Medellin’s transformation :: a book

I wanted to share a very interesting link to a book edited by Gerard Martin on the transformation of Medellin. The book is in spanish, but it is quite graphic Continue reading →

Urban development and social inclusion. The CAF award

Post by Silvia Soonets [Proyectos Arqui 5] on Caracas This week the CAF announced the results of the second international competition of Urban Development and Social Inclusion. I’m proud and Continue reading →

Economic Efficiency or Urban Quality of Life?

“Paving Streets for the Poor: Experimental Analysis of Infrastructure Effects” is an economics paper published last month by Marco Gonzalez-Navarro and Climent Quintana-Domeque. According to the abstract, “This study is Continue reading →

New Ecological Park for Rocinha: Public Intervention Worth Bragging About

When I first visited the construction site of the Parque Ecológico da Rocinha I was asked to not share photos since the government entities involved in its planning and construction Continue reading →

Good Park, Bad Park

I would like pick up from Lubaina’s post on Green Washing Mumbai and discuss particular spatial typologies that are manifestations of Mumbai’s Bourgeois Environmental sensibilities. As Lubaina explains in her Continue reading →

Limpa Brasil: Municipal Waste Management Under the Sambinha Influence

Last month I posted on how catadores–people who earn their living by picking through solid waste to glean and resell recyclables–in Brazil set a positive example of how personal thrift Continue reading →

Remaking Rio: favela tourism and the tourist narrative, part III

This is the third and final post in a series about the portrayal of Rio de Janeiro’s favelas through the tourist narrative. I’m interested in the favela tourist experience because Continue reading →

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 AECOM’s original masterplan almost deliberately overlooks the favela Vila Autodromo. Although the Continue reading →

The Olympic Juggernaut Hits Rio de Janeiro: Is there a compelling new story? [1]

PART 1: Background [Guest Post by Maulik Bansal] SEE Intro Post On October 1, 2009, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced that the Summer Olympic Games 2016 will be hosted Continue reading →

ON YOUR MARK…GET SET…STOP!

Post by Marines Pocaterra [Proyectos Arqui 5] on Caracas ON YOUR MARK… The perception of urban informality as an incremental reality, not a temporary anomaly, became clear in the eighties. Continue reading →

GUAYAQUIL REVISITED >> Architecture in Development

I wanted to share this feature that I wrote for Architecture in Development, regarding Guayaquil’s Urban Regeneration strategies and the waterfront renovation project: Malecón del Salado. Although this project was one of the first to be Continue reading →