INFORMAL: A Study of Urban Growth in Tegucigalpa, Hondurus by Paper Matters Press

A STUDY OF URBAN GROWTH IN TEGUCIGALPA, HONDURAS

INFORMAL

Alexander Ayala Adviser: Margarita Jover Design Research 2013

ABSTRACT: Tegucigalpa is a city of extremes. Poverty, the landscape and climate are evident in everyday Tegucigalpa a city life. It is expectedis to double its of extremes. Poverty, size by 2031 yet most of its landscapelive andabove climateearth are that population in everyday It with is evident threatened everylife. year rainy season.toAlready is expected double itsmost of itssize population is forced by 2024 yet most of to live onitsunstable unofficial populationsoil live and above settlements are on almost every earth that is threatened mountain every yearslope. with rainyThe reason 2031 forseason. the following research Already most of is to answer the question of whether its population is forced there are ways and implications to live on “red soil” and of altering the city’s urban unofficial arecity that growth on settlements parts of the on almost every mountain are vulnerable to landslides. side. the The question that demand Given future land I will try to investigate is: growth due to rapid population What the different waysof the and the are natural constraints mountains and natural resources, and implications of altering there musturban be agrowth strategic the cities on way ofparts guiding development. of the city that are Can a system be implemented to make vulnerable to landslides yet communities more resilient must be developed given and integrated to the land and the growing population’s existing city flows?

demand for land. Can a system be implemented to make communities more resilient and integrated with the land’s and the citie’s systems and flows?

A CITY THAT W DOUBLE ITS S 2031

T WILL S SIZE BY

MOST OF ITS G OCCURS INFORMALLY*

S GROWTH

LY*

OVER UNSTAB VULNERABLE LANDSLIDES

TABLE SOIL LE TO S

SITE SPECIFIC ANALYSIS TOPOGRAPHY WATER CONNECTION TO CITY HAZARDS

SELECTED SITE

SURROUNDING DEMOGRAPHIC

DESIGN EXPERIMENTATION

BIG PROPOSAL

IDE HA SL

RD SEPZA

LAN D

SMALL PROPOSAL

Urban Growth

JANUA 10

LAN D

VEMB NO

IDE HA SL

RD SEP ZA

Rural Emmigration

PREVI Mexico City Brasil Favela/ Barrio Project Past Thesis Elemental

Formal vs. Informal

New Demographics

Precedents

USGS JICA PRINCETON UNIV UN FOREIGN AID

International Recommendations

CONTENT

SHANTY TOWNS INVACIONES INFORMAL FAVELAS

FAVELAS SQUALOR GHETTOS UNOFFICIAL SLUMS

why INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS why TEGUCIGALPA Today there are shrinking and growing cities and there is a trend of the world population moving towards urban areas. Many of the growing cities are in parts of the world that have reached modernization and industrialization much later than the United States and Europe. The western idea of a civilized society has definitely made its way to these emerging metropolis mainly by means of architecture but these are sometimes too generic and not site specific for the type of growth that is happening in the cities like Caracas and Tegucigalpa. Most of the growth in Latin American developing countries cities are happening without supervision or regulation. Poverty and rapid population outgrow the governments capacity to respond to housing needs so instead people appropriate land and build informal communities. Studying informal settlements adds alternative perspectives on urban planning/design and reveals that informalization is a trend in growing global cities. Informal settlements are signs of a population that has gone beyond the capacity of the city to provide formal housing and significant economic differences (107 Caracas informal). given the proliferation and permanence of informal neighborhoods in Latin America designers and planners can begin to imagine design solutions within this unavoidable growth trend. Some questions about urban connectivity emerge such as how to stitch together the existing parts of a city with the informal or what are ways to mitigate effects of climatic events. The Urban Think Tank group in Caracas has already started to speculate about the different solutions to informal communityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s problems. They are interested in site specific and highly effective solutions in what they refer to as â&#x20AC;&#x153;city acupunctureâ&#x20AC;? to have immediate effects on a community. It is important to acknowledge that although informal communities may share some similarities with each other like material, methods of construction, and size, they are ultimately full of complexities that may not be apparent at first sight. The interest for Tegucigalpa comes from its current state of rapid urban growth ands its relationship to its landslide prone topography. The city currently at about 1,187,363 people and 14

is expected to grow to close to 2,000,000 by 2031 (Princeton 14). This number may not sound impressive compared to other Latin American Cities but Tegucigalpa has significant land restriction because of its surrounding mountain terrain and is vulnerable to landslides with every rainy season. In 2001 about 640 hectares were considered to be on unstable soil and with the urban expansion to about 10,000 hectares in 2031 this will put a larger part of the population under similar conditions. (Princeton 6)

CONDITION

GROWTH PROJECTION STATISTICS INTERNATIONAL AID FUTURE PROJECTS

MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA

HONDURAS

TEGUCIGALPA FACTS

Twin city with Comayaguela together with Tegucigalpa. Together they form the Distrito Central (DC) or Central District which is the Capital of the Country. Unless specifically noted, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Tegucigalpaâ&#x20AC;? refers to the Distrito Central which includes both Tegucigalpa and Comayaguela. - Largest City in Honduras - 4th largest in Central America - Founded September 29 1578 for silver mining October 30 1880 it became capital city - Current Population: 1,126,534, metro: 1,324,000 - Density (people per sq. mile): 5,604.6 sq. km, (14,516/sq. mile) - Size: 1,396.5 sq km (205.5 sq km Urban area) - Altitude: 1,004 meters above sea level - Roman Catholic: 97% - Protestant: 3% - Population growth rate: 1.79%

TEGUCIGALPA POPULATION GROWTH

1016124

850227 850227 595931 595931 302483 302483 164941 164941 1961

1961

1974 1974

1988 1988

2001

2006 2006 10 KM

2011 2011

1979452 1979452 1751875 1751875 1548784

1548784

1365484 1365484 1187363 1187363

016124

2011 2011

2016 2016

2021 2021

2026 2026

2031 2031

RAPID URBAN GROWTH from rural to urban In comparison to other Latin American countries Honduras has stayed behind in regard to Urbanization. From 1950 to 2000 the percentage of people living in cities in Latin America increased from 40% to 75% whereas in Honduras only 46% of the population lived in cities according to the 2001 census (prince 9). The reason for this shift is a well known transition happening since the industrial revolution in other counties but Honduras is just beginning to experience it. The modernization of the farmland in Honduras by the introduction of new farming technologies and techniques is allowing its production to be competitive but requires a smaller labor force. From 1983 to 2003 the labor force in agriculture in Honduras decreased from 43% to 34% which causes people to look for jobs in the cities instead (prince 9). The new demographic entering the city will be young former farmers. 1996-2001 to the central district were mostly young females between the ages of 15-19 and males from 20-24 (prince 13). This relationship is significant to note as this new demographic group are of reproductive age that may lead to further internal population growth (13). (FIGURE age structure of migrants to DC 1996: 2001. The influx of younger people into the city will also cause the average age to go down and will cause the dependency ratio of elderly people to decline. This will present a large young workforce which can be economically gainful if the country is prepared to put people to work and increase economic productivity. (15 prince).

PROJECTED GROWTH: Given the projected population growth and a similar urban growth pattern that Honduras has seen since the 1980’s (around 0.01 hectares per person) that city will be forced to grow to around 10,000 hectares of additional urban land. The following diagram shows the cities growth in 1975, 1987, 2000 and the projected in 2031. (GRAPHIC) The main parameters which define the red shape of this diagram consist of slope, elevation, proximity to infrastructure and transportation networks. (prince 21). historically the population in Tegucigalpa prefers to build near the center of the city on high risk landslide areas or near floodplains near rivers or streams. Similarly by 2031 most of the new development will continue to be built on high risk areas (21).

Figure 2.2: Internal Migration Flows to Cortes and Francisco Morazán: 1996-2001 (Sending department rates of over 15 per 1000)

Yoro

Santa Copan

Colón

Atlantida

Puerto Cortez

Gracias a Dios

Barbara

Olancho Comayagua

Ocotepeque

Francisco Morazan

Intibuca Lempira La Paz

El Paraiso

Valle Choluteca

Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadistica: Censo de Población y Vivienda 2001

1975 Urban Area (2,360 hectares)

1987 Urban Area (6, 020)

2000 Urban Area (8,360)

2031 Projected Urban Area (19,795)

15 KM

URBAN EXPANSION 1975 - 2031 (Projected)

5 KM

10 KM

15 KM

CURRENT CITY BOUNDARIES AND 2031 PROJECTED (red)

2016

2021

2026

2031

13,655

15,488

17,519

19,795 hec

In 2000 about 640 hectares were located in areas vulnerable to landslides. Studies analysing the mountain slope and soil condition recommend for the government to promote urban growth in other parts of the city however much of the available land would put developments in higher elevation, way from the city center, or on flood plains. Additionally there is a city limit for development of 1,150 meters that cannot be exceeded. The reports also urge the city government to reconsider these limitations.

Pro

8,5

1h 1h

Projected land Consumption:

2001

2006

2011

2016

2021

2026

2031

8,502 hec

10,161

11,874

13,655

15,488

17,519

19,795 hec

1 hectar = 10,000 sq. meters 1 hectar = 2.47 acres

31 In 2000 about 640 hectares were located in areas vulnerable to landslides. Studies analysing the mountain slope and soil condition recommend for the government to promote urban growth in other parts of the city however

CURRENT CITY URBAN AREA

GROWTH 1975 (green) 1987 (yellow) 2000 (orange) 2031 (red)

POVERTY IN TEGUCIGALPA GROWTH OF INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS Most of the population entering Tegucigalpa by 2031 will be poor and is expected to continue to build on the informal settlement trend on the hills. The disproportion of land ownership and acquisition has been standard practice ever since the Spanish colonized Honduras. Today similar to colonial times, only about 3% of the population has full ownership of 40% of the land in Tegucigalpa (29). The rest 60% of the land have unclear titles and boundaries description that are difficult to regulate. This dynamic of land ownership uncertainty is known to have allowed for much of the informal settlement growth in the city. Of this expected urban development informal settlements are expected to take the lead role in creating neighborhoods. According to a study in November 2001 ILD estimated that about 55% of the plots in Tegucigalpa were “extra legal” meaning that they were appropriated without an official title from private or public lands (29). It is estimated that about 60% of the people in the Central district in Tegucigalpa reside on illegally developed communities. The disproportion of land ownership and acquisition has been standard practice ever since the Spanish colonized Honduras. Today similar to colonial times, only about 3% of the population has full ownership of 40% of the land in Tegucigalpa (29). The rest 60% of the land have unclear titles and boundaries description that are difficult to regulate. Informal settlements began to form in the 1960’s in Tegucigalpa but they were limited to the slopes of hills and surrounding rivers. In the late 1970’s and 1980’s the city saw most of their growth both on private and public land (30). During 1980’s as it is expected to be for 2031, the municipality was not ready to receive the influx of families with low income housing or land and therefore avoided removing the settlements. Other attempts to remove communities in 1989 resulted in resistance and violence therefore the municipality has avoided further conflicts. The current trend in the city approximates about 3000 new formal houses and 6000 informal units every year. Factoring in the expected population growth with this trend, there will be 36

between 135,000 to 155,000 new informal houses by the year 2025. They are estimated to have 5 people per unit of about 675,000 to 775,000 new residents (34). Ultimately because of economic conditions where 49% of the population earns an average of $167 a month it is impossible to find formal housing. In 1998 there was an estimate of 450,000 people living in informal settlements and 200 more new settlements have been reported ever since (35). The municipality has allowed this type of urban growth to happen because of the lack of alternative housing but with the city growing larger, it will present a larger percentage of the population to be vulnerable in the event of landslides.

PROBLEMS

TOPOGRAPHY LANDSLIDES WATER SOURCE DISCONNECTION

TEGUCIGALPA’S TOPOGRAPHY 1:15000

LANDSLIDE HAZARDS STUDY

Plate 1 Landslide Susceptibility Map of Tegucigalpa, Honduras Open-File Report 02-219

RÍO

CH OL UT E

ACE GU

UE RIQ

O RÍ

Los Laureles

O RÍ SA N SÉ JO

Static Factor of Safety (Saturated) Guatemala

Landslide interpretation by Ed Harp, USGS Golden. Digital data preparation by Matthew D. Held and Jonathan P. McKenna, USGS Golden. Digital data prepared using ArcInfo 7.2 on a UNIX workstation and formatted using ArcInfo 8.0.1 on a Windows 2000 Workstation.

1.0 1.5

The base data is from base maps produced by the Japanese International Cooperative Agency (JICA). The base maps were digitized, and the datum was shifted from NAD 27 to WGS 84.

2.0 2.5

Landslide Locations

3.0

Major Roads

4.0

Rivers and Lakes

5.0

Deep-Seated Landslide

HONDURAS TEGUCIGALPA

El Salvador Nicaragua

This report is preliminary and has not been reviewed for conformity with U.S. Geological Survey editorial standards or with the North American Stratigraphic Code. Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. This map was produced on request, directly from digital files, on an electronic plotter For sale by U.S. Geological Survey Information Services Box 25286, Federal Center, Denver, CO 80225 1-888-ASK-USGS

SCALE 1 : 15,000 1

0.5

1 Kilometers

HORIZONTAL DATUM .................WORLD GEODETIC SYSTEM 1984 PROJECTION ...........................GEOGRAPHIC COORDINATE SYSTEM

ARC/INFO coverages and a PDF file for this map are available at http://geology.cr.usgs.gov/greenwood-pubs.html

Landslide Susceptibility Map of Tegucigalpa, Honduras

Prepared by Jonathan P. McKenna USGS, Golden CO

Plate 1 nduras 02-219

The city is expected to grow in all directions but mainly (South, EAST) given the difficult slopes of the north. This increased urbanization will occur despite land ownership and regulation prohibiting occupation of land due to landslide hazard. The destruction of homes due to landslides is common in the Tegucigalpa area with its rainy season from (DATE to DATE). how much rain does Tegucigalpa experience during the rainy season??? The problem is widely known but it does not stop the necessity for people to occupy lands vulnerable to it. (Landslide Hazard map of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, USGS) During the heavy rainfall from Hurricane Mitch in October 2931 1998 Tegucigalpa saw more than 200 landslides in its metro area. The following map the following map was developed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and later modified by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). It quantifies of landslide susceptible areas in Tegucigalpa by combining past occurrences and GIS based analysis of the slope stability. It contains relative values defined as factor of safety (FS) with values closer to 1.0 being very dangerous and most likely to come down in the event of heavy rainfall. The analysis is derived primarily from the slope degrees, the soilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s material strength, and saturability of water. This type of analysis is helpful for developers in the city to determine how they should build but for informal settlers this type of information isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t easily accessible and they continue to build on unstable slopes. The current hazard analysis maps are limited to the central part of the city and excludes most of the projected area of growth.

ared by cKenna den CO

(grid cell); ranges of FS are then colored to produce a susceptibility map.

Shear strengths are assigned to specific geologic units; therefore a geologic map of the area is also required.

Slope Map

Below are the triangulated-irregular-network primary elements used to determine previous (JICA).the From this we constructed a TIN (TIN) model to produce a slope map with model derived for the Tegucigalpa landslide hazard map: area permits calculation of the slope of the land surface. The TIN model used Angle of slopes for our slope map is derived Geologic Composition (see chart)from a topo graphic map having a 2.5-m contour Cohesion of soil interval provided by the Japanese Friction angle of Slopes International Cooperative Agency

10-m-grid centers. Grid centers of 10 m were chosen as the optimal spacing given the scale of the topographic map from which it was derived. A slope map con structed from the TIN for this same area is shown in figure 1.

Geologic Map

JICA map portrays the geology of the he most recent geologic map of Tegucigalpa is that prepared by geol Tegucigalpa area in greater detail and subdivides some of the generalized units ogists of JICA (2001) at a scale of 1:10,000. This geologic map is a modifi shown on the previous map. For the pur poses of our analysis, we have used the cation of part of a previous 1:50,000 files of of theTegucigalpa.

JICA geology in 10-m scale geologic map of the Tegucigalpa Figure 1. Slope map generated from the TIN of thedigital central part cells (figure 2). 1:50,000-scale topographic quadrangle (Rodgers and O’Conner, 1990). The

Figure 2. Geologic units in the central part of Tegucigalpa.

Strength of Slope Materials

he shear strength of slope materials is a combination of two parameters: effective cohesion (c’) and effective

were available from samples taken by the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers for the analysis of the slope stability of the El

c ap

m ven

on足 ea

A A

its ur足 e -m

B B

Figure 3. Shear-strength values for the area shown in figure 2. (A) Cohesion. (B) Friction angle. See Table 1 for a list of cohesion and shear-strength values. Figure 3. Shear-strength values for the area shown in figure 2. (A) Cohesion. (B) Friction angle. See Table 1 for a list of cohesion and shear-strength values.

the 5

Strengths of Geologic Units TableShear 1. Shear strengths of geologic units [Conversion: 1 lb/ft 2 = 0.0479 kPa] Geologic Unit Riverbank Qal Qe3 Qe2b Qe2a Qe1 Qb Qan2 Qan1 Qdt Tpm3 Tep Tcg Tpm2 Tpm1 Tpml Ti Tm Krc Kvn

Description Clay,silt, sand, cobbles. Clay, silt, sand, cobbles, boulders. Terrace, sand and cobbles. Terrace deposits, sand and cobbles. Terrace deposits, silt, sand, and cobbles. Terrace sediment, sand, cobbles. Basalt Andesite Andesite and rhyolitic tuff, weathered. Debris-flow deposits Padre Miguel Group, ignimbrite sequence, upper member, rhyolitic tuff. Padre Miguel Group, tuffaceous sediments, conglomerate, sandstone, and siltstone. Padre Miguel Group, Cerro Grande member, weathered rhyolite and ignimbrite. Padre Miguel Group, ignimbrite sequence, middle member. rhyolitic tuff. Padre Miguel Group, ignimbrite sequence, lower member, rhyolitic tuff. Padre Miguel Group, lahar sequence, debris-flow deposits. Intrusive rhyolite. Matagalpa Formation, weathered tuff, tuff breccia, and andesitic flows. Río Chiquito Formation, mudstone, siltstone, sandstone, and conglomerate. Villa Nueva Formation, conglomerate, sandstone, and volcanic tuff.

c’ (lbs/ ft2) 350 350 200 300 400 300 1000 700 300 300 400

ϕ’ (degrees) 34 34 34 34 34 34 43 35 25 35 30

500

300

500

400

700 600

35 23

300

REPRESA LOS LAURELES (south-west of the city) A RESERVOIR THAT PROVIDES 30% OF THE CITY’S WATER. DEVELOPMENT HAS ALREADY STARTED TO EMERGE ON ITS

GROWTH/TOPOGRAPHY

NEIGHBORHOODS DENSITIES

A SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE PRINCETON REPORT A report from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton summaries the rapid urbanization of Tegucigalpa and general recommendations regarding the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s growth. The intended audience for this 2004 report was the Mayor of Tegucigalpa Miguel Rodrigo Pastor Mejia and also representatives from the World Bank and the InterAmerican Development Bank. The report raises the issue that the local government does not have appropriate measures for dealing with the increase to 2 million people by 2031. In fact it claims that the municipalityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s method of facing urban growth is to prevent people to move into the city in the first place. Tegucigalpa already faces many problems with traffic congestion, water and electrical resources with the current population. Despite the municipalities hope that this increase doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t happen, the reality is that Honduras is still an under urbanized country that is undergoing a predictable transition of the population moving to cities. Among Latin American countries Honduras is towards the end of the list have experience the shirt from rural to urban The report emphasizes that although there are serious topographical limitations in the city, it has not stopped the formal and informal development of building on the mountain sides. The expected areas for expansion are South, Southeast and the North. The East is very steep and the West is flatter but it also contains a major watershed that provides 30% percents of the cities water from a reservoir (represa los laureles). The main purpose of this report was to influence the city government to develop a strategy to identify safe expansion areas for land protection and ultimately generating a type of land use zoning map corresponding to landslides. I encourage the municipality to take control in directing the new development in order to prevent larger issues regarding watershed contamination and increased casualties from landslides.

General recommendations from the report: 1. The government should reform its land subdivision regulation Infrastructural projects should be carried on through “incremental improvements” to keep the cost down. It should promote the building of low income plots with basic services such as water and electricity. They should develop and enforce “normas minimas” or minimum requirements for construction of low income communities. The municipality must acknowledge that most of its population growth will be poor. 2. Transportation guided development The government should be strategic about the construction of new primary roadways and promote them as the backbone for new development. Secondary streets should be low cost, pedestrian friendly and ecologically sensitive. 3. The city should develop a Disaster Mitigation Plan: A City Park system can create open space and also protect landslide vulnerable zones. The primary purpose of these parks would be to mitigate landslides by providing stability through reforestation. This can be a less costly systematic approach than removing large amounts of soils and building retaining walls. Within this system they can also contain low impact structural and non-structural Solutions like channels for water management like rain gardens and cisterns. 4. Public involvement/Education To make information more widespread concerning the dangers of living on landslide prone areas as well as improving construction methods. The government should find ways to make household disaster insurance more attainable and increase access to credit for the citizens.

WOODROW WILSON SCHOOL OF PUBLIC AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS REPORT ON TEGUCIGALPA’S RAPID GROWTH FEBRUARY 2004

3% OF THE PO FORMALLY OW OF THE LAND

POPULATION OWNS 40% ND

145,000 NEW SETTLEMENTS

EW INFORMAL NTS BY 2025

WHERE 49% O POPULATION E $167 A MONTH

% OF THE N EARNS NTH

THE SITE

•

SITES Focus on El Berrinche

•

For the second part of the thesis design studio I am considering three different types of sites for potential intervention: Expected Growth Areas, Retrofitting existing informal settlements, or post disaster sites. Three sites that were destroyed during the 1998 hurricane Mitch are currently being prepared and stabilized through the effort of the municipality and an international agency. The government asked the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to do surveys and give recommendations about these sites as they were seen as threats for the surrounding areas.

３．

Locat The pr parts

The biggest site that was studied by JICA is called El Berrinche (about 800m by 300m ) and is located just West of the historic downtown and the Choluteca River. Due to over-saturation of the soil during heavy rainfall in October 1998 the site of the Berrinche experienced a massive landslide that destroyed part of an informal settlement and buried part of downtown. Following JICAs recommendations, the municipality commenced a project to stabilize the site in December 2011 and is expected to be completed by 2013. The project included removing 750 cubic meters of soil and the installation of deep wells with diameters of 3.5 meters each with 12-28 meters of depth to treat the rainwater and prevent landslides. For the design part of this research I see the site at El Berrinche as an opportunity to propose a pilot project that exemplifies an alternative growing logic of informal settlements that stabilizes the slope, provides low income solutions and integrates to the existing city fabric. El Berrinches’s proximity to city center and the river create are two important elements that may guide a more site specific approach.

Gener

・・

zone. • As far as the interview survey carried out during the Preliminary study, the most inhabitants of respective project site show their desire to move to safer locations if possible, although it is impossible at present for them to move out from the current locations due to economic reasons. Although some people do not think that the present location is dangerous, they may agree to resettle as far as the government decides the TYPES OFimplementation, APPROACHESifTOWARDS SITE FOR project the resettlement siteDESIGN (with public services of water, EXPERIMENTATION electricity, etc.) or the compensation is properly presented for them. • SOPTRAVI, the implementation agency, has many experiences of resettlement activities 1. in REFORM (RETROFITTING NEIGHBORHOOD) the past. They explained that resettlement issues were not serious matters and occasional disagreement between the government side and the inhabitant side could be 2. settled NEW (DEVELOP AREAS OF PROJECTED by negotiation or arbitration withoutGROWTH) long time loss. • There are not-a-few dangerous areas of landslide or slope failure with many houses there the City, (POST besides HURRICANE the proposed three project areas. In addition, there are several 3. in DISASTER RESETTLEMENT) hundreds of houses located in affected dangerous areas in and around the respective proposed project area. It is impossible and not realistic to consider that these houses are also subject to be resettled. It is necessary to consider the resettlement required by construction works of the proposed project separately from that for the houses located in the dangerous zones. ３．

Outline of the Location

Location of the Project Sites The proposed three (3) project sites are respectively located on a mountain slope of the northern parts in the urban area of Tegucigalpa. The general location map is shown as follows:

El Reparto El Bumbu El Berrinche

Chiquito River Tegucigalpa Urban Area (Center)

Choluteca River (Flooded area) General Features of the City of Tegucigalpa: ・Total city area：1,396.5 km2 （Total urban area：205.5 km2）・Population of the city：Approximately 1.2 million （Population of the urban area： 2

EL BERRINCHE SITE

Below is an aerial image showing the current state of the site. The white tracks are new rainwater mitigation channels to guide excess water to the Choluteca River. A road and meanders from the bottom to the top of the site. Water wells measuring 3m diameters are located throughout to catch and slowly release rain water.

VIEW OF EL BERRINCHE aftermath of Hurricane Mitch 1998 Although the municipality has made efforts to stabilize the slop at El Berrinche, there have not been any mentions of opening up the site for future housing settlement. Instead the main reason is described as a preventive measure against future destruction of surrounding areas. The site remains an area illegal for building but JICA suggests that informal settlement will eventually re-occupy the site.

Distant View of Berriche

Berriche, View from the Top ② Area of El Reparto The area of El Reparto is administratively located in Barrio El Reparto Arriba on the north and Barrio El Reparto Abajo on the south.

The Reparto slope area is approximately 700～900 m long and approximately 150～300 m wide. It is roughly divided, from the topography and the past landslide conditions, into three blocks; 69 upper block, middle block, and lower block. ・Upper block: It is located on the lower side of the steep slope of Picacho hill. This block is not moved during the Mitch Hurricane. There is a comparatively flat gentle slope with a football ground. There are scattered houses and land lots for sale at present,

PROXIMITY OF EL BERRINCHE TO DOWNTOWN AND RIVER CHOLUTECA

EXISTING URBAN FABRIC ANALYSIS

CONNECTION TO RIVER AND CIVIC/PUBLIC BUILDINGS

EL BAMBU SITE

EL REPARTO SITE

JICAs PRELIMINARY STUDY OF 3 SITES AFTER HURRICANE MITCH 1998 EL BERRINCHE EL REPARTO EL BAMBU

PRECEDENTS

PREVI, Lima, Peru ELEMENTAL BRASIL BARRIO/ FAVELA CARACAS THINK TANK

PREVI Lima, Peru The Proyecto Experimental de vivienda or PREVI. A competition and strategy for accommodating a large informal settlement in the city of Lima Peru. The government and British architect Peter land held a competition in 1969 for pilot projects that would attempt to structure informal growth. The goal was to design a master plan for 1,500 housing units on a plot of 40 hectares. (Ramis) THE competition asked for the following:

1. a high density modular, and low rise neighborhood

2. A â&#x20AC;&#x153;Growing Houseâ&#x20AC;? concept with a courtyard

3. Clusters of Housing units within the Master Plan

4. Pedestrian friendly environment

5. Earthquake resistant

6. A Landscape plan for the master plan

The following pages show competition entries for the project Source: http://isites.harvard.edu/fs/docs/icb.topic892112. files/Previ/AD.pdf

ATELIER 5

ELEMENTAL Iqueque, Chile Elemental is a project by architect Alejandro Aravena, Alfonso Montero Tomas Cortese, and Emilio de la Cerda in Iquique, Chile. The goal of the project was to create flexible low income dwellings that could grow over time with the economic growth of the family. Its goal was to take a 5,000 square meter site and create dwellings for about 100 families. This project site had already been illegally occupied though informal settlements for 30 years (Aravena, Arch daily). With a limited budget the architects had to find a way to provide basic infrastructure and low cost materials to build dwellings that could experience future growth. Instead of dictating strict housing rules, Elemental builds the foundations and structure for settlements to continue growing informally.

from: http://guttlab.com/guttlab-01-minnesota-usa/2-informal-settlements-analysis/

FAVELAS/ BAIRRO PROJECT planejamento arquitetonice e Ambiental Examples of small interventions within informal communities like recreation projects, urban furniture tree planting and the creation of spaces for economic growth From the book The Favela-Bairro Project by Machado, Rodolfo ed.,

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INFORMAL CITY : THE CARACAS CASE CARACAS is a Metropolis at the elevation: 1,000 meters above sea level, within a 20 kilometer wide valley and a metropolitan area of about 800sq km. Its metropolitan population is currently 5,930,000 people and 1,940,000 of them live within city ( (Brillembourg 1-5) The report begins by describing what it means to be an informal settlement as “a lifestyle and a way of living different than any architectural school of thought” (pg43). A place without one single author and outside a regulated framework. It is an emergent place that is build collectively things overlap. It is “spontaneous or generated by many convergent factors” many of which have not been studied (pg 43-45). Informal settlements refers to a type of urban growth that is constructed without standard prescription of development. They are not done with conventional guidelines and often time they are constructed against building regulation and laws. They may also be described as disorderly or unplanned in comparison to more traditional urban planning methods. (Pg 18) Saskia Saseen, a sociologist from Chicago warns that informal settlements are building a strong presence in modern cities and will eventually hold major political and economic leverage in emerging economies (39) on the informal settlements have already begun to have politician and real estate effects on cities in Brazil where the Worker’s Party has already reached out and gotten their residents registered to vote. (Pg 39-41) Informal settlements as a result of government lacking to provide housing for the poor. These are built “outside the regulatory framework of a country”. Private developers can benefit from this because they can analyze the prosperity of land based on where the informal settlements are created, then they build high rise buildings close to their edges or within them (pg 39). Developers also support the idea of informal settlement dwellers to pressure the government to install infrastructure to later benefit them this in turn also increased the land value. In Sao Paolo where the population of informal dwellers is 4 million, it has become a major force for guiding political effort to focus into housing need.

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23 de enero Neighborhood

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Modernism (Le Courbusier’s Domino house concept) made a popular movement into Latin America in the 1929-1960 especially in the neighborhood of 23 de Energo housing development. The re appropriation of modern building with its mega block and free plan is now occupied with informal units on every floor (pg 22). Informal settlements increased to unexpected rate in Caracas expanding to the city to East since the 1960’s. Most of Venezuela’s industrial buildings and workforce is based in Caracas, and about 70% of the country’s workforce happened in the city during 1980. (Pg 72-73) in 1937 34% of population was urban in 1967 67.5% in 2004 90% The migration of rural to urban in Caracas was mostly due to the exploitation of oil where people migrated from within and outside the country. As the country was not ready to receive the influx, many people settled informally and have been socially invisible until recently. The periodical magazine portraying Caracas citizens makes no mention of the Barrios in Caracas and most maps show them as blank or “park” lands. They are invisible. (69-72) Caracas was one of the poorest Latin American cities in the 1920’s and one of the richest in the 1950’s that was characterized by having more modern infrastructure than other cities. After 1957 Venezuela went under a clash between socialism and development which current governments trying to achieve a state of populism.. Between 1960 and 1970’s the country lost more of its market shares in the world and the emergence of informal settlements rose to exponential rates as housing became more expensive which forced the poor to appropriate abandoned lands and buildings for the construction of informal settlements. (73) (Pg 74) The lack of the government to build social housing. Between 1928-2004 the government has built around 650,000 units of formal public housing whereas the residents of informal

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housing have built themselves 2.8 units in the same time span. One can look at this fact as the a true laissez faire way of creating housing as well as new. They are the materialization of interconnected relationships within a city that involve social, resources and economic problems. In Caracas and Tegucigalpa the contrast between formal and informal is clear. Because of steep topographic conditions informal and formal developments have formed in close proximities.

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CONCLUSION NEXT STEPS I think that by studying informal settlements we are not only moving towards the solution to many growing cities but also understanding areas concerning non-western, “organic” growth logics that can reveal interesting aspects of density, urban space and mobility. Most buildings in the world are not designed by architects, most of construction happens outside the profession, so what is our role? Do we contribute by setting order and framework to a world growing out of control and if so, how can be site specific and culturally sensitive to these communities? Informal settlements can be in a way very economic; places that respond directly to resource issues, the people’s necessities, and efficiency. They places completely built by the people for the people. So if informality includes the creation of dwellings directly associated people’s need perhaps we should be careful about un-informalizing these communities. It is important to understand that this type of growth is not necessarily good or bad but simply a fact of many cities. They are often associated with extreme poverty, lack of resources like water and food, basic infrastructure and susceptible to climatic disasters. The next step for this research will be to speculate about what new growth systems can be implemented that directly respond to the issues of landslides as well as others previously described. I intend to dive into the issue keeping in mind site specific conditions and the relationship of people to their communities. The design experimentation will address the future population in three sites and develop housing communities that can grow and integrate into the city over incrementally.

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“Funny thing. it has among the lowest delinquency, disease and infant mortality rates in the city. … lowest ratio of rent to income in the city...the death rate is low...The TB death rate is very low… Well they must be strong people. Of course it’s a terrible slum.” “My friend’s instincts told him the North End was a good place, and his social statistics confirmed it. But everything he had learned as a physical planner about what is good for people and good for city neighborhoods, everything that made him an expert, told him the North End had to be a bad place.” -Jane Jacobs introduction Death and Life of Great American Cities

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Angel, Shlomo, Katherine Bartley et al., Rapid Urbanization in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University. Princeton, February 2004 Aravena, Alejandro. Quinta Monroy / Elemental. www. archdaily.com/10775/. accessed October 27 2013 Brillembourg, Alfredo, Kristin Feireiss, Hubert Kumpner, ed., Informal City: Caracas Case. Kulturstiftung Des Bundes and Caracas Think Tank. Berlin, 2005 Harp, Edwin, Mario Cata単eda, and Matthew D. Held, Landslides Triggered By Hurricane Mitch In Tegucigalpa, Honduras. U.S. Geological Survey: Open file Report 02-33 Heraldo (El Heraldo Newspaper). Disminuye riesgo de deslizamiento: Mas de 81 a単os de panico finalizan en El Berrinche. <<m.elheraldo.hn/Secciones-Principales/Metro/Masde-81-anos-de-panico-finalizan-en-El-Berrinche>>. August 14 2013, Tegucigalpa, Honduras JICA, Japan International Cooperation Agency. Preliminary Study of Grant Aid Project. http://www.jica.go.jp/ english/our_work/social_environmental/archive/pro_asia/pdf/ hon01_01.pdf http://www.jica.go.jp/english/our_work/social_environmental/ archive/pro_asia/pdf/hon01_02.pdf Machado, Rodolfo ed., The Favela-Bairro Project: Jorge Mario Jauregui Architects. Harvard University Graduate School of Design. Cambridge, Massachusetts. 2003. Perez, Alex Leandro, PREVI: Lima y Elemental Chile. Lecciones Aprendidas. Arquitectura y Urbanism. Sep-Dec 2011 Vol. 32 Issue 3, p48-55. Bogota, Colombia 2011

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Urquia Garcia, Elias, K. Axelsson. Prediction of RainfallInduced Landslides in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Using a HydroGeotechnical Model. Department of Earth Sciences at Uppsala University, Sweden. 2010 Ucles, Olman. Tegucigalpa: Estabilidad de El Berrinche Sera Puesta a Prueba En Invierno. Translation: Tegucigalpa: The stability of the “Berrinche” will be put to the test this Winter”. Diario El Heraldo (Honduran Newspaper). January 3 2013.

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