-2

5’x5’

outdoor space

100-900

1-2

1-12

10’x10’

creative space

100-256

1

1-4

10’x10’

commercial space

60-240+

1

1-10

10’x15’

480-2000+

NA

grocery market

64-800

1

1-12

10’x15’

repair shop

400-1000+

1

1-6

10’x25’

miscellaneous shop

65-800

2

1-12

10’x15’

service office

400-1000

1

1-6

10’x10’

crops

65-575

infinite

NA

5’x5’ plot

animals

65-575

infinite

NA

5’x5’ plot

cricket pitch

660

NA

NA

NA

soccer field

12150-49500

NA

NA

NA

basketball court [full size]

4700

NA

NA

NA

handball wall

800

NA

NA

NA

baseball field

90000

NA

NA

NA

chess board

2.25

NA

NA

NA

barbecue pit

240-900

NA

NA

NA

laundry line

240-900

NA

NA

NA

personal garden

240-900

NA

NA

5’x5’

infinite

infinite

NA

10’x10’

complete unit

commercial modules

farming

sport

urban relief

free open space

92

program element / module

ft² / module

#/ module

occupants

dimensions

shrines

usually 0

infinite

2-8

user

gathering places

100-900

NA

1-4

10’x20’

cemeteries

100-400

infinite

NA

5’x5’ plot

recycling modules

100-900

as needed

1-2

10’x10’

waste management

100-250

as needed

1-2

10’x10’

police

60-240+

as needed

2-10

10’x15’

fire

60-240+

as needed

2-6

10’x15’

patient rooms

80-100

as needed

2-4

10’x10’

offices

80-100

1 / doctor

1-3

10’x10’

typ classroom

900

2+

10-40

30’x30’

gymnasium

3000-6000

1

10-150

60’x80’

cafeteria

2000-3000

0-1

200+

60’x80’

gathering places

100-3000

NA

10-40

15’x15’

the [formal] church

3000

NA

200+

25’x45’

platform

15x?

as needed

NA

15’ wide

transit oriented shops

60-300

NA

1-8

10’x10’

roads

192+

NA

NA

10’-20’ wide

paths/sidewalks

48+

NA

NA

5’ wide

faith modules

safety

healthcare facilities

education

transport

services [at an urban level]

All program elements have potentially infinite installation opportunities except those contained by the size of the single home. For instance, the amount of safety facilities completely depends on the current size of the settlement relative to that time. Any green space quantity is dependent on the amount of open space available in or nearby the structure at any given time, which is in turn dependent on amount of installed pieces. Certain pieces like transportation have one set dimension where the other is dependant on potential use after implementation.

ASSUMED MODULE = 5’x5’

93

program element / module

lighting

connections*

sustainable provisions

living space

natural / recessed

P/W

ventilation/daylighting/materials

bedrooms

natural / task

P

ventilation/daylighting/materials

kitchen

natural / recessed

P/W/G

ventilation/daylighting/materials

facilities / bathroom

natural / recessed

W/G

ventilation/daylighting/materials

outdoor space

natural

W/G

water collection/PV panels

creative space

user defined

P

ventilation/daylighting/materials

commercial space

fluorescent

W/P

daylighting/materials

complete unit

grocery market

fluorescent

P/W

daylighting/materials

repair shop

work lights

P/G

daylighting/materials

miscellaneous shop

fluorescent

P/W/G

daylighting/materials

service office

natural / recessed

P

daylighting/materials

crops

natural

W

self production

animals

flood lights

W/G

self production

cricket pitch

flood lights

none

NA

soccer field

flood lights

none

NA

basketball court [full size]

flood lights

none

NA

handball wall

flood lights

none

NA

baseball field

flood lights

none

NA

chess board

natural

none

NA

barbecue pit

flood lights

P/W

self production

laundry line

user defined

none

NA

personal garden

user defined

W

self production

user defined

P/W/G/T

self production

commercial modules

farming

sport

urban relief

free open space

94

program element / module

lighting

connections*

sustainable provisions

s

shrines

user defined

P

ventilation/daylighting/materials

s

gathering places

natural / recessed

P/W

ventilation/daylighting/materials

s

cemeteries

natural

none

NA

recycling modules

work lights

P

recycling

waste management

work lights

P/W

recycling

police

natural / recessed

P/W

self governing

fire

natural / recessed

P/W

self governing

patient rooms

fluorescent bright

P/W/G/T

self sustaining/ventilation

offices

natural / recessed

P

self sustaining/ventilation

typ classroom

fluorescent

P/W/G/T

ventilation/daylighting/materials

gymnasium

hung lights

P

ventilation/daylighting/materials

cafeteria

hung lights

P/W

ventilation/daylighting/materials

gathering places

fluorescent

P/W

ventilation/daylighting/materials

the [formal] church

natural / recessed

P/T

ventilation/daylighting/materials

platform

flood lights

P/T

daylighting/materials

transit oriented shops

recessed

P/W/T

daylighting/materials

faith modules

s

s

safety

healthcare facilities

education

transport

services [at an urban level]

roads

streetlights

P/T

public transport

paths/sidewalks

flood lights

P/T

NA

Program Data [utilities] organized by program element provides lighting solutions, infrastructure connections/hookups, and sustainable features. These are derived from human necessities in terms of natural light, power, waste, and recycling. For instance, although it may be obvious to provide water and waste removal connections in the kitchen/bathroom, outdoor spaces also have water resources to maintain gardens, crops, or provide laundry facilities. “User defined� assumes users will connect to hookups with their own lighting components.

P = power

W = water

T = transit G = waste 95

program element / module

wall finish

floor finish

ceiling finish

exterior

living space

precast conc.

carpet

precast conc.

precast conc.

bedrooms

precast conc.

finished conc.

precast conc.

precast conc.

kitchen

precast conc.

finished conc.

precast conc.

precast conc.

facilities / bathroom

precast conc.

precast conc.

precast conc.

precast conc.

outdoor space

dirt/conc.

dirt/conc.

NA

NA

creative space

precast conc.

finished conc.

precast conc.

precast conc.

commercial space

precast conc.

precast conc.

precast conc.

precast conc. precast conc.

complete unit

grocery market

precast conc.

finished conc.

precast conc.

precast conc.

repair shop

precast conc.

precast conc.

precast conc.

precast conc.

miscellaneous shop

precast conc.

finished conc.

precast conc.

precast conc.

service office

precast conc.

finished conc.

precast conc.

precast conc.

crops

NA

soil

NA

open

animals

NA

dirt

NA

chainlink fence

cricket pitch

NA

grass

NA

open

soccer field

NA

grass

NA

open

basketball court [full size]

NA

concrete

NA

open

handball wall

concrete

concrete

NA

open

baseball field

NA

dirt

NA

open

chess board

NA

concrete

NA

open

barbecue pit

NA

dirt/conc.

NA

open

laundry line

NA

precast conc.

NA

open

personal garden

NA

soil

NA

fence*

NA

dirt

infinite

open

commercial modules

farming

sport

urban relief

free open space

96

program element / module

wall finish

floor finish

ceiling finish

exterior

shrines

plywood/glass

plywood/glass

plywood/glass

plywood/glass

gathering places

precast conc.

wood laminate

precast conc.

precast conc.

cemeteries

NA

grass/dirt

open

fence*

recycling modules

container metal

plywood

container metal

container metal

waste management

container metal

plywood

container metal

container metal

police

precast conc.

finished conc.

precast conc.

blue paint

fire

precast conc.

finished conc.

precast conc.

red paint

patient rooms

gypsum bd.

wood laminate

gypsum bd.

precast conc.

offices

precast conc.

finished conc.

precast conc.

precast conc.

typ classroom

container metal

plywood

plywood

container metal

gymnasium

container metal

finished conc.

plywood

container metal

cafeteria

container metal

finished conc.

plywood

container metal

finished conc.

finished wood

precast conc.

precast conc.

platform

open

finished conc.

precast conc.

precast conc.

transit oriented shops

precast conc.

precast conc.

precast conc.

precast conc.

roads

NA

concrete

NA

NA

paths/sidewalks

NA

concrete

NA

NA

faith modules

safety

healthcare facilities

education

gathering places the [formal] church transport

services [at an urban level]

Program Data [materials] organized by program element provides finishes and construction types. These are derived from current typologies and new technologies allowing for lightweight, efficient, modular construction. For interior finishes the user either chooses from an available set of materials [see next page] or provides their own. Therefore, the materials listed under finishes for the walls, ceiling, floor, and exterior are default (least expensive) options. *user determined

97

material / finish

image

description

costยบ

fire*

quake*

precast concrete

Default material for structure and finishes has high resistance to any damage, structural integrity, and very low cost.

1

3

3

block (custom)

Custom concrete blocks allow for personalization, natural daylight, and ventilation but are expensive to produce.

2-3

3

1

block (veneer)

Concrete block veneer allows for a continuation of current materiality that is fire resistant and very inexpensive.

1

3

1

chainlink fence

Necessary around gardens in most cases but can also be used as a inexpensive protective or decorative element.

1

3

3

concrete (finished)

Finishing concrete is an efficient way to provide an attractive interior material without adding any extra material.

1

3

3

container metal

Can be used structurally or decoratively and provides fire protection and color. However, interiors can become very hot.

2

3

3

exposed steel

Mostly used structurally, by leaving the steel structure exposed it becomes a durable, attractive surface.

3

3

3

glass (block)

Although very expensive, glass block offers structure, and a protected method to allow a lot of natural sunlight.

3

3

1-2

2

2

1-2

glass (pane)

Used primarily as glazing.

grass / dirt

Provided automatically in open space but can also be added on rooftops or patio spaces to provide for gardens.

1

1

3

gypsum board

Typical building material in the United States is much more expensive here and difficult to put in place. Necessary in some cases.

2

1

2

metal mesh

Protective, attractive, and see-through, mesh provides protection and spaces to hang things, but installation is expensive.

2

3

1-2

1

2

NA

1

2

1

paint plaster finish

Very cheap personal solution to the exterior and interior walls of a home.

A typical finish in poorer communities is inexpensive and customizable. Earthquake damage is prevalent.

ยบ1=low 2=medium 3=high 98

*damage resistance

material / finish

image

description

costยบ

fire*

quake*

plastic (corrugated)

Corrugated plastic is a popular material allowing for some natural light, some structure, and a possible roofing solution.

1

1

1

plywood

Very inexpensive solution to any face of the house and when used intelligently can be personalized or attractive.

1

1-2

2

stucco (painted)

Very inexpensive solution to exteriors that is also customizable and weather resistant.

1

1

1-2

stone (veneer)

Expensive but attractive solution to exteriors that becomes very protective and durable.

2

3

2

textile

Used only in hotter climates, textiles really only provide shade and a concept of separation of space.

1

1

3

tin (corrugated)

A very common material in contemporary poor districts because it is protective, lightweight, and easy to install.

1

2

2

wood (finished)

Mostly used structurally, by leaving the steel structure exposed it becomes a durable, attractive surface.

3

2

2

wood (laminate)

Simple and easily washable solution to clean rooms including bathrooms and doctors offices.

2

1

2

wood palettes

Unique, plentiful, material with a wide range of purposes on the interior and exterior of the house.

1

1

2-3

custom

Users can define their own materials through the design, and construction, and building process.

NA

NA

NA

ยบ1=low 2=medium 3=high

*damage resistance

Material Choices for every surface on the unit are provided to allow the user a continued trend of maximum flexibility, sustainability, and personalization. While the core of each unit structurally (and thus materially) are precast concrete modules, the exterior and interior finishes are not treated as decoration but as a families expression of personality and place. These material choices also allow for the user to create spaces to meet their functional needs. A family with a lot of family photos may want penetrable surfaces to hang them on walls while a young girl who wants to dance may decide to choose wood laminate floors for her creative space. These materials can also delineate formal from informal spaces or indoor and outdoor spaces or public and private spaces.

99

Materiality is more than an expression in autonomous communities, it for a family or person outwardly expressed in colors, textures, and patterns. In a place where excess is not common, the amount of money spent on decoration and materials shows the necessity and importance of creating an image from a home.

creates an identity

Numbers produced in this section are based off North American standards and case study examples. While standards may be used for more formal module pieces, other pieces, including residential, must be analyzed for their materiality and construction type because the purpose of this project is to provide a sustainable, affordable solution to expansion. An example: instead of using the typical mass house cost/ft² from North America ($125), using the cost/ft² of the Quinta Monroy houses in Chile ($19) offers a much more affordable and relative solution to the construction type and materials of these developing regions. Each module area is an average of the proposed typical space, somewhere between the relative minimum and maximum area for each piece in order to provide a less specific number since each module will be very different in terms of size but not necessarily material or construction type. Critically, resource allocation is meant to be efficient, inexpensive, and easily attainable thus the process of developing these numbers involves critical analysis of proposed materials in terms of unit cost, availability, and installation procedure. Most costs are very similar due to the similarity of modules in terms of materials and construction type.

2.06 102

Resource allocation

This project is to be affordable and manageable.

Each residential unit must have a minimum cost for the buyer. All other pieces must be either eventually financially lucrative in commercial or service sectors, or easily subsidized by government funds. It must be attractive to both citizen and politician.

$

$ $

$ $

$ $

$ $

103

Module Piece Residence Living Space Bedroom Kitchen Bathroom Creative Space Outdoor Space Commercial Commercial Grocery Market Repair Shop Miscellaneous Shop Service Office Open Space Farming - crops Farming - animals Sport Field (small soccer) Relief Module Free Space Faith Shrines Gathering Spaces Cemeteries Urban Services Recycling Waste Management Police Office Fire Station Health - patient room Health - doctors office Health - pharmacy Education - classroom Education - gymnasium Education - cafeteria Transportation Platform Transit Oriented Shops Roads Paths / Sidewalks Complete Module Cost Subtotal

104

#/module

Area

Total Area

1 2 1 1 1 1 0.5

375 100 100 64 100 150 144

0.5 0.5 1 0.5

400 700 400 700

2 1

576 576 AS NEEDED 25000 1 576 infinite infinite infinite 1 1 NA

8 500 NA

1 1 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.2 0.1 1.5 0.1 0.1

500 178 152 152 100 100 100 768 4500 2500

AS NEEDED 1 AS NEEDED AS NEEDED

64 150 1920 480

$ / SF 1061 375 200 100 64 100 150 72 1300 200 350 400 350 27304 1152 576 25000 576 508 8 500 0 2762 500 178 76 76 50 20 10 1152 450 250 2614 64 150 1920 480 35549

$20.00 $20.00 $25.00 $25.00 $20.00 $5.00 $25.00 $25.00 $30.00 $25.00 $30.00 $3.00 $0.50 $1.80 $1.25 $0.00 $5.00 $20.00 $1.25 $35.00 $125.00 $100.00 $100.00 $211.00 $211.00 $150.00 $175.00 $185.00 $185.00 $7.40 $25.00 $6.80 $8.85

Module Cost 20150 x 20 $7,500.00 $4,000.00 $2,500.00 $1,600.00 $2,000.00 $750.00 $1,800.00 $36,000.00 $5,000.00 $10,500.00 $10,000.00 $10,500.00 $49,464.00 $3,456.00 $288.00 $45,000.00 $720.00 $0.00 $10,040.00 $40.00 $10,000.00 $0.00 $402,320.00 $17,500.00 $22,250.00 $7,600.00 $7,600.00 $10,550.00 $4,220.00 $1,500.00 $201,600.00 $83,250.00 $46,250.00 $21,527.60 $473.60 $3,750.00 $13,056.00 $4,248.00 $922,351.60

Project Costs Land Building Construction Cost (13%) Site Development Costs (7% of above) Furniture/Equipment (4%) Plan Check Fees (2% of construction) Inspection Fees (2% of construction) Survey/Geotechnical Soft & Professional Fees Architect / Arranger Fees (10%) Design Contigency (10%) Escalation (4%)

1 ACRE

43560

$2.32

Projected Module Total

$281,157.50 $101,168.10 $119,905.71 $8,393.40 $36,894.06 $2,398.11 $2,398.11 $10,000.00 $221,364.38 $92,235.16 $92,235.16 $36,894.06 $1,424,873.48

Sources: Land Values: http://www.mexconnect.com/articles/1413-mexican-property-appraisals Residential Values: Quinta Monroy Housing Project & analysis, Elemental Architects, Kip Dickson Outdoor Space: Kip Dickson, http://www.garden.org, Service Values: Kip Dickson, http://www.naiop.org/industrylinks/mm_medicaloffice.pdf , http://www.rfmarch.com/ Transportation Values: Kip Dickson, http://www.turtlesoft.com Material Analysis: Urban Think Tank Other Costs: Kip Dickson, rsmeans.com (and demo programs) 105

The lack of regulations and code enforcement in informal communities is potentially catastrophic. Structural failures and over-population creates an environment where mass deaths can occur in even a moderate natural disaster. The Mexico City Building Code is the most widely accepted document in all of Mexico. Crossreferencing this with the most current IBC provides a reliable system of ordinance for development in terms of structure, occupancy, and density. However, in these communities one must be critical of any building codes since many offer non-adaptable, non-flexible building solutions opposite of the current pattern of settlement.

UP TO CODE

2.07 106

NOT UP TO CODE

Code analysis

Group A: Are those structures whose failure may cause a high number of deaths, high economic or cultural losses, hazard due to their toxic or explosive contents. Also includes those which must remain serviceable after an urban emergency. Importance Factor I = 1.5 Group B: All structures not included in Group A. Importance Factor I = 1.0

This sort of vagueness and loose enforcement are the biggest dangers.

1985 Mexico City Earthquake (Image via simonsez.files.wordpress.com)

107

Minimum sizes of rooms are very small, and thus the proposed sizes for the modules (keep in mind these are for the default, singular module) of this project exceed the minimums by a fair amount. Below is a visual comparison of the code requirements and the proposed sizes of each module. The prototypical module will change with different international standards and needs.

108

Required 76 ft²

Proposed 100 ft²

Bedroom: the minimum dimension for a bedroom is very small. The proposed size would be big enough to convert into a creative room, or office as well.

Required 78 ft²

Proposed 100+ ft²

Living: the same size as the bedroom, but larger than required because many times these homes can accomodate up to 10 people.

Required 25 ft²

Proposed 25 ft²

Kitchen: the kitchen module happens to be the same size as the minimum required, but can be expanded to accommodate more people, more appliances, and a bigger home.

Required 22 ft²

Proposed 25 ft²

Bathroom: the bathroom module is larger than the minimum because of it’s 5’x5’ dimension but in reality, this is all that is needed to house the basic necessities.

Required 25 ft²/P

Required 80 ft²/PERSON

Commercial: square feet per person is relatively low, but these shops will be many different sizes to be determined by the owner themselves.

Proposed 25 ft²/P

Proposed Phase 1 50 ft²/PERSON

Proposed Phase 2 100 ft²/PERSON

Required 30 ft²/P

Proposed Phase 1 18 ft²/P

Proposed Phase 2 36 ft²/P

Required 26 ft²/P

Proposed Phase 1 20 ft²/P

Proposed Phase 2 40 ft²/P

Health: for the first phase, health facilities may be overcrowded, but as the system grows so will pieces like this.

Education: for the first phase, education facilities and classrooms may be overcrowded, but as the system grows so will pieces like this to accommodate more children in a more comfortable environment.

Religious: these facilities are more ambiguous since they can be created from any piece of program, thus occupancy loads are fairly low.

Determined in design phase.

Industry, Open Space, Infrastructure, and Agriculture are determined separate from codes.

109

Thousands can die in a moderate earthquake in these areas strictly due to poor construction methods and bad materials. The parameters for structural classification are fairly vague, offering only 2 types of buildings: structures that may cause a high amount of death, and all other structures. This vagueness in the code is exasperated in the informal communities, and thus the danger of structural failure in natural disasters is extremely high.

3. PARAMETERS FOR STRUCTURAL CLASSIFICATION 3.1 Occupancy and Importance. [174 Building Code] There are two Groups, with corresponding Importance Factors: Group A: Are those structures whose failure may cause a high number of deaths, high economic or cultural losses, hazard due to their toxic or explosive contents. Also includes those which must remain serviceable after an urban emergency. Importance Factor I = 1.5 Group B: All structures not included in Group A. Importance Factor I = 1.0 3.2 Structural Type.

No specific chapter or article of the Norm explicitly defines the structural types. However several structural types are mentioned in relation with the definition of the Reduction Factor Q used in the Design Spectra (see 4.2). These are: Frame systems (steel, concrete, steel-concrete composites).

Flat slab systems (concrete, steel, Wall systems (masonry, concrete, steel, steel-concrete composites).

Braced frame systems (steel, concentric and eccentric).

Prefabricated concrete systems.

Dual systems, combination of the above systems with minimum 6. SAFETY VERIFICATIONS 6.1 Building Separation. [1.10] The Code specifies minimum separations from site boundaries of 50mm or the corresponding inelastic horizontal displacements increased by 0,001, 0.003 or 0.006 times the height for Zones I, II or III. For the Simplified Method of Analysis (see 5.2) the increments are 0.007, 0.009 and 0.012. When significant, base rotations (see 5.8) must be considered.

From adjacent buildings or independent bodies of one building, their total separation will be the added values of both bodies or half of it if they have similar structural systems and the same height in all levels.

6.2 Requirements for Horizontal Diaphragms.

Apart from the fact than the diaphragms of Regular Structures must satisfy certain requirements (see 3.3), there are no specific design requirements for them other than the statement that they should have enough strength and stiffness to resist and transmit the seismic forces to the EQ resistant systems.

6.3 Requirements for Foundations.

Apart from a minor reference that both the structure and its foundation must satisfy all ultimate and serviceability limits [1.2], foundation requirements are not included in the “Complementary Technical Norms for Earthquake Resistant Design” but in the “Mexico City Building Code”.

110

111

Below is a condensed summary of relevant codes from the Mexico City Building Code translated online from Spanish to English. For any critical or visual analysis please see the previous pages. Some tables are in Spanish because they could not automatically translate.

Mexico City Building Code (2004) PART I CHAPTER 1 ARTICLE 2 .- For the purposes of this Regulation, the term: I. Administration, the Federal District Public Administration; II. Law, Law of Federal District Urban Development; III. Organic Law, the Organic Law of the Federal District Public Administration; IV. Delegation, Political and Administrative Authority of each of the territorial boundaries of the Federal District; V. Rules, these Rules of Construction for the Federal District; VI. Programme, the General Program of Development of the Federal District VII. Premises, the land without construction; VIII. Building, construction on an estate; IX. Property, the land and buildings that are in it; X. Commission, the Committee on Admission of managers responsible for work and responsibility, XI. Rules, the Supplemental Standards Building Code for the Federal District.

ARTICLE 3

I. Determine the technical requirements which must be secured buildings and facilities in land and public roads, so as to satisfy the conditions of habitability, safety, hygiene, comfort, accessibility and good looks; II. Set restrictions to be secured buildings and elements such as fountains, sculptures, arches, columns, monuments and the like located in Heritage Conservation Area including Historic monument zones according to the Federal Law on Monuments and Archaeological Areas , Artistic and Historic Preservation Act Urban Architectural Heritage of the Federal District as well as Rules Management General Programs and delegational; III. Set in accordance with applicable laws, the purposes for which they can authorize the use of the premises and determine the type of buildings can be built on them, pursuant to the provisions of the Act; PART II CHAPTER 1 ARTICLE 7 .- Public Road is all common-use space for the disposal of the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, is intended to free passage, in accordance with the Act and regulations of the matter, and any property which in fact intended for that purpose.

ARTICLE 8 .- No record shall be issued alignment and official number, special building permit, order, authorization or registration for expression of construction, installation of utilities on land fronting on public roads or in fact to be presumed that as such ARTICLE 11 .- Do not authorize use of public roads in the following cases: I.

To increase the area of a property or a building;

II. To work for activities or purposes that cause nuisance to neighbors such as the production of dust, fumes, odors, gases, noises and bright lights; III.

To drive liquid on its surface;

IV. For landfills and other waste, unless authorized by the Authority based on the provisions of the Act Federal District Solid Waste and environmental standards; V. To construct or install anything, work or fixed or semi-establishment, which does not observe the restrictions laid down in this Regulation and other provisions; 112

VI. To build or install without the permission of the Administration, or semi-fixed obstacles such as posts, doors or anything to alter, limit or restrict the free movement of both vehicles and pedestrians, and VII.

For such other purposes as the Board considers contrary to public policy.

CHAPTER 3 ARTICLE 18 .- The works for the installation, maintenance or removal of pipelines for conducting all kinds of fluids, telecommunications, electricity and any other in the subsurface of public roads and spaces for common use of the domain of Federal District, subject to the following provisions: I. Prior to the issuance of special license for construction by the Delegation, applicants must submit the final design of the work developed in accordance with the Rules, to the Ministry of Works and Services, for review and where appropriate , get the nod. The Secretariat shall establish the areas which for technical reasons have to be done with special systems and approve the construction procedure presented, and II. They must have the appropriate federal permits in areas of archaeological monuments.

ARTICLE 19 .- All aviation facilities on public roads which are supported by structures or poles placed for that purpose should satisfy, in addition to the requirements outlined in sections I and II of the previous article, the following provisions: I held wires and brackets, the hooks, and other support for promotion to the structures, poles or facilities, should be placed not less than 2.50 m above the sidewalk level, and II. The structures, posts and installations should be identified by their owners or occupants with a sign approved by the Ministry of Works and Services and are required to keep them in good working condition and removed when no longer fulfill their function.

CHAPTER 5 ARTICLE 24 .- The alignment is the trace on the ground that limits the property concerned with the public through use or future streets, determined in the plans and projects have been approved. The alignment will contain the effects and constraints of urban character to bring the Act and Regulations.

CHAPTER 6 ARTICLE 26 .- The projects for buildings containing two or more of the uses referred to in this Regulation shall be subject in each of their shares to the provisions and standards established by the General Programmes, delegational and / or partial match.

TITLE IV - CONSTRUCTION OF EVENTS CHAPTER 1 Article 47 .- To build, expand, repair or modify a work or installation of those listed in Article 51 of this Regulation, the owner or No registration necessary for expression of construction when the land or building is situated in soil conservation.

Article 48 .- To record the demonstration of building a site or facility, the individual must submit to the appropriate format and with the competent authority, the statement under oath, to comply with these Regulations and other applicable provisions.

The rights to cause the registration statement of construction must be completed under self-determination made by the person concerned, according to rates set by the Financial Code of Federal District mode of expression for each building.

The applicant must fill the corresponding form attaching your proof of payment of royalties, if any of the uses to proceed, as well as documents indicated for each type of event building. The competent authority shall record the manifestation of construction and, where appropriate, record the information listed in the Card Works Director Responsible Stewards and provided that the person complies with the delivery of documents and provide the information requested in the respective format, without examining their content. If that fails some of the requirements, not record this event.

The same authority given to the interested registered construction demonstration and a copy of sketches or drawings and other technical documents with original seal and signature. From that time the applicant may begin construction.

ARTICLE 49 .- In the case of forested areas that the work may affect the delegation set out the conditions under which they carry out the replacement of affected trees based on the provisions to that effect issued by the Ministry of Environment.

ARTICLE 50 .- Registered manifestation of construction, the authority will review the data and documents entered and check the progress of work under the terms established in the Administrative Check Regulations for the Federal District.

ARTICLE 51 .- The modalities of the construction are: I.

Demonstration of construction type: 113

a) Construction of not more than a house of 200 m 2 built in an area with at least 6 m in front, two levels, maximum height of 5.5 m clear spans not more than 4 m, which should include the provision basic services and habitability conditions stipulated in this Regulation, the percentage of free area, the number of parking spaces and generally meet the provisions of the Urban Development Programs.

When the property is located in risk areas will be required for expression of B-type construction; b) Extension of a dwelling unit, whose original building is licensed for construction work performed registration or registration for expression of construction, if not exceeded, the total area of 200 m 2 of construction, including expansion, two levels, 5.5 m high and clear spans of 4 m; c) Repair or alteration of a dwelling and change of roofs or mezzanines, provided that the clear spans not greater than 4 m or affect important structural elements; d)

Construction of fences with a maximum height of 2.50 m;

e) clear opening of 1.5 m or less in buildings up to two levels, if not affected structural elements and does not change total or partial use or purpose of the building, and f) II.

Installation of tanks, septic tanks and sewage;

Manifestation of Type B construction

For non-residential or mixed uses of up to 5.000 m 2 or up to 10.000 m 2 with residential use, except as indicated in the preceding section, and III.

Expression of Type C construction

For non-residential or mixed uses more than 5.000 m 2 or more of 10.000 m 2 with residential use, or buildings that require an opinion of urban impact or urban-environmental impact.

ARTICLE 52 .- The demonstration building type will be presented in the delegation which is situated the work in the format established by the Administration signed by the owner or keeper and should have the following: I.

Name and address of the owner or holder and the location of the property where you intend to build;

II. Proof of current alignment and official number, with the exception of subsections e) and f) of section I of Article 51 of this Regulation; III.

Proof of payment of the respective rights;

IV. Plan or sketch that contains the location, area of the property, square footage under construction, distribution and size of spaces, open area, and where appropriate, number of parking spaces; V. Notice of recorded speech by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development when the building is in heritage conservation area of Mexico City, and VI. Authorization issued by competent authority, when the work is located in conservation areas of the Historical, Artistic and Archaeological Federation, and VII. In the case of buildings which require the installation of hydrants and mains drainage, the application and proof of payment of fees referred to in Article 128 of this Regulation.

In the case referred to in paragraph b) of section I of Article 51 of this Regulation, additionally, must submit a construction license or registration of work performed in the original building, or in case the event log construction and indicate in the plan or sketch, the original building and expanding area.

The owner or holder agrees to put in the work, in a visible and legible from the street, a sign bearing the registration number of the manifestation of construction, general information about the work, location and duration thereof.

CHAPTER 3 ARTICLE 62 .- No demonstration is required of construction or special building permit to perform the following works: I. In the case of buildings arising from the “Lot Improvement Program for Building Family Affordable Housing People� and housing programs with similar characteristics promoted by the Federal District Government through the District Housing Institute Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, through the granting of credit in its various forms, for the construction of social housing or popular, which must rely on the provision of basic services and habitability conditions indicating that regulation and its rules, respecting the number of levels, utilization rates and land use and general provisions of the Urban Development Programs; 114

II. Replacement and repair of the finished construction and repair and performing installations, they do not affect the structural elements and not modify the installation of the same; III.

Partition walls in offices and shop floors when their weight has been considered in structural design;

IV.

Waterproofing and repair of roofs, without affecting the structural elements;

V. Works urgent accident prevention, subject to giving notice to the Delegation, within a maximum period of five working days from the commencement of works; VI. Demolition of a building up to 60 m 2 in floor, or a quarter of up to 16 m 2 , without affecting the stability of the rest of the building. This exception does not operate in the case of property referred to the Federal Law on Monuments and Archaeological Zones, Artistic and Historic Preservation Act and the Urban Architectural Heritage of the Federal District, or that are located in the area of heritage conservation district Federal VII. services;

falsework for use in offices, warehouses or monitoring of land for the construction of a work and related health

VIII. The public works undertaken by the Administration, either directly or through third parties which in any case must meet the technical requirements established by Regulations of the Public Works Act Federal District, the Regulations and Rules; IX. X. XI.

In exploration wells to various studies and landscaping works; Tapiales encroaching on the sidewalk in a measure less than 0.5 m, and similar to the previous works do not affect structural elements.

TITLE V - ARCHITECTURAL PROJECT CHAPTER 1 Article 74 .- To ensure the habitability, accessibility, performance, hygiene, environmental conditioning, energy efficiency, communications, safety in emergencies, structural safety, integration of the context and urban image of the buildings in the Federal District, for architectural projects must meet the requirements established in this Title for each type of building, in the Rules and other applicable laws.

Article 75 .- The architectural elements that constitute the profile of a frontage road, such as pilasters, curbs, door frames and windows must comply with the prescriptions of Standards.

The balconies are projected onto public roads shall consist only of flat, parapet, balustrade or railing and deck, without lock or window that operate as closed or integral part of other domestic premises.

ARTICLE 76 .- The heights of the buildings, the maximum built area in the premises, and the minimum allowed free areas on the premises must comply with the provisions of the programs listed in the Act ARTICLE 77 .- The separation of new buildings or extensions have been modified or with adjoining land or buildings must comply with the Standards for Management of Urban Development and with Articles 87, 88 and 166 of these Regulations.

ARTICLE 78 .- The separation between buildings within the same property shall not be less the result of applying the minimum size established in the General Program, delegational and / or partial, and the provisions of Articles 87, 88 and 166 of these Rules and their standards, according to the type of local and average height of the walls of the buildings in question.

ARTICLE 79 .- The buildings should have the functionality, the minimum size and number of parking spaces for vehicles, including those unique to persons with disabilities as set out in the Rules.

CHAPTER 2 ARTICLE 80 .- The size and characteristics of local buildings, according to their use or destination, as well as the accessibility requirements for disabled persons are set forth in the Rules.

CHAPTER 3 - HYGEINE AND SERVICES - ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN ARTICLE 81 .- The buildings must be provided with potable water, sufficient to meet the requirements and conditions referred to the Rules and / or Mexican Official Standards.

ARTICLE 82 .- The buildings must be provided with health services with the number, type of furniture and features that are set out below: 115

I. or laundry;

Households with less than 45 m 2 will, at least with a toilet, a shower and one of the following furniture: toilet, sink

II. The housing area not less than 45 m 2 will have at least one bathroom equipped with a toilet, a shower and a toilet and a sink and a sink; dump;

III.

Workrooms and trade with area up to 120 m 2 and up to 15 workers or users will, at least with a toilet and a sink or

IV. In other cases, provided the furniture health, including those exclusive to people with disabilities, in accordance with the provisions of the Standards and V.

wastewater discharges that produce such services shall be provided in the Rules and / or Mexican Official Standards.

Article 83 .- The pools will, at least with: I. II. III.

Equipment recirculation, filtration and water purification; Injection nozzles to distribute the recycled water and suction to the bottom cleaning devices, and The water filtration systems be installed in accordance with the standards and / or Mexican Official Standards.

Article 84 .- The buildings must have space and facilities for the storage, separation and collection of solid waste in accordance with the Rules and / or Mexican Official Standards.

ARTICLE 85 .- The solid waste storage buildings for hazardous, toxic or radioactive chemical will conform to the Federal Health Law, the General Law of Ecological Equilibrium and Environmental Protection, Solid Waste Act, Federal District, the District Environmental Law Federal, its Regulations and the Official Mexican Standards.

ARTICLE 86 .- The buildings and works to produce smoke pollution, odors, gases, dusts and fumes, heat or light, noise and vibration will be subject to this regulation, the Federal District’s Environmental Law and other applicable ordinances.

ARTICLE 87 .- The natural and artificial lighting for all buildings must comply with the Standards and / or Mexican Official Standards.

ARTICLE 88 .- The local media buildings will have natural or artificial ventilation to ensure the provision of outside air, in the terms established by Rules.

ARTICLE 89 .- The buildings intended for industrial, commercial establishments, services, recreation, shopping centers, construction sites greater than 2.500 m 2 and establishments for the car wash, you should use treated wastewater in accordance with established in the Water Law of the Federal District, Rules and other applicable provisions in this area.

CHAPTER 4 - COMMUNICATION, DISPOSAL, AND EMERGENCY PREVENTION ARTICLE 90 .- For purposes of this Chapter, the buildings are classified according to the degree of risk of fire in accordance with their size, use and occupation, in: low, medium and high, in accordance with the stipulations in standards.

ARTICLE 91 .- In order to ensure both access and prompt disposal of users in situations of normal or emergency operation in the buildings, they will have a set of doors, hallways and horizontal and vertical circulations with minimum dimensions and characteristics for this purpose, including accessibility requirements for people with disabilities are set forth in this Chapter and the Rules.

In low-risk buildings and half referred to the previous article, the normal system of access and egress shall be regarded as evacuation route signaling characteristics and devices that set the standards.

In high-risk buildings referred to in the preceding article, the normal system of access and egress shall be increased by one or more other complementary system of vertical circulation corridors and emergency exit. Both circulation systems, normal and emergency exit, evacuation routes will be considered and shall have signaling characteristics and devices set forth in the Rules.

The existence of horizontal or vertical mechanized circulation such as conveyor belts, escalators, elevators and hoists are counted as additional to the normal everyday or emergency consists of halls, corridors, ramps and ladders to access or exit.

ARTICLE 92 .- The distance from any point within a building to a door, a horizontal or vertical movement that leads directly to the street, outdoor areas or entrance hall of the building, measured along the line of travel, will be a maximum of fifty meters in high-risk buildings and two hundred feet in buildings than medium and low risk.

ARTICLE 93 .- The road exits in buildings, health and entertainment will have shelters that meet stated in the Rules.

ARTICLE 94 .- The education buildings should have spread and waiting areas within the premises where the exits lead to the students before driving on public roads, with minimum dimensions of 0.10 m 2 per student.

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ARTICLE 95 .- The size and characteristics of the doors, intercom, exit and emergency exit must meet the Standards.

ARTICLE 96 .- The horizontal circulation, such as lobbies, hallways and tunnels must meet the dimensions and characteristics that indicate about the Standards.

ARTICLE 97 .- The buildings should always have stairs or ramps pedestrian communicate all levels, even when there are elevators, escalators or lifts, the size and design conditions that set the standards.

ARTICLE 98 .- The pedestrian ramps are planned in any building must meet the dimensions and characteristics that set the standards.

ARTICLE 99 .- Emergency exit the circulation system that allows the total evacuation of the occupants of a building in a very short time in case of earthquake, fire or other hazards and to comply with the stipulations in the Rules, shall include evacuation route and the corresponding gates, must be appropriately marked and comply with the following provisions: I. At risk buildings should ensure that all circulations of normal use allow the eviction by anticipating where each one of them or all is blocked. In high risk buildings will require an additional route for this specific purpose; II. III. required.

The buildings of more than 25 m in height require emergency stairs, and In high-risk buildings up to 25 m high ladder whose normal use indoor landing on the ground floor fire escape is

ARTICLE 100 .- The buildings of entertainment and meeting places, which is required to install seat should be adjusted as provided in the Rules.

ARTICLE 101 .- The sports buildings, classrooms, theaters and other spaces for events and outdoor shows in the bleachers to be required must meet the stipulations in the Rules.

ARTICLE 102 .- The elevators, escalators and conveyors shall comply with the Standards and Official Mexican Standards.

ARTICLE 103 .- The premises for cinemas, auditoriums, theaters, concert halls, classrooms or sporting events must comply with rules regarding visibility and hearing.

ARTICLE 104 .- The equipment and machinery installed in buildings and / or open spaces that produce noise and / or vibration must comply with the provisions of the Federal District’s Environmental Law, Mexican Official Standards and Guidelines.

The food and beverage establishments and entertainment centers should never exceed 65 decibels at 0.50 m from the outer face of the premises or property boundary.

Article 105 .- Any public parking should be open drain or be drained and fenced in their adjacencies with neighboring properties.

ARTICLE 106 .- The public and private parking, in terms of horizontal and vertical circulations, must comply with the Standards.

Article 107 .- The public parking lots must have separate lanes for entry and exit of vehicles, indoor waiting area for the delivery and receipt of vehicles and house or control booths.

ARTICLE 108 .- All buildings must have mailboxes to receive mail communication, accessible from the outside.

ARTICLE 109 .- The buildings must have for the facilities and equipment Needed to Prevent and fight fires.

Fire protection equipment and systems Must Be Maintained in working order at Any Time, to Which Must Be reviewed and tested periodically.

That works in the required security clearance and operation under Article 69 of this Regulation, the owner or possessor of the property Shall Maintain a log book Where the Director Works Manager will record the results of These Should tests show it to the Competent Authorities when to so require .

To Comply with the opinion of fire ‘referred to H. Federal Fire District Law, Must Be applied with the Provisions of this Section and as Provided in the Rules.

110 .- The características ARTÍCUL0 Which Must Be constructive and architectural elements to resist heat and circulation spaces and Provider for the shelter or evacuation of people in case of disaster and devices for Preventing and fighting fires in September Are standards.

ARTICLE 111 .- During The Various stages of construction of and Stock Must Be NECESSARY Precautions taken to Prevent fire, and IF NECESSARY, to fight Through Appropriate Extinguishing Equipment in Accordance with the Rules and Other Provisions applicable.

This protection must be provided at the farm in the area occupied by the work and temporary buildings.

Fighting equipment should be located in easily accessible places and are identified by markings, signs or symbols clearly visible.

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CHAPTER 4 - SAFETY ARTICLE 114 .- The premises for the care and exhibition of animals and sports and recreation buildings should have bars and / or drops to protect the public, number, minimum size and design conditions laid down by the Rules.

ARTICLE 115 .- The mechanical equipment fairs must have gates or barriers at least 1.20 m in height around its perimeter at a distance of at least 1.50 m from the vertical projection of any rotation or movement of the mechanical device.

Driving lines and electrical panels must be insulated and protected, electrically and mechanically to avoid causing harm to the public, the design and setting is established in the Rules and other applicable provisions.

ARTICLE 116 .- Premises for the storage or sale of explosives and fuels must comply with the Standards and other applicable provisions, if any, the Federal Firearms and Explosives.

ARTICLE 117 .- The buildings must be equipped with lightning rods in cases and under the conditions mentioned in the Rules and other applicable provisions.

ARTICLE 118 .- The openings, windows, windows and mirrors from floor to ceiling in any building, should have railings and spindles at a height of 0.90 m above the floor, designed so as to prevent the passage of children through them, or be protected with elements that prevent the collision of the public against them.

ARTICLE 119 .- The buildings devoted to education, cultural centers, recreational, sports, housing, business and industry should have a local first-aid medical service in accordance with the Standards.

ARTICLE 120 .- The pools must have the elements and safeguards established in the Rules and other applicable provisions.

CHAPTER 5 - INTEGRATION OF URBAN CONTEXT ARTICLE 122 .- The use of mirror glass and other materials that produce total reflection in isolated outer surfaces greater than 20 m² or covering more than 30% of the walls of the facade will be allowed provided it is shown, through studies of sunlight and reflection mirror, the reflection of sunlight will not cause at any time of year or time of day dangerous or bothersome glare, or increases in the thermal load on neighboring buildings or public roads.

ARTICLE 123 .- The boundary of the facades of buildings of five or more levels forming part of the walls of the backyards of lighting and ventilation of adjacent buildings should be light colored finishes.

CHAPTER 6- FACILITIES ARTICLE 124 .- The housing complexes and buildings of five levels or more must have tanks with capacity to meet two times the daily demand for drinking water in the building and be equipped with pumping system.

ARTICLE 125 .- The water and sanitation facilities, furniture and bathroom accessories, valves, pipes and fittings must comply with the directive of the Water Law of the Federal District and its Regulations, the Regulations and, where appropriate, the Standards Official Mexican and Mexican Standards applicable.

ARTICLE 126 .- The use of gargoyles or channels that discharge water stream outside the boundaries of each property.

ARTICLE 127 .- During the construction process will not be allowed to leave residual surface water or stream from the street. Whenever required evacuation to the outside of the property, it must prosecute this water piped directly to the strainer, download solid rain preventing the sewage sedimentation as the competent Agency authorized build the sewer.

ARTICLE 128 .- In the properties located on streets with potable water systems, public sewer and if necessary, treated water, the owner or holder must apply to the format for the Water System of the City of Mexico, through of the Delegation, the requested service connections to these networks, in accordance with the directive of the Water Law of the Federal District and its regulations, and pay rights under the Financial Code of Federal District.

ARTICLE 130 .- The electrical installations of buildings must comply with the provisions of the Rules and the Official Mexican Standards and Mexican Standards.

ARTICLE 131 .- The living quarters, kitchens and bathrooms household must have at least, with a light touch and output rated capacity is established in the Norma Oficial Mexicana.

ARTICLE 132 .- The electric lighting system of the buildings housing must have at least one damper for each room, for other uses or destinations, you must provide a switch or switch for every 50 m2 or fraction of illuminated surface. The facility will be subject to the provisions of this standard.

ARTICLE 133 .- The buildings of health, recreation, communications and transport should have emergency lighting systems on automatically to illuminate hallways, exits, hallways, bathrooms, halls and concurrent local, healing rooms, and signs and removal 118

operations Emergency exit indicators in light levels established under the Rules and the Official Mexican Standards.

ARTICLE 136 .- The buildings require air conditioning installations or expulsion to the outside air must conform to the provisions of the Rules, and Mexican Official Norms.

TITLE VI - STRUCTURAL SAFETY OF CONSTRUCTION ARTICLE 139 .- For purposes of this title buildings are classified into the following groups: I. Group A: Building structural failure which could constitute a significant danger to contain toxic or explosive substances, and whose operation is essential buildings following an urban emergency, such as hospitals, schools, transportation terminals, fire stations, power plants and telecommunications, stadiums, warehouses of flammable or toxic substances, buildings housing museums and archives and public records of particular importance, and other buildings in the opinion of the Department of Works and Services.

II. Group B: Building communities for housing, offices and commercial premises, hotels and commercial and industrial buildings not included in Group A, which are subdivided into: a) Subgroup B1: Buildings over 30 m high or more than 6.000 m2 of total built area, located in zones I and II that are referred to in Article 170 of this Regulation, and buildings over 15 m height or more than 3.000 m2 of total built area in Zone III, in both cases the areas referred to a single body of building that has its own means of evacuation, access and stairs, including the areas of attachments, such as stairs bodies themselves. The area of a body that does not have own means of evacuation will be added to that of one another through which to vacate; b) Buildings that have meeting facilities that can accommodate more than 200 people, temples, theaters and freestanding advertisements, announcements of roof and base stations of cellular communication and / or wireless, and c) Subgroup B2: The rest of this group.

CHAPTER 2 - GENERAL BUILDING CHARACTERISTICS ARTICLE 140 .- The proposed buildings should be considered an efficient structure to resist any measures that may affect the structure, with particular regard to seismic effects.

The project, preferably, be considered a regular structure that meets the requirements established by the Rules.

The buildings do not meet the requirements of regularity is designed for more severe seismic conditions, as specified in the Rules.

Article 141 .- Any building must be separated from their boundaries with neighboring properties the distance corresponding to Norma, which also ruled that should be made in construction joints between different bodies of the same building. The spaces between neighboring buildings and construction joints should be free from any obstruction.

Allowances that should be left boundaries and construction joints be clearly indicated on architectural drawings and the structural.

ARTICLE 142 .- The finishes and coatings whose release could cause damage to the building occupants or those traveling on the outside, should be determined by procedures approved by the Director in Charge of Construction and the Structural Safety Steward, where appropriate. Particular attention should be given to the coatings on walls and stone stairs, precast concrete facades, as well as prefabricated panels of gypsum and other heavy materials.

ARTICLE 143 .- The non-structural elements that restrict the deformation of the structure, or having a considerable weight, partition walls and facade of boundary, railings and other rigid walls, stairs and heavy equipment, tanks, water tanks and booths must be approved in its characteristics and its way of supporting the Director in Charge of Construction and the Structural Safety Steward works in which it is required.

The furniture, equipment and other items which may cause tipping or detached injury or damage to earthquakes, as high bookcases, shelves, electrical panels and air conditioning or telephone, etc., must be set so as to prevent such damage to motions seismic.

ARTICLE 144 .- The notices attached, hanging in roof, auto roof supported and should be subject to structural design in the terms of this Title, with particular attention to the effects of wind. Must design their supports and attaches to the main structure and review their effect on the stability of that structure.

Article 145 .- Any drilling or alteration of a structural element to accommodate goods or facilities must be approved by the Director in Charge of Work or the Structural Safety Steward, where appropriate.

The facilities, particularly gas, water and drainage crossing construction joints shall be provided with flexible connections or flexible sections.

CHAPTER 3 - STRUCTURAL ESIGN CRITERIA Article 146 .- Any building must have a structural system that allows the proper flow of the forces generated by the different design 119

activities so that these forces can be transmitted continuously and efficiently to the foundation. Must also have a foundation to ensure proper transmission of these forces into the ground.

Article 147 .- Any structure and each of its parts must be designed to meet the following basic requirements: I. Have adequate security against the occurrence of any possible failure limit state to the most unfavorable combinations of actions that may arise during its expected life and II. Do not exceed any limit state services to combinations of actions under normal operating conditions.

Compliance with these requirements will be verified with the procedures set forth in this Chapter and the Rules.

Article 148 .- It is considered failure limit state any situation that corresponds to the exhaustion of the carrying capacity of the structure or any of its components, including the foundation, or the fact that irreversible damage that significantly affect their resistance to loading new applications.

Standards set limit states major failure for each material and type of structure.

ARTICLE 149 .- The limit state considered the occurrence of travel service, cracking, vibration or damage affecting the proper functioning of the building, but does not impair your ability to carry loads. The specific values of these states limit defined in the Rules.

ARTICLE 150 .- In the design of any structure must take into account the effects of dead loads, live loads, the earthquake and wind, where the latter is significant. The intensities of these actions to be considered in the design and how their effects should be calculated as specified in the relevant standards.

When meaningful, must take into account the effects of other actions, such as earth pressure and fluid temperature changes, the contraction of the materials, the sinking of the supports and the stresses caused by the operation of machinery and equipment which are not taken into account the loads specified in the relevant Standards.

ARTICLE 151 .- It is considered three categories of activities according to the duration in which are held on the structures with maximum intensity, which are contained in the relevant standards.

Article 152 .- When you need to be considered in designing the effect of actions whose intensities are not specified in these Regulations or in its rules, these intensities should be established following the procedures approved by the Ministry of Works and Services and based on the general criteria mentioned in the Rules.

ARTICLE 153 .- The safety of a structure must be verified to the combined effect of all actions that have a non-negligible probability of occurring simultaneously, considering two types of combinations that are described in the Rules.

ARTICLE 157 .- The determination of resistance should be carried out by tests designed to simulate physical models of the structure or portions of it, the effect of combinations of actions to be considered in accordance with the Rules of this Regulation.

In the case of structures or structural elements that occur in industrialized form, tests will be made on production samples or prototypes. In other cases, the tests will be carried out on models of the structure in question.

The selection of the parts of the structure to be tested and the charging system is applied, it must be done to get the most adverse conditions encountered in practice, but taking into account interactions with other structural elements.

Based on the assay results, will be deducted design strength, taking into account the differences between the mechanical properties and geometric measures in the specimens tested and to be expected in real structures.

The type of assay, the number of specimens and the criteria for determining the design strength shall be based on probabilistic criteria and must be approved by the Ministry of Works and Services, which may require a check of the resistance structure with a load test in accordance with Chapter XII of this Title.

CHAPTER 5 - LIVE LOAD ARTICLE 161 .- live loads shall be regarded as the forces produced by the use and occupancy of buildings and have no permanent.

Unless other values are justified rationally, these charges will be taken equal to those specified in the Rules.

ARTICLE 162 .- For the purposes of the unit live loads should be taken into account as indicated in the Rules.

ARTICLE 163 .- During the building process should be considered temporary live loads that may occur, they include the weight of the materials to be stored temporarily, the vehicles and equipment, the casting of higher plants that rely on plant is analyzed and the necessary staff, the latter being not less than 1.5 weight KN/m2 (150 kg/m2). Shall, in addition, a concentration of 1.5 KN (150 kg) in the most unfavorable.

CHAPTER 6 - DESIGN FOR EARTHQUAKES ARTICLE 165 .- The structures were analyzed under the action of two non-simultaneous orthogonal horizontal components of ground 120

motion. In the case of structures that do not meet the conditions of regularity, to be analyzed by three-dimensional models, as specified by the Rules.

Article 166 .- Any building must be separated from their boundaries with neighboring properties or between bodies on the same site as stated in the Rules.

In the case of a new building adjacent to the boundaries that do not comply with the provisions above, the new building must comply with the restrictions of separation between adjoining properties as stated in the Rules.

The spaces between adjacent buildings and between bodies in the same building should be free of all material and must use flashing between them.

ARTICLE 167 .- The analysis and structural design of buildings other than buildings, shall be in accordance with the Rules and to mark on those issues not covered by them will in a manner consistent with them and with this chapter, after approval of the Ministry of Works and Services.

CHAPTER 8 - FOUNDATION DESIGN ARTICLE 169 .- The whole building will be supported by a foundation that meets the requirements for the design and construction set forth in the Rules.

The buildings may in no case trowel on topsoil, soil or loose fill or debris. Acceptable only build on firm natural ground or artificial fillers that do not include degradable materials have been properly compacted.

ARTICLE 170 .- For purposes of this title, the Federal District is divided into three zones with the following general characteristics: Zone I. Lomas, formed by rocks or soils generally firm that was deposited outside the lake environment, but which may exist on the surface or intercalated sandy deposits in loose or cohesive been relatively soft. In this area, is often present in rock crevices and caves and tunnels dug into soil to exploit sand mines; Zone II. Transition, in which the deep deposits are 20 m deep or less, and is made up predominantly of sandy strata limoarenosos interspersed with layers of clay lake, the thickness of these is variable between a few tens of centimeters and meters, and Zone III. Lakeside, comprising highly potent understandable clay deposits, separated by layers of sand with varying content of silt or clay. These sandy layers are firm to very hard consistency and thicknesses of centimeters to several meters. The lacustrine deposits are often covered superficially by alluvial soils and artificial fill, the thickness of this whole can be greater than 50 m.

The area to which a given property is determined on the basis of investigations carried out in the basement of the property under consideration, as set out in the Rules. If light or medium-sized buildings whose characteristics are defined in these Rules, the area may be determined by the map included therein, if the property is within the portion zoned, properties located within 200 m of the borders between two of the areas described above shall be deemed located in the most unfavorable.

ARTICLE 171 .- The subsurface investigation of the site through field exploration and laboratory testing should be sufficient to reliably define the design parameters of the foundation, the variation of the same on the ground of the land and building procedures.

Furthermore, it should be sufficient to define: I. In the area I referred to Article 170 of this regulation, if any loose surface materials, cracks, natural cavities and galleries of mines, and if so the appropriate treatment and II. In areas II and III referred to Article 170 of this regulation, the existence of archaeological remains, ancient foundations, cracks, strong variations of stratigraphy, charge history of the property or any other factor that may cause significant differential settlement, so that this could be taken into account in the design.

ARTICLE 172 .- should investigate the type and foundation conditions of surrounding buildings in terms of stability, subsidence, rises, soil cracks and crashes, and taken into account in the design and construction of the foundation project.

Also investigated the location and characteristics of underground nearby existing or planned outside the Public Transport Network, sewer and other utilities, in order to verify that the building will not cause damage to such facilities or be affected by them.

ARTICLE 175 .- The outer retaining walls constructed to stabilize uneven terrain, should be designed so as not to exceed the limit failure following states: toppling of the wall displacement, failure of the foundation or the slope that supports, or structural failure. In addition, review the serviceability limit states, such as settlement, money or excessive deformation of the wall.

ARTICLE 180 .- The structural reinforcement project and renovations to the facilities of a building referred to in the previous article, you must meet the following: I. Building designed to reach at least the safety levels established in these Regulations for new buildings; II. Based on a detailed inspection of structural elements and facilities, which are withdrawn finishes and coatings that may obscure structural damage, and facilities; 121

III. Contain the considerations on the involvement of the existing structure and reinforcing the security of the whole, and details of link between the two, and modifications of facilities; filed;

IV. Diagnosis based on the state of the structure and damaged facilities and the elimination of the causes of damage have been

ARTICLE 181 .- To review the structural safety in buildings that are inclined more than 1% of its height, will increase the seismic design coefficients, as defined in the Rules.

ARTICLE 182 .- Before starting the work of strengthening and repair must be shown that the damaged building has the capacity to support vertical loads and estimated 30% of the side that would be obtained by applying these rules to live loads expected during the execution of works. To achieve this resistance will be necessary in cases that require recourse to temporary bracing or stiffening of the structure, complete or parts thereof.

CHAPTER 12 - LOAD TEST Article 185 .- It will be necessary to verify the safety of a structure by means of load tests in the following cases: I. In the interim work or recreation that can accommodate over 100 people; II. The absence of sufficient theoretical or experimental evidence to reliably judge the safety of the structure in question PART 7 - CONSTRUCTION ARTICLE 193 .- The owner or owners of works whose construction is suspended for any reason by more than 60 days are required to give notice to the appropriate authority, to limit their holdings to the street by fences or walls and close the openings where required, to prevent access to the building.

ARTICLE 194 .- The mud walls, according to their type, must meet the following requirements: I. Barrier: when executed works of painting, cleaning or the like, there will be barriers that can remove the suspended daily work. Legends will be painted “Caution.� Be constructed so as not to obstruct or hinder the view of traffic signs, plates or naming of tools and equipment of public services, if necessary, be sought from the Administration as temporary transfer to another location; II. Marquee: when jobs are running over 10 m high, was placed enough shelters to cover the bottom of the works, both on the bench as on neighboring properties. Is positioned so that the maximum drop of demolition materials or building on them, not to exceed five meters; III. Fixed: in the works to be executed in an area closer than 10 m from the street, fixed tapiales be placed to cover the whole front of it. Be of wood, sheet metal, concrete, masonry or other material that provides security guarantees. Have a minimum height of 2.40 m, must be painted and have no more clear than those of the doors, which are kept closed. When the facade is the cloth of the alignment, the mud may comprise a strip attached to 0.50 m on the sidewalk. Upon request, the delegation may give greater surface occupation of sidewalks, as long as not to hinder the passage of pedestrians including people with disabilities; IV. By the way uncovered: in works whose height is greater than 10 m and those in which the invasion of bench warrants, the Delegation will require the construction of a covered walkway, in addition to the mud. Have at least a height of 2.40 m and a clear width of 1.20 m, and In special cases, the delegation may permit or require, where appropriate, tapiales other than those specified in this article.

Nothing in the mud walls will be less than 0.50 m vertically above the lining of the sidewalk.

CHAPTER 3 - MATERIALS AND PROCEDURES CONSTRUCTION ARTICLE 200 .- The materials used in construction should meet the following requirements: I. The strength, quality and characteristics of the materials used in construction, will be those identified in the design specifications and construction plans registered and must meet the standards of this Regulation and the Official Mexican Standards Mexican Standards and II. When it is intended to use in a building some new material which there are no standards or rules, or Mexican Official Mexican Standards, the Head of Works Director must obtain the prior approval of the Ministry of Works and Services which present the results of tests quality assurance of such material.

ARTICLE 201 .- The construction materials should be stored in the works so as to prevent damage and intrusion of foreign materials that affect the properties and characteristics of the material.

ARTICLE 202 .- The Director Works Manager, should monitor compliance with these Regulations and as specified in the project, particularly as regards the following aspects: 122

I. Mechanical properties of materials; II. Tolerances in the dimensions of structural elements, such as measures of clear sections of the parts, areas and distribution of steel and coating thickness; III. Level and alignment of structural elements, and IV. Dead and live loads on the structure, including those due to the placement of materials during the execution of the work.

ARTICLE 203 .- The new procedures may be used to construct the development of technical input, with the authorization of the Ministry of Works and Services, for which the Director in charge of work must submit evidence detailing suitability and attaching the proposed procedure, where appropriate, research data and results of experimental tests carried out.

ARTICLE 204 .- should be tested to verify quality of materials that indicate the corresponding official rules and the Rules. In case of doubt, the Administration may require sampling and testing to verify the specified quality and strength of materials, even in the finished works.

Sampling should be done in statistical methods to ensure that the sample set is representative for all the work.

The Ministry of Works and Services shall keep a record of the laboratories or companies that, in its discretion, may conduct such tests.

ARTICLE 205 .- The structural elements are in or subject to corrosive action of physical, chemical or biological agents that may decrease your resistance, material should be resistant to these effects, or coated with protective materials or substances and shall preventative maintenance to ensure their operation within the conditions specified in the project.

In the exterior walls of the walls should be prevented passage of moisture, the mortar joints must withstand weathering.

ARTICLE 210 .- The use of explosives in excavation is conditional upon the approval and compliance with orders to bring the Secretariat of National Defense and the restrictions and protective order the delegation.

CHAPTER 7 - FACILITIES ARTICLE 214 .- The electrical, plumbing, sanitary, fire, gas, steam, fuel, air conditioning, telephone, communication and all those who are placed in buildings, will be identified in the draft and ensure the same efficiency and security of the building, workers and users, for which they must meet as stated in this Chapter, the Rules and other provisions applicable to each case.

ARTICLE 215 .- In the facilities will only be used pipes, valves, fittings, equipment and products that meet the standards and other provisions.

ARTICLE 216 .- The procedures for the placement of facilities subject to the following provisions: I. The Director Responsible for scheduled work placement plumbing facilities in the pipeline for this purpose in the project, the steps required and the necessary preparations to avoid breaking the floors, walls, ceilings and structural elements; II. In cases requiring slot walls and structural elements for laying pipes, plotted the trajectories of the pipes, and their performance is approved by the Director in Charge of Construction and Structural Safety Steward and Steward in facilities in appropriate. The grooves in concrete elements should not affect the minimum coating of reinforcing steel specified in the Rules; and

III. The vertical sections of pipelines built facilities will be placed on walls or structural elements or subject them with clamps IV. The pipes housed in natural terrain are subject to the requirements specified in the Rules.

ARTICLE 217 .- The pipe sections of hydraulic, sanitary, fire, gas, steam, liquid fuels, compressed air, oxygen and other, must unite and hermetically sealed so as to prevent fluid leakage leading , for which it should be noted as provided in the Rules and other applicable provisions.

ARTICLE 218 .- piping installations referred to in the preceding article shall be tested by use and type of installation, as described in the Rules and other applicable provisions.

CHAPTER 8 - WALLS ARTICLE 219 .- The plates of materials in facades will be determined by the system to provide the necessary anchorage, and taking measures to enable predictable structural movements and to prevent the passage of moisture through the coating.

ARTICLE 220 .- The glasses and glass should be placed taking into account any movements in the building and contraction caused by temperature changes. The seats and sealants used in the placement of pieces greater than 1.5 m2 shall absorb such deformation and maintain its elasticity, having observed the provisions of Chapter VI of Title Six of the Rules and Regulations, for the necessary clearances to absorb seismic .

123

ARTICLE 221 .- The windows, gates, walls and other elements of comprehensive facade must withstand loads caused by gusts of wind, as established in Chapter VII of Title Six of the Rules and Regulations.

For these elements, the Delegation, the prior opinion of the Ministry of Works and Services and of itself, may require proof of wind resistance to natural size.

END OF REGULATION OF CONSTRUCTION FOR FEDERAL DISTRICT (2004) BELOW ARE SOME NUMBERS FROM THE 1993 REGULATIONS Article 5 .- For purposes of these Regulations, buildings in the Federal District classified into the following genres and ranges of magnitude: building materials, more than 500 m² to 1.000 m² electrical, sanitary, more than 1.000 m² to 5.000 m² Gender magnitude and intensity of occupation hardware, vehicles, more than 5.000 m² to 10.000 m² I. ROOM machinery, parts and more than 10.000 m² Single Family Housing I.1 minimum 24 m² minimum junkyards; workshops improvement actions vehicles or machinery) existing housing. ‘ 33 m² minimum for new housing popular progressive.

Shops II.2.8 services (up to 100 m² 45 m² minimum for new housing popular term. eg.: restrooms, classrooms of more than 100 m² to 500 m² 60 to 92 m² interest housing medium residential.

Multi-family up to 4 levels I.2 (3 to 50 units) from 5 to 10 levels beauticians, hairdressers, more than 500 m². laundries, dry cleaners, II. SERVICES FEDERAL DISTRICT LEGISLATURE II.1 offices up to 30 m² COMMISSION ON SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATICS 5 over 30 m² to 100 m² tailors, workshops II.1.1 administration up to 100 m² Repair items public more than 100 m² general cleaning (Including banks) to 1.000 m². and maintenance of buildings, II.1.2 Management of more than 1.000 m² to 10.000 m² rental services Private over 10.000 m² up to 4 levels Articles in general) more than 10.000 m² II.3 HEALTH 5 to 10 levels II.3.1 hospitals or clinics to 10 beds more than 10 levels II.3.2 clinics and health centers more than 10 beds or clinics II.2 TRADE (Eg.: Clinics, up to 250 m² FEDERAL DISTRICT LEGISLATURE COMMISSION ON SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATICS 4 health centers, clinics, more than 250 m² emergency and general and up to 4 levels II.2.1 Storage and up to 1.000 m² laboratories) from 5 to 10 levels supply (eg.: central over 1.000 m² to 5.000 m² more than 10 levels supply or holds more than 5.000 m².

II.3.3 social assistance (eg.: Up to 250 occupants perishable products from treatment centers of more than 250 occupants collection and transfer, holds chronic diseases, seeds, eggs, dairy or grocery integration, protection, lumber yards, vehicles orphanages, nursing homes and birthplace) machinery, liquid gas, fuel, II.3.4 animal assistance to 300 m² gas stations, warehouses of explosives, more than 300 m². traces, refrigerators or bakeries, silos and hoppers).

II.4 Education and culture up to 250 concurrent II.2.2 commodity Stores up to 250 m² II.4.1 Basic Education over 250 concurrent (Eg.: Grocery, groceries, more than 250 m² Secondary education II.4.2 4 levels processed food, wine, II.4.3 Higher Education 5 to 10 levels bakeries, grain sales, Scientific Institutes II.4.4 over 10 levels. seed, feed, chiles, II.4.5 facilities for up to 1.000 m² Nixtamal Mills items displays (eg.: more than 1.000 m² to 10.000 m² in general, pharmacies, drugstores botanical gardens, more than 10.000 m² and drugstores). zoos, aquariums, museums, up to 4 levels Specialty Shops II.2.3 to 2.500 m² art galleries, exhibitions over 4 levels more than 2.500 m² to 5.000 m² Temporary, planetary) more than 5.000 m² II.4.6 Information Centres (for up to 500 m² . eg.: archives, centers for more than 500 m² II.2.4 convenience stores up to 250 m² information processors, up to 4 levels over 250 m² to 5.000 m² libraries, newspaper) over 4 levels. more than 5.000 m² FEDERAL DISTRICT LEGISLATURE II.2.5 department stores up to 2,500 m² COMMISSION ON SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATICS 6 more than 2.500 m² to 5.000 m² II.4.7 religious facilities up to 250 concurrent more than 5.000 m² to 10.000 m² (Temples, places of worship more than 250 concurrent more than 10.000 m² and seminars) Shopping II.2.6 4 levels Historic Sites II.4.8 any size (Including markets) more than 4 levels.

II.5 Recreation to 120 m² II.2.7 Sale of materials and up to 250 m² Food and beverage II.5.1 of 120 m² vehicles (eg. of more than 250 m² to 500 m² 124

(Eg.: Cafés, eateries, up to 250 concurrent restaurants, pubs, bars, more than 250 attendees. beer, pulque, shopping night) II.5.2 Entertainment (eg.: Up to 250 concurrent auditoriums, theaters, cinemas, over 250 concurrent concert halls, movie library, convention centers, outdoor theaters, fairs, circuses and drive-ins) II.5.3 Social Recreation (for up to 250 users eg.: community centers, more than 250 users cultural, country clubs, courses, social clubs, lounges banquet, party or dance) II.5.4 Sports and recreation (up to 5.000 m² eg.: horse tracks, more than 5.000 m² charros paintings, fields and up to 250 concurrent sports centers, stadiums, from 251 to 1.000 concurrent race tracks, road courses, from 1.001 to 10.000 concurrent greyhound racing, velodrome, more than 10,000 concurrent shooting fields, pools, arenas, bowling, billiards, rinks, games electronic or table) Accommodation for up to 100 quarts II.6 II.6.1 Hotels more than 100 rooms Motels II.6.2 4 levels 5 to 10 levels more than 10 levels.

II.6.3 Guesthouses and up to 25 occupants Hostel from 26 to 100 occupants more than 100 occupants.

FEDERAL DISTRICT LEGISLATURE COMMISSION ON SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATICS 7 II.7. Up to 250 occupants II.7.1 Defense (Air Force, more than 250 occupants Navy and Army) any size Police II.7.2 (POE, stations, power stations, police, closure of vehicles) II.7.3 Fire II.7.4 Prisons and Remand Emergency II.7.5 (positions relief and central ambulances) II.8 Funeral Cemeteries to 1.000 mass II.8.1 II.8.2 mausoleums and cremation pits over 1.000 II.8.3 funeral homes to 300 m² over 300 m² up to 250 concurrent more than 250 attendees.

II.9 Communications transport up to 1.000 m² covered II.9.1 Land transport, more than 1.000 m² covered stations and terminals Stands up to 250 drawers II.9.1.1 more than 250 drawers 4 levels more than 4 levels.

II.9.2 Air transport any size II.9.3 Communications (eg.: Any size and central agencies postal, telegraph and phone, gas stations radio and television studios film) III. INDUSTRY FEDERAL DISTRICT LEGISLATURE

COMMISSION ON SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATICS 8 Heavy Industry III.1 up to 50 employees III.2 Industry median plus 50 workers Light industry III.3 IV. OPEN SPACE IV.1 Squares and concourses to 1.000 m² more than 1.000 m² up to 10.000 m² more than 10.000 m².

IV.2 gardens and parks, to 1 ha. over 1 ha. up to 5 hectares. more than 5 hectares. up to 50 hectares. more than 50 hectares.

V. INFRASTRUCTURE V.1 plants, stations, and any size substations V.2 towers, antennas, masts up to 8 m. high and stacks of more than 8 m. up to 30 m. high more than 30 m. high.

V.3 warehouses and any size Sumps and pumps V.4 V.5 Urns VI. Agriculture, livestock and FOREST VI.1 Forest up to 50 workers Agricultural VI.2 (eg.: 51 to 250 employees agribusiness, stables, over 250 workers stables and farms) Be considered minimum housing which has at least one habitable room and services Complete kitchen and bathroom.

The typology established Article 57. No building permit will be required to perform the following works: I. The buildings referred to section V of Article 41 of this Regulation, that meet the following characteristics: a) It is built on a land area of 200 m²; b) Have a maximum of 60 square meters of construction; c) That the work reaches a maximum height of 5.50 m; d) having no clear over 4 m. and e) To give written notice to the Delegation for the commencement and termination of work, attaching drawings indicating location and name and address of the owner or possessor.

II. Replacement and repair of the finished construction and repair and implementation of facilities they do not affect the structural elements of the same; III. Interior partitions in offices and shop floors when your weight is considered in structural design; IV. Waterproofing and repair of roofs, without affecting the structural elements; V. Urgent works to prevent accidents, subject to giving notice to the Department within a maximum of seventy-two hours from the date of the commencement of works; VI. Demolitions up a cabinet of sixteen square meters, if unoccupied, without affecting the stability of the rest of the building. This exception does not operate the case of property referred to the Federal Law on Monuments and Sites Archaeological, historical and artistic; VII. Temporary buildings for use in offices, warehouses or land surveillance for building a site and corresponding health services;

125

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS FOR OCCUPANCY AND OPERATION Tipología Local

Dimensiones Area o Indice

Libres Lado (metros)

Mínimas Altura (metros)

Observaciones

INSTALACIONES PARA EXHIBICIONES Exposiciones temporales

1 m²/ persona

____

3.00

____ ____

2.50 2.50

____

2.50

____

2.50

(i)

CENTROS DE INFORMACION Salas de lectura Acervos

I. HABITACION

2.5 m²/lector 150 libros/m²

Locales

INSTALACIONES RELIGIOSAS

habitables: Recámara única o principal Recámaras adicionales y alcoba Estancias Comedores Estancia-comedores (integrados) Locales complementarios: Cocina Cocineta integrada a estancia-comedor cuarto de lavado cuartos de aseo, despensas y similares Baños y sanitarios

7.00 m²

2.40

2.30

6.00 m²

2.00

2.30

7.30 m² 6.30 m²

2.60 2.40

2.30 2.30

Salas de culto Hasta 250 concurrentes

Más de 250 concurrentes

13.60 m²

2.60

2.30

II.5 RECREACION ALIMENTOS Y BEBIDAS

3.00 m²

1.50

2.30

_____ 1.68 m²

2.00 1.40

2.30 2.10

Areas de comensales Areas de cocina y servicios

_____ _____

____ ____

2.10 2.10

a)

De más de 100 hasta 1,000 m² De más de 1,000 hasta 10,000 m² Más de 10,000 m²

2.30

____

2.30

____

0.5 m²/ asiento 1.75 m³/ persona

0.45

3.00

0.7 m²/ persona 3.50 m³/ persona

0.45/ asiento

3.00

3.00

2.50

(c) 5.00 m²/ persona 6.00 m²/ persona 7.00 m²/ persona 8.00 m²/ persona

____

2.30

____

2.30

____

2.30

____

2.30

Más de 250 concurrentes

Vestíbulos: Hasta 250 concurrentes

Más de 250 concurrentes _____

____

2.30

_____ _____

____ ____

2.50 3.00

1.3 m² /usuario _____ _____

(e)

ENTRETENIMIENTO Salas de espectáculos Hasta 250 concurrentes

II.2. COMERCIO Areas de venta Hasta 120 m² De más de 120 m² hasta 1,000 m² Mayores de 1,000 m² Baños públicos, zona de baños de vapor usuario Gasolineras II.3. SALUD

1.00 m²/comensal 0.50 m²/comensal

(f,g)

(b)

II. SERVICIOS II.1 OFICINAS

Suma de áreas y locales de trabajo: Hasta 100 m²

0.5 m²/persona 1.75 m³/ persona 0.7 m²/persona 3.5 m³/ persona

Caseta de proyección Taquilla

0.25 m²/ asiento

(g,h)

(g,h)

0.03 m²/ asiento

5.00

3.00

5m² 1m²

_____ _____

2.40 2.10

(j)

RECREACION SOCIAL

____

2.70 4.20

Salas de reunión

1 m²/ persona

_____

2.50

_____

3.00

2.40

2.30

_____ 20.00 m²/ andén

2.00

_____

3.00

3.00

1.00

0.80

2.10

HOSPITALES DEPORTES Y RECREACION

ARTICULO CUARTOS de camas Individual 7.30 m² Comunes _____

2.70 3.30

2.40 2.40

CLINICAS Y CENTROS DE SALUD Consultorios 7.30 m²

2.10

2.30

Graderías

II.6. ALOJAMIENTO ARTICULO CUARTOS de hoteles, moteles casas de huéspedes y albergues 7.00 m²

ASISTENCIA SOCIAL Dormitorios para más de 4 personas en orfanatorios, asilos, centros de integración

10.00 m²/ persona

2.90

2.30

II.4. EDUCACION Y CULTURA EDUCACION ELEMENTAL, MEDIA Y SUPERIOR Aulas Superficie total, predio Areas de esparcimiento en jardines de niños En primarias y secundarias

0.45/ asiento

(d)

II.9. COMUNICACIONES Y TRANSPORTES TRANSPORTES TERRESTRES TERMINALES Y ESTACIONES Andén de pasajeros Sala de espera

0.9 m²/ alumno

____

2.70

ESTACIONAMIENTOS

2.50 m²/alumno

____

____

Caseta de control

0.60 m²/alumno

____

____

1.25 m²/alumno

____

____

III. INDUSTRIA IV. ESPACIOS ABIERTOS

Las dimensiones libres mínimas

V. INFRAESTRUCTURA

serán las que establezcan las Normas

VI. AGRICOLA, FORESTAL Y ACUIFERO

Técnicas Complementarias

OBSERVACIONES: a) La dimensión de lado se refiere a la longitud de la cocineta. b) Las dimensiones libres mínimas para los espacios de los muebles sanitarios se establece en el artículo 83 de este Reglamento. c) Incluye privados, salas de reunión, áreas de apoyo y circulaciones internas entre las área amuebladas para trabajo de oficina.

126

blece

área

SANITATION REQUIREMENTS Cada 200 personas adicionales o fracción

D.- REQUERIMIENTOS MINIMOS DE SERVICIOS SANITARIOS

2

2

2

2 4

2 4

_____ _____

2

2

_____

1 2

1 2

1 2

1

2

1

Estadios: Tipología

Magnitud

Excusados

Lavabos

Regaderas

2 3

2 2

_____ _____

2

1

_____

2 3 4 5

2 2 2 3

_____ _____ _____ _____

3

2

_____

II. SERVICIOS II.I. OFICINAS: Hasta 100 personas De 101 a 200 Cada 100 adicionales o fracción II.2. COMERCIO: Hasta 25 empleados De 26 a 50 De 51 a 75 De 76 a 100 Cada 100 adicionales o fracción II.2.8 BAÑOS PUBLICOS: Hasta 4 usuarios De 5 a 10 De 11 a 20 De 21 a 50 Cada 50 adicionales o fracción

1 2 3 4

1 2 3 4

1 2 4 8

3

3

4

II.3. SALUD:

Hasta 100 personas De 101 a 200 Cada 200 personas adicionales o fracción II.6. ALOJAMIENTO: Hasta 10 huéspedes De 11 a 25 Cada 25 adicionales o fracción II.7. SEGURIDAD Hasta 10 personas de 11 a 25 Cada 25 adicionales o fracción

1 2

1 2

1 2

1

1

1

II.8. SERVICIOS FUNERARIOS: Funerarias y velatorios: Hasta 100 personas De 101 a 200 personas Cada 200 personas adicionales o fracción

2 4

2 4

_____ _____

2

2

_____

1 2

1 2

_____ _____

Salas de espera: Por cada 100 personas De 101 a 200 Cada 100 adicionales o fracción Cuartos de camas: Hasta 10 camas

De 11 a 25 Cada 25 adicionales o fracción

2 3

2 2

_____ _____

2

1

_____

1

1

1

3

2

2

1

1

1

2 3 4 5

2 2 2 3

_____ _____ _____ _____

3

2

_____

Empleados: Hasta 25 empleados De 26 a 50 De 51 a 75 De 76 a 100 Cada 100 adicionales o fracción II.4. EDUCACION Y CULTURA EDUCACION ELEMENTAL MEDIA SUPERIOR Cada 50 alumnos Hasta 75 alumnos De 76 a 150 Cada 75 adicionales o fracción

2 3 4

2 2 2

_____ _____ _____

2

2

_____

CENTROS DE INFORMACION: Hasta 100 personas De 101 a 200 Cada 200 adicionales o fracción

2 4

2 4

_____ _____

2

2

_____

2 4

2 4

_____ _____

1

1

_____

II.9. COMUNICACIONES Y TRANSPORTES: Estacionamientos: Empleados Público Terminales y estaciones de transporte: Hasta 100 personas De 101 a 200 Cada 200 adicionales o fracción Comunicaciones: Hasta 100 personas De 101 a 200 adicionales o fracción

2 4

2 4

1 2

2

2

1

2 3 2

2 2 1

_____ _____ _____

III. INDUSTRIAS: Industrias, almacenes y bodegas donde se manipulen materiales y sustancias que ocasionen manifiesto desaseo: Hasta 25 personas De 26 a 50 De 51 a 75 De 76 a 100 Cada 100 adicionales o fracción Demás industrias, almacenes y (bodegas): Hasta 25 personas De 26 a 50 De 51 a 75 De 76 a 100 Cada 100 adicionales o fracción

2 3 4 5

2 3 4 4

2 3 4 4

3

3

3

2 3 4 5

1 2 3 3

1 2 2 3

3

2

2

INSTALACIONES PARA EXHIBICIONES: Hasta 100 personas De 101 a 400 Cada 200 adicionales o fracción II.5. RECREACION ENTRETENIMIENTO: Hasta 100 personas De 101 a 200 Cada 200 adicionales o fracción

2 4

2 4

_____ _____

2

2

_____

2 4

2 4

2 4

DEPORTES Y RECREACION: Canchas y centros deportivos Hasta 100 personas De 101 a 200

IV. ESPACIOS ABIERTOS: Jardines y parques: Hasta 100 personas De 101 a 400 Cada 200 adicionales o fracción

2 4

2 4

_____ _____

1

1

_____

En edificaciones de comercio los sanitarios se proporcionarán para empleados y público e partes iguales, dividiendo entre dos las cantidades indicadas.

En los baños públicos y en deportes al aire libre se deberá contar, además, con un vestido casillero o similar por cada usuario.

En baños de vapor o de aire caliente se deberán colocar adicionalmente dos regaderas d agua caliente y fría y una de presión; V. Los excusados, lavabos y regaderas a que se refiere la tabla de la fracción anterior, s distribuirán por partes iguales en locales separados para hombres y mujeres. En los casos en qu se demuestre el predominio de un sexo sobre otro entre los usuarios, podrá hacerse la proporció equivalente, señalándolo así en el proyecto; VI. En el caso de locales sanitarios para hombres será obligatorio agregar un mingitorio par locales con un máximo de dos excusados. A partir de locales con tres excusados, podrá sustituirs uno de ellos por un mingitorio, sin necesidad de recalcular el número de excusados. E procedimiento de sustitución podrá aplicarse a locales con mayor número de excusados, pero l proporción entre éstos y los mingitorios no excederá de uno a tres;

127

3/Alter The project is a proactive framework of site conditions for future settlement. This means the program is a specific set of parts that can be combined into infinite necessary combinations as the user sees fit. These conditions and parts are determined by existing factors such as demographics, faith, historical settlement trends (patterns), proximities, production capabilities, and infrastructure systems. The project would become a system that can grow, grounded in pre-determined site conditions. Literally this is a structural system with connections to infrastructure and open space would be installed, then pieces of program (to be examined in this chapter) would be available for individual arrangement and insertion based on individual preferences. This will be modular and re-arrangeable.

To determine where implementation is necessary it is first required to examine global conditions.

128

rnatives

Logistics Location: La Tabla, Mexico City, Mexico Coordinates: 19°32’39” N, 99°05’03” Elevation: 8202 ft. [2500 m.]

Population [urban]: 20,450,000 Population [local]: 100,000 Size: 107 acres Building Code: Mexico City Building Code MCBC Pros: incredible existing sense of community, and a very exciting human and topographical terrain to prepare for expansion.

Cons: expansion is difficult here, terrain is treacherous, the issue is creating a system that is integrated with existing communities while providing something sustainably expandable.

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The most basic part of the entire urban system is the living unit, where the family inhabits. The adaptation of the individual happens in this 300-2225 ft² module.

The default unit is assumed with a specific size but everything else is flexible and the unit itself may be completely different within a year in terms of size, materiality, and adjacencies. Every default unit is designed socially, economically, and spatially for the specific user who will purchase and inhabit based on their story and the future they envision. In this way the entire project is forward thinking and based on futures.

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Default living unit

x2

x2

‘average’ family 5 members 1150 ft²

young couple 2 members 500 ft²

student 1 members 300 ft²

market owners 4 members 620 ft²

compact house 1-4 members 525 ft²

x2 x3 x3 large family 6 members 1225 ft²

newly married 2 members 600 ft²

single worker 1 member 500 ft²

doctor 3-4 members 810 ft²

x2

x2

x3

dense house 4-8 members 950 ft²

x3

x3

x2 extended family 5-8 members 1175 ft²

young kids 3-4 members 750 ft²

single artist 1 members 575 ft²

single mother 2-3 members 525 ft²

the architect 1 member 600 ft²

self producers 4-5 members 650 ft² (no ag.)

luxury edition 3-10 members 2225 ft²

x3

very extended family 8-10 members 1475 ft²

the healer 1 members 275 ft²

self-employed 1-2 member 650 ft²

House: sizes, adjacencies, and expansion potential are determined by the occupant, occupation, size of family, and personal desires. For example, the student only needs one bedroom and smaller amenities due to cost and lack of necessity for a larger place. For the extended family, however, more space is needed altogether but at the same time, privacy through organization must be considered when housing so many people together. The house must be vertically and horizontally expandable and connections to infrastructure must be simple. Each house should provide for one family but expand or connect together to hold up to 3.

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Each urban module contains foremost a set of guidelines on where, how, and when to be inserted based on how each piece should perform.

House_Living: [10’-20’x10’-20’] >Each living space may be used as a kitchen, bedroom, washroom, business space, office, and meeting place and thus must be provided with the necessary amenities and hookups of each. >Will perform as the primary space in the dwelling, used over 75% of the time the family is home. >Needs to be self sufficient and allow for all power and water to be disconnected in the construction, addition, or adaptation processes. >Primary connection to all other parts of house including outdoor space.

House_Bedroom: [10’x10’] >For anywhere between 1 and 5 people per room, including extended family, thus it must provide adequate space for bunk beds, privacy, separation. >To be flexibly used as creative space, office, extra living space, or future commercial opportunity. >Performs as separate module in order to be moved, altered, or replaced over time.

House_Kitchen: [5’x10’] >Many current settlements do not have a separate kitchen but one is offered here to open up the living space to further activities. >To serve a family of up to 10 with one module >To connect easily to any unit whenever expansion has made a separate kitchen necessary.

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House_Facilities: [5’x5’] >To act as a toilet room and the main source of water for the house thus the washroom and bath. >Each unit will have a toilet and water spigot which can be connected to a sink, shower, and/or tub. >With almost 60% of current homes without a tap, this is a crucial piece to creating a sustainable form of expansion in these communities.

module

House_Green: [5’x5’] >Easily accessible from the home and privatized enough to provide quiet and sanctuary >Uses the 5’x5’ module and can be expanded to become a small sport field or garden > Flexible and unprogrammed in order to become a laundry room, outdoor living space, social gathering area, or any other unique use >Self production can begin here with small scale farming, manufacturing, or designing.

Garden: [5’x5’] > These will be expandable easily, in 10’x10’ plots. Instead of acting like one unit > A mosaic throughout the community consuming spaces with flowers or vegetables where space would otherwise be used for trash or waste. > Should be drought resistant and endemic, using on-site soil and landscaping Production: [10’x10’] >Each plot must produce for as many people as inhabit that much land; for every plot 2-10 people must be sustained, but more is preferred. >Protected from settlement or other use, must be fenced and implemented early for the benefits are great but the loss is worse if there are too few. >Crops must be sustainable and used partially for export outside of community. >Community owned but supported by individuals.

Sport: [NA] >Goal posts are provided but not specified in order to allow for several types of sports depending on nation, season, and desirability >Promotes social interaction, fun, and a healthy active lifestyle in a non-obtrusive way >Can be used 24 hours, every day, and as a grounds for competitions, entertainment, disaster refuge, or future land for controlled development.

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Commercial: [10’x15’] >Must be able to connect to existing or proposed homes, although a separate module as the tendency is to operate business out of the home. >Provides community with necessities but will also act as a business startup allowing for upward mobility and distribution of wealth >Should perform as a standardized market module but adapt to different market types including repair shops, grocery stores, and service offices.

Faith: [25’x20’] >The quietest place in the community >This module eases the pain of death, sickness, and hardship through it’s simple existence and assumed purpose of a place of worship. >Must be built with respect and quality, the community will take care of this piece over anything and must be protected yet exposed.

Education: [10’x25’] >To be used in a decentralized manner until the community needs a centralized facility for all children. >To house up to 50 children per session or 100 children per day, and up to 40 adults for night sessions or community meetings >Natural light and ventilation is absolutely necessary for regular purposes in order to allow education to begin as soon as possible and continue without necessary infrastructure.

Health: [10’x10’] >Current facilities are centralized. This will not be.

Instead the module is to be specifically inserted where it is deemed necessary by proximity and demographic (children/seniors vs normal adults). >To serve up to 40 patients per day and act as an expandable emergency facility in disasters. >Must be secure and well built; assumed to be the last standing structure in a severe disaster.

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Police: [10’x25’] >Must perform better and provide better facilities than the citizen police forces already existing. >Must become a place of comfort and safety rather than fear of trouble or corruption. >Holds up to 4 inmates for a very short period of time, thus must be secure and not outwardly public, but expandable if room is needed.

Fire/Emergency Response: [10’x25’] >These should perform as call centers and emergency preparation centers, easily accessible and available to all members of the community. >Will grow OR disperse as the community gets larger depending on available space. >Also acts as a vocational school and must be located within the community as a primary piece and not on the outskirts.

Recycling/Waste: [10’x25’] >To perform differently as waste and recycling but use same module and hookups >Connects directly to transportation infrastructure >Must be secure so valuable recycling goods and building materials are not stolen. >Distributed evenly throughout community and doubles as a shop for materials and goods.

Transportation: [16’x?’] >Connected directly or indirectly to formal city and directly to any system within the community. >Becomes a hub once installed acting as a commercial, social, and transportation core. >Must provide for informal shops, street vendors, safety of children and young adults traveling to school, must be inexpensive so tickets are cheap.

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The social model is oriented around the existing patterns of human settlement in order to salvage the potential for very socially and economically strong communities and households. This is bolstered by an inclination towards providing more room for human interaction in vocational opportunities, sports, and casual social interactions.

CH UR CH

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Social model

200’

120’

Pros: >Great opportunities for interaction >Recognizes traditional building patterns and typologies with the centralized faith module >Strong sense of local community >The interior space promises to be productive because of the specific programming and protected environment created by the surrounding buildings >Children will be protected and location of school is very close to every home >Least expensive model to expand upon because of the normalized original construction and linear pattern >Commercial spaces are directly connected to homes and easily accessible from major streets Cons: >Somewhat insolated; although there is a strong sense of community it is localized >Vertical expansion may begin to shade the open centralized core >Any expansion towards the interior deteriorates the original ideology >Proximities to necessary pieces may become far as the community grows Program Info: Residences: (16) 9950 ft² Commercial: 1200 ft² Production: .14 acres Open Space: sport field, central & personal gardens Religious: 900 ft² Recycling/Waste: 400 ft² Health/Safety: 700 ft² (2) Education: 250 ft² (1) Transport: N/A Total: 12,900 ft² Density: 38 dwellings/acre Lot Coverage (per acre avg): 65% Expansion: mostly following terrain

Soccer in Argentina (Image from waterfrontfilm.org)

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The formal city is not the solution to the issues at the outskirts. Providing formalities in informally oriented settlements gentrifies and removes the community at hand. Essentially, affordable housing is the ultimate necessity in these areas. However, without a lucrative micro-business environment based in self production and entrepreneurship the economics of any society will stall. This model provides both affordable, desirable housing and opportunities for lucrative business.

165’

34’

SPO RT

PRO DU

CTI ON

72’

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NTA CT

RO AD

Economic model

TRA NSI TH UB

165’

50’

Pros: >Cost of construction is low since the system is regulated >Public transit is integrated directly within the community and easily expanded >Insertion of modules is easy and fast due to prefabricated structural system >Self production is very high with personal, community, and public production zones >High density allows for an integration between production and living >Sense of community is strong due to common production areas and gardens >Current local expansion typologies are somewhat preserved and connected but in a controlled system >All undesirable services are separated from residents >Vertical expansion is unlimited and terrain is not an issue >Private yards secure personalized outdoor space even with the very high density >Public and civic modules may eventually be inserted into the upper levels creating a true vertical city Cons: >Danger of becoming a slum typology with the proposed high density and vertical expansion >Bad proximities between the upper floors and the services on the ground >Circulation within the system itself may be confusing and difficult to insert once built >Vertical expansion must be controlled or lower levels may become very undesirable Program Info: Residences: 12,760 ft² (20) Commercial: 600+ ft² Production: .02 acre (does not include personal) Open Space: sport field, personal production & open Religious: 500 ft² Recycling/Waste: 200 ft² (1) Health/Safety: 100 ft² (1) Education: 250 ft² (2) Transport: 512 ft² Total: 14,922 ft² Density: 245 dwellings/acre (depending on height) Lot Coverage (per acre avg): 100% Expansion: vertical then horizontal

Prefabricated system in Brazil (Image from archinect.com)

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The critical response to the new world challenges of food shortages, drought, and famine due to human and natural causes is a model of settlement based on self production and self reliance. As residents begin to grow their own food, manage their own water and waste, and are provided with adequate safety and healthcare, the rapid expansion of the megacity is not as daunting.

40’ 80’

50’

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Production model

200’

200’

Pros: >Very high production and export levels due to large, centralized, protected zones and direct connection to public transport >Public transportation works very well and provides lucrative opportunities for transit oriented commercial around the station >Vertical and horizontal expansion is possible but somewhat limited >Linear system makes construction inexpensive >All modules will receive adequate light and ventilation due to open central zone >Hierarchy is well organized as closer to ground level becomes more commercial and public >Allows for plenty of urban relief and open space >Very easy to connect to existing utilities >Understandable, not confusing, nobody will get lost

Cons: >Difficult to repeat or expand in an informal community and does not respond to terrain well >Focus on production zones hinders community development thus very little sense of real community >Too much open space devoured by farming >Linear system is opposite of current ideologies and thus initially undesirable >Faith module is relegated to the back of the module and the focus is shifted to the production zone >Wasted space between housing units >Very bad proximity to services due to large open space >Feels a bit like a condo complex >Some adjacencies are awkward (church v sport field, safety v residential, school v production) Program Info: Residences: 18,000 ft² (18) Commercial: 1275+ ft² Production: .26 acre Open Space: sport field, shared gardens, personal Religious: 500 ft² Recycling/Waste: 400 ft² (2) Health/Safety: 600 ft² (1) Education: 500 ft² (2) Transport: 1500 ft² Total: 22,275 ft² Density: 36 dwellings/acre Lot Coverage (per acre avg): 46% Expansion: mostly vertical

Sociopolis I, Manuel Gausa (Image from gausaraveauarq.com

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An urban ideology similar to those of ancient villages where human settlement is basic yet sustained is not as much a specific settlement suggestion as provision for the future installment of clusters. Instead of following the political standard of inserting a grid and then filling it, or the current standard of expanding both infrastructure and fill at the same time, this new ideology will be supported by only a very minimal and controlled set of in-place infrastructure (one or two contact roads) conceptually handing control of human settlement patterns to the residents themselves. The necessary control comes in the specific development of each module. Expansion for the individual is contained within each module. At an urban scale, expansion is controlled in the design of each module whether it is vertical, horizontal, metabolic, megastructural, or hybrid growth.

The purpose of the system is to expand. In these areas, lack of strict codes allow expansion to occur in 3 dimensions and thus the building envelope is infinite.

HYPOTHETICAL ENVELOPE

(BASED ON AN “UNSAFE BLDG. / IN COLLAPSE WILL CAUSE HIGH DEATHS)

SECONDARY GRID PRIMARY ROAD

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urban ideology

TERTIARY GRID

ABYANEH, IRAN (1073)

Settlement occurred where it had to. Roads were a by-product of settlement, a gap in building, because people simply had to get from place to place.

MEXICO CITY (2011)

Roads are provided in a strict, grid pattern and as plots are sold, attached affordable housing is produced and infills the grid with no attention to detail, personal desires, or landscape.

FRINGE URBANISM (UNDETERMINED)

The connection to existing settlement is established at a minimal level in order to allow for maximum natural human occupation. At most a few roads are established where expansion will be anchored.

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power in transport water in

waste out

Contact Roads: A few primary roads are inserted as connectors to the existing community.

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Infrastructure: Incoming and outgoing infrastructure is connected to that contact road.

waste out

Add People + Connect: Allow the occupants to connect, build, and expand on their own, similar to the existing community but structured and legal.

Autonomous Growth: Expansion occurs naturally but in a controlled system. The occupant may create organic forms within the overall urban structure.

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4/Desig Initial exercises were socially based, focused on the human aspect of extreme overcrowding and the atmosphere of the megacity. These ideologies became architecture as the planning, construction, and design guidelines were essentially turned over to the occupants. ! ! !

NO MORE ROOM, THERE ARE NO SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS.

INTERSECTIONS OF PATHS ARE WHERE CORES ARE BEGUN.

PUBLIC PLANES ARE CONSTRUCTED PRE-FABRICATED RESIDENCES ON EXPANDING STRUCTURE. CONNECT TO STRUCTURAL CORES 148

THE INFANT SYSTEM IS CONNECTED TO EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE

NOW SUSTAINABLE GROWTH CAN HAPPEN! ON THE GROUND AND OFF...

gn FAMILY PACKED INTO HILLSIDE

THEY WILL SURELY CONTINUE TO EXPAND

AND THERE IS NO MORE ROOM TO GO UP

BUT THEY LIKE THEIR ROOFTOP SPACES

FOR GARDENING

FOR PARTYING

...AND FOR LAUNDRY

BUT THEY ARE STARTING TO FILL WITH PROGRAM AND STORAGE...

BASICALLY THEY HAVE NO MORE ROOM...

CURRENT SYSTEMS DON’T ALLOW THAT GROWTH SAFELY OR SUSTAINABLY

WHICH ARE PARTIALLY MANUFACTURED OFF SITE.

NOBODY DOES!

THE FAMILY MOVES JUST BEYOND THE FRINGES.

...SHIPPED TO THE SITE AND CONNECTED TOGETHER.

BUT WHAT IF THEY COULD EXPAND?

WHERE THEY CAN CHOOSE THE PIECES THEY WANT...

HOOKED UP TO INFRASTRUCTURE...

AND GROW!?

...AND THE MATERIALS AND SIZES

AND LIVED IN. IT CAN GROW!

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Government housing is impersonal and anonymous.

Megastructures do not respond to existing fabric.

Situationalists are too utopian.

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The solution is a system that integrates existing settlement patterns and new vertical solutions when horizontality (diagonality) is done. Keep in mind that construction systems are similar to ones in existence.

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20m

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The New Settlement Ideology Establish Nodes: In order to make an appropriate decision on where these systems are to be initiated we must examine the existing urban fabric and create new districts or zones based on where implied paths of travel, settlement, or usage will occur within the next half century. In order to do this, major roadways are extended either physically or visually. Where these paths of travel intersect is where nodes are established.

The lines created in the terrain by these paths also create shapes that will become separate usage zones.

For instance, connecting a major outlying roadway with three others will create a sort of parallelogram within which may be a new sort of mountainous agriculture zone. Other zones may be transportation corridors or extensions of the informal communities further down the hill.

Inhabit Terrain: This is done in three steps. First the public use platforms (or foundations) are established as the inherent base for future vertical growth. Next, a fairly basic system of retaining walls are provided which include hookups for infrastructure and utilities. Lastly, within this retaining wall structure users implant their pre-designed homes that may either be constructed by a team or even themselves. The public platforms surrounding the tower foundations begin to serve as markets, sports fields, or other public program.

Sustainable Vertical Growth: On those foundations, the first 24 ft. increments of vertical growth are installed with all necessary connections to utilities, transportation, and future structural implications for residential units. Each 24 ft. increment is designed by a committee very closely chosen by the relevant communities which potentially include green space, public services like schools, medical clinics, or safety; sport fields, meeting halls, churches, or just open circulation. Eventually the towers will be topped out, controlled by seismic safety and density regulations and/or preferences.

Necessary Verticality: Below are diagrams of the existing neighborhood programs and the necessity to place these new programs in vertical systems in order to preserve necessary urban functions.

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Program [the new vertical typology] The primary issue with proposed vertical typologies from the 20th and 21st centuries is they are not vertical systems of inhabitancy but instead vertical blocks of requirements. Instead of creating a system that is dependent on developers, finances, and the architects will, this system performs as a direct reflection of the inhabitants desires. In essence, the human determines the section to the right, and this is only one of infinite possibilities. Just as we see in the two-dimensional layout of streets and neighborhoods, parks are adjacent to homes which are adjacent to roads that lead to places of work. This is not impossible to do vertically and, in fact, by stacking these ideologies instead of laying them out, we get a new type of urban adjacency that is compact, achievable, and efficient. Although the meeting hall may be in the forest, the residents are only a few steps away. This method also allows for adequate preservation of open space, agricultural zones, and safe places to play for the kids.

The transition from vertical to horizontal takes place a the ultimate public realm based on the platforms at the base of the tower. Anchored by a church in this case, a similar typology is followed through into the “terrain units” but instead of being placed in a vertical structure, the ideology is carried out somewhat differently, following the existing topographies as much as possible. This new system may seem unconventional or separate but it is created, actually, to be a familiar way of living to those who are used to creating the urban fabric that surrounds them.

The NL Pavilion Typology

Autonomous Space Occupancy Existing Fabric

MVRDV created this, not the residents of the town. Imagine a system that is more autonomous.

Why can’t we establish something Is ridiculous but real. similar in a vertical occupancy environment?

SHR

AG A G HOUSE GREEN HOUSE GREEN HOUSE GREEN HOUSE STREETHOUSE

EXXISST EEXISTIN STIN TIIN TI NG 158

HOUSING

GARDENS

FOREST MEETING SPORT

PARK

HOUSING

HOUSING

OFFICES

HOUSING

AGRICULTURE A GRICULTURE SCHOOL OOL OL

SERVICES

CHURCH

MARKETSTREET

PLAZA SPORT

SHRINE

STREET AGRICULTURE ULT LTU TURE HOUSE HOUSE

SE USE

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Defining the setcion takes practice. As the communities become familiar with this new, three-fold system of expansion the necessary to continue similar systems will arrive, and the optimism established will carry these places until establishment is inevitable.

social competence

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Site Plan Terrain Units: Each terrain unit acts as a piece of an overall circulation and open space system. As each unit stacks, no space is lost because every roof acts as a new piece of terrain. Each unit also has a courtyard automatically accounted for in design so that even when densities become maximized, every unit has a private outdoor space and a way to access the rest of the overall system. Each unit is flexible in that rooms can be moved around and the front door can be changed as expansion happens in every direction.

Eventually these units begin to cantilever over each other or expand vertically creating an environment where the architecture is formed by these building blocks of dwellings.

Tower Region: This area becomes a sort of hotspot where transportation, commerce, and production meet inbetween the two settlement ideologies at play. This area is mainly focused on the foundation and platforms where diverse public programs exist from markets to sports fields. Transportation is also key here as it serves as the primary connection to urban infrastructure and circulation for both the tower and the ground units.

Preserved Program (the odd shapes): In order to preserve the most important spaces that many autonomous communities will devour without a second thought, these spaces must be unique, well designed, and protected from settlement. In order to do this, the usual pattern of settlement is interrupted and replaced by pieces that seem at first abnormal, but in reality are necessarily different. These programs can be churches, playgrounds, public services, transportation hubs, or ambiguous areas that are simply oriented or created in a way that disallows any sort of residential unit to be built on the property. Essentially it does not matter what these areas become (they would be determined by the community usually anyway), it just matters they are preserved for future or immediate use as something public.

Circulation: Each zone (as created by connecting the nodes) is primarily accessed by the primary paths of travel that are extended. In many cases these are built on fairly extreme slopes, but not more extreme than already existing paths. Secondary circulation occurs on the roofs of the ground units, with primary axes preserved prior to completion of local densities. The term “road� is used lightly here. Vehicular access is possible on the primary paths but most transportation is limited to foot and cable car traffic, eventually leading to transportation hubs further down the hill where white taxi vans or parking is much more possible.

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Each foundation and set of public platforms is constructed at the aforementioned nodes. They are the first piece of the system, preserving future vertical expansion zones. They also become flexible public areas for markets, sports, or production and agriculture.

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foundations

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These units are homes and businesses and are meant to be stacked, although expansion for individual units happens horizontally. Each has a courtyard to preserve outdoor space once stacking begins and the roooftops become public space and circulation. From above, the terrain looks almost uninhabited although densities may eventually be doubled.

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terrain unit

ROOF IS GREEN & CIRCULATION

CUSTOMIZE WALLS AND MATERIALS

SINGLE / 256 FT²

INSERT WET MODULE

IMPLANT COLUMNS

2’X2’ GRID

CONCRETE FOUNDATION

DOUBLE / 512 FT² 167

Autonomous housing occupation and alteration creates the basis of a pixelated terrain determined by the desires of the users. This may become something that undulates, patternizes, or electrifies new settlements.

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This does not begin as a tower. It is an aggregation of pieces of public necessities determined by the will and need of teh users themselves. The result is formed by 24 ft. increments of pre-designed pieces of structure. Those pieces of structure include connections for residential units (to be added once the structure piece is in place), public programs organized by committees of existing and new residents, green space, primary and secondary circulation cores, and adequate vertical, horizaontal, and lateral support.

As these pieces stack, vertical neighborhoods form and the residents are integrated into the construction and formation of not only their own residences but the communities they live in. This does become a tower, but only once vertical expansion is completed.

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vertical systems

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CIRCULATION + UTILITY CORE

PUBLIC PROGRAM MODULES

RESIDENTIAL MODULE

48’

48’

PRIMARY CONCRETE PUBLIC CONCRETE AND STEEL MESH +STEEL STRUCTURE STEEL PLANES

RESIDENTIAL UNITS

PRECAST CONCRETE PRIMARY STRUCTURE WITH STEEL MESH AND PUBLIC PLANES PROVIDING ADEQUATE EXTRA SUPPORT

?

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ECON 3RD

BASIC 3RD

ECON 2ND

1 FLOOR / 320 FT²

2 FLOORS / 640 FT²

3 FLOORS / 960 FT²

Unit Theory Each unit has several options and can be altered further once installed. A wet module (kitchen/bathroom), utility connections, one partition wall, stair cutouts, and ceiling tracks are provided for future walls. From there the user picks their pieces. Personal outdoor space includes rooftops and optional balconies.

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UNIT #416.2 DURING INSTALLATION

PRECAST CONCRETE STRUCTURE STEEL UNIT SUPPORTS UNIT #416.1

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BALCONY PIECE

PRECAST CONCRETE TOWER STRUCTURE

GREEN BALCONY PIECE

FIBERGLASS COMPOSITE CEILING PANEL TO TRANSLUCENT GLASS WALL CONNECTION HOOK TO CRANE

TRANSLUCENT GLASS WALL

FIBERGLASS COMPOSITE FLOOR PANEL TO TRANSLUCENT GLASS WALL CONNECTION UTILITIES TRACK FIBERGLASS COMPOSITE PANEL GLUE SEAM

PANEL INTEGRATED WINDOW

CUSTOM COLOR COMPOSITE FACADE PANEL

UNIT TO BEAM TRACK 22” SUPPORT BEAM 177

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06-08-2011

The following photos are from the final presentation on June 8th, 2011 at Cal Poly Pomona courtesy of classmate Greg Sagherian.

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5/sour The following are professional consultations with international figures specializing in socially relevant, proactive theories and ideologies for developing territories. They range from professors in leading universities to designers in international architectural design firms. Each interview is more than a formal discussion but a story of why, how, and when these people apply their ideas to tangible real world issues.

All are organized chronologically starting with the most recent conversation.

Luz Maria Gordillo, Ph.D.Professor of History, Washington State.

Author of “The Politics of Movement: Immigration, Mexicanas, and the Role of Social Networks” and “The Bracero, the Wetback, and the Terrorist: Mexican Immigration, Legislation, and National Security” She sat next t me and my mother on the 3 hour plane ride from Los Angeles to Mexico City. She helped us with our customs forms as she knew much more Spanish than we did and soon we began to discuss informal settlements..

She had grown up in Mexico City and had witnessed the social atmosphere and political impacts of these settlements. Since this conversation itself was informal and unplanned I will summarize our discussion to the best of my ability using the notes I took as we passed over Central Mexico. What follows is as direct of a transcript as I could create from the scribbly notes taken on the plane. [12/11/2010]

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Consultations

rces Me: How do these settlements begin? Although much of Mexico City today seems very structured, these settlements had an informal beginning and began to grow. How does this happen?

LM: The land that is settled informally is government land that is “parachuted” upon. The people who settle here are called “parachuters” as they swoop in to claim public lands whenever they seem available. These communities begin to grow and at a certain point the government has to kick them out but many times the settlement is so permanent tht nothing can be done. These communities become known as “lost cities.”

Me: Is this how Mexico City has been settled for centuries or is this a new occurrence?

LM: Much of Mexico has been inhabited in a similar way. One example is the city of Neza near the airport where the community became so strong that eventually they began to run themselves. The issue is that government intervention at some point is negligible. In Neza the residents began to govern themselves. The security for residents is provided by an overall sense of fear by outsiders, thus intruders are too afraid to enter the neighborhood. But once you’re in, you’re in.

Me: So if the government is unable to play a role in the safety or health of the community, how is that provided?

LM: The community begins to care for itself. Neza is in many ways one of the more interesting communities in Mexico City because they protect themselves through an informal police force, they care for themselves through informal doctors offices, and they provide goods for themselves through a sort of informal exchange on the streets. You can find anything there. Even an organ.

My Mother: Like a piano organ?

LM: No like a liver. (laughs) Me: Nonetheless, this is illegal right?

LM: Yes it is illegal and the government uses different methods other than just direct intervention to attempt to stop this. They will actually sell public lands to rich landowners which in turn turns over responsibility to those landowners to get rid of the parachuters. Since the laws to remove people from public lands are rare this is one of the only ways the government can handle the situation.

Me: But as you said, many times the communities are already “permanent” at that point, so that considered, how does this permanence occur?

LM: The organization leads to empowerment and community. Once the residents begin to form these settlements they also begin to form a community with the other parachuters. At this point they begin to gain power and force their permanence. Essentially the residents begin to gain empowerment from their sense of community and their ability to have an expressed identity through what they build.

Me: How is this physically manifested?

LM: Although it begins as a temporary settlement, the parachuters constantly plan for the future. One example is the residents will construct their homes with 2-3 stories of structure because they foresee the need for expansion in the future. The expansion of their families, the need for more room, the possibility of more money all offer some sort of promise for the future.

Me: Where do the materials for this sort of settlement come from?

LM: Wherever they can find them. Many times pieces are recycled from the nearby dump. Some specific 187

materials are strong, compressed newspaper material and aluminum. Many of the houses in the hills are built of concrete but garage doors and tires are still a common building material as well.

Me: For me, one of the most interesting parts of these settlements, like the favelas in Brazil or slums in India, are the sort of human topographies you can witness from satellite images. In Mexico City I’ve begun to realize each of these neighborhoods has a very unique settlement pattern and in one case, to the west, the barrios in the hills border directly against country club mansions. Here’s the question: who’s happier?

LM: (laughs) Exclusivity in Mexico City is a relevant term. Gated communities are safe because they keep people out with fences. In Neza, the community is safe because to outsiders it is described as “super dangerous” thus forming a sort of exclusivity.

Me: This may sound naïve, but what form does discrimination take in Mexico City?

LM: It’s similar to the United States actually. The darker your skin the more discrimination.

Me: So is it applicable to compare settlement patterns like in the poorest areas of Los Angeles to the settlement patterns in the poorest areas of Mexico City?

LM: Absolutely. The discrimination and political turmoil is very similar in both. US and Mexico land systems are actually very similar, but Mexicans are more cynical and thus more honest. The political gloss that exists in the US is nonexistent in Mexico so the citizen is able to see the problems and issues with government. The settlement issues in Mexico City are essentially a war against economics.

Me: Okay, okay, sorry for my tangents. This might be my most important question. Infrastructure. What sort of infrastructure is necessary to these settlements? Why? What ¬type of program is needed in terms of schools, hospitals, etc? How can this be inserted?

LM: I’ll start with Neza. Here, the police force is run by the civilians and the way the community is set up, they’ve created a maze to be able to escape the real authorities. In a way they are their own contained world. In terms of program, schools are mainly “informal learning rooms” and, as I said before, healthcare is also civilian run in informal doctors offices and care facilities. Although water and power are important, drainage is perhaps the most important part of the infrastructure as it is not put into place originally and can immediately cause problems.

From this point we continued to talk informally about Mexico City, shifting to my trip and what I should take note of and what I should not miss. She gave me her card and we parted ways as we exited the plane.

Marielly Casanova, Associate at Urban Think Tank A conversation about several case studies including examples completed by Urban Think Tank. A direct interaction and discussion about her personal experiences in similar urban situations and future considerations when envisioning something at this scale with these specific political, social, and physical implications. Conducted over Skype. The conversation may be recorded as summaries for some parts for clarity. [11/29/2010] Me: Maybe we should start with what Urban Think Tank does and some precedents applicable to situations like this?

MC: Urban Think Tank uses a specific logic of these informal developments because they manage themselves through the basis of tactics and opportunities and appropriation of the space. This process can take years and is self organized and although it looks chaotic it is very organized and created through a methodical process. Cities in Latin America/India, governments are unavailable or uncapable of understanding levels and scales of societies and those settlements have different timing and processes.

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Image captured during conversation over Mexico City

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Me: What is the contrast between government assisted settlements and these organic, informal communities?

MC: For many citizens the process is zone land, sell lots, go to municipality to buy. But for part (the poorer areas) of the city, settlement doesn’t have this time because there is a need of housing, infrastructure, social organization. In Latin American cities there is a clear division between formal and informal and this has been caused from migration from countryside, industrialization of cities, and decline of agriculture in countryside.

There is a trend for huge migrations of the population to go to big cities, and these cities are not prepared or not planned to absorb this population. Thus there are 2 developments of 2 separate populations at the same time.

Me: I was originally envisioning this project in India. What, if any, are the similarities between the informal communities in India and the ones in Latin America?

MC: In India the working class moves to where they have the formal jobs. Appropriation of space here is different because they take advantage of public property and begin to encroach on private property but they are also well researched so they mark/distribute land, avoid private, availability of materials, and then start building the house. Also the family makeup is very important to the more organized settlement because of a strong network within the informal community.

Me: What are the greatest social, political, and physical considerations for a site like this in Mexico City? (terrain, demographics, existing infrastructure).

MC: Understand everything. Understand the physical context. Social context, the way they relate to each other. How the physical limitations influence directly the way they relate to each other. Culture is very important! In Aman, informal settlement based on Palestinian refugee camps is a “regular slum,” but with cultural considerations of public space (woman/man can’t be in same space). You must understand different elements that will change the way you design. Sports space for men/ Public space for women?

Me: What are your greatest considerations generally when creating theoretical solutions to massive problems like these?

MC: Should this project attempt to create mainly a social impact or future planning impact? (summary of cable car project in Caracas) Me: On that note, is providing one item like the cable car project in Caracas sufficient to solve a problem like this, or was that just introducing one part of a solution? In other words, are these communities just in need of some catalytic urban infrastructure?

MC: Every community works with different scales and different timing. In order to achieve success between necessities of communities, there must be a process of empowerment between communities. They know what they need but don’t know how to do it. Architects and designers have to understand these processes so that they don’t design top down mega projects that don’t actually deal with the reality of society (not just informal). The only way to connect these places to the formal city is a top down approach however, but it must be a catalyst and make top down and bottom up touch. Through these projects we connect places to formal city, providing accessibility (40 stories up and down the hill in Caracas), making lives easier introduces new possibilities and opportunities in economy, and social (linked to formal city), but this still is not enough!

Me: What are some of these small scale catalytic projects?

MC: Small scale infrastructure projects like a toilet, water collection from rain, graywater reuse. Think of these things that can be linked in from big infrastructure system. Plug in of different uses of community (vertical gyms, community spaces, pocket parks, music school, community gardens) You must research and listen to people. But designers are the filter to translate needs into design solutions.

Me: So here’s the scary question. What typology should I explore? Megastructure? Modular pieces? Both?

MC: A megastructure in terms of infrastructure but broken into many scales to insert into community and 190

must be a process of involving the public.

Me: Should I consider this a possible project or just accept it will never be built and treat it like a theory to be implemented into future possible ideas?

MC: That’s up to you. What are your interests? Think of it this way…Should I look at this as a provocation?

If I am to be conceptual be VERY critical, dig into politics, social elements, history, policies, how professionals deal with these problems, the way the system works. Be critical in order to bring a manifest with it/make a statement. If interest is design and creating something focus on a typology or modular system of prototype to implement in one area and possibly test it in another part of city and then test in another area of different country… how can this prototype can adapt?

Me: All of this being said, considering all my excitement and confidence, how to I avoid becoming naïve?

MC: In LA the difference between society and urban fabric is segregation. Avoiding being naïve is having a deep understanding knowledge of the place, and NOT ROMANTICIZING the idea of slum or a formal city.

Understand urban problems of LA in the sense of segregation, transportation, urban fragmentation etc these are principles where I can start as origin of my research. Realize how I deal with different urban conditions that make up what these settlements are.

60% of Caracas live in slums but as an architect and urban designer I didn’t understand the context of slum until I went to Columbia University and experienced it first hand.

CCASM Modular Music Factory, Urban Think Tank

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Me: Are there other precedents I could explore or designers to consult with?

MC: Try to understand what the process of settlement of this area is. They have their own logic and way of urbanization so understand that first! In which part of that process can I plug in with something? Ideas are coming from what I see in these places. Make a comparison of that area with a case study and don’t start from scratch but understand other projects and how they act as prototypes, see if they fit, come up with another prototype that responds to characteristics. Nothing can be from scratch because everything is there already to build from, this is how Architecture is different from Urban Design. Research Teddy Cruz.

Gabe Esquivel, Professor at Texas A&M University with a specialization in is the application of a critical diagram in the design process, and the understanding of these critical surfaces from a sense of textuality (figuration and topology) to materiality.” A discussion of the use of technology in Urban Design, precedents involving similar typologies to this one, scale, materiality, and ideologies behind restructuring the poorest areas of metropolitan centers. Conducted through email. ) (11/18/2010) Me: Introduction to project including typology, theory, and precedents.

GE: The introduction is fine, however as far as precedents, I would try to find more cases in order to create a better argument, these precedents could be from different places, trying to reinforce your arguments, slums, fabelas, etc. you need to check Praxis 2, the one on Mexico City the articles by Jose Castillo, you’ve already mentioned him.

As far as Typology, you question that notion which I agree, so if typology is argued as simply a formal device with no organizational potential, I will mention some of the INFONAVYT houses (these are the Mexican government housing projects) as examples of typology, what you are reacting against. Theory, I will suggest to introduce the notion of “territory” as a way to discuss site, Check Keller Easterling’s “Organization Space”, this a great way to discuss your proposal.

Me: At what scale do I begin to imagine a project like this?

GE: I will suggest to think in different terms like the Yona Friedman project you are looking at, take a look at the Barrio and Favela interventions by Alfredo Brillembourg and Hubert Klumpner of Urban Think Tank. I believe their discourse is quite interesting, so it could be discussed as vertical Urbanism with territories of intervention and the scale depends on the area you select.

Me: What are the greatest social, political, and physical considerations for a site like this in Mexico City? (terrain, demographics, existing infrastructure, etc).

GE: All of the above, including security, crime and violence, another problem is the squatting issues which prevents the goverment from collecting land property takes and control the abuse of stealing electrical because they don’t have utility contracts---- plus the biggest problem I think is water, in terms of shortage, capturing rain water and how to store it and flood problems, which were terrible this year. Review the Cutzamala System and Comision Nacional del Agua.

Me: Should this project attempt to create primarily a social impact or future planning impact, or both?

GE: Both, they are liked, you need to ask yourself what is it you want to discuss the importance of an intervention that redefines problems of infrastructure, security, connectivity, how can your proposal have impact on the larger picture,not just as a planning project with formal manifestation that is very old school at this point and you are manifesting that. I am sure you are familiar with Bruce Mau’s mantra.

Me: Should this be a prototype for global sites or a specifically placed and specifically relevant design to 192

this area of Mexico City?

GE: Both, it will respond to gobal and specific conditions, issues like sustainability, performance, connectivity are global technology is both and materiality and tectonics is probably a bit more specific to the territory.

Me: What typology should I explore? Megastructure? Modular pieces? Both? Neither?

GE: Don’t see at a “typological solution” I will see it as a new type of solution that includes technological, performative, organizational, and formal aspects of your research, I think you need to speculate. There are a lot of new discussions for example for the mega-structure but in terms of the things that are still relevant, which are those, you will determine that. Your research is going on the right direction but then you need to focus on the things you are more interested, as of now is quite general.

Me: What are the possibilities of technologic tools here? Should parameters be introduced into such a complex situation?

GE: Of course, technology is one of the most important aspects of the future, the myth of technology is one thing, but the use of technology as developmental and performative tools is quite important, your territory has very specific needs. You have to propose it with a sense of innovation and vision into the future, however far fetched it would seem now, providing just internet is obviously too short sighted. How can technology support your proposal? I believe we can no longer separate architecture from technology, performance, structure, systems, program and sensation.

Me: Should I consider this a possible project, or just accept it will never be built and treat it like a theory to be implemented into future possible ideas?

GE: I am speculating you are not working with a developer or the goverment, most likely it will not be built, however the importance is to introduce new visions, that is incredibly importance for your generations, you will have to begin to redefine the mess we made. I will suggest try to present it to the Mexican corresponding authorities like showing it to the Mayor of Mexico City, Marcelo Ebrhart.

Me: Are there other precedents I could explore or designers to consult with?

GE:Urban Think Tank, check the new Exhibit at MOMA regarding this type of practices.

Jasmeen Kaur and Shevata Kumar, Personal acquaintances with relevant social and typological information from New Delhi India An informal conversation about dense urban typologies of vertical living and the sprawl that occurs among both the middle class and lower class of New Delhi, India; specifically what happens when these incredibly dense areas run out of room to expand. I defined what an informal settlement was in relation to my project and gave each a background on what I’ve been studying and what I plan to accomplish through my future designs.

Conducted in person over a glass of wine. (11/14/2010) Me: What region of India are you each from?

SK: Delhi, central Delhi but I’m also familiar with the more informal settlements on the outskirts like villages along the rivers.

JK: Panjab/northern area. My mom is from Chandigare and my dad is from Jallamder.

Me: I know you’ve never studied informal settlements or slums but what can you tell me about the contrast between the city and the slum in terms of density, population, and overall context?

SK: The slums are all over Delhi and the weirdest part is they grow all the way to the edge of the nicer areas and suddenly stop. It’s inevitable that you run into one when traveling there although I’ve never been inside.

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Me: So I’m assuming that you don’t need any type of services from within the slums?

SK: No, I’ve been all throughout the city, and seen the slums but never had to actually go inside. They’re not friendly places and are very scary to outsiders.

JK: People can tell when you’re not from the area, even our skin tones are lighter, and the ways we walk and talk are also different. The women here can’t be confident culturally, can’t walk with shoulders back and there is always a high probability of attack, rape, and theft.

Me: So Jasmeen, what is your experience with informal settlements?

JK: Structures of houses are, well, great for them, but in the context of nearby urban regions they are incredibly crude. They have plain concrete floors, are always cold or hot, it stinks, and residents have to go get the water. Some are by a river where residents do their laundry and feed their livestock. There is always the drunk old man with a beer in his hand. It’s not like Slumdog Millionare, these aren’t the slums, the houses are close together but no cardboard roofs, no extreme density. Very open, and houses are easily accessible but since trust is a major issue in every village, security isn’t a huge worry.

Me: What is the urban fabric like? What are the streets like? How do people get around?

JK: You just drive wherever you find space, more like trails in the hills. The cities have more structured infrastructure but that’s not saying much. In reality there’s very little formality in any sense and almost no rules what to speak of.

Me: What do you think I can take from those types of settlements with relation to my ideas and theories?

JK: Well, everyone seemed happy. They built these places and they inhabited them so it seemed like a sort of neighborhood. The houses were shacks but the density wasn’t nearly as high as in the city. I’ve been to the city and it’s a different world. So much denser, so much more intense.

Me: In the city I know a major problem is the rapid consumption of space; space to build on, space for freedom, and space for infrastructure. How does an Indian city like Delhi expand? Upward?

JK: I think so because the modernity allows it to control its upwards expansion in terms of structure and social context. If anywhere is going to grow it will be Delhi but other cities are surely going to practice a similar form of expansion as modernity expands relatively.

SK: Yes, you can see in Delhi the rapid expansion has made people create pieces of urban fabric at upper levels that would usually be on ground level. You can see rooftop terraces, gardens, and living spaces. As land dwindles the ability to grow upward is seen in the densest parts of the city.

Phil Ebiner Cousin, director of Project Rev documentary based in an autonomous village in India An informal conversation about the social, physical, and political atmosphere of a similar autonomous housing situation in a small village in rural India. Mostly useful at an abstract level. Conducted in person. (11/4/2010) Luis Hoyos, Professor, Cal Poly Pomona This was a conversation about the system of land settlement and the urban construction of these autonomous communities. Also, a critical discussion on the necessity of acquiring demographic, political, and topographic information about the area to truly understand the system of land ownership and implications this creates. Conducted over phone and I had given Luis a set of questions to consider. (10/30/2010) 194

LH: Explain your project, state you want to fix the vagueness, make it more specific. Good sources of information. You need to establish a context for urban planning, research into what local plan supposes for are. Mexico is a developing country but a highly developed learning environment Remember reality: sense of who owns the land. Create a demonstration project, not under regular private hands. Public land or “title is unclear”, informal occupation known as “squatting”. Done in a way with discipline. Find value as a demonstration project Consider the question: should i create a project that helps people break the law? It is the established pattern of very low income? What income brackets do i think im targeting? Is this area urban poor or very very poor?

Mexico City is organized like arrondissements in Paris. These are called delgaciones/divisions. You need to look at databases for information like this. Learn about the urban pattern.

Instead of re-inventing something study precedents. Accept this will not be finished housing and services but be concerned about providing a lot and minimal services and hookups. However, this must become architectural. One example of this could be “this is a starter home, + 5 years, + 10 years, what it could look like in the future.

Some books and reading to consider: Housing Without Houses by Nabeel Hamdi Urbanization Primer author Horacio Caminos …also look at “Urban dwelling environments; an elementary survey of settlements for the study of design determinants” Housing by People by John Turner Supports by Habraken So you’ve applied this theory and standpoint? Is it in the technical aspect? Is it in the affordability aspect?

What are you adding to the mix that we haven’t found already? How architectural do i want to make this?

Keep in mind there is a low regard for aesthetics in a lot of these books. Research in the bibliographies they provide.

Lastly, research architectural prototypes for the housing being developed. These areas are usually planned without schools. The metro system is vast, at metro stops retail is very informal. Prove i can organize the urban system...waste, water, transportation, etc. You must make it self sustaining. Now there are no supermarkets, schools, etc...provide a master plan for town center then go on to architectural project.

Sarah Lorenzen (10/24/2010) Professor, Cal Poly Pomona This was the conversation where the basis of my research began. We focused on a discussion of precedents, land ownership in Mexico City, infrastructure issues, and possible implications of becoming too naïve or disconnected from the project. Conducted in person. (10/24/2010)

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Literature provides the graphical and textual foundation for this entire project. Books were chosen based on graphical, contextual, and textual content. Several computer programs were also used in the research and design of the project from satellite imagery software to parametric modelling programs. All image and direct data sources are listed on the page itself. Everything else is (selectively) listed below in alphabetical order.

Alison, J., Brayer, MA., Migayrou, F., Spiller, N. (2007) Future City: Experiment and Utopia in Architecture. New York: Thames and Hudson Future City is a collection of precedents from the 20th century of new typologies for future cities. Many of the precedents tend to create an “anti-utopian” ideology steering away from the idealistic and attempting to approach the realistic and socially aware. My initial research on megastructures and the future of massive, mobile architecture was based on the projects and theories in this publication. The overarching idea is “the only thing that is radical is space we don’t know how to inhabit. This means space where we have to invent the ways to act and live.”

Bunschoten, R. (2005). From Matter to Metaspace: Cave, Ground, Horizon, Wind. Austria: SpringerWienNewYork Bunschoten explores many theories about juxtaposition and space on many different levels. Although very abstract, the book pushes ideas of materiality and the graphic representation of our contemporary landscapes including “landscapes of color, landscapes of signs and names, and landscape movement.” The most useful parts were the abstract theories on urban development successfully represented graphically at relatively small scales.

Burdett, R. and Sudjic, D. (2010) The Endless City. London: Phaidon Press Although this source is foremost an academic study, it becomes a graphically interesting and textually rich examination of 6 global cities and the similarities and differences between each. Included in those cities are Mexico City, thus providing further specific information and comparing the informalities of these places with the political and socially controversial regions of cities like Berlin and New York. The wealth of information on distribution of wealth, services, and urban issues is incredibly useful for examining international scenarios where autonomous communities dwarf the formal. For example the comparison of deaths due to murder between a city like London and one like Johannesburg is horrifying.

Castillo, J. (2008). Peripheral Landscapes, El Caracol, Mexico City. AD Magazine, eds. R. Segal and E. Verbakel, 64-67. Chichester, England: John Wiley and Sons

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literature + Programs

Castillo is the head of Arquitectura 911 and has done many very relevant projects in Mexico City including one conceptual project in El Caracol only a few miles from my site. This article is about that project and in turn his theories and ideas about developing the suburban fringes of Mexico City. The article is primarily concerned with “how to provide leisure facilities and open space that afford for social and cultural exchange between two different communities.” de Cauter, L., Dehaene, M., Sassen, S. (2007) Visionary Power: Producing the Contemporary City. Rotterdam: NAi Publishers This collection of projects and ideas focuses on the urban environment and the exploding global populations that are inhabiting them. Many of the projects are modern and large scale and there is a section examining the informal and autonomous communities that have begun to take over the contemporary metropolis.

Clothey, F.W. (2006) Ritualizing on the Boundaries: Continuity and Innovation in the Tamil Diaspora. Columbia SC: University of South Carolina Used for basic, factual information on slums throughout the world.

Cook, P. (2003). The City, Seen As A Garden of Ideas. New York: The Monacelli Press Cook explores several ideologies about megastructures and urban interventions. My use mainly involves theories about the idea of the “plug-in city” where pieces of infill are inserted and “plugged-in” to a megastructure system at an urban scale. The idea of plugging into a support structure is directly connected with the ideologies I am exploring further at later stages of this project.

Davis, M (2006) Planet of Slums. London: Verso A research report on slums across the world, the information provided is deep, relevant, useful, and very accurate. He explores dozens of slums, favelas, and barrios on every continent and specifically examines the people in each, the reasons for their creation, and the possible solutions to reverse this typology of living.

Many of my numbers and global examples of these typologies are from this book which is one of the more famous in this collection. Deeper critical analysis includes political, social, and economic criticisms.

Eckstein, S. (1977). The Poverty of Revolution: the State and the Urban Poor of Mexico.

Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press A social exploration of the autonomous settlements of Mexico City with many case studies on the “poverty of revolution” and how the social atmosphere of Mexico City in the mid 20th century affected settlement patterns. Although somewhat outdated the info still comes across as relevant as many of the patterns still exist today, especially in the outskirts of the city.

Friedman, Y. (2006) Pro Domo. Barcelona: Actar Pro Domo is possibly Yona Friedman’s greatest, most well known work and it explores hundreds of his conceptual ideologies including materiality, construction, mobility, and Ville Spatiale, a project similar to the one I am proposing where modular pieces are inserted into city-scaled structure. My theories were influenced by this book and much of my site exploration was conducted with Friedman’s theories in mind.

Google Earth Used for images and electronic exploration of the site in question including site specific information, images, 197

and location data.

Grinberg, S.T. (2005) Current Housing Situation in Mexico 2005. Prepared by Centro de Investigation y Documentation de la Casa (CIDOC) and Sociedad Hipotecaria Federal.

Accessed October 2010. Mexico City.

A factual, relevant, and recent document produced by Grindberg and Harvard University studying contemporary trends in housing and economics throughout Mexico City. Much of my demographic and economic research was done using this document as it explores every echelon of incomes and development throughout Mexico City. My definition of “self-built housing” comes from here as well as much information about how and why these autonomous communities are settled in the way they are. Also included are dozens of graphs and charts showing housing trends and contrasting them to economic trends in Mexico.

Guallart, V. (2004) Sociopolis: Project for a City of the Future. Barcelona: Actar A documentation of a collaborative design effort based in Valencia, Spain aimed at solutions for internationally familiar social issues includes work from many of the world’s biggest architectural names including MVRDV and FOA. Although these concepts are placed in a very contemporary city, the ideas and typologies behind them are very related to the autonomous communities I am studying and range from very affordable housing to urban farming. The combination of projects on the site also offers some ideas as to how very different pieces of program can come together on a very diverse site and similar housing typologies to what I am exploring including variations of floorplans for the demographics I am studying.

Habraken, J. (1972) Supports: An Alternative to Mass Housing. New York: Praeger Publishers Habraken is exploring almost exactly what I am attempting. Many of my theories are derived from this book and when combined with Friedman’s Pro Domo and Turner’s Housing By People the theories here become very relevant. Much of the discussion is based around very low income settlements and the arguments created are how to insert infill structure here while still allowing for some sort of autonomy. Topics range from “Brick and Mortar Statistics” to “Prefabrication.” Another important aspect of Supports is the constant contrast and comparison being made to mass housing which becomes incredibly relevant in my discussion.

van der Ley, S. and M. Richter. (2008) Megastructures Reloaded. Berlin: Hatje Cantz Verlag Created as a sort of mega-brochure for an exhibition held in 2008, this book documents all the major players in the megastructures movement from Yona Friedman to Peter Cook to Constant Nieuwenhuys and documents in images and text their respective theories and design philosophies. This was where I started.

The images are relevant to my site, the text is relevant to my theories, and the precedents are relevant to the future of my site. Along with Future City, this publication was a complete collection of conceptual precedents and inspirational images that in turn led me to other publications later on.

Medina, C.A.; M. Noguez (1985-09-20). “Dramaticos Momentos Para 80,000 habitantes de la Unidad Tlatelolco” (in Spanish). Mexico City: Excélsior. pp. 39a.

Used for information about Unidad Habitacional Nonoalco-Tlatelolco, a precedent relevant to massive 198

housing developments in Mexico City.

MVRDV; Maas, W. (2005) KM3. Barcelona: Actar A contemporary type of monograph for international design and theory firm MVRDV examines global issues in densities and urbanism through seemingly infinite graphics. Many projects deal with inevitable issues in the largest cities in the world and create critical and controversial solutions to somewhat impossible problems. It’s use in the context of my project is the examination of graphical representation of the solutions to the problems I am tackling, the architectural theory behind mega-scaled projects similar to this, and design ideologies relative to urban scaled issues. A DVD accompanied the book with motion graphics and movies representing the architectural solutions explored in MVRDV’s theories of urbanism.

Oberlander, H.P. (1985). Land: the Central Human Settlement Issue. Vancouver, BC: University of British Columbia Press The book is an international study on human settlement in the poorest areas of urban centers and the issue of land management. Since the scale is international I focused on the context of Mexico City in the developing world and attempted to create critical comparisons between situations explained in Madagascar, India, South America, and Mexico City.

Schafer, Ashley (2001) Praxis 2: Journal of Writing and Building. Issue 2, Mexico City: Projects From the Megacity. Boston MA: Praxis, Inc. Created as a collection of projects from the megacity, Mexico City specifically, many of Mexico’s most prominent design firms are represented including Jose Castillo from Aquitectura 911 with a project based only a few miles from my proposed site. Other articles include examinations of the informal communities at the outskirts of the city and housing solutions for the densest urban areas. Since Praxis is specific to Mexico City, not only are the architectural ideas relevant, but so is the information provided in each article allowing further exploration into more neighborhoods, ideologies, and people.

Turner, John F.C. (1977) Housing By People: Towards Autonomy in Building Environments.

New York: Pantheon Books Turner creates a relevant argument for the necessity of self-built homes and informal communities while recognizing the problems caused by each. He is able to draw conclusions by creating and introducing real world situations of individual users of these places. He also creates a direct comparison to Mexico City through describing the lives of 2 occupants: one who works in the city and has created his own home on the outskirts of Mexico City in an informal way and one who inhabits one of a thousand government created homes in the middle of town. In this way he is able to compare the crime levels, social impacts, and individual results of each occupant.

UN-Habitat (2003) Global Report on Human Settlements 2003, The Challenge of Slums, Earthscan, London; Part IV: ‘Summary of City Case Studies’, pp195-228.

A wealth of information on over a dozen case studies of global slums including demographics, social and political context, building typologies, and economics. Each example is provided in an in-depth study of, in a few cases, over 100 pages of graphics, charts, information, and narrative. Much of this information is very specific to every city including demographics, politics, housing situations, and population numbers. Some cities explored include Shanghai, Mexico City, and Mumbai.

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Afluencia de estación por línea, cifras de operación, parque vehicular, modelos de los trenes”. Metro.df.gob.mx. Retrieved 2010-10-14.

Used for accessing information about Mexico City’s extensive metro system.

Sufre Tlatelolco azote de bandas [Tlatelolco suffers from gangs]”. Reforma (Mexico City): p. 8. April 26, 2005 A small article on the Tlatelolco case study which offers deeper criticism into Mexico City as a whole and the crime problems, social issues, and political corruption that spreads throughout the entire city.

INEGI Mapping Resources INEGI is the federal government mapping agency for Mexico. Accessed at the headquarters in Mexico City, they provided topographic and political mapping information at 1:50,000 scale of the necessary areas of Mexico City for this project. using this information I was able to specify more precise locations, neighborhood names, create digital models of the topography, and navigate my way through the city.

Other Resources I have used over 200 resources for images, information, mapping, critical analysis, graphics, and ideas. I have only listed the most frequented, most analyzed, most relevant, and most published in this bibliography.

All others are listed either nearby or on the graphic or related image itself within this book. Web links are to the general website and not to the specific image in order to save text room and provide a broader link to each source since more information is acquired through the text than the image itself. Any satellite images are acquired through Google Earth and may not all have direct links or citations nearby the specific image.

All images without citations are self taken. All text, unless quoted is self generated. For more information on software, resources, or links contact the author directly.

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