Publication mama reconquista 2014

MAMA RECONQUISTA: BALANCED DEVELOPMENT IN BUENOS AIRES METROPOLITAN REGION KATE ANDRUSENKO ANDREA ARAGONE LYNN VAN CALMTHOUT AISTE EIDUKEVICIUTE MARTINA GENTILI BOB KOSTER KSENIA POLYANINA GRETA RIESSELMANN SHYREEN SHAIB JUSTINA STEFANOVIC KRISTIAN SPASOV MEL TUANGTHONG THOMAS VINK

Studio: Globalisation Free choice Project Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina Prof. Vincent Nadin , Prof. Dr. Han Meyer Coordinator: Dr. Diego Sepulveda Carmona Tutors Buenos Aires: Prof. Flavio Janches, Andres Ferrari, Max Rohm, Carlos Galindez Space Syntax Tutor: Dr. Akkelies van Nes

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ABSTRACT

Globalisation Free Choice is an urban design and planning studio elective at Delft University of Technology. The studio focuses on the complex relationship between regional and international urban systems, the development of public space and the evolution of cities undergoing major transformations. For the past four years, Globalisation Free Choice has focused on the planning and development issues surrounding the metropolitan region of Buenos Aires in Argentina.

In a partnership with the University of Buenos Aires, students travelled in 2014 to Argentina to develop an urban strategy on the Rio Reconquista river basin, which lies north of the city center. The studio encourages students to create design-led solutions based on multidisciplinary research and the development of a strong theoretical planning framework. The journey to the Latin American nation exposes students to a different cultural, economic and political environment, which challenges their perceptions on a personal and professional level.

01

METROPOLITAN SCALE

FRAMEWORK

towards a multilayer approach

The themes of globalization, governance/ politics and environment contextualizes the current social, economic, environmental and political conditions in Buenos Aires. The group selected three themes to scale and highlight the different elements which strongly influences the movement of the city’s functionality and multilayered network. The contextualisation of themes was not the sole purpose. It is also to guide and establish a critical line of questioning that would contribute and shape the overall structure of the final planning and design.

The following questions could be asked.

How does globalisation effect the development of Buenos Aires? Is the current governance system strong enough to deliver large scale regional projects? It is important to note that the three themes are not mutually exclusive. The difficulty of understanding Buenos Aires derives from the complex relationship between the different themes. Nevertheless, the recognition of the current situation will allow for better oversight towards developing a viable urban planning & design framework.

STRATEGY

DIAGNOSIS CONTEXT

PROCESSES GLOBAL MARKET ((inter)national)

CONDITIONS URBAN FRAGMENTATION (absence or underdevelopment of connections)

ENVIRONMENT

GOVERNANCE /POLITICS

- SPATIAL - ECONOMIC - SOCIAL

MODERNIZATION

RAPID POPULATION GROWTH

PRIVATIZATION

UNBALANCED SPATIAL CONDITIONS: - functional relationship -hard infrastructure - soft infrastructure - environmental safety - ecosystem services - housing conditions -.....

S P A T I A L S E G R E G A T I O N

GOAL

APPROACH

Creating conditions for a balanced spatial development by...

...establishing connections that are absent or underdeveloped and managing environmental conflicts...

&

GLOBALISATION

LACK OF INSTITUTIONAL COLLABORATION

ENVIRONMENTAL CONFLICTS (its relationship with the urban fabric)

FLOODING/ POLLUTION

The framework will provide a stable and sequential structure for the design of the Rio Reconquista river basin. Each stage focuses on an element or topic that contributed towards a final design by narrowing down and focusing on relevant issues. The context helped to understand and contextualize the current social, economic, environmental and political conditions in Buenos Aires. Looking forward from this context, six key conditions were defined, which strongly underline

-WATER -AIR -GROUND

I N J U S T I C E

...to move from exclusion to integration.

T U R N P O T E N T I A L S I N T O V A L U E S

VALUE OF LANDSCAPE

METROPOLITAN

VALUE OF BORDERS vs CENTRALITIES

MACRO

VALUE OF DEVELOPMENT

MICRO

the essential environmental and urban conflicts in Buenos Aires. These conflicts were summarized to a position that recognized the problems based on the diagnosis of Buenos Aires. From the diagnosis, a broad range of goals was proposed. Subgoals were split in order to organize the vast amount of actions required to tackle and achieve the broader goal. Once the actions were established, a micro scale design could be produced in line with the diagnosis and vision on a metropolitan scale.

MAMA RECONQUISTA

02

CONTEXT

processes in Buenos Aires

The literature review was the first stage in to living conditions, with cities becoming increasthe research process towards developing the stra- ingly spatially fragmented, rising levels of integic framework for the Rio Reconquista river ba- equality and damage to the natural environment. sin. The literature was selected to cover a broad The metropolitan context was divided into three range of political, economic, environimportant subcontexts: Globalisation, mental and social issues which affect “The privatization of public Governance & Politics, and Environment. all Latin American societies, amongst services in Buenos Aires These three influenced each other which Argentina, Overall, the litera- increased urban inequalities” and led to various relevant processes (Buenos Aires Fragmentation and ture review highlighted the changes Metropolization, Pirez, 2002, 153). in the metropolitan region. When experienced in Latin America, which this information is combined with have been beneficial in bringing much needed extensive spatial duality analyses, it became economic development to the cities and regions. apparent the region was dealing with heavily spatial conditions, leading to However, the consequences have equally been unbalanced very fragmented metropolitan region. detrimental to the urban environment in relation a

UNPRE

supranational organisations

METROPOLITAN FOUNDATION

investment media

Modernization

decisions

Ministry of Infrastructure corporate management control challenges ONABIEF PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT

GLOBALISATION

GOVERNANCE POLITICS

Global market

Trade migration liberalization

Rapid Population Growth capitalization

knowledge

democracy

Privatization representations law rules

POVERTY

Technology

METROPOLIS lack of Institutional collaboration OF BUENOS AIRES responsibility

IBD [Inter-American

Ministry integration of Social Subsecretary Urbanism & Housing Development

Development Bank]

Environmental Organisations

ENVIRONMENT

Environmental Institutions AySA

mixture of different sustainability cultures/ traditions innovation Planet science ecosystem

Flooding

Pollution development GLOBAL resources CLIMATE CHANGE WARMING INTA [ Nat. Institute for Agriculture Technology]

National Business Performance Index (source: Americas GIA Member, Market Intelligence, The World Bank, 2012) GDP per Capita (US$ at PPP)

Global competitiveness Index (WEF, raking 2012-13)

Argentina

Brazil

18.036

12.120

94

48

Chili

18.450

Netherlands

“The serious groundwater drainage problem in Buenos Aires Conurbation is the result of 4 issues” (United States Environmental Protection Agency, www.epa.gov/ies/documents/argentina/aqm_tarela&perone.pdf ).

42.000

33

8

“Latin America is a bright spot in the post-recession global economy, with growth rebounding strongly in much of the region.

In the years ahead, cities will be critical to regional growth." (Building competitive cities: The key to Latin American growth, McKinsey, 2011)

03

Cloud of issues, processes, actors in the Metropolis of Buenos Aires

METROPOLITAN SCALE

Import of water-supply

Limited coverage sewer/drainage

Reduction ground water pumping

Increased annual rainfall

“Buenos Aires’ major sources of pollution are transportation and industrial processes, but mainly transportation, as it is the source of over 90% of all the pollution” (Mitigation of Groundwater Drainage Problems in the Buenos Aires Conurbation, Argentina -Technical & Institutional Way Forward, Foster, 2002).

ABSA

Literature on processes in the Metropolis of Buenos Aires

“Constitution allows every immigrant with an address a residence permit access to free education and health” (International Organization for Migration: Argentina, www.iom.int/cms/en/sites/iom/home/ where-we-work/americas/south-america/argentina.html).

“These metropolitan regions also introduce a ‘second degree’ fragmentation, on top of the metropolitan government structure” (Buenos Aires Fragmentation and Metropolization, Pirez, 156).

Federal Government

Province of Buenos Aires

Municipalities in Autonomous city the Metropolitan of Buenos Aires area

DUALITY MAPS

Conflicting issues in Buenos Aires Industry vs Infrastructure

Flood risk vs Affected infrastructure 0 1

5

10km

0 1

5

10km

damaged underground infrastructure damaged infrastructure damaged railways flooding area Airports

industrial parks

informal settlements

industrial areas mixed with other functions

flooding risk areas (informal settlements) gated communities flooding risk areas (gated communities)

informal settlements gated communities highway proposed highway provincial road railway

Waste disposal vs Open space

Water supply vs sewage 0 1

5

10km

0 1

lack of water supply

0 1

lack of sewage

5

5

10km

10km

Official waste disposal

lack of sewage and water

Informal waste disposal

gated communities

Gated communities

Informal settlements Open space

informal settlements coverage of both services gated t communities

0 1

0 1

5

5

10km

10km

Conclusion map High flood risk Industrial ring Lack of water & sewage Urban fragmentation Official waste disposal Informal waste disposal Gated communities Informal settlements

MAMA RECONQUISTA

04

Values, Ideas and a Concept

creating conditons for a balanced spatial development C omplex C ities

AR0400 Globalisation: Research on the Urban Impact (2013-2014 Q4)

City structure

+ C omplex C ities

AR0400 Globalisation: Research on the Urban Impact (2013-2014 Q4)

Conceptual conclusion of Buenos Aires

METROPOLITAN SCALE

Creating conditions forfor a abalanced spatial Values of the landscape Creating conditions balanced spatial development development

governance/ politics

MICRO SCALE

MACRO SCALE

globalisation

environment

The Dutch layer method was adapted to create a series of duality maps which highlighted the unbalanced conditions in Buenos Aires. The method consisted of overlaying three common main structures in most urban environment structures: substratum (water, underground, soil), networks (hard infrastructure) and occupation patterns (zoning, usage levels). Each layer was important to define interventions to create an effective synergy by conditioning and facilitating a concise spatial planning process.

In the context of Buenos Aires, the method presented a highly fragmented urban landscape structure. The railway network created a radial metropolitan development going against the natural and substratum context. The history of expanding city borders provided a concentric structure which overlaps the fingers. More conflicts were demonstrated through the highly conflicting occupation patterns of industrial and residential

Value of the landscape

Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area

City Center infrastructure provided

Goal & value

Industrial ring with informal settlements lack of infrastructure

housing in the northern metropolitan areas of the city, which have expanded outside the original commuter belt into sensitive parks and greenscapes. Further analysis also highlighted the social issues, which could be partially attributed to the unbalanced and fragmented urban landscape. The metropolitan region can therefore be devided into different zones with a characteristic diversity of functions as well as a provision of services and infrastructure. CThis C diversity is represented in this drawing in which furthermore the distinction between inner city and surrounding regions becomes visible.

In the current city structure, the radial development combined with the concentric structure is ignoring the rivers and landscape structure. Fortunately, the river system cuts through the metropolitan area, providing the possibility of linking many of the city’s systems together. The natural areas in the city could become an important player that connects different parts of the city.

The opportunity is there to utilize this asset in favor of a more balanced development in Buenos Aires. To achieve this goal, the main consideration was the ‘value of the landscape.’ The rivers could be used as a local and regional connector, which could contribute to social and commercial

activities in order to benefit the area. This would include using the landscapes in and around the metropolitan region as determinative intersecting elements which should act as an activation zone along different fragmented areas. Thus, the strong identities of specific landscape elements could be used to provide better conditions for development of the different fragmented spaces.

AR0400 Globalisation: Research on the Urban Impact (2013-2014 Q4) Concept for the Metropolis of Buenos Aires

MICRO SCALE

MACRO SCALE

METROPOLITAN SCALE

omplex ities

Urban Fragmentation unbalanced development

05

METROPOLITAN SCALE

Concept strategy: Use landscape as activator

The Rio Reconquista basin

This chapter defines the Rio Reconquista river basin in the northwest of the metropolis of Buenos Aires as the main landscape element.

Connecting the Pampas south of the city with the Paranรก Delta and the Rio de la Plata this river has many different faces.

In order to implement the previously described metropolitan vision on the macro scale of the river basin, within the bigger metropolitan context, the river context was specified, in which the two relevant keywords are Urban Fragmentation and Environmental Conflicts.

MAMA RECONQUISTA

06

CONTEXT

processes around the Rio Reconquista basin The Rio Reconquista is placed in a more specifriver basin. The river dealt with a high level of inic context, as a result of the metropolitan analysis dustrial contamination, due to processes like the in relation to the theoretical framework. At the Rio global market and a lack of institutional collaboReconquista river basin. Two important issues conration. Another issue was the big flood risk of the textualized unbalanced development: Urban Fragriver, damaging property, environment and social mentation and Environmental structure. The third environmenConflicts. Urban Fragmentation “Every year 150.000 people come tal conflict was closely related to was defined as an absence or to Buenos Aires in the hope for a better life” the people. (Informal) garbage (Strategic perspectives, Garay & Lanfranchi, 2014) underdevelopment of connecdisposals constituted an importtions on a spatial, economic and social level. These ant issue along the river basin. Because of the lack keywords were related to the before mentioned of institutional collaboration, combined with the metropolitan processes. The Rio Reconquista river population growth. There is no system of garbage basin is containing a high level of urban fragmencollection for the informal areas, causing inhabitation due to population growth, modernization tants to dump their garbage in the very same rivand privatization (gated communities versus inforer they use for their other needs and recreation. mal settlements). This Urban Fragmentation is also closely related to the Environmental Conflicts in the

IBD gated Private Parties communitiesImmigration ownership Municipalities

NATIONAL GOVERNMENT

FRAGMENTATION

Cloud of issues, processes, actors in the Rio Reconquista basin

Development

CLIMATE CHANGE sustainability

Living Conditions

COMIREC Lack of control RIO organisation Ministry Urbanism & Housing UNPRE Responsibility of Social affordability RECONQUISTA WASTE Development Decision making process Property damage ONABIEF Accessibility BASIN ENVIRONMENTAL PROVINCIAL

POPULATION Subsecretary of GROWTH

Networks GOVERNMENT CONFLICTS Services Integration POLLUTION management lack of Institutional River maintenance OPDS Ministry of collaboration residents FLOODING CEAMSE Infrastructure METROPOLITAN FOUNDATION

Actors are speaking, From the informal settlement, it is concerning the Rio Reconquista approximately a 45 min walk to the nearest trainstop (Google maps, 2014)

“The Rio Reconquista is the second most polluted river in South America” (Comirec, Mara Anselmi, 2014)

“Urban fragmentation implies an organization of space – understood as both a process and a resulting spatial state – in which impermeable boundaries and enclosure have a central role. It is a state of disjointing and separation which is often coupled with socio-economic and/or ethnic divisions”

(Burgess, 2005, p. 21)

“The development of the city does not progress at the same pace as population needs and evolves following patterns of exclusion” (Strategic perspectives, Garay & Lanfranchi, 2014)

07

MACRO SCALE

“Como fuera mencionado anteriormente,

la población total de la Cuenca del Reconquista suma 4.239.091 habitantes. Está integrada por 18 partidos4. El 92% de la población reside en áreas urbanas y el 70% de la misma se localiza en la Cuenca Media. Será objeto de esta presentación, la sección correspondiente a la Cuenca Media, dadas sus avanzadas condiciones de urbanidad y la vasta complejidad de las problemáticas que a ésta atañen.”

(Proyecto Reconquista, Rodríguez)

“Environmental conditions continue to decline and the overall impacts tend to weigh most heavily on the disadvantaged sectors of the population” (Strategic perspectives, Garay & Lanfranchi, 2014)

“Las generalizadas condiciones de vulnerabilidad son producto de la disposición de los residuos sólidos domiciliarios en basurales clandestinos a cielo abierto, la toma indiscriminada de agua subterránea, así como también la libre circulación de los efluentes líquidos domiciliarios e industriales que, sin depuración ni soporte material de infraestructura de saneamiento, afecta superficialmente a importantes sectores del área de influencia del proyecto.”(Proyecto Reconquista, Rodríguez)

DUALITY MAPS

Conflicting issues around the Rio Reconquista Flood areas vs Living

Work vs Pollution

AR0400 Globalisation: Research on the Urban Impact (2013-2014 Q4)

C

WORK vs POLLUTION WORK PLACES

FLOODING

INDUSTRIES

RIO RECONQUISTA

3RD CATEGORY INDUSTRY CONTAMINATION

HISTORICAL FLOODINGS ( 1967 and 1985)

DISCHARGE OF SEWAGE WATER

DIFFERENT WAYS OF LIVING

SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANT

INFORMAL SETTLEMENT GATED COMMUNITIES

Density vs Acces to clean water

Public space vs Waste C ities

C ities PUBLIC SPACE vs WASTE

DENSITY vs. ACCESS TO CLEAN WATER POPULATION (hab/ha)

PUBLIC RECREATIONAL OPEN SPACE

0 - 25

OPEN SPACE WITH SPECIFIC FUNCTION

26 - 50

FORMAL DISPOSAL OF SOLID WASTE

51 -75

INFORMAL DISPOSAL OF SOLID WASTE

76 - 100 100 - 1200

AMOUNT OF WASTE PER MUNICIPALITY: (daily per person)

AMOUNT OF HOUSES WITH ACCES TO CLEAN WATER (percentage of the households)

LESS THAN 600 gr 600 gr - 1 kg

0 - 25 %

MORE THAN 1 kg

26 - 50 %

AR0400 Globalisation: Research on the Urban Impact (2013-2014 Q4)

Conclusion map

no water

lack of facilities and centres

no sewage no water less dense

lack of access

waste formal and informal

density lack of water

lack of centre

no sewage

density no water & industrial waste

industrial waste

Spatial analysis MAMA RECONQUISTA

08

Values and Ideas

creating conditons for a balanced spatial developement

River Structure

C ities

AR0400 Globalisation: Research on the Urban Impact (2013-2014 Q4)

Translating the Processes urban fragmentation

...Establishing connections that are absent or underdeveloped...

environmental conflicts

!

Value of borders vs centralities

conflicts

Urban vs unit Urban units Value of centralities borders

Buffer zone

Urban Units

...And managing

environmental Urban unit

Urban unit

Buffer zone

Urban unit Buffer zone Buffer zones

connections and managing environmental conflicts. In order to achieve these goals the macro scale concept was created which contains two elements - The Urban Unit and the Buffer Zone.

The Urban Unit was intended as a social approach to act as a new type of centrality for the local community. A system of carefully defined Urban Units should lead to increasing services, accessibility and development opportunities by effectively linking the informal settlements into the residential structure. The Buffer Zone was conceived as an environmental approach to act as a barrier against inappropriate development in and nearby the river system. the Buffer Zone works both ecological (as a buffer for the river from the people) and social (for the people from the river).

The Urban Units and Buffer Zones need a backbone to operate coherently, so linking back to the metropolitan scale, the Rio Reconquista is used as an activation zone by placing these urban units and buffer zones along the river, relating to the types of spaces, generated in the areas that need them the most.

The urbanized areas on the map are the places in highest need or places with the biggest potential to create an urban unit. The green areas in the map show the places which either are dealing with large issues concerning contamination, pollution or flooding; or places that had a high potential to become an area to help with managing these issues. Two areas were chosen for elaboration in the next chapter: San Martin and Moreno.

09

MACRO SCALE

Value

Buffer Zones Buffer zone

Different conflicting uses of space become apparent by filtering different layers and combining them as duality maps. The adjacent map combined these maps to find the most conflicted areas. Some examplary conclusions were: the areas with a high number of informal settlements also had the highest flood risk; open areas which could potentially be public spaces often had a high level of contamination or pollution.

From the spatial analysis of the Rio Reconquista river basin, a new type of urban fragmentation seemed to dominate the macro scale.

Along the river, certain areas appeared where a high level of activities and conflicts overlapped, related to the different dualities in the usage of space, and other spaces where activity was scarce. The fragmentation pattern defined these two types of spaces and at the same time acknowledged the spaces that were left undefined.

By regarding the duality of ‘heavy activity’ versus ‘scarce activity’ as a potential instead of a negative type of urban fragmentation, this potential could be transformed into a value of ‘borders’ versus ‘centralities’. Through identifying different areas as either a border or a centrality, those different types of spaces are dealing with the two subgoals of establishing Concept for Rio Reconquista basin

Actual situation in Rio Reconquista basin Urban unit

Buffer zone

moreno san miguel

merlo

san isidro

ituzaingo

general san martin

URBAN UNIT Connection for both sides of the river

Function and Value of the areas

Protection from river floods

Supporting social cohesion (identity)

BUFFER ZONE Give room for the river and water storage

Open space for people & environment

Provides contrast to urban units

Municipalities of

Moreno and San Martin

Moving forward to the micro scale, two areas were chosen to illustrate how the macro concept could be implemented in the local scale. The first location is a part of San Martin municipality, next to the Rio Reconquista. The second area is in the municipality of Moreno, situated on the western side of the river.

MAMA RECONQUISTA

106

CONTEXT AND PROCESSES Identifying local scale

infrastructure SAN MARTIN

MORENO

AR0400 Globalisation: Research on the Urban Impact (2013-2014 Q4) ! "#$%&' AR0400 Globalisation: Research on the Urban Impact (2013-2014 Q4) ! ()(&*

entials

Potentials isolated areas

ructure

no river accessibility

Rural houses infrastructure built environment

nfrastructure

railway

o connect to n fabric

connections

edge between urban and landscape

built environment

Rural houses

Green sections along the river Open landscapes

edge between urban lack of services and landscape

built environment open spaces

nvironment

ormal and informal neighbourhood

starting to connect to bad quality housing the urban fabric

Open landscapes

lively social tissue

close to school

ment

room for development contaminated river

close to school

open spaces

open spaces

paces

water

Problem solving

open space

open spaces

Flood safety Living conditions Accessibility

ces

Planning, managing, containing no ood risk

no ood risk

The issues of the micro scale are closely related to the macro context (urban fragmentation and environmental conflicts), and the even bigger metropolitan context (globalisation, governance & politics, and environment).

This chapter takes the macro concept vision of the Rio Reconquista and shows how it can be implemented in two example areas with the different contexts. The area in a municipality of San Martin has to struggle with a very dense informal settlements, a flooding threat and many issues in terms of accessibility and living conditions. The second area, wihich is located in the municipality of Moreno, does not have the same issues yet, but recently, in the unidefined open space , which is a big part of the area, the new informal settlements have appeared. In this case, the concept is based 11

MICRO SCALE

Immigration Safety Integration

Values

on planning, managing and containing, in order to prevent it from the same problems, as the area in San Martin already have. In this scale, not only the current situation should be considered, but also the changes that population growth and urban sprawl caused to the areas in San Martin and Moreno over the time. These processes in both locations have set the general goal on the micro scale: to move from exclusion to integration. The meaning of integration is related not only with integrating different urban structures with each other, but also including the river and the landscape to the urban system, using the existing value of the area. In order to achieve this intention, the suggested concept for these urban units takes into account the potential of time, which could be transformed into the value of development.

Green

CONTEXT AND PROCESSES Identifying local scale

Cloud of issues, processes, actors in the municipality of San Martin.

CLIMATE CHANGE

insurance premium ECOSYSTEM Pollution parque Suarez

CEAMCE PROPERTY DAMAGE unirec

FLOOD SAFETY land erosion

Trenes de Buenos Aires S.A.

ministry of infrastructure ASHIRA technology Integration COLLABORATION

Lack of Control AySA ABSA Subsecretary

recognition

SAN MARTIN MUNICIPALITY INFRASTRUCTURE

of urbanism & housing POLLUTION lack of public space fragmentation IBD Residents of Moreno

affordability

ACCESSIBILITY NETWORK

LIVING CONDITIONS

Connections

Rapid Population NGO´s OPDS Growth IMMIGRATION urban sprawl Networks POVERTY centrality

organisations

municipality of San Martin

LACK OF HOUSING

ministry of social development

DEVELOPMENT Cloud of issues, processes, actors

governance

in the municipality of Moreno. collaboration Residents of Moreno representation sustainability

Subsecretary of urbanism & housing URBAN SPRAWL Rapid Population IBD Growth

INTEGRATION

ABSA AySA

affordability

Accessibility

ASHIRA connectivity MORENO municipality of Moreno Lack of Housing MUNICIPALITY INTA

Poverty

media

environment comirec

IMMIGRATION

Fragmentation Mercosur multiculture

rapid Population growth

process climate change

SAFETY

unirec

URBAN SPRAWL NGO´s

Subsecretary ofGovernance social development political innovation financial market OPDS decision making

Located in the eastern part of the river basin, San Martin needs the solving of existing problems, related to the informal settlements, the river, and problems with connectivity. The three important keywords are ‘Living Conditions’, ‘Accessibility’ and ‘Flood Safety’. These three issues influenced each other heavily: the living conditions of the inhabitants of the informal settlements are rather poor, due to the high flood risk. Also, the fragmentation of living conditions, instigated by the big number of gated communities contrasting the informal settlements, caused a lack of accessibility. Even though the informal settlements have been in this area for a considerable period of time, they still lack the access to basic needs such as soft and hard infrastructure.

In Moreno, the issues that occur in San Martin have not yet developed as dramaticaly. However, taking into account ongoing trends, without any

interventions Moreno seems to develop in the same way, with the same problems. This area is situated on the peri-urban border, containing a low inhabitant density and a lot of open spaces. In context of the process of rapid population growth, a high number of immigrants are moving towards this area. The three keywords here are ‘Immigration’, ‘Safety’ and ‘Integration’. Due to the immigration, new inhabitants settle in a chaotic structure, obstructing integration into the formal system. Also, social and economic safety, in terms of health, education and work, became hardly attainable. The main concern for this area therefore is not about problem solving, but how to plan ahead, which basically means that a new planning approach should be introduced. Up till these days, the actors focused purely on containing and eliminating existing issues, without thinking ahead to prevent possible future issues.

MAMA RECONQUISTA 12

TIMELAPSE

C omplex C ities

AR0400 Globalisation: Research on the Urban Impact (2013-2014 Q4)

Spatial conclusion

METROPOLITAN SCALE

legenda train track unpaved road secundary road

legenda

main road newly built

train track

industrial

unpaved road

residential

secundary road

public/open space

legenda

MACRO SCALE

water shrubbery/trees

newly built

unpaved road

industrial

secundary road

residential

main road

public/open space

train track

newly built

water

unpaved road

industrial

shrubbery/trees

residential

public green

river bank

C omplex C ities

private green

AR0400 Globalisation: Research on the Urban Impact (2013-2014 Q4)

legenda

filled lagoon

C omplex C omplex CC ities ities

legenda

AR0400 AR0400Globalisation: Globalisation:Research Researchon onthe theUrban UrbanImpact Impact(2013-2014 (2013-2014Q4) Q4)

unpaved road

legenda secundary road legenda

September 29th, 2006.2006 San September 29th, January 6th,Martin 2014 legenda newly built

unpavedroad road unpaved

secundary road main road

train track

industrial secundaryroad road newly built secundary

unpaved road

residential newlybuilt built newly

industrial

public/open space industrial industrial

residential

secundary road

water residential residential shrubbery/trees public/openspace space public/open

water

newly built

public green water water

industrial

river bank shrubbery/trees shrubbery/trees shrubbery/trees private green publicgreen green public riverbank bank river

legenda

privategreen green private

train track

legenda legenda unpaved road

January 2nd, 2012 legenda January 2nd, 2012. Moreno

January 3nd, 2014

train track

January2nd, 2nd,2012 2012 January legenda legenda unpaved road

January3nd, 3nd,2014 2014 January

traintrack track road secundary train unpaved road main road unpaved road secundary road newly builtroad secundary mainroad road industrial main

public/open space water

river bank legenda private green

train track shrubbery/trees open space

landfill legenda

unpaved road filled lagoon

river bank legenda

main road unpaved road

private green Spatial conclusion: General San Martin newly built road secundary train track landfill legenda legenda unpaved road

January 6th, 2014 main road industrial

traintrack track road secundary train

newly built residential newly built

unpaved road main road unpaved road

industrial public/open space industrial

secundary road newly builtroad secundary

residential water residential

mainroad road industrial main

public/open space shrubbery/trees public/open space

newly built residential

water green public water

built Januarynewly 3rd, 2014

January 3rd,industrial 2014. Moreno industrial public/open space residential

water Januaryresidential 3rd, 2014 2014 January 3rd,

shrubbery/trees river bank shrubbery/trees public green privategreen green public

public/open space shrubbery/trees public/open space

river bank landfill river bank

traintrack track road secundary train

newly built residential newly built

waterspace open water

private green filled lagoon private green

unpaved road main road unpaved road

industrial public/open space industrial

shrubbery/trees river bank shrubbery/trees

landfill landfill

secundary newly built road

residential water residential

secundary road

The timelapse schemes shows the tendency public/open space shrubbery/trees main road industrial of newmain informal settlements appearing in both public/open space road areas. The maps of San Martin from 2006 to 2014, water newly built water newly built showed the informal settlements using undefined shrubbery/trees industrial shrubbery/trees industrial to settle in, even if those open space areas where nearby the highway or the railtracks. Also, the impact of social issues on the environment became obvious, where a lagoon that was still existing in 2006 was completely filled up with garbage as an informal landfill by 2014.

Looking to Moreno, in 2012, the area was mostly contained of open green space, where at that time there were no informal settlements.

13

January 6th, 2014.

San Martin January 6th, 2014

train track road secundary public/open space

main road

MACRO SCALE MACRO SCALE MACRO SCALE

MICRO SCALE METROPOLITAN SCALE METROPOLITAN METROPOLITAN SCALE SCALE

train track

public green

landfill

MICRO SCALE MICRO SCALE MICRO SCALE

main road

MICRO SCALE

filled lagoon

filled lagoon space However, byopen 2014, itSpatial is clearly visible that new conclusion: Moreno river bank landfill informal settlements are appearing, disadvantaging river bank January 6th, 2014 the open space and natural landscape areas. The private green private green Spatial conclusion: Moreno growth of the informal settlements within these Spatial conclusion: Moreno landfill areas are alarming; there is a lack of sanitation, landfill January 6th, 6th, 2014 2014 January hard and soft infrastructure, which is a form of spatial injustice, as services can not connect to these developments, separating people living in such areas from the main community. Following the trend, it could be predicted that in both ,San Martin and Moreno, undefined open spaces are going to be taken over with informal settlements, if these areas will lack a clear function and usage. open space private green

From Exclusion to Integration

CONCEPT & STRATEGY

CONCEPT

From exclusion to integration

Reconquista

flood safety

accessibility

immigration

!

living conditions

C omplex C ities

integration

safety

AR0400 Globalisation: Research on the Urban Impact (2013-2014 Q4)

METROPOLITAN SCALE

development

Value of

STRATEGY

Through the value of development

Establishing connections & Managing environmental developmentconflicts

MICRO SCALE

MACRO SCALE

Establishing connections & managing environmental conflicts

Interrelated centralities Connection urban unit & buffer zone

From the timelapses, it could be concluded that informal settlements of different typologies tend to settle in former open green spaces, causing essential obstacles for integration into the formal structure. Since the goal was to create conditions for a better balanced development, it is important to integrate the river into the urban structure, but also to integrate different urban structures with each other. Thus, the goal for the scale was to move from exclusion to integration, taking potential of time and turning it into the value of development.

Using this value, the general micro concept vision was defined as the gradual integration of the whole

system internally, applying different sets of actions taken through time. Various unrelatedConcept centralities need to be integrated with each other by establishing connections. In the existing situation, the urban structure completely turns its back on the river, with the inhabitants lacking relation with the river to provide for their needs and recreation.

To make sure the Rio Reconquista could serve as a backbone for the previously described systems of Urban Units and Buffer Zones, it was important for the urban structure and the river to be integrated with each other on a micro scale.

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IMPLEMENTING THE CONCEPT San Martin

e

urban fabric

lagoon water park for public use undefined open space existing open space

highway regional road

legenda room for the river informal settlements water urban fabric landfill private open space lagoon water park for public use undefined open space existing open space

highway regional road

1 legenda

room for the river

informal settlements water

urban fabric

landfill

private open space lagoon water

park for public use

undefined open space existing open space

highway

regional road

legenda

room for the river

informal settlements water

urban fabric

landfill

private open space lagoon water

park for public use

undefined open space

existing open space

highway

regional road

Population growth

ent in city open

mal

The 0 line: Current situation

ACTIONS

STAKEHOLDERS

& level of involvement legenda

Improving

room for the river

Embankments (flood risk protection, public space, garbage management)

informal settlements

Informal basic needs (water, sewage, tenure, public transport, garbage management)

-residents & NGO -municipality of San Martin -provincial government -COMIREC -national government -residents &NGO -land owners -municipality of San Martin -provincial government -ABSA -AySA -national government -ministry of social development -subsecretary of urbanism and housing

New housing and water storage (land-use, adaptive housing and water management)

-residents & NGO -land owners (lagoon area) -municipality of San Martin -provincial government -private sector -OPDS -national government -subsecretary of urbanism and housing

water

urban fabric

landfill

private open space lagoon water

park for public use

undefined open space existing open space

highway

regional road

Experimenting

legenda room for the river

informal settlements water

urban fabric

water

park for public use undefined open space existing open space

Designating

room for the river informal settlements water

-residents & NGO -municipality of San Martin -provincial government

urban fabric

landfill

private open space lagoon

-municipality of San Martin -provincial government -COMIREC -UNIREC -OPDS -national government water

MICRO SCALE

STAKEHOLDERS

ACTIONS

& level of involvement -COMIREC -UNIREC -OPDS -municipality of San Martin -provincial government -national government -residents of San Martin -NGO -land owners -municipality of San Martin -ministry of social development

Room for the river (water management)

-residents of San Martin -NGO -municipality of San Martin -private sector

Community center (land-use and function) Commercial connection (land-use and function, local economy)

-residents of San Martin -NGO -municipality of San Martin -provincial government

Public space (land-use and function)

-residents of San Martin -NGO -municipality of San Martin -private sector

Connection between informal settlements (infrastructure & accessibility)

lagoon

legenda

15

1.Improving and Providing: Basic needs and Water Management 2.Experimenting and Developing: Adaptive housing and Public space 3.Designating and Intergrating: Community Center with District Park and Urban Farming, Extended Urban Structure

private open space

regional road

River bank connection (infrastructure and accessibility)

developments. Moreover, there is a lot of open space with a potential to be transformed for the public needs. In order to use these potentials the set of actions was chosen:

landfill

highway

City park with sport facilities (landuse and function)

The area in San Martin is located in the flood risk zone, where dense informal settlements are situated, which have a poor quality of housing and lack of services. Warehouses located nearby the river create unsafe open space, which is used for garbage disposal. In addition, highway isolates this area from the river. Such conditions cause extension of informal settlements, urban fragmentation.

However, access to the railway and the highway makes the area attractive for future

park for public use undefined open space existing open space

highway

regional road

-residents of San Martin -NGO -municipality of San Martin -ministry of social development

Education center (land-use and function)

-residents of San Martin -NGO -land owners -municipality of San Martin -provincial government -ABSA -AySA -national government -ministry of social development -subsecretary of urbanism and housing

Informal settlements into formal (land-use, hard & soft infrastructure, social activation)

-municipality of San Martin -private sector -provincial government -national government

Extended urban structure (land-use & infrastructure)

Providing

water

private open space

Developing

room for the river informal settlements

landfill

Integrating

Current situation legenda

SCENARIOS

San Martin

The essential actions for San Martin aim at improving the basic needs as well as making room for the river and improving its embankments.

Afterwards, a higher safety level can be initiated by experimenting with new adaptive housing and water storage. At the same time, a new public spaces are created and better connections to health and education. For advanced actions, the actual formalization of the informal settlements should be facilitated. Also, the area could be connected to the much larger scale, by creating a city park with sport facilities, which could serve for people both from municipality and the region. Certain areas are designated with specific functions to provide missing functions, as well as to regulate spaces to

Advanced actions Essential actions

Additional actions

Integrating & Designating

Experimenting & Developing

Improving & Providing

No actions

New developments

From Exclusion to Integration

protect it from new informal settlements.

The scheme bellow illustrates how these developments are proposed in terms of essential, additional and advanced actions. These scenarios does not have an actual timeline, but they are based on population growth, which is inevitable and has the biggest influence on development of the area.

By moving through the circles in a diagonal way, different levels of actions are being implemented. The circles in the horizontal line means that the development has stopped at some point and just population is growing. However, there is always a possibility to continue the set of actions, considering the population number at the time.

Current situation

Scheme of scenarios

Future situation

Population growth

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n e

IMPLEMENTING THE CONCEPT Moreno

l

Population g rowth

ment

eas as

Integrating

Activating

Designating

ACTIONS

17

STAKEHOLDERS

& level of involvement

Urban areas (change of land-use)

-municipality of Moreno -provincial government -national government

Public space (local infrastructure and land-use change)

-residents of Moreno -NGO -municipality of Moreno -private sector

New public space and functions (landuse, infrastructure, functions, financing)

-residents of Moreno -NGO -municipality of Moreno -private sector

New developments (land-use, functions, housing)

-municipality of Moreno -private sector

Community center (People’s awareness & education)

-residents of Moreno -NGO -municipality of Moreno -provincial government

Area to larger scale (infrastructural connection) Governance (policy)

-municipality of Moreno -private sector -provincial government -national government

Functions (services & economy)

-municipality of Moreno -private sector

River (water and pollution management, water infrastructure)

MICRO SCALE

-municipality of Moreno

-residents of Moreno -NGO -municipality of Moreno -COMIREC -UNIREC -OPDS -provincial government -national government

Values

1.Designating and Providing: Public space, Hard and Soft infrastructure 2.Activating and Regulating: New functions, Landscape and Water management.

3.Integrating and Contributing: Policy, Economy and Services.

STAKEHOLDERS

ACTIONS

& level of involvement -municipality of Moreno -provincial government -national government

Roads (infrastructure)

-municipality of Moreno -land owners -ABSA -AySA -provincial government -ministry of social development -subsecretary of urbanism and housing -national government -municipality of Moreno -provincial government -national government -provincial government -COMIREC -UNIREC -municipality of Moreno

Sewage system Water supply Land tenancy (Hard infrastructure basic needs)

Possibility of informal settlements (land-use and defined public space) Landscape (shaping public space, preventing it from the informal settlements, reducing flood risk)

-COMIREC -UNIREC -OPDS -national government -ministry of social development -municipality of Moreno -provincial government

Threat of river (water management)

-residents of Moreno -NGO -municipality of Moreno -private sector

Economy (local economy and taxation)

-residents of Moreno -NGO -provincial government -municipality of Moreno -private sector

Health and education (programming community center)

-residents of Moreno & NGO -municipality of Moreno -private sector -INTA

Providing

k

access to jobs and other services.

Moreover, the unit is located on the edge of formalized urban structures as well as a natural landscape, which could be used for agricultural activities and public space. In order to use these potentials the set of actions was chosen:

Regulating

Main issues in the municipality of Moreno is related to lack of such things like infrastructure, acces to the river, housing quality, sanitary services and public space. The area also suffers of contamination along the river banks, where the informal settlements are appearing.

In response to the identified problems, a set of potentials of the area was recognised. There is a bus terminal and a railway station nearby, to which the urban unit can The 0 line: Current situation be connected. This could provide more travelling possibilities and

Food (provision of agricultural land)

Contributing

Current situation

SCENARIOS Moreno

The essential actions in Moreno ensure that the current settlement will be provided with hard and soft infrastructure. Moreover, the land-use plan will be changed for the new functions to appear.

The additional actions are based on the keywords of ‘Activating and Regulating’. The main goal is to place facilities along the Rio Reconquista to activate the riverfront and prevent it from the informal settlements. By the last step of advanced actions the settlement will be integrated in the structure of the surroundings, by providing educational, commercial and agricultural activities, which can contribute to the economy of the municipality and the region.

The scheme bellow illustrates how these developments are proposed in terms of essential, additional and advanced actions. These scenarios does not have an actual timeline, but they are based on population growth, which is inevitable and has the biggest influence on development of the area.

By moving through the circles in a diagonal way, different levels of actions are being implemented. The circles in the horizontal line means that the development has stopped at some point and just population is growing. However, there is always a possibility to continue the set of actions, considering the population number at the time.

Advanced actions Essential actions

Additional actions

Integrating & Contributing

Regulating & Activating

Designating & Providing

No actions

New developments

From Exclusion to Integration

Current situation

Scheme of scenarios

Future situation

Population growth

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STAKEHOLDERS AND CONCLUSION

Identifying the key actors. Moving through different scales Stakeholders in the different scales

Multiscalar proposal

EXTERNAL ORGANIZATIONS -CEAMSE (Ecological Coordination Society of the State Metropolitan Area) -Universidad de Buenos Aires

-Parque Suarez -COVELIA (cleaning and waste collection company)

NATIONAL SCALE -National government

-Metropolitan Foundation

-UNPRE (Ministry of Economics and Public Finances)

-Trenes de Buenos Aires S.A.

-IBD (Inter-American Development Bank)

-ONABE (National organization of the administration of goods)

-ONABIEF (National organization PROVINCIAL SCALE of the administration of railway goods) -Subsecretary of -OPDS (Provincial organisation Urbanism & Housing of sustainable development) -INTA (National Institute of Agriculture technology)

-ASHIRA (cleaning and waste collection company)

-UNIREC (Coordination Unit of the Rio Reconquista Project)

-COMIREC (Committee of the Rio Reconquista basin)

moreno san miguel

moreno moreno

-Ministry of Social development (Census Rio Reconquista basin)

merlo

san miguel san miguel

MUNICIPAL SCALE

san isidro

merlomerlo

ituzaingo

general san isidro san isidro

-Municipality of San Martin/Moreno

san martin

ituzaingo ituzaingo

-Provincial government

-ABSA (Aguas Bonaerenses S.A.)

general general san martin san martin

LOCAL SCALE legenda

-Residents of San Martin/Moreno -AySA (Aguas y Saniamientos Argentinos)

room for the river informal settlements water

-Land owner lagoon area (private party)

urban fabric landfill private open space lagoon

-Land owners (unknown private party)

legenda legenda room for room the for river the river informal informal settlements settlements water water

water park for public use undefined open space existing open space

urban fabric urban fabric landfill landfill

highway regional road

private private open space open space lagoon lagoon water water park forpark public for use public use undefined undefined open space open space existingexisting open space open space

highway highway regionalregional road road

STAKEHOLDERS

CONCLUSION

Stakeholders are an essential part in developing a functioning plan for the Rio Reconquista river basin. Considering their possible contribution to revitalize the river, the process became more viable and effective. The stakeholders were categorized into different levels, which allowed the plan to deal with the management of concerns of each stakeholder and recognize their role in the implementation of the planned actions. On the highest scale, the national levels of governance and financial system should support the initiatives of the lower scales by providing fundings, access to tools and integrating the various regions together. The medium scale, represented by the municipalities, would manage the regional systems.

It could provide structure to transport, funding and social systems. On the local scale, the implementation of the project would be organized by those actors effected strongest by the daily systems.

To conclude this design proposal with all of its assets the three scales should be taken into account and be summarized as follows:

Based on the diagnosis of the metropolitan area, a goal was to provide conditions for a balanced spatial development, using the ‘value of the landscape’. Therefore the rivers can be used to link natural and infrastructural systems, and work as local and regional connectors, contributing to social and commercial activities.

At the Rio Reconquista river basin, two important issues contextualize unbalanced development: urban fragmentation and environmental conflicts. These conflicts were turned into values of Borders versus Centralities, and resulted in the concept of The Urban Units and the Buffer Zones.

Related to the bigger context of the river (urban fragmentation and environmental conflicts) and the metropolitan area (globalization, governance & politics and the environment) two locations have been selected to illustrate the replicable approach for the river basin. The goal was to create conditions for balanced development by using the river as a backbone for development. It is important to integrate the river into the urban structure, but also to integrate different urban structures with each other. This is why the goal for this local scale is called “From exclusion to integration”.

Therefore, each scale influences one another, by making the overal concept multiscalar, in order to contribute not only for the local needs, but aswell improve the city and the region in terms of better environmental, social and spatial conditions.

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MICRO SCALE

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