Roots_an urban acupuncture strategy

ROOTS_ an urban acupuncture strategy

ROOTS_ an urban acupuncture strategy

By Pablo Andres Cortes Project presented to the Faculty of the Department of Architecture College of Architecture and built Environment Philadelphia University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of BACHELOR OF ARCHITECTURE Design 10: Research and Design Faculty Chris Harnish Philadelphia, Pennsylvania May 2015

THESIS ABSTRACT It is predicted that by 2030, 85 % of the population of Latin America & the Caribbean is projected to be urban1. This migrating population often moves from rural to urban contexts in order to achieve a better quality of life, economical stability, and to avoid violence. However, once they reach the metropolitan cities, they often find themselves in similar situations. This massive change in urban population is one of the primary causes to the out of control densification that currently happens in these developing countries. As a result, informal settlements or slums are formed and lead to the scarcity of the natural resources due to the invasion of protected areas, deforestation, and pollution of rivers and streams2.

1“Population Challenges and Development Goals.” Accessed May 6, 2015. http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/pop_challenges/Population_Challenges.pdf.

2 Birch, Genie. “Slums – Past, Present and Future – Eugenie Birch, University of Pennsylvania.” – UN-Habitat. Accessed May 8, 2015.

CONTENTS

THESIS STATEMENT

01

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

02

INVESTIGATIVE METHODS

03-35

DESIGN OBJECTIVES & DESIGN BRIEF

36-37

SITE ANALYSIS & DOCUMENTATION

38-41

PROGRAM STUDY

42-45

PROCESS DOCUMENTATION

46-53

FINAL DESIGN DOCUMENTATION

54-79

ANALYSIS/CRITIQUE OF COMPLETED PROJECT

80-81

BIBLIOGRAPHY

82-83

THESIS STATEMENT It is important to work towards a more integrated formal & informal realm for the improvement of cities in developing countries.

By understanding informal settlements as a living, growing organism, designers may form a better understanding of how to improve them. This knowledge may lead to the design of an urban intervention for communities that self-construct their habitat.

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES -To understand Colombia’s approach towards the integration of slums in the city of Medellín.

-To analyze Medellín’s strategy and try to find any issues associated with the existing phase one of urban interventions.

-To propose a phase two strategy that continues the development and integration of the city.

INVESTIGATIVE METHODS WHY DO INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS OCCUR?

RAPID MIGRATION TO URBAN SETTINGS POVERTY & HIGH UNEMPLOYMENT

NATURAL DISASTERS

INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS LACK THE FOLLOWING:

SOCIAL CONFLICTS

Sanitation services Clean Water Electricity Law enforcement Educational facilities Transportation

POOR PLANNING

POLITICS

“Alongside climate change, the problem of informal settlements is the most significant urban challenge facing the planet; there is a sense in which we are becoming a planet of slums�.3 -Mike Davis

3 Planet of slums. 2008. Capital & Class 32, (1): 155-158

SLUM CAUSES & EFFECTS COLOMBIA

In order to truly understand the impact of slums in Colombia, it is necessary to trace the history of violence it has endured for over half a century that has caused the country to fracture4.

POPULATION MIGRATION During the 1940’s, the war initially took place in the rural context where farmers found themselves in the midst of a battlefield. For these Colombians, the only suitable option to avoid conflict was to migrate into cities. This led to the creation of the first informal settlements due to densification. In Colombia, roughly 3.2 million people have been forcefully displaced by the guerrilla and paramilitary clashes since the start of the war5.

INCREASE OF URBAN VIOLENCE Since the 1980’s, these non governmental groups have been involved in the narcotics trade. The neglected informal settlements have proved to be an effective piece of real state where they run their operations and impose their own law and order6.

4 Rafael De La Cova, Antonio. “La Violencia in Colombia.”

La Violencia in Colombia.

Web. 10 Apr. 2015.

5 Más de Cinco Millones de Victimas ha Dejado el Conflicto Colombiano. Web. 8 Apr. 2015 6 Más de Cinco Millones de Victimas ha Dejado el Conflicto Colombiano. Web. 8 Apr. 2015

COLOMBIA’S HISTORY OF VIOLENCE

CIVIL CONFLICTS Civil Wars War on drugs

ANTIOQUIA, COLOMBIA

COLOMBIA

ANTIOQUIA

AN INFORMAL PROBLEM MEDELLÍN, ANTIOQUIA

POPULATION: -Municipality: 2,441,123 -Metro: 3,731,447 REGION: Aburra Valley AREA: -Municipality: 146.97 Sq mi -Metro: 445 sq mi Medellín is the second largest city of Colombia after the capital, Bogotá.

It produces 67% of the department of Antioquia’s GDP -Produces 11% of Colombia’s economy After the civil war outbreak known as “la Violencia”, more than a million immigrants from rural settings overwhelmed the city’s public services. This led to creation of slums in the hillsides surrounding the city7.

7 Más de Cinco Millones de Victimas ha Dejado el Conflicto Colombiano. Web. 8 Apr. 2015

SLUMS IN MEDELLÍN

WHAT IS THE CITY DOING?

AN URBAN CASE STUDY MEDELLÍN, COLOMBIA Urban Acupuncture In the hopes to recover the poorest sectors of the city that have been dominated by communist groups, paramilitary, and drug smugglers, the city of Medellín has taken the initiative to implement a series of urban projects with the intention of cultural and social transformation for the city which would in turn lead to improve the quality of life of it’s residents. The strategy is to highlight the areas of the city that have been neglected by introducing amenities for the public8.

EDUCATION

MEDELLíN’S URBAN STRATEGY PHASE 1

Public Schools Library Parks TRANSPORTATION

Gondola system Pedestrian Access RECOVERY OF PUBLIC SPACE

Public Plazas Green Spaces

8 ”Alejandro Echeverri.” Innovation for Successful Societies. Web. 5 Apr. 2015.

MEDELLÍN, COLOMBIA

METRO CABLE

PARQUE EXPLORA

PARQUE DE LOS DESEOS

COLEGIO ANTONIO DERKA

PARQUE BIBLIOTECA LA LADERA

ORQUIDEORAMA

ESCENARIOS DEPORTIVOS

EDUCATION

The city believes that in order to create a better future for it’s residents, education must be the common ground accessible for everyone. This is the first step on breaking the barriers of inequality. For this reason they are heavily investing in educational facilities. In 2011, between 30-40% of the city’s budget went into education9.

“There are topics of inclusion which are objective, there are topics of inclusion that are mental, and others which are inspirational. The idea that a kid in a public library or in a new public school feels like they have the best facility in the city, that they are part of something, or that they have the opportunity to be part of the development of the city is very important” -Jorge Melguizo

9 Melguizo, Jorge. “TEDxBuenosAires 2011 Jorge Melguizo - MedellÃn, La Ciudad Creativa.” YouTube.YouTube. Web. 4 Apr. 2015.

TRANSPORTATION

In order to integrate the neglected informal settlements into the formal realm, the city implemented a series of transportation systems which become integrated into the existing infrastructure of transportation.

The Metro Cable or gondola system was incorporated in 2004 with the initial installation of line K and it circulates from the valley of the city to the mountain tops.

This links the informal settlements situated at the hillside with the formal city at the valley of “El Valle de Aburra”10.

-Aerial transportation Tram -Outdoor escalator This mode of transportation made Comuna 13 and its steep terrain more accessible to its residents.

10 Romero, Simon. “Medellín’s Nonconformist Mayor Turns Blight to Beauty.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 14 July 2007.

Web. 10 Apr. 2015.

PUBLIC SPACE

Another primary concern in the urban intervention of Medellin is to reclaim public space and green areas. These public spaces are crucial in the marginalized zones because it is one of the main elements that activates social life. These public domains become icons within the communities11.

“The life of the city and it’s conflicts are seen in the streets”.

-Jorge Melguizo

11 Melguizo, Jorge. “TEDxBuenosAires 2011 Jorge Melguizo - MedellÃn, La Ciudad Creativa.” YouTube.YouTube. Web. 4 Apr. 2015.

WHAT IS THE NEXT STEP?

MEDELLÍN’S PHASE II U.V.A BUILDING PROTOTYPE

Units of Articulated life (U.V.A) are part of the next phase of urban interventions deign for Medellín. They are spaces that take advantage of public space in marginalized neighborhoods while removing barriers in order to ensure the participation of the community12.

These spaces take the form of schools that follow a curriculum which focuses on developing the community’s creative skills.

There are two scales of U.V.A buildings.The smaller scale which is type A and is made possible by using the exiting infrastructure of local water tanks. These public amenities of water are than transformed into public spaces and create an incentive for the public to take care of local amenities. The second U.V.A is type B which is the larger scale building and starts of by locating an abandoned parcel of land or field. This land is than transformed into a community center where multiple programs that serve the local public are introduced13.

DEVELOPMENT

As an individual and community

COLLABORATION

A principle for creation

COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION

Integrity of the neighborhood

12 “Proyectos Unidades De Vida Articulada.” Proyectos Unidades De Vida Articulada. Accessed May 6, 2015. http://www.edu.gov.co/index.php/proyectos/unidades-de-vida-articulada.html.

13 “Proyectos Unidades De Vida Articulada.” Proyectos Unidades De Vida Articulada. Accessed May 6, 2015. http://www.edu.gov.co/index.php/proyectos/unidades-de-vida-articulada.html.

TYPE A Water-tank

TYPE B Large scale

CINTURON VERDE

In order to prevent the future expansion of slums and the protection of rural terrain in the periphery of the city, Medellín has developed a plan that prevents slums from spreading into the mountains.

The idea is to create an edge condition or barrier in the form of a linear park. This park will be mainly comprised by government owned land and the land owned by the families who live near streams of water in zones of high geologic risk14.

PROJECT GOALS - Control slum expansion - Prevent home construction in zones that are at risk or impose environmental risks - Recovery of public & green space

14 “Proyectos Cinturon Verde.” Proyectos Cinturon Verde. Accessed May 3, 2015. http://www. edu.gov.co/index.php/proyectos/cinturon-verde-metropolitano.

AN ALTERNATIVE SOLUTION M.I.T STUDY & PROPOSAL

According to a study led by Jose Samper from M.I.T, local community groups that have worked with the Universidad Nacional have analyzed Medellín’s next generation of interventions and don’t feel is the best fit for local communities. As a result they have began to design alternative new proposals that “challenge the vision of the city planning Department”15.

M.I.T has developed a workshop where they take different proposals developed by the local communities and combined them with their own set of ideas.

By doing this, they have developed a series of strategic local interventions which help the resilience of regional neighborhoods such as Comuna 8.

Their main focus is the development of a more direct communication system with the government also known as “co-production”, food security, a re-densification plan of dwellings, improving transportation, and dealing with environmental risks.

15 Samper, Jose. “REPENSANDO LA INFORMALIDAD: Estrategias De Co-producción Del Espacio Urbano.” Issuu. Accessed May 3, 2015. http://issuu.com/jotasamper9/docs/repensando_la_informalidad_samper_o.

MIT’S URBAN STRATEGY Commune 8 CO-PRODUCTION A more collective process of decision making FOOD SECURITY

Education Urban Farming Commerce/Trade DWELLINGS

ENVIRONMENTAL RISK

A vertical redensification proposal

Stream pollution, Unstable construction, High risk areas TRANSPORTATION

An intervention aimed for local transit

A SCHOLAR’S PERSPECTIVE ALFREDO BRILLEMBOURG

Slums are often criticized because of their appearance and the level of poverty among its residents. However, when comprehensively analyzing these environments, one can begin to understand their true potential16.

Another aspect of how slums have impacted architecture is by revealing its resiliency. According to architect and former Columbia University professor, Alfredo Brillembourg, slums are more resilient and sustainable than formal cities because they grow and adapt together, and use less trash and fewer resources.

Mr. Brillembourg explains how after traveling back home to Venezuela and learning about its slums, he “realized that the formal city could not survive without the informal city”. In addition to this belief, he expresses how the discovery of a new social geography within the informality has made him question his whole profession of architecture and forced him to unlearn his previous knowledge so that he would be able to better focus on “using scarcity as a resource”17.

16 Dovey, Kim. “Informalising Architecture: The Challenge of Informal Settlements.”

Architectural Design 83.6 (2013): 82-9.

17 Smedley, Tim. Sustainable Urban Design: Lessons to Be Taken from Slums. Web. 28 Mar. 2015. International Seminar. Web. 30 Mar. 2015.

INFORMAL ARMATURES

SOCIAL SEGREGATION

COMMUNITY MAKING

PUBLIC AMENITIES PUBLIC AMENITIES

Food production Employment Energy CONSTRUCTION OF HOMES

SOCIAL INTEGRITY

Informal Armatures was developed by architect and urban designer David Gouverneur. It consists in thinking ahead and developing a framework to help give a sense of order to the growth of the informal city before it flourishes and become a problem for the future. He believes that in order for the informal and formal environment to work, they have to be looked at as one integrated urban fabric18.

In order to achieve this, the community making and construction of homes have to be left to the residents. The intervention’s main focus should be more on the system of infrastructures that are crucial for the settlement’s survival such as: -Transportation -Design -Access to education

-Food production -Energy -Employment

18 Gouverneur, David. Planning and Design for Future Informal Settlements: Shaping the Self-constructed City. Print.

REGIONAL PROBLEMS

Despite all of Medellín’s efforts towards a developed Latin American metropolis, there are many layers to the problems that make up the city. When looking at a micro scale in comparison to the rest of the city, Comunas like Villahermosa face multifaceted problems such as unemployment, food insecurity and environmental risk19

19 Samper, Jose. “REPENSANDO LA INFORMALIDAD: Estrategias De Co-producción Del Espacio Urbano.” Issuu. Accessed May 3, 2015. http://issuu.com/jotasamper9/docs/repensando_la_informalidad_samper_o.

POVERTY

ENVIRONMENTAL RISK

FOOD INSECURITY

UNDERSTANDING THE ISSUE VILLAHERMOSA, MEDELLÍN

POVERTY

UNEMPLOYED UNEMPLOYMENT

52% of population ENVIRONMENTAL RISK

FOOD INSECURITY

AVERAGE INCOME

30% less than the rest of the city

FOOD INSECURITY

71% of population 20 Samper, Jose. “REPENSANDO LA INFORMALIDAD: Estrategias De Co-producción Del Espacio Urbano.” Issuu. Accessed May 3, 2015. http://issuu.com/jotasamper9/docs/repensando_la_informalidad_samper_o.

AVERAGE INCOME

30% less than the rest of the city

FOOD SCARCITY

FOOD INSECURITY

71% of population UNEMPLOYMENT

ENVIRONMENTAL RISK

OVERWEIGHT FOOD INSECURITY

37% of population

OBESITY

17% : 70% less than the rest of the city

21 Samper, Jose. “REPENSANDO LA INFORMALIDAD: Estrategias De Co-producción Del Espacio Urbano.” Issuu. Accessed May 3, 2015. http://issuu.com/jotasamper9/docs/repensando_la_informalidad_samper_o.

ENVIRONMENTAL RISK

POLLUTION According to the community, the stream is very contaminated and expels strong odors. This polluted condition attracts bugs and is causing fevers, vomit, & stomach issues among the community children22.

UNEMPLOYMENT

LANDSLIDES & FLOODS The families situated in the extremities of the stream run the risk of landslides and flooding. The Villahermosa area is very prone and has a history of landslides. In 1987, this comuna witnessed one of the worst landslides in Colombian history which killed around 500 people23.

22 Velasquez, Carlos. “Mesa Interbarrial De Desconectados: Villatina La Torre: “Un Barrio Olvidado”” Mesa Interbarrial De Desconectados: Villatina La Torre: “Un Barrio Olvidado” Accessed May 1, 2015. http://mesainterbarrialdedesconectados.blogspot.com/2012/02/villatina-la-torre-un-barrio-olvidado.html.

23 “Se Conmemoran Hoy 25 Años De La Tragedia De Villatina En Medellín.” Se Conmemoran Hoy 25 Años De La Tragedia De Villatina En Medellí­n. Accessed May 1, 2015. http://www. caracol.com.co/noticias/regionales/se-conmemoran-hoy-25-anos-de-la-tragedia-de-villatina-enmedellin/20120927/nota/1768970.aspx.

ENVIRONMENTAL RISK

FOOD INSECURITY

URBAN FARMING PINARES DEL ORIENTE

LOCAL AGRICULTURAL RESILIENCE With an urban farming strategy designed by students from the Universidad Nacional, dozens of displaced farmers from the rural areas of the country helped repair the Pan de Azucar mountain in order to strengthen food security in Commune 8. In order to achieve this, they developed a system of:

LOCAL PRODUCTION

ECONOMIC & FOOD SECURITY

-Cultivation of Orchards -Planting of native plants -Garden installation -Poultry farms GOAL To provide a supplementary income To allow families victims of forced displacement to rebuild their relationship & heritage with nature and to weave the community ties.

URBAN FARMING

REDUCTION OF VULNERABILITY

Physical risks, Environmental, & Social

24 Mendoza, Maria Luna. “Desplazados Recuperan Su Esencia Campesina.” ElEspectador.

Accessed May 2, 2015. http://www.elespectador.com/noticias/nacional/desplazados-recuperan-su-esencia-campesina-articulo-464585.

DESIGN OBJECTIVES

-To make a difference in the local multifaceted problems such as poverty, food scarcity, and the needs of communities in informal settlements.

-To take advantage of the existing resilience of agriculture that in the Villahermosa area.

DESIGN BRIEF

To create a space that provides an economic platform which ensures not only the stability of the community but the individual, while instilling appreciation towards our natural resources.

SITE ANALYSIS VILLAHERMOSA

SURFACE: 3.6 sq mi POPULATION: 123,569 Income levels: 1 2 3 4 5 6

Thousands of people 47,267 54,093 32,005 2,348 0 0

VILLATINA

SITE

The site is situated in a strategic location near the intersection of Santa Elena and La Gallinaza streams. This is beneficial when it comes to the treatment of the polluted waters.

In addition to this, it overlooks and connects the neighborhoods of Villatina and La Libertad.

LAYERED

PROPOSED DISPLACEMENT The homes situated immediately on the Gallinaza stream are at a higher risk of flooding and landslides.

The idea is to relocate the residents in these 12 homes that are at risk and impose environmental problems to the environment CIRCULATION

GEOGRAPHIC CONDITIONS

PROGRAM STUDY POST MIDTERM PROGRAM

POVERTY

ENVIRONMENTAL RISK

FOOD INSECURITY

The building program aims to resolve some of the local issues that the Villatina neighborhood faces such as poverty, food insecurity, & environmental risks. In order to achieve this, the implementation of urban agriculture, educational components, and water treatment was crucial.

The illustrated program components to the right, depict some early iterations where the main focus of the project was the building and the educational components.

PROGRAM COMPONENTS

DIMENSIONS

CRITICAL ISSUES

-Water Treatment - Laboratory

2,000 sf 500 sf

High on site Scale Noise

-Office (3) -Market -Orchards/Agriculture -Cafe

800 sf 16000 sf 5,400 sf 400 sf

Oversee operations Central to site Green space Accessible from multiple directions

-Classrooms Technology

Culture / art

Agriculture (2) -Greenhouse

1,600 sf 400 sf 400 sf 800 sf 1671 sf

Enclosure/outdoor Heat gain Open space

-Public Space

1,900 sf

Flat area

FINAL PROGRAM

POVERTY

ENVIRONMENTAL RISK

FOOD INSECURITY

At an early stage, the project’s building program was gear towards the education of urban farming for the local community. The agricultural component served as an outdoor classroom while the supplemental income that came from such, was to be used as a self-sustaining generator for the building cost.

After the midterm and 3.4 crit, the building program of this project started to transform. It became more gear towards urban farming and producing food for the local community. The building area was reduced while the agriculture and public space grew in size.

PROGRAM COMPONENTS

DIMENSIONS

CRITICAL ISSUES

-Water Treatment

2,000 sf

High on site Scale

-Office -Market -Orchards/Agriculture -Cafe

200 sf 1400 sf 6,400 sf 400 sf

Oversee operations Central to site Green space Accessible from multiple directions

-Classroom -Experimental terrace

400 sf 1,800 sf 2200 sf

-Public Space

2,600 sf

Enclosure/outdoor Heat gain Open space

Flat area

PROCESS DOCUMENTATION MIDTERM

GEOMETRY STUDY & SITE BREAKDOWN The image to the right illustrates a geometry study of the site as well as the breakdown of program by location.

The building footprint can be seen towards the left of the image closer to the road. The urban plaza is directly in the middle adjacent to the building.

Towards the right of that, the urban agriculture can be seen in green.

Finally, the water treatment component can be seen towards the right of the image which is uphill.

SOUTH WEST AERIAL PERSPECTIVE

The image to the right further illustrates what has been previously stated on the last page. The relationship of the building program can start to be seen. This can be appreciated in the market space situated on the first level as it blends in with the urban space.

In this iteration the water treatment component is perpendicularly facing the gallinaza stream. This may not be the most effective method for this building part but it was generated from the preexisting footprint of previous buildings.

PROCESS DOCUMENTATION 3.4 CRIT

SITE PLAN This site plan illustrates the progression of building form. To the right of the image, it can be seen that the water treatment building component has change orientation. It has gone from being perpendicular to the stream to running parallel to it. This shift allows the water to run freely into all the different chambers such as the flocculator, sedimentation tank, settled water channel and finally, the stacked rapid sand filter.

AERIAL PERSPECTIVE / SECTION In addition to the water treatment component, I mainly focused on the building program. At this stage of the design, I had thought that the main function of my design was to teach people with roots or a background in agriculture to keep their tradition on a more urban context. It was at this stage when I started to notice that the overall height of my design was a bit overpowering in comparison to the rest of the site.

GREEN HOUSE CLASSROOMS MARKET OFFICES COMMERCIAL

FINAL DESIGN DOCUMENTATION SITE PLAN

SITE ACCESS

The site is located in a valley next to the Gallinaza stream.

Therefore there is a big difference in its topographic conditions.

There are two main points of access into the site. One coming from the ridge of the hill which can be seen at the top of the picture in the right and the other can be seen at the bottom of the picture. In order to connect the site to the top of the ridge, a series of stairs had to be implemented. These stairways became integrated with the overall design and play a crucial role with the urban agriculture component of the design.

URBAN AGRICULTURAL TERRACES

After the 3.4 crit, it was brought to my attention that I needed to focus more on the site rather than the building in order to produce enough food for the community. After this crit, I decided to further develop the urban farming component. The existing sloping hill were the agriculture programing was designated was not suitable for urban farming. Therefore the introduction of terraces was crucial in order to allow the site to produce growth. As I research terraced farming, I also found out that it is benefitial to use this method in order to reduce the risk of mudslides.

By introducing terrace farming, the community’s problem of food scarcity can be improved as well as the problem of environmental risks such as mudslides.

WATER RESOURCE

With the introduction of urban agriculture, the issue of water retention & irrigation is a primary concern. As a result I began to introduce a series of water collection and irrigation systems within the site. The main stairway that was introduced as the site connector became a key element in the water retention process. On the image to the right, the process of water collection and retention can be seen. The different components which make up this system are: -The roof envelope serves as a water collector - The water basins capture the water from the stair envelope.

- The series of canals receive the water and distribute it throughout the orchards.

- The excess water can be collected in the underground cisterns.

FARMER’S MARKET / PUBLIC SPACE

The farmers market serves as an economic platform for the community. Its sole purpose is to empower the individual by creating a supplemental income opportunity. It is situated in the core of the site where it can be seen from all directions. The space is designed to be multi-purpose where different activities can occur. It can be used as a farmer’s market or communal gathering node.

STREET COMMERCE

Street commerce is something that can be seen throughout the slums. People in these informal areas usually use the first level of their home which is the most public to launch their business. In order to take advantage of the high foot trafficked spaces and pay respect to the existing context, the introduction of a cafe and a gardening supply store was introduced in the lower levels.

WATER TREATMENT

The pollution of the gallinaza stream is an environmental concern for the Villatina neighborhood. Therefore it was something that needed to be addressed. In order to do so, a water treatment building component had to be introduced. Through my research, I found a pilot water treatment system developed by Cornell university called Agua Clara which works with a stacked sand filtration process. This system is very suitable to this context because it is a low cost solution, it is powered by gravity and does not require electricity. It can also be scalable to fit the needs of the community and it does not need a scientist or engineer to maintain it.

URBAN AGRICULTURE EDUCATION

As most of the residents of Commune 8, Villahermosa come from rural backgrounds. The idea is to help them adapt their agricultural expertise into a more urban environment. Most of the residents from these areas are unemployed because they don’t posses any other labor skills. Therefore, the education component for this program is crucial when it comes to the development of the community and the individual. The education component is made up of an indoor classroom, an experimental roof garden which follows Medellín’s botanical garden’s idea of constant experimentation for urban farming innovation, and lastly the orchards serve as outdoor classrooms where students can learn real from real life experience.

NORTH WEST AERIAL PERSPECTIVE

WATER RETENTION & IRRIGATION SYSTEM

Whenever it rains, the stairway envelope collects the rain and redirects it into a series of water basins which run parallel to the stairs. As these water basins fill up, the water is either deposited into a series of canals that run across the terraces or onto the following basin.

water collection roof

water retention basin

canal irrigation system

CROSS SECTION THROUGH PUBLIC SPACE

SOUTH WEST CROSS SECTION

water collection roof

water retention basin

canal irrigation system

5’

15’

35’

WEST BUILDING ELEVATION

CRITIQUE PROJECT JOURNEY

Growing up in Colombia, a developing country in Latin America as a young boy, I never really had experienced the slums before, nor I knew the role they played in the overall scheme of things. Somehow I felt as if it was my duty to learn as much as I could about informal settlements and implement this knowledge into a design that can truly make an impact on my fellow countryman. This was the initial idea or intent that drove my project and help me derive a thesis. My overall goal was to understand what my native city of Medellín had been doing since I flee the country in the early 2000’s and how they had been integrating the informal fabric of the city into the more formal. I wanted to try to find flaws related to the series of interventions that have been implemented in order to design a better solution for the city.

As I dove into the research, I found nothing but positive things that had been happening in Medellín. I found some negative impacts in other cities like Bogotá when the major Peñalosa forcefully relocated a series of homeless people from “el Cartucho” neighborhood to create a public park.

However I was mainly interested in my native city of Medellín. It was frustrating at first, but I still did not give up. I became interested in the neighborhood of Santo Domingo Savio I which is located in the northeast of Medellín. This sector of the city had been through a series of urban transformations that began with the introduction of the Metro Cable (gondola air tram) and the redevelopment of streets that aimed to recuperate public space which were implemented by the major of Medellín, Sergio Fajardo.

What I found truly mesmerizing was the fact that even thought there were all this changes that were implemented, the poverty level of the neighborhood and quality of life had slightly been improved. I supposed this takes many years to truly make an impact which I found disappointing.

Closely towards the Midterm, as I kept looking into Santo Domingo Savio 1, I had a breakthrough after contacting a colleague of professor Armando Plata, Jose Samper. Mr. Samper like me was a native of Medellín and to my luck, he had

been working in a research project to understand the relationship of violence and space in these informal settings.

He gave me access to an M.I.T research project which challenged and proposed an alternative plan to the existing strategy of Cinturon Verde which was being build in the Comuna 8 sector. As happy as I was to finally caught a break, I was very disappointed because what I had intended on doing had already been done. However, once I research M.I.T’s proposal, I picked three main problems (poverty, food insecurity, & environmental risk) that they were trying to fix and developed my own design proposal and building program.

REFLECTION

Reflecting upon my project, I had anticipated having a more developed end product. However looking back and seeing my progression throughout the semester I feel like I made a lot of progress. Towards the middle of the semester, I had to dismissed the Santo Domingo Savio I site to document the new site of Villahermosa (Comuna 8) and develop a project that responded to local multifaceted problems. I was really content with the feedback I had for the 3.4 crit where the critics told me to focus on the site. I felt that this is what made my project. By doing this, I really got to think about what a feasible urban agriculture project which targeted all of the problems that the site and the local community had to face could be like.

In addition to this, I thought that there was some interesting points that were brought up in the final crit. One of these comments was brought up

by DR. Breinerd when he open up a dialog about insecurity. He questioned if there had to be an enclosure to protect the orchards from this unsafe environment. I thought this was a very interesting point that he made.

However, when thinking about the overall impact of the project, I think that the people would be conscious that this is owned by the community and for the community and that would be enough to take care of it.

BIBLIOGRAPHY ”Alejandro Echeverri.” Innovation for Successful Societies.

Web. 5 Apr. 2015.

Birch, Genie. “Slums – Past, Present and Future – Eugenie Birch, University of Pennsylvania.” – UN-Habitat. Accessed May 8, 2015.

Dovey, Kim. “Informalising Architecture: The Challenge of Informal Settlements.” Architectural Design 83.6 (2013): 82-9.

Gouverneur, David. Planning and Design for Future Informal Settlements: Shaping the Self-constructed City.

Print.

Más de Cinco Millones de Victimas ha Dejado el Conflicto Colombiano. Web. 8 Apr. 2015 Melguizo, Jorge. “TEDxBuenosAires 2011 - Jorge Melguizo - MedellÃn, La Ciudad Creativa.” YouTube.

YouTube. Web. 4 Apr. 2015.

Mendoza, Maria Luna. “Desplazados Recuperan Su Esencia Campesina.” ElEspectador. Accessed May 2, 2015. http://www.elespectador.com/noticias/ nacional/desplazados-recuperan-su-esencia-campesinaarticulo-464585.

Planet of slums. 2008. Capital & Class 32, (1): 155-158 “Population Challenges and Development Goals.”

Accessed May 6, 2015. http://www.un.org/esa/population/ publications/pop_challenges/Population_Challenges.

“Proyectos Cinturon Verde.” Proyectos Cinturon Verde.

Accessed May 3, 2015. http://www.edu.gov.co/index.php/ proyectos/cinturon-verde-metropolitano.

“Proyectos Unidades De Vida Articulada.” Proyectos Unidades De Vida Articulada. Accessed May 6, 2015. http://www.edu.gov.co/index.php/proyectos/unidades-devida-articulada.html.

Rafael De La Cova, Antonio. “La Violencia in Colombia.” La Violencia in Colombia. Web. 10 Apr. 2015.

Romero, Simon. “Medellín’s Nonconformist Mayor Turns Blight to Beauty.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 14 July 2007. Web. 10 Apr. 2015.

Samper, Jose. “REPENSANDO LA INFORMALIDAD: Estrategias De Co-producción Del Espacio Urbano.” Issuu.

Accessed May 3, 2015. http://issuu.com/jotasamper9/ docs/repensando_la_informalidad_samper_o.

“Se Conmemoran Hoy 25 Años De La Tragedia De Villatina En Medellín.” Se Conmemoran Hoy 25 Años De La Tragedia De Villatina En Medellí­n. Accessed May 1, 2015. http://www.caracol.com.co/noticias/regionales/ se-conmemoran-hoy-25-anos-de-la-tragedia-de-villatina-enmedellin/20120927/nota/1768970.aspx.

Smedley, Tim. Sustainable Urban Design: Lessons to Be Taken from Slums. Web. 28 Mar. 2015. International Seminar. Web. 30 Mar. 2015.

Velasquez, Carlos. “Mesa Interbarrial De Desconectados: Villatina La Torre: “Un Barrio Olvidado”” Mesa Interbarrial De Desconectados: Villatina La Torre: “Un Barrio Olvidado” Accessed May 1, 2015. http:// mesainterbarrialdedesconectados.blogspot.com/2012/02/ villatina-la-torre-un-barrio-olvidado.html.

ROOTS an urban acupuncture strategy Pablo Andrés Cortés Pofessor Chris Harnish PHILADELPHIA UNIVERSITY SP 15 - DESIGN X