More Definitions :: Informality vs. Informalities
While reading some of the posts from last week, I couldn’t help but ask myself again ‘What is informality?’ The more I learn about the subject, the more difficult it becomes to give a straightforward answer.
To expand, and piggyback on Paula’s thoughts, although slums are usually informal settlements, not all informal settlements are “slums”. In this same respect, informality is not necessarily equivalent to the action squatting. According to Caldeira and Holston (2008), this generalized definition of “slum”, also adopted by Mike Davis in “Planet of Slums” (2006), homogenizes and stigmatizes all non-formal shelter practices. The urban poor now have to deal with another form of social exclusion and many of these working and living neighborhoods, and communities, are reduced to eviction and demolition.
In 2009, I attended a conference titled “Peripheries,” organized by Prof. of Urban Planning Teresa Caldeira, and Professor of Geogrophy James Holston, in 2009 (UC Berkeley). The conference aimed to understand and deconstruct the label of “peripheries” by searching new perspectives and understandings of different social and urban formations contingent upon this idea. During the entirety of the conference the use of a plural “peripheries” was stressed over a singular “periphery”. In the same way, I am inclined to use the term “informalities” vs. informality. Castells states the following: “Since the informal economy does not result from the intrinsic characteristic of activities, but from the social definition of state intervention, the boundaries of the informal economy will substantially vary in different contexts and historical circumstances.”[1] Stepping away from the term’s stigmatization, there is not only one type of “informality” but various “informalities”. I will argue that informality is not Read More…
Skins+Signs :: PART 2
AESTHETIZATIONS+GENTRIFICATION
“Observers of the contemporary city have described the late capitalist urban condition as characterized by a trend toward the aesthetization, where the primacy of the visual and the centrality of the image have reduced the city to a landscape of visual consumption, an object to be gazed upon, or a spectacle. Current urban design practices are said to nourish this appeal or the embellishment of the material world by giving precedence of the façade to the creation of urbane disguises, thereby reducing the effect of much architecture to two dimensions.”[1]
Stairs in Vila Cruzeiro; source:www.favelapainting.com
In the previous post, we discussed the role of image, looking at three particular examples of representations on urban informality. In this post, we will explore some of the implications when placing too much attention solely on representation. As Namrata well pointed out in her previous post: In Retrospect, solely focusing on physical transformations, and viewing informal settlements as purely built form can lead to an aesthetization of the area, turning informal settlements into simple representations drawn up by the “bourgeois gaze.”[2] (Roy, Ananya, “Transnational Trespassing,” pp.302)
By looking at a settlement primarily as built form implies that “upgrading” would entail a “package of environmental reforms,” and that these upgrading should be based on aesthetics that are interpretations of poverty and informality by professionals; failing to take into account the socioeconomic structure of the slums. Ananya Roy argues that one element of this aesthetic is the emphasis on architecture and on the physical expression of the settlements. The limitations are basically the focus of the built environment and physical amenities over people’s capacity or livelihoods, wages and political capacities.
Ken Lum’s from shangri-la to shangri-la, 2010 site-specific installation, Vancouver, photograph by Gordon Brent Ingram; Squatting in Vancouverism, http://gordonbrentingram.ca
“To present the stories as embodied in aesthetic structures is to imagine poverty or the informal sector as a pre-capitalist domain, free of material corruptions […] The material reality of squatting is, of course, that it is very much about territorial exclusions, about Read More…
[re]visiting low-income housing :: BUILDING LOCAL WORKSHOP [JUNE 2012]
In many developing countries, current low-income housing strategies prove to be not only inefficient but also unsustainable in their designs, material and construction choices, and are impeded by high costs and inhibiting policies. In this regard, place-based responses are essential in the approach. This includes strong participatory processes to address existing realities and needs, allow community empowerment and provide long-term appropriation and self-sustainability. It also means taking advantage of local materials and related construction skills within a community, the existing cultural traditions, and surrounding ecologies in order to provide adequate solution at all scales (housing, infrastructure and urban design).
With that said, I wanted to share information on BUILDING LOCAL, a design-build workshop that will take place in Barichara, Colombia from June 15 to June 25.
The design-build studio will explore the aesthetic, assembly andtectonic qualities of local materials: earth, stone, fique, bamboo and wood, engaging students in a series of workshops that will culminate in the design and construction of an efficient and innovative low-income dwelling/farmhouse.
Barichara is a small town of 8000 people located on the Andean hills on the North Western region of Colombia, in the Department of Santander. With colonial architecture dating back to 1705, and traditions of earth and stone constructions, Barichara is one the historical landmark in the country. Currently, as the town transitions from an agricultural economy to a service based economy –relying primarily on tourism- new residents are moving in and the town is experiencing various environmental and social transformations. On the one hand, these transformations offer new opportunities for innovation, further experimenting with local materials and the existing building typologies, yet, on the other, they reflect a troubling condition for local farmers, or campesinos, that are now searching for their own space among the incoming residents and within the new economy. Barichara is therefore a unique place to learn and explore local construction techniques, while requiring a multi-dimensional proposal that addresses and engages the socio-economical and environmental impacts of a transitional economy.
LINK TO WORKSHOP WEBSITE: BUILDING LOCAL
**Image source: FUNDACION ORGANIZMO, Design-build Center for the Sustainable Habitats, www.organizmo.org
Skins+Signs :: PART 1
[Skin+Signs]: Upgrading tool driven by aesthetics and imagery. Skins+Signs focuses on minimal interventions, such as the application of paint, ornament, and marketing to the exterior of buildings and structures, attempting to beautify and brand the existing area.
- Favela Painting, Favela Santa Marta, Rio de Janeiro; Source: www.favelapainting.com
To piggyback on a previous post, Remaking Rio: favela tourism and the tourist narrative, I want to focus on aspects of representation, particularly looking at the way in which informality is viewed, imagined and represented, as well as the implications on upgrading projects and their physical manifestations. For this, I will present this exploration in two initial posts:
- 1-Learning from the ‘Informal’
- 2- Facades+ Aestitzations
PART 1: Learning from the Informal
A-The Image
Aside from the artistic qualities linked to issues of image and representation, the means and methods used to represent a particular reality – be it through photography, a sketch, a rendering, a painting, a plan, or statistical projections- reflect particular ways of thinking about society and its transformation. Here, form, function and content fully overlap.
Representations are not simply the way the world is presented, but it is the way the world is intimately known, in many ways experienced, and in certain times manipulated to achieve a particular effect or describe a point of view to the audience.
- Dionisio Gonzales Photo-montages
In this regard, Loïc Wacquant, professor of Sociology at the University of California at Berkeley, points out that “poverty is too often (wrongly) equated with material dispossession or insufficient income. But in addition to being deprived of adequate conditions and means of living, to be poor in a rich society entails having the status of a social anomaly and being Read More…
2011 Leftovers :: Floods + Stairs – Part 2
2-La ‘Niña’: too much water?
“La maldita ‘Niña‘ ha sido el karma de mi Gobierno” (The darn “Niña’ has been the karma of my government). Juan Manuel Santos, President of Colombia
Inundations in Colombia, source: El Tiempo
THE CONTEXT
Similar to many developing countries, Colombia faces pressing shortages in housing, particularly due to the inefficient production of low-income dwellings. Moreover, the continuing political violence and recent winter storms in the country have lead to unprecedented increase in displaced populations in urgent need for housing.
According to a 2011 study produced by Camacol, the Colombian Chamber for Construction, for the National Federation of Departments, the country needs to construct approximately 350 000 housing units per year for twenty years to eliminate the housing shortage that exist in the country. These numbers do not include the great percentage of the population that lives in informal settlements, many of which live under illegal and inadequate conditions, lacking basic infrastructure and services, and access to tenure.
Indeed the heavy storms at the end of 2010 and 2011 have resulted in severe inundations and displacement throughout Colombia. Classified some of the worst natural tragedies in the history of Colombia, the recent floods have affected close to 3 million people at national level. A great number of the affected population are inhabitants of informal developments and rural areas that have heavily flooded. Nevertheless, should we only blame the rain?
This image, taken in the outskirts of Bogotá, shows one example of cases where housing was built on former lakes that were filled in, or dried up with the use of particular vegetation. In this particular case, the rain have refilled the lake Fuque.
LA NINA
While many blame the amount of rain as a culprit of the inundations, disasters and displacement that Colombia is now Read More…
2011 Leftovers :: Floods + Stairs – Part 1
With the New Year picking up speed and the passed year quickly dissolving in our memory, I want to take this opportunity to recap on a couple of remnants from 2011. In the following 2 posts, focusing on Colombia, the home country of our widely discussed Medellin, I want to share a quick glimpse on 2 specific leftovers from 2011.
1- Going up!!! –Electric stairs
Source:http://actualidad.orange.es/internacional/medellin-tiene-primeras-escaleras-electricas-del-mundo-para-movilidad-urbana.html
Yes, 2011 culminated with yet another mobility innovation in Medellin. Adding to the existing list of Metrocable (in Medellin; Caracas and now Rio), elevators, and monorails, we have now a new mechanical tool for pedestrian circulation: exterior electric staircases. Although not the first exterior electric staircases(see: Honk Kong), this is he first of its kind being located in one of Medellin’s most difficult informal settlements.
- Electric Stairs: Medellin and HK. Sources (left to right): Monica Guerra; Chirstopher DeWolf (www.urbanphoto.net)
The stairs are being built in the informal settlement Las Independencies (12 000 residents), located in the Comuna 13 as part of the Comuna’s PUI (part of a group of interventions including a Library Park: Parque Biblioteca San Javier , and the city’s second Metrocable).
The electric staircases, imported from Japan, were inaugurated in December 2011, costing 13500 million Colombian Pesos (approximately 7.6 million USD). With 130 linear meters, covering an area of 2000 sqm and replacing over 200 steps, the mechanical staircases climb- through 6 separate segments- 38 m in height.
Although the staircases were inaugurated in December, only 2 segments are functioning during restricted hours: Monday through Saturday they operate from 2-5 PM, 12-3 PM on Sundays. In this regard, one resident Read More…
Prepping for the New Year
On behalf of the FAVELissues team, we want to wish you happy holidays and a very prosperous new year!
Thank you for your support, comments and contributions. We look forward to continue sharing, challenging and building around concepts and discussions of urban informality, seeking a more equitable and sustainable city development.
Best regards,
The Olympic Juggernaut Hits Rio de Janeiro: Is there a compelling new story? [2]
PART 2: Olympics and Vila Autodromo [Guest Post by Maulik Bansal]
CLICK TO SEE previous posts: Intro and Part 1
Vila Autodromo – a favela on the western edge of the proposed Olympic Park. Source: ‘Brazil Olympics may send poor families packing’ – Alison Coffey. www.globalpost.com
AECOM’s original masterplan almost deliberately overlooks the favela Vila Autodromo. Although the four major components of Barra da Tijuca’s Olympic proposal have pivoted around this crucial land parcel, its current inhabitation has not seemed worthy of consideration. In fact, the fragmentation of the masterplan into four components and their subsequent planning by independent agencies has made the existing community of Vila Autodromo ‘peripheral’. Interestingly, the AECOM proposal places the overhead connection between the Olympic Park and the Convention Center along the southern edge of the community. If one pays closer to attention to this peripheral element, it appears as though AECOM proposes to restructure the existing road network of this area without affecting this favela.
Nevertheless, AECOM does not have the last word in the overall masterplan. The municipal authorities have ignored AECOM’s approach, and have continued to find ways to evict residents of the small favela. Indeed, Vila Autodromo would probably be too visible and stand out in a shiny new Olympic masterplan. How can Rio de Janeiro afford to showcase its not-so-bright reality to the world? The new image of the bright new future has no room for these unplanned, spontaneous and illegal developments that pock-mark Rio’s urban landscape.
But, Vila Autodromo is not a new neighborhood. It started out as a fishermen community, and has been there for nearly 40 years. It is a low- and middle-income community of about 2,000 people that is five times older than the Convention Center. It has residents rather than the transient population of the Convention Center, and is built with the idea of permanence unlike the pre-fabricated and assembled steel frame of the Convention Center that has been generously integrated into the masterplan. Moreover, this community has legal rights to be there, on land leased to them by the government in 1994 for 40 years. Yet, the Olympic Bid chose to retain the Convention Center over a living community. In fact, the Bid Document does not even acknowledge the existence of this community.
Over the last few years local authorities have made repeated attempts at notifying “obstructing” communities on their imminent relocation. However, these authorities and their top-down approaches to planning have obviously overlooked Read More…
The Olympic Juggernaut Hits Rio de Janeiro: Is there a compelling new story? [1]
PART 1: Background [Guest Post by Maulik Bansal]
On October 1, 2009, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced that the Summer Olympic Games 2016 will be hosted by Rio de Janeiro. The Bid Document submitted by Rio de Janeiro was an extensively detailed and thorough proposal consisting of a three-volume document explaining all administrative, financial, social and technical aspects.
Accompanying traditional concerns of transportation, sport, health, education and environment, the bid reflected an elaborate narrative on an urgent need for the ‘new’ and for ‘transformation’.
“The Rio Games will also celebrate and showcase sport thanks to the city’s stunning setting and a desire to lift event presentation to new heights. Rio 2016 will excel in meeting all the needs of the Games Family…. At the same time, Rio 2016 will be an opportunity to deliver the broader aspirations for the long-term future of the city, region and country – an opportunity to hasten the transformation of Rio de Janeiro into an even greater global city.” “For the people of Rio, the Games will transform their city with new infrastructure, new environmental, physical and social initiatives and new benefits and opportunities for all…. They will bring a new level of global recognition for Brazil. Superb Games and stunning broadcast imagery will provide a long-term boost to tourism and Brazil’s growing reputation as an exciting and rewarding place to live, do business and visit….History’s first Games in a new continent, in a city with unique global image, will open new horizons, building interest and enthusiasm over the full four years of the Olympiad. The media and sponsors will be excited by a new destination, bringing new value to the Olympic and Paralympic brands. A compelling new story is ready to be told.”
(Extracts from Vol.1 of Candidature File for Rio de Janeiro to host the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games)
Indeed, a very well written and compelling story. A story that –although at present fictional-has the potential to manifest itself into reality with the right political will and public sacrifice.. A work of fiction so intent on its manifestation, that it inspires political will and social sacrifice. After all, would questioning such narratives not constitute a regressive, even unpatriotic attitude? Who wants to become a stumbling block in the city’s and the country’s path towards a new future?
In order to ensure that all development with regard to the Summer Olympics and other mega-events, such as the FIFA World Cup 2014, are beneficial to Read More…
Adriana Navarro Sertich
Lubaina Rangwala
Jennifer Renteria
Kirsten Larson
Proyectos Arqui5
Tucker Landesman
Namrata Kapoor
Paula Restrepo-Cadavid
Andrew Carman
Jose Antonio Ramirez
Fernando Luiz Lara
Bethany Opalach
