A few weeks ago, the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) named the recipient of the RIBA Norman Foster 2023 travel grant. Martha Pomasonco from Peru was awarded for her outstanding project titled "Barrios Mejorados."
The research project that impressed the jury aims to explore the impact of highly successful informal settlement improvement initiatives implemented in various Latin American countries. Its primary objective is to uncover valuable design insights related to social and environmental sustainability. The research is founded on the recognition that Latin America is the most urbanized region globally, with approximately 80% of its population residing in cities. Nevertheless, nearly 15% of this urban population resides in informal settlements marked by inadequate infrastructure and a diminished quality of life. Various improvement programs have been implemented, and the active involvement of citizens has been a crucial factor in enhancing their effectiveness.
Although the moment in which Pomasonco will share the results of this valuable research is yet to come, we encourage our readers to explore some of the improvement programs that will be examined in her project.
Proyecto Urbano Integral (PUI) / Colombia
One of the most renowned projects for enhancing informal settlements is the Medellín "metrocable".This cable car mobility system effectively connected informal neighborhoods with other areas of the city, overcoming significant physical and psychological divisions that had previously separated them.
The creation of PUI in 2004 is the result of studies that demonstrated that state intervention based on isolated and discontinued actions led to greater distrust among communities in the face of government actions. Based on this perception, the initiative proposes to act in an integrated manner with different municipal departments, focusing on a concrete objective.
The program, referred to as a social urbanism policy, is based on three axes: physical, which includes the construction and improvement of public and housing spaces, adaptation and construction of public buildings, and recovery of the environment; social, with the community actively participating in all stages of the process, from identifying problems and opportunities through field trips to the development and approval of projects using participatory design practices; and interinstitutional, that is, the integral coordination of actions in a given area. Furthermore, it is worth highlighting that PUI also has cultural interventions for pedagogical purposes that help to reframe places associated with problems and tragedies.
Between 2003 and 2007, under the PUI Nororiental de Medellín program, the community held 113 workshops and engaged in 166 meetings with neighborhood committees. These collaborative efforts resulted in projects that expanded public spaces by 2.3% per resident, increasing the total area from 97 thousand to 220 thousand square meters. Additionally, 17 community parks were established, with 9 neighborhoods and 16 sectors having access to one for the first time.
Favela-Bairro / Brazil
Inaugurated by the city of Rio de Janeiro in 1994, the Favela-Bairro program sought to improve the living conditions of favela residents by promoting their inclusion within the larger urban framework through urban development initiatives. This program primarily focused on improving existing settlements by upgrading essential infrastructure, including sanitation, water supply, sewage systems, lighting, and road paving. Additionally, it led to the construction of health centers, daycare facilities, schools, and other public amenities within informal settlements. The program marked a departure from the previous approach of relocating favela residents to remote areas, focusing on on-site development and improvements instead.
In 1994, IAB/RJ organized a Public Competition to select Methodological and Physical-Spatial Proposals for urbanizing favelas in Rio de Janeiro. This competition aimed to facilitate the development of intervention projects. With the introduction of the Favela-Bairro program, spaces of social significance saw a shift in design, primarily designed by practices with different project lines and experiences. This change in the professional profile injected dynamism and diversity into the favela spaces benefiting from the program. In the program's first phase, 15 multidisciplinary teams, under the leadership of architects, were selected to operate in 15 small and medium-sized favelas. The funding for these initiatives came from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and resources from the city hall, amounting to a total of 300 million dollars.
Favela-Bairro was initially one of the most ambitious programs aiming to enhance informal neighborhoods in developing cities. The program's substantial scope involved 70 favelas in its first phase (until the 2000s) and 88 in the second phase (from 2000 to 2008). This scale of intervention was expected to bring about significant and lasting improvements in the targeted communities, potentially serving as a model for future enhancements in Brazil and beyond. However, in 2020, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) published a report assessing the impact of interventions carried out during the program's first two phases. The report highlights that while there was an immediate improvement in the quality of life for the population, including access to sewage, lighting, and water following the completion of the works, it also points out that the constructed infrastructure deteriorated rapidly. In some cases, the conditions in the favelas returned to their previous state. The report identifies organized crime as a contributing factor, as it often damaged roads and public lighting, making access to these communities challenging.
Barrio Mío / Peru
The Barrio Mío program was initiated during the public administration in Lima between 2012 and 2014, drawing inspiration from successful models like Medellín's PUI and Rio de Janeiro's Favela-Bairro programs. In line with these examples, the program's main objective was to align urban revitalization initiatives within Lima's most vulnerable hillside areas, where informal neighborhoods were located. Barrio Mío also emphasized a community-oriented approach to city development, with a comprehensive vision that actively involved residents in the planning and construction of new spaces. The goal was to cultivate a sense of ownership among residents and empower them to assume a self-managing role in the projects’ continuous maintenance and progression.
In practice, the Barrio Mío program unfolded in two main stages. The first phase sought to alleviate the communities' lack of trust in government authorities. This was achieved by promoting citizen participation through workshops and debates. The second phase centered on the actual urban projects, which involved significant reconfigurations guided by five primary strategies: improving connectivity, enhancing centrality, enhancing livability, addressing border areas, and reducing risks. The central focus of these interventions was to reduce the vulnerability of urban housing in hilly areas to natural disasters.
To quantify the program's impact, between July 2012 and September 2013, Barrio Mío reached approximately 3 million people. The program featured a range of initiatives, comprising roughly 1000 "staircase landscapes," more than 700 retaining walls, and the establishment of communal living areas, urban green spaces, and community gathering zones. Before commencing construction, the municipalities benefiting from the program received training in risk management to organize the population's actions effectively. Complementary community involvement activities were implemented to improve neighborhoods on a local scale. Nine projects were carried out in different vulnerable areas of the city before the program came to an end in 2014.
