Informal Urbanization in Latin America: Collaborative Transformations of Public Spaces

Description

Various kinds of informal and extra-legal settlements―commonly called shantytowns, favelas, or barrios―are the prevailing type of urban land use in much of the developing world. United Nations estimates suggest that there are close to 900 million people living in squatter communities worldwide, with the number expected to increase in the coming decades. Informal Urbanization in Latin America investigates prevailing strategies for addressing informal settlements, which started to shift away from large-scale slum clearance to on-site upgrading in Latin America over the last 40 years, by improving public spaces, infrastructure and facilities. The cases in this book range from one micro intervention (the Villa Tranquila Project in Buenos Aires) to three large-scale government-run projects: the celebrated Favela Bairro Program in Rio de Janeiro, the social housing program in São Paulo and the famous Proyectos Urbanos Integrales Approach in Medellín. The cases show a collaborative and sensitive transformation of landscape and public space, and provide designers and planners with the tools to develop better strategies that can mitigate the volatility that the residents of non-formal neighborhoods are exposed to. The book is a must-read for all who are interested or working in the global urbanization as well as social equity. Cover Half Title Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Contents Foreword Preface Acknowledgements Landscape and the Informal City PART I: INFORMAL NEIGHBORHOODS – AN INCOMPLETE TAXONOMY FOR A DIVERSE UNIVERSE A Word about Formal and Informal Mapping Informal Urbanization Globally Mapping Informal Urbanization in Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Medellín Instances Five Modes of Engagement Notes PART II: LESSONS FROM LATATIN AMERICA Case Study I: Buenos Aires – Step by Step Villa Tranquila Conclusion Project Credits Notes Interview with Flavio Janches and Max Rohm Note Case Study II: Rio de Janeiro – Equality through Public Space Favela Bairro Parque Royal Project Credits Morro da Formiga Project Credits Reforestation Project Credits Morro da Providência Prohect Credits Conclusion Notes Interview with Lu Petersen Note Case Study III: São Paulo – Protecting Water Guarapiranga Basin Initiative Project Credits Parque Amélia Conclusion Project Credits Notes Interview with Elisabete França and Marta Maria Lagreca de Sales Notes Case Study IV: Medellín – Scaling Mountains PRIMED EDU PUI Nororiental Conclusion Notes Interview with Alejandro Echeverri Notes PART III: AND NOW? Choose Carefully Where and with Whom You Work Pursue an Integrative Improvement Process Use Landscape as Infrastructure Increase Knowledge of Designers and Planners Notes Afterword List of Figure Credits Index