What urban and social transformations do our cities require today? How can urban planning and design contribute to improving the experience of their inhabitants in urban spaces? As Andreea Cutieru explains, urban acupuncture refers to the improvement of social and urban issues through precise interventions capable of revitalizing specific areas of cities and consolidating urban planning strategies. The +VIDA program represents a comprehensive strategy for urban and social transformation in territories, strategically focused on vulnerable populations in the Colombian Caribbean. It encourages the collective construction of cities through the exchange of knowledge, intelligence, and expertise, with the aim of transforming the habitat in an integrated manner.
Following the line of thought of urban planner and politician Jaime Lerner, effective urban acupuncture is consolidated around any intervention with a positive impact on the city, involving anything from new facilities, restored existing buildings, and unique urban projects to complex decision-making or new customs. In the pursuit of achieving balance in cities, the practice of acupuncture is based on equity, coexistence and social cohesion, sustainable development, livability, culture, urban education, and the conservation and rehabilitation of historical and popular heritage, among other aspects.
In partnership with Fundación Pintuco and the Government of Bolívar in the Palenque territory, the +VIDA program, developed by Fundación Santo Domingo, was established with the objective of contributing to the socio-economic reactivation and revitalization of territories both during and after the Covid-19 pandemic. In some cases co-designed with various partners such as United Way Colombia, URBAN95, and local communities, its goal is to benefit and engage residents through an integrated system of urban acupuncture interventions that foster community appropriation of public spaces, post-pandemic socio-economic recovery, and the strengthening of social ties.
Through collaborative practices focused on the most vulnerable populations of the Colombian Caribbean, these acupuncture interventions were implemented across four territories from 2021 to 2024: the city of Barranquilla (Megabarrio Villas de San Pablo), Cartagena (Megabarrio Ciudad del Bicentenario), Santa Ana (Isla de Barú), and San Basilio de Palenque (Department of Bolívar). This methodology for comprehensive habitat transformation was developed in collaboration with vulnerable populations, considering the six principles and strategies of +VIDA acupuncture, which involve various societal actors: reinterpreting and revitalizing public spaces, fostering collective construction, promoting cultural identity through art and color, protecting and enhancing the environment, achieving economic reactivation, and designing cities for children. Among the various collaborators and promoters, the authorship of the +VIDA program is attributed to Taller Arquiurbano (John Octavio Ortiz, Sandra Escobar), Fundación Santo Domingo (Juan Céspedes, Teresa Margarita Londoño, Victoria Yances, David Rojas), Fundación Pintuco (Miguel Ayala, Claudia Ángel), and Corporación Tierra S.O.S (Alejandra Gallego, Stefanía Osorno, Brandon Amaya).
Below, discover the territories transformed within the framework of the +VIDA program.
Dialoguing with the Environment in Public Space Revitalization: Santa Ana, Isla de Barú
The development of acupuncture interventions in harmony with natural systems can enhance the places where they are implemented, following principles of sustainability, minimal impact, and low resource consumption. This approach emphasizes recognizing waterfront areas as gathering points and maximizing the use of recycled and post-consumer materials. The Master Plan for Santa Ana, Isla de Barú, has involved interventions along Calle del Pescador, including community urban furniture, a floating garden bench made of post-consumer plastic wood, and a wave-shaped canopy with fabrics that provides multicolored shade and revitalizes the street connecting the town center with the pier. Beyond this revitalized public space, façades have been transformed through urban art, and plans for its second phase include improving the children's park, implementing safe crossings, and developing the Bahía Barbacoas pier.
Transforming Urban Spaces into Urban Living Rooms: Cartagena, Bolívar
The Master Plan for the Megabarrio Ciudad del Bicentenario in Cartagena has consolidated the humanization of the vehicular roundabout and introduced Cubos Lúdicos as multi-programmatic urban furniture for revitalization. These modular, replicable, and adaptable structures serve as hammocks, swings, urban lounges, bleachers, or small theaters, connecting public spaces and creating an integrated physical and social fabric that redefines community gathering areas. Additionally, the plan has revitalized the Parque de Bolsillo Comunitario, established a garden bus stop, introduced safe crossings, and developed recreational parks and safer school environments.
Urban Art, Culture, and Identity for Collective Memory: San Basilio de Palenque
The Master Plan for San Basilio de Palenque encompasses the comprehensive improvement of various areas, including plazas, parks, and other spaces. Urban art plays a key role in redefining collective memory. In fact, through relational art processes involving the community, local memory is strengthened, leaving new stories in places that once had blank walls. Volunteer initiatives for improving and transforming façades foster unity and teamwork by reshaping the environment through color and reinforcing cultural identity. The improvement work with art and color in Cancha Pambelé, a central sports venue, reflects a collaborative effort with residents to create a vital community space. Meanwhile, the Marímbula Pergola, inspired by the area's culture, identity, and music, consists of open thematic pavilions where ancestral medicine, handicrafts, music, gastronomy, and collective memory are enjoyed.
Designing Safe Environments for the Community: Barranquilla, Atlántico
The Master Plan for Megabarrio Villas de San Pablo is structured in three phases, focusing on safe pedestrian crossings, façade transformations, urban furniture, and more. The plan designs high-quality spaces for children, parents, and caregivers, connecting homes with the early childhood center, school, and public spaces. Additionally, mobility corridors are humanized through tactical pilot projects and placemaking strategies, promoting safe school environments for early childhood. The tactical pilot projects for traffic calming at the Paso Seguro del Agua and the Paso Seguro de la Mariposa consolidate acupuncture strategies that humanize vehicle crossings and revitalize the streets. Future plans include the development of an urban garden.
By incorporating methodologies of social participation, urban art initiatives, inclusion strategies, environmental care, and more, +VIDA offers an opportunity to transform built environments while addressing the current and future needs of the population. Through the exchange of knowledge and expertise, the program seeks to educate citizens as part of a strategy for social innovation and sustainable habitat development, emphasizing pedagogy, civic culture, shared responsibility, and community self-management. Notably, in 2024, the program received various recognitions, including an honorable mention at the XXIX Colombian Biennial of Architecture and Urbanism in the Urban Design and Landscaping category. Additionally, it was a finalist in the XXIV Pan-American Biennial of Architecture of Quito (BAQ 2024) in the global Habitat Award, Neighborhood or District Intervention category.
