Productive Urban Landscapes - Water as a driver por prosperity

Productive urban landscapes Ana Elizalde C a ro l i n a M รก r q u ez Melanie Millรกn

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Water as a driver for prosperity

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Productive urban landscapes

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Authors: Ana Laura Elizalde López, Carolina Estefanía Márquez Luna & Melanie Azucena Millán Acosta.

Class: Proyecto Fin de Carrera I Professors: Diana García Escuela de Arte, Arquitectura y Diseño, ITESM

SOM advisors: María Padilla, John Law, Pamela Bellavita, Julie OBrotcha & Jody Zimmer.

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INTRODUCTION How does food shape our city?

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INVESTIGATION

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VISION

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The real problem of agriculture

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The productive transformation

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The food & water issue

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A self sufficient city

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México and the food sector

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A sustainable cycle

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The urban-rural effect

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The anchoring

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The metropolitan Querétaro

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Stakeholders

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Querétaro and it´s water use

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The struggle of land use & city growth

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A new food chain

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Food production in Querétaro

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Corregidora, a prosper municipality

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A pressured neighborhood

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The attack of housing developments

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STRATEGIES

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THE MASTER PLAN

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A new way of living

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Phasing on site

84

The metropolitan scale

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The first master plan

92

A closer look

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The real problem of our site

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Lonely and boring developments

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The future is shared

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Our punctual strategies

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Sustainability on site

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The four stages for a CPUL

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A new affordable model

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From past to a new future

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BIBLIOGRAPHY Bibliography

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01

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Introduction

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How does food shape our city?

How do we feed an entire city?

This lead us to our main preocupations as young aspiring

This is one of the most important questions nowadays, yet we can

architects. Today’s urban dweller does not know how or where

say that more than the half of people cannot answer it, or even

the food they consume is made and transported. We have

ask it. We can easily say that we go to the restaurants, markets or

become dependent of large profit corporations that bring large

supermarkets to buy our food, but we take it for granted that the

amounts of food from “factory farms” leaving the small producer

food comes out of nowhere and it magically appears in our tables.

way on the other side. Therefore, an economic imbalance is

Imagine a city like Querétaro, enough food has to be produced,

generated, leaving aside the most needy sector. There is a huge

transported, bought, sold, cooked, consumed and disposed, and

gap between producers and consumers.

this happens every day, in every city in Mexico, America and the

The producer carries only a minimal part of their product, with

world.

large corporations earning two or even three times the product.

For ages, we have been completely dependent of the natural

But the whole process is hidden, it is massively complex, and

world. Time passes and everyday more and more of us are

nowadays, unsustainable. Human activities such as industrial

moving into cities, more food will have to be able to be produced

processes, landfills and transport mechanisms for domestic,

and transported. This means more of these farmlands will be

agricultural and industrial wastes cause risks in water quality and

exposed to erosion and overexploitation, and it will slowly end up

health.

being invaded by the city. Food production and urbanism is rising

We have been thinking that one of the main problems agriculture

together, and by 2050 it is estimated that twice the number of

presents is peri-urbanization, leaving the urban fabric to expand

population nowadays is going to be living in cities, 6 billion of us

more and more, forcing the small producer to sell his land. As a

will be prepared to be fed by huge corporations who´s only will is

consequence of the same, people are migrating to the city, leaving

to win money.

the aging people to work the land, provoking the establishment of new technologies very difficult for them.

So how do we manage the foodprint on our landscape? We need a new sustainable way to take what we have and produce what we need the most, food.

We architects have the power to introduce architecture and contribute to the solutions of one of the most important problems we are facing today, we need a new future for the cities, we need social and environmental equilibrium, we need a city sensible to water.

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02

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Investigation

76%

Of water destined for human consumption is used in agriculture.

33%

Of the worlds food goes to waste every year.

Food waste

30%

Of the urban area of QuerĂŠtaro will grow by 2030.

41%

Of the population in mexico is living in poverty.

The age average of the rural population in Mexico is

78

years old.

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The real problem of agriculture The food and agriculture organization of the United Nations (FAO) stands that urbanization is one of the major factors influencing global reality. By 2050, an estimated 70% of the world’s total population will be urban. In addition to a new spatial configuration, urbanization brings fundamental changes to the socio-economic environment, including in the prospects for food and nutrition security. The planet´s carrying capacity has reached, the world population is continuing to grow in a very fast rate.

According to the FAO, in 1960 we had over 3 billion people on earth, but it rapidly rose to 6.5 billion in 2005, by 2050, we will be over 8.3 billion people on earth. How are we going to be able to feed over 9 billion people? The need for food is increasing while the amount of farmland in decreasing. When we adress city growth challenges, we are also adressing rural and territorial development. So, how are we going to produce enough food for urban dwellers? What kinds of infrastructures are needed to ensure this? How can cities preserve these farmlands?.

As said before, By 2030, 60 percent of the world’s population is expected to live in cities. This urbanization process goes together closely with growing urban poverty and food insecurity.

Today, we use 1/3 of the planet’s surface to produce.

By 2050, we will need twice the food.

Waste & Wastewater

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2.8% Forestry 17.4% Energy supply 25.9%

Agriculture 13.5%

Transport 13.1%

Industry 19.4%

Buildings 7.9%

Today, agriculture represents 13.5% of the greenhouse emissions on earth. According to Patricia Romero-Lankao on her book about cities in transition “Urban centres of different sizes – especially cities – play a crucial role in managing global carbon emissions and reducing vulnerability to climate change”. As UN Habitat states, “Urban vulnerability to climate change is a dynamic process in many ways: climate change and other stresses including market integration, governmental policies and environmental issues are in constant change, as do the dimensions defining sensitivity and capacity to adapt”.

As FAO also states, “Building more resilient cities is a key issue for future urban development. City adaptation to climate change has become a growing concern. Multifunctional landscape management, integrating agriculture, trees and forests help to make cities more resilient. It does so not only by diversifying urban food sources and income opportunities, but also by maintaining open green spaces, enhancing vegetation cover and water infiltration, and contributing to sustainable water and natural resource management”. Urban forestry, including agro-forestry, especially helps to improve air quality, reduces urban warming, curbs erosion and enhances urban biodiversity.

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The food & water issue “Whenever farmers clear land for crops and till the soil, large quantities of carbon are released into the air. But the 20th-century industrialization of agriculture has increased the amount of greenhouse gases emitted by the food system by an order of magnitude; chemical fertilizers (made from natural gas), pesticides (made from petroleum), farm machinery, modern food processing and packaging and transportation have together transformed a system that in 1940 produced 2.3 calories of food energy for every calorie of fossil-fuel energy is used into one that now takes 10 calories of fossil-fuel energy to produce a single calorie of modern supermarket food. In another way, when we eat from the industrial-food system, we are eating oil and spewing greenhouse gases�

-Micheal Pollan for The New York Times.

-13,555L 15,415L To produce a kilogram of meat.

1,860L To produce a kilogram of corn.

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Agriculture represents 3.6% GDP in Mexico

The number of imported net virtual water in Mexico is 37 357 hm3 as of 2017.

It takes 6.3 gallons of water to make 17 ounces of plastic.

(Amount of water used in the production process of a good or service)

2.5% of the existing water on earth it is fresh water.

From that amount, 0.5% is found in tanks underground and 0.01% in rivers and lakes.

The lack of water causes the death of 4500 children per day.

Population in mid 2017 was 2.6 millions.

On average, people use 190 liters of water per day.

Only 0.007% of the water existing on Earth it's drinkable

62.75% of the country's population live in metropolitan areas.

1.8 billion people worldwide drink water that is contaminated with feces.

Mexico has an availability of 0.1% of the total fresh water on the planet, although with an uneven distribution. Therefore, much of the country is classiďŹ ed as a semi-desert area and at least 9 million Mexicans do not have access to drinking water, according to oďŹƒcial data and the Virtual Water Center.

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Mexico and the food sector Before fully entering to the agro-food sector in Mexico, it is

In Mexico, 76% of the water destined for human consumption

important to mention the current problems we have to face.

is used in agriculture. This represents agriculture as the most

More than two fifths of the population in Mexico live in poverty,

widely used sector and one of the main water polluters in our

this is 43.6% of the total population of the country that live

country. Therefore, improving water management in agriculture

in poor conditions and have no access to food nutrition. This

is essential for a sustainable and productive agri-food sector.

percentage is 7.6% of the country’s population.

On the other hand, agriculture is the sector that generates the

Specifically, 24.6 million mexicans live with food deficiency, this

most amount of greenhouse gas emissions, followed by industrial

lack is more intense than population groups like indigenous

activities and public consumption.

people, the disabled and minors.

The agro-food sector also represents 3.6 of Mexico´s gross

Nowadays, in rural areas, as well as urban areas, the food and

domestic product, this means agriculture also plays a very

nutritional transition is observed, accompanied by internal

important role in the economy.

migration that influences the growth of cities, this has promoted the existence and demand for food such as meats, dairy, and processed products, and gradually reduced the participation of foods such as cereals, legumes and vegetables.

According to FAO Mexico, the domestic food market in Mexico is characterized by its concentration on large marketers and the exclusion, above all, of small producers. Great part of the problems faced by food producers are linked with the lack of market access. This means that there is a difficulty in marketing, lack of transportation and storage, lack of information on the product prices, and the lack of production organization.

The transformation of the food industry in Mexico has involved a number of health and nutritional problems and increases the number of malnutrition, overweight and obesity. Chronic malnutrition affects over 21% of children under 5 years old living in rural areas. On the other hand, overweight and obesity affects over 24% of children under 12 years old.

Agronomy

76%

Industry

4.9%

Public

Electric

14.4%

4.7%

The urban-rural effect

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Commerce also plays an important role in Mexico since it not only

And what about the agro-food workers?

has important economic effects, but it also has an indirect effect

The FAO reports that there are over 3.9 million agricultural

on food supply, and the presence of public services, as well as in

workers in the country, sadly more than 90% of these works

eating patterns, promoting the increase of availability in certain

do not have a social security number, they also do not recieve

types of food and products.

holiday bonuses and vacations with pay, in addition, they also work

This requires a complete vision of the interactions that take place

without employement contracts and in really sad conditions.

between rural and urban areas. Only this way we can identify and

The average agro-food workers in Mexico also have not

use the economic, social and cultural opportunities that these

completed school, some have not even completed elementary,

interactions represent to promote development and improve

as well as 24% of them do not speak spanish, but an indigenous

food and nutritional security for the entire population.

language, placing them in an educational lag.

This perspective starts from the fact that rural and urban areas

More than half of the agro-food laborers are concentrated in

are not independent areas, but together form a “rural-urban

the states of Chiapas, Guerrero, MichoacĂĄn, Oaxaca, Puebla and

spectrum�. In this sense, it recognizes all the activities involved in

Veracruz, these are currently the states in Mexico that have the

production, processing, marketing,consumption and disposal of

highest numbers in poverty. These workers win an average of

food.

18.5 pesos an hour. Even though this beats the minimum salary

Furthermore, the food system in Mexico involves people and

in Mexico, it still is a very low income for them.

institutions that make possible this system, as well as the social,

Further more, we can say that agriculture in our country not only

economic, political and technological environment in which the

brings water and ecological problems, but it also brings major

activities are carried out.

social, health, sustainable and economical issues that affect us

(FAO, 2013).

and mostly, the producers.

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The Metropolitan Querétaro The state of Querétaro is located to the west of the Mexico,

Speaking economically of Querétaro, the municipality contributes

fixing its extreme coordinates between 20º 31 ’to 20º 56’ north

$220,000 millions of GDP, when the state contributes $330,000

latitude and 100º 19 ’to 100º 36’ west longitude.

millions of pesos . Although Querétaro brings over $14.7 billions

Queretaro is one of the entities in Mexico with the highest

of GDP to the country, 49.5% of the habitants do not count on

population growth in the country, doubling its population and

laboral benefits, and 27.82% of the population do not have a

quadrupling its urban stain between 1990 and 2007 (UN Habitat,

superior education.

2017).

Theres is also a big ammount of social inequality, 43 of 100

Querétaro is a highly competitive city thanks to it´s great

women suffer violence and 12.66% of the population live in very

economic, population and urban dynamism (4th national place in

poor conditions, meanwhile 20% of the homes in Querétaro are

the Urban Competitiveness Index 2016 IMCO).

uninhabited.

The Urban area of Querétaro has a total of 759.9 km2, which

The Metropolitan area of Querétaro (MAQ) is formed by 4

corresponds 6.5% of the total extension of Queretaro state. It

municipalities that together create the urban area (El Marqués,

occupies the seventh place in territorial extension of the entire

Corregidora, Huimilpan and Querétaro). Over 60% of the total

country.

population in Querétaro live in these 4 municipalities. It is also import to add that in this area, over 80% of the state´s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is generated, even though we have chronically presented problems on the availability of water.

In addition, there is a trend in the increase of water consumption for domestic use per inhabitant. In 2015, there was an increase of 36% in the water supply against 2.5% of the population increase. It is worth mentioning that the lack of maintenance in the installed systems causes a significant loss of water, between 33% and 40%, almost the equivalent of what is extracted from aqueduct II. Due to this, MAQ is facing several water challenges such as water shortage, overexploitation of aquifers, floods and contamination of bodies of water.

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Metropolitan area of QuerĂŠtaro

Querétaro and it´s water use In Querétaro, agricultural activities have a great importance

In general, Querétaro presents a negative hydric balance, this

in rural areas as a source of income and food provider. The

means that the extraction beats the recharge, with a deficit of

agricultural sector develops it’s activities in a large part of the

190 million cubic meters.

rural localities and takes advantage of natural resources. The

We can also say that 61% of the consuntive water in Querétaro

agricultural activities constitute one of the main employment

(which includes agriculture, cattle raising and industrial activities)

sources for people residing in rural areas.

comes from superficial sources like rivers, streams and lakes,

Querétaro today has 1,400 wells and 11 aquifers. 6 of these

while the other 39% comes from subterraneal sources like

aquifers are currently suffering overexploitation (San Juan del

aquifers.

Río valley, Querétaro valley, Amazcala valley, Buenavista valley),

In 2017, 60.9% of the water for consumptive use came from

these overexploited aquifers present a total of 236 million cubic

surface sources, the rest came from aquifers. On the other hand,

meters. Also, 641.7 cubic hectometers of the concessioned

54.4% of water in Queretaro came from non-renewable sources,

water are destined for agricultural use, making this the first place

this means that the pressure on water resources in Querétaro is

in concessioned water.

very high.

11 Aquifers 1,400 Wells

W

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NC

HUMA

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hm3

41.7

hm3

hm3 05.6 N 9 hm3 IO 59.

P T RY m3 .7 h ST Y- 5 RG

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UL ON T SU M IN E L E CT R DU IC EN E

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6 Overexploited

CO N

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-3

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Water bodies

Watercourses

Metropolitan area of QuerĂŠtaro

QuerĂŠtaro river

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Farmlands

Drains

Metropolitan area of QuerĂŠtaro

QuerĂŠtaro river

Permeable areas

The struggle of land use and city growth

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Nowadays, rural and productive areas in Querétaro are the most affected by the city’s sprawl, we learned that municipalities such as Corregidora constituted a great amount of the agricultural area a few years ago, but now it has been invaded by new housing developments that isolate some of the people that still live in these farmlands. This forces the small producers to sell their land, and as a consequence of the same, people are migrating to the city, leaving the aging people to work the land, provoking the establishment of new technologies very difficult for them.

“Cities are not only consuming food, they are also digesting and disposing” -The why factor This quote from the why factor lead us to our base question, How can we use the food production process to create a sustainable cycle?

Where the producers earn more and the waste goes back to farming in a more sustainable way.

1950

1990

2010

2018

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A new food chain

How can we use this process to create a cycle?

($)

Crop farms.

($$)

Handling and processing center.

Storage, warehouse cold houses.

($$$)

Transport and distribution.

Market and retail centers.

Consumers and food services.

Garbage disposal.

Food production in Querétaro 1 10

1

2

10

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1 2

10

1

1

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9

3

9

3

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8

4

8

4

8

4

8

4

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7

5 6

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Fodder Corn

Mushrooms

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6

Roses

Chia

1 2

10

2

5

7

1

1 10

5

7

Asparragus Lettuce Celery Carrot

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10

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5 6

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1 10

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Grapes Chickpeas Artichokes

Cauliflower

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Broccoli Spinach

Corn Fodder corn Barley

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Tuna Jamaica

Corregidora, a prosper municipality The municipality of Corregidora is located in the Southwest of

Corregidora plays a very important role in the economical

the State of Querétaro and it is part of the metropolitan area.

development of Querétaro. The demographic and industrial

Corregidora actually limits in the north of the municipality of

growth have been quickly involved in a lot of changes in the

Querétaro and on the south and west of the state of Guanajuato. It

land use and service demand that nowadays is generating a big

has a total extension of 24,850 hectares of which 12,985 of them

pressure in natural resources.

is destined to agricultural use, sadly, these hectares destined to

The major water exploitation in subterraneal water is destined

farming have been decreasing due to the demand of new housing

to agricultural use. However, in the area of the Querétaro Valley

developments and the growth of the city.

aquifer, the situation is reversed, since the highest use is for the

Corregidoras crops are mainly wheat, oatmeal, corn, beans, garlic,

public use in Corregidora and also to supply the city of Querétaro

onion and chile, the charts below show the annual production, and

and its metropolitan area.

this lead us to analyze that in Corregidora, rains are unstable and

These conditions have generated an overexploitation of the

80% of the crops here are seasonal. This makes a very fluctuant

aquifer, this because 70% of the distributed water comes from

food production, forcing us to import food from other cities or

Querétaro vallet aquifer.

even countries.

100

Biodeversity & conservation 12.7%

2016

2015

2014

2012

2011

Waste managemnet 8.2%

1000

10000

100000

1100000

Water 33.6%

Spring - Summer

100

2016

2015

2014

2012

Urban development 21.6%

2011

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1000

10000

Fall - Winter

100000

1100000

Land use 23.9%

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Corregidora

Metropolitan area of QuerĂŠtaro

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Corregidora

El Pueblito

74.09%

3,030.70 hectares

From de urban area.

7,368 h. at risk from floods.

80%

9.44%

19,147 inhabited private homes against 202,791 in Querétaro.

Water comes from Valley of Huimilpan aquifer.

60%

1.67%

Inhabited private homes without availability of piped water.

Water comes from Valley of Querétaro aquifer.

39%

2.37%

Very low marginalization.

Decrease in the agricultural irrigation area.

53.3%

El Pueblito river

Paseo Constituyentes

El Pueblito

Metropolitan area of Querétaro

A pressured neighborhood El Pueblito is a part of the municipality of Corregidora and the metropolitan area of Querétaro. Historically, it is an area that has been developed with a number of traditions and particularities that have been imbued with a strong local identity.

Among many relevant things, El Pueblito has a strong historical heritage, right in the middle is found the archeological area of El Cerrito, which is considered one of the most important prehispanical sites in Mexico. On the other hand, right in downtown El Pueblito is found the Sanctuary of the Virgin of El Pueblito, which is not only venerated by people from Querétaro but from the whole country, as well as the church of San Francisco Galileo. Downtown El Pueblito is aproximately 610,693.45 m2 of the 24,850 hectares of Corregidora.

Geographically, El Pueblito has one important river, it is aproximately 217 km long and it takes part of the Querétaro river.

It also has a very important highway, Avenida Consituyentes, that practically crosses the whole metropolitan area of Querétaro.

But why El Pueblito?

The farmlands in Corregidora that are located mainly in the center of the municipality are being invaded slowly by the housing developments due to the strong demand. This is a process that will continue and these farmlands will slowly loose space and will directly get between these developments. Also, a new source of pressure will emerge, thanks to the construction of the new highway Sur, Palmillas-Apaseo and the construction of more industrial parks that wil end up destroying various existing farmlands.

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The attack of the housing developments Big housing developments are attacking existing farmlands thanks to the big and increasing demand, forcing a lot of local farmers to abandon their lands. In the middle of these big new developments, we find our site, were there is majorly social housing and what’s left of farmland in the area.

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Traditional neighborhood

New developments

Social housing

Farmland

New developments

Farmland

Social housing

Farmland

New developments

Downtown El Pueblito

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03

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Vision

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The productive transformation

U LT

RE

N L A N DSCA

UCT I VE

PR

OD

AGR

A RB

S

U R BA

U

N

RAW L

PE

SP

IC

U

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Past

Present

Future

Contained urban spot

Uncontrolled city growth

Dynamic productive landscapes

Agricultural outskirt

Less farmland

Mixed uses

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Workshops & markets.

Research center & new technologies.

PRODUCTIVE LANDSCAPES

HOUSING

REGENERATIVE ARCHITECTURE TECHNOLOGICAL INFRASTRUCTURE

EDUCATIONAL & PUBLIC SPACES

Felxible vertical Housing.

Agriculture fields & green houses.

Self sufficient constructions, insect friendly & water storage.

A self sufficient city

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Our vision is to propose the future of mixed uses, a new way of

Years ago, QuerĂŠtaro had the productive areas outside the

combining educational and public spaces with production and

contained urban spot, but within the years, the city grew

technology.

uncontrollably and nowadays we are facing an urban sprawl that

Creating a productive urban landscape inspired on the past and

invades farmlands, and at the same time, forces the producer to

empowering local communities is a creative way to stop the urban

move.

sprawl, the displacement of local farmers, unemployement and

But what if we integrate these farmlands with the city and the

the attack of housing developments, as well as promoting food

people?

security in communities.

This way a productive urban landscape is formed, as well as the

Imagine a space where you can combine workshops, markets,

cut of transport costs between production, processing and retail

housing and schools with agriculture and technological

helps to build a better local economy, creating a strong heritage

infrastructure, at the same time providing our city with a natural

and a harmonious space.

landscape that also works as an air purifier and a promotor of food health.

Past

City

Farmlands

Future

Farmlands as part of the cities.

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A new sustainable cycle Food needs to be in a closed cycle were the disposal somehow goes back to food production in a sustainable and healthy way.

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Producer.

Consumer.

Farming.

Waste.

Compost.

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A productive network Corregidora will serve as the central anchor of our project, it will serve as a network to create a productive system in QuerĂŠtaro, spreading towards the city throughout productive landscapes within communities in QuerĂŠtaro.

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Central core

Core spreading

Productive network

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Farmers

People

Organizations

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Stakeholders 1. Independent farmers who have been displaced by bigger corporations.

2. City inhabitants who are the main customers of the big retail shops.

3. Organizations that are seeking food safety in the community.

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04

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Strategies

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A new way of living Today, we live in a reality that endangers our survival as humans. We are living a monopoly war in which we know what is about to happen, and we still do not understand that us, architects, are not the creators of the city, we are the carriers to compromise and we take part of the development, this is why we came up with 7 principles for our project.

1. Ecological rationalism: Money is an economical politic category, but it is adopted by the concept of “natural capital” from the view of economical ecology. One of the conclusions is the human being, in the middle of the XX century, it has alterated the structure and function of the world´s ecosystem more than any other time in history. As a result, ecosystems have been degrading themselves and are being exploded in a unsustainable way. It is hard to think that the human capital will immediately change it´s ways to operate. We pretend that the ecological rationalism will properly power renewable and non-renewable resources for better operation and longer use.

2. Sisterhood and brotherhood: We believe that each day, cities slowly become become more monotonous and less human, creating social distance between people. The important thing is to understand that we are all part of everything.

3. Economical equality: As many of us know, producers find themselves in a certain imbalance, and this is forcing them to sell their lands in order to have a better income. We will try to balance this economy generating a circle which englobes and includes everyone.

4. Inhabiting and social dignity: Social inclusion, a place with convergence and social union, where we will develop the life in the city, in which worthy spaces will exist and the first forms of inhabiting will rise again.

5. The three “t’s” (techo, tierra & trabajo): We came up with the conclusion that every single person should have land, roof and work. The maslow pyramid shows the hierarchy of the basic human needs. His idea was that, people have an inner disire of self-realization, for them to be what they want to be, and that every single one of us have the capacity to follow our objectives in an autonomous way (if) we find ourselves in a auspicious environment. If you have a job, you get money to pay your roof, this way you get your piece of land where you can grow your vegetables, creating food security in families and letting the users develop freely for their self-realization.

6. Economically viable: We are creating a new way of inhabiting, making it accesible and attractive, developing a series of viable strategies suitable to it´s context.

7. Ecologically healthy: Nowadays, transporting and producing food is completely unsustainable, we are looking for a healthy environment and a new way of life that will be normalized within people.

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The metropolitan scale

Farmlands

Metropolitan area of QuerĂŠtaro

Metropolitan area of QuerĂŠtaro

Nivel muy alto

Nivel alto

Nivel bajo

Nivel muy bajo

Protect the existing farmlands

Impulse a user - producer relationship

Protect the outskirt farmlands from industrial and housing

Impulse a better relationship between user - producer in marginalized

developments and at the same time integrate them to the city.

areas as well as areas with a high socioeconomic level.

63

Traditional markets

Metropolitan area of Querétaro

Traditional markets as opportunity

New areas without markets

City in 1990

Metropolitan area of Querétaro

Help new areas in Querétaro

Use the traditional markets in Querétaro to impulse people to buy

Create new farmers markets in areas that nowadays do not count

food produced in our polygon.

with local traditional markets thanks to the uncontrolled city growth.

64

A closer look

Farmland Medians Constituyentes Avenue Public parks Villa Apaseo el Alto Private parks Libramiento Sur-Poniente Farmland Libramiento Nor-Ponient

I

Medians & parks

Farmland Housing Farmland Housing with commerce 950 K-1100 M Equipment 1200 M-1500M Green areas 1600M-2100M Commerce and services 2200M-3000M Industry Mixed housing

Land use

L-4 FRA

65 R-20 LO

R-69 C

L-4

R-75 LO

R-20

R-76 LA

R-69

R-77 C

R-75

R-5 HE

R-79 C

R-76

R- 85 T

R-77

R- 125

R-5 R-79 R-85 R-125

mportant avenues & highways

Bus routes

Farmland Economical Popular Medium Traditional

Land cost

Type of housing

66

The real problem of our site Before having a closer look to the site itself, we decided to make

We conclude that the main problems we could find in general is

a series of urban investigations about how, why and what does

a strong economic disparity, as well as the north part does not

this site need in order to serve as our central anchor, as well as

count with conectivity to the city, neglected and unatended

analyzing the top problems this area has.

productive areas that are slowly being invaded by more housing

First, we located the green areas in the locality and noticed that

complexes and a constant change in land use which comes from

there is not enough green areas in El Pueblito, as well as no large

farmers not making enough profits, so they are forced to sell their

public spaces. Green areas provide important environmental

land to have a better income.

services in cities by being carbon sinks, regulating temperature

Talking specifically about out polygon, we can see how it is

and promoting spaces for coexistence and improving the quality

surrounded by barriers (walls and fences) thanks to the housing

of life in cities

complexes, this is to designate specific obstacles to prevent

In the second map we represented the most important avenues

population groups from accessing or moving through a particular

that pass through this place. which are constituyentes, Villa

building or place. Many of these condominiums think that it is a

Apaseo el Alto, libramiento sur-poniente and libramiento nor-

physical way in which they can promote security. In a certain way,

poniente.

it´s true, but this is exactly why cities are becoming less human,

The thrid map marks the bus routes, we realized that none of

they have egocentric thoughts.

them pass through the north part of El Pueblito, creating no conection between the city in the site.

The use of land dictated by municipality is merely residential, it is important to mention that this land use is constantly changing thanks to the increasing demand of housing.

We also investigated the cost of houses in the locality. The cheapest in 950K and the highest in 3000 M, creating a large disparity in prices, making a barrier between them .

Finally we marked the existing housing developments in the area, we noticed that the traditional housing predominates, counting also medium and popular housing.

Segregating barriers

Marginalized housing 67

Medium housing

Unatended farmland

Segregating barriers

Medium housing

68

Lonely & boring developments The housing developments show how these do not have green areas, they are repetitive and the have lost the magic or the soul in architecture, they even look like great mazes. In the area there is a small farm, which stands out since the intention is to create a union between the existing developments. we intend to change these walls and making them permeable barriers.

im lost, everything looks the same!

e is th

is th ? way

t

righ

wish we could have a space to practice

im go in mark g to the e some t to ge t food

this is so boring

e re

! yf of wo ove m il

the plants are growing !

wish i could have greener spaces

mom i need more space to play

On the other hand, it is important to mention that these two housing developments, Puerta real and Paseos del bosque, have a very low density, with only 200 habitants per hectare, meanwhile our site itself, besides being a place with a very high marginalization index, presents over 200 homes, of which 140 of them are unhabited.

e

lif

walking home is dificult

69

挀漀洀甀渀愀氀 攀 ℀ 琀愀欀攀 洀

戀椀欀攀猀

The future is shared We must go beyond sustainability, it is not enough to try, we need cities to go beyond. Social inequality is increasing and it is about to expand even more because of political interference, this shows us that people are not interested in brotherhood.

We are in a human rights crisis, in which cities are not wrong, but they just live in a virtual reality where selfishness does not want to wake up and they are going to be destined to collapse, the Covid-19 situation speaks for itself.

Sustainability should be applied, now it is clear that us humans, are the greatest enemy, and modern cities are not letting us move along. The desire to free ourselves from the cities concentric circle´s captivity is a reality in this virtual age. The rural escape towards the cities is an experience that is lived from the spiritual body, nothing more.

Inside modern cities there is a way to quantify human actions, when in reality, our actions must not be restricted. We must wake up, architecture should not be seen as an object, architecture must be the mean to regenerate. Architecture alone is difficult considered as a regenerative or regenerative device of the environment, it has to be part of an urban system where interaction will give us something in return.

71

72

ra ca

bee rooms

Selfsufficient energy

self production bio fertilizers

Regenerative architecture

Research Center

Water Storage

ics

circular Gardening

Public spaces

waste management

Technological infrastructure & public space

R

Greenhouses

Research Center

Water Storage aeroponics

73

cs

s

circular Gardening

circular Gardening

Public spaces

Public spaces

waste management

Farming

Selfsufficient energy

bee rooms flexible houses

rainwater catchment

self production

ra ca

self production green are as

bio fertilizers

Housing

74

Sustainability on site

Farmland & regenarative architecture

Housing, public spaces and technological infrastructure

75

Mixed and productive uses

76

The four stages for a productive landscape - Katrin Bohn & Andre Viljoen Action U+D = Bottom Up + Top Down

Action IUC = inventory of urban capacity

This project needs parallel top-down and bottom-up initiatives.

An ‘inventory of urban capacity’ is necessary, especially of spatial,

An urban agriculture project will have the best chance of long-

stakeholder and managerial capacities. At the beginning of

term success, when it can rely on local initiators and supporters

the relatively short history of the urban agriculture movement,

and when these enter negotiation processes with their local

planning emphasis was given to identifying and mapping available

authorities

urban space (soil quality, pollution, water, exposure, adjacency

or

municipalities. Bottom-up motivations can

be identified ranging from community-led to entrepreneurial

to markets and compost).

initiatives.

Action R = design research

Action VIS = visualizing

Constant research, development and consolidation of the CPUL

Urban agriculture needs visualizing to raise public awareness

concept is needed to adapt it to changing circumstances. Social

and influence decision makers. To further the case for urban

and environmental conditions can change rapidly, locally and

agriculture, this role widens to include alongside the design of

globally. To keep pace with such developments these strategies

productive urban spaces also the public and visually descriptive

have to undergo continuous evaluation and evolution. Theory

dissemination of ideas, data and best-practice examples in the

and practice need to be able to accommodate change. Applied

form of exhibitions, installations, talks, websites and publications.

design research is needed to develop different procedural, spatial

Here, the professional becomes the agent of change,

and business models for different scales of production.

which carries on a long, and at times problematic, tradition of the architectural manifesto as a herald of future change and challenges.

77

Local leaders

Municipality

Environmental agencies

own D p To & ives t

Bott om u ini p tia

Vis ua

ing lis

Local authorities

Agricultural Associations

Associations

city apa nc ba ur

Des i g nR Housing developers

Inven to r y of

Universities

h arc e es

Stakeholders

Architecs Municipality

Statistics Institues

78

A new affordable model We propose a sustainable and economically viable model. The

Through a cooperative work, we lead a simple life, caring for the

economically and the cooperative model is born from the vision

earth and people, sharing the available resources with equity. The

towards a more shared future in which it is understood that in

goal is to share our inspiring model and facilitate the experience

today’s cities, accessible housing is needed to avoid displacement

for others on a regenerative life path. To achieve this, there are

and stop pressuring the farmland. Of course, we are facing one

three types of users:

of the biggest problems today, to offer a decent housing that is

A: The user pays a monthly fee, this way they can recieve a food

accessible to everyone, creating ties that help us have a better

basket covering 50% of the household needs, with food such as

sense of life and with a low impact on the carbon footprint. This is

lettuce, avocado, grapes, oranges, spinach, corn, beans, potatoes,

why the cycle is friendly, starting on the left side with the building

tuna, celery, cauliflower, broccoli, rice and tomato.

and going down so that any user can register with a minimum

B: User b cannot pay the fee, they rather work in the production

initial fee, which will be used to start buying materials. On the

area, this way they do a social service from 4 to 5 hours per day.

other hand, if the user cannot pay their property, they can rent it

For this user, a food basket is also repaired, they are also given

to guarantee their home in a long term .

a monthly salary and if they have the need, the 50% left over

Families change, and they also need the home to adapt.

from the plantation, which was previously calculated, can be sold

Therefore, the user will change the typology or add footage to

by generating a better economy for the producer and healthier

his home, reusing the space or the materials left behind. Coming

relationship between producer and consumer.

to the end to prepare the land, either to sow again or prepare the

C: User c does not live in these housing developments, they are

land for future expansion or construction. After construction, it is

hard workers that work in the production area, and they still get to

possible to recover the soil, using biofertilizers, which allow us to

recieve their weekly basket.

re- plant the area.

USER AFFORDABILIT Y! 79

First investors...

Initial fee

$$$ STAKEHOLDERS

user c

user a

user b

we pay the fee and ge t our weekly baske t!

weekly baske ts for all!

we are users who don´t live here, but we work in the pruduction are a and ge t to have weekly baske ts for our homes!

we don´t pay the fee, we rather work in the production are a and ge t our weekly baske t!

fee collecting

local farmers marke t! organic food & stuff

$$$

homemade orange juice!

MONE Y

$$ CASH

I want fresh hone y!

FRESHly harvested zucchini!

80

From individual housing

From monoculture

To a sharing and productive community

To permaculture

81

From inaccessible farmlands

From segregating barriers

To accesible productive mandalas

To an accessible and friendly polygon

82

05

83

The master plan

84

Phasing on site

Housing Productive mandalas Greenhouses + Aeroponics Educational hubs Public space Regenerative + Waste managment hub Housing Productive mandalas Greenhouses + Aeroponics Educational hubs Technological hub Biodigesters External solar cells Housing Productive mandalas Greenhouses + Aeroponics Educational hubs Public space Regenerative + Waste managment hub

83

Site

404,164.391 m²

Phase 1 55,295.5 m²

Phas

157,440

se 2

0.219 m²

Phase 3

191,428.672 m²

92

93

94

Phase 1 Total area: 55,295.5 m² 15% housing: 8,404.916 m² 30% productive mandalas: 15,020 m² 45% public use: 24,882.975 m² Housing typologies & densification 20 units of 120 m² 2,400 m² of occupation 1 floor house Habitants per unit: 5 Total habitants: 100

Productive mandalas & aeroponics 12,500 m² mandalas 2,500 m² aeroponics

40 units of 80 m² 3,200 m² of occupation 2 levels Habitants per unit: 4 Total habitants: 320

Public space Parking Market Waste management Road donation Circulation Educational hubs Regenerative rooms

40 units of 60 m² 2,400 m² of occupation 2 levels Habitants per unit: 3 Total habitants: 240 Total housing units: 180 Total habitants: 660 Habitants per hectare: 785

Total productive area: 15,020 m²

Total public space: 24,882.975 m²

95

Cauliower

Potato Fruit Lime Peach

Celery

Corn

Corn

Beans

Orange Grapes Pomegranate

Lettuce

Lettuce

Asparragus

Watermelon

Asparragus

Other Broccolli

Carrot

Tomato Tuna Avocado

GSPublisherVersion 0.2.100.54

50% self consuming 50% for sale

Productive mandalas

Mid street / parking

Mixed public space

Educational hubs

Regenerative rooms Recycling

Parking

Aeroponics

Housing

100

06

101

Bibliography

102

99

103

Let´s re-imagine a new city