Torre David |
Caracas, Venezuela
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Problem
What can a poor city dweller do to seize opportunities in the urban core and react within the rapid trends of urbanization that have left city governments and many Latin American cities with a major shortage of social housing in the city, the failure of large-scale public projects stemming from slum clearance, and the relocation of impoverished communities? |
Solution
Two thousand homeless citizens took over and inhabited a 45-story office tower that was almost complete when it was abandoned following the death of its developer and the collapse of the Venezuelan economy in 1994. Through squatter rights and communal initiatives, the power of people turned it into the tallest vertical slum in the world. |
Description
In the U.S. the occupation of public space against the ambiguous privatization of the city was a realization that culminated in the Occupy Movement in 2011, but what about occupying the city so that it serves the needs of the most stressed urban groups and goes beyond the legal constructs of our society? The extralegal occupation of "Torre David," an unfinished skyscraper in the middle of the city's financial district, offers a unique glimpse at the re-appropriation of space in the urban environment and comments on the failed policies that have exacerbated the life of many. The tower is a clear example of the beautiful ingenuity in people, and about how people who have nothing (and are seen as counterproductive to the economies of the built environment) can be active and creative players in the physical identity of the city.
After the economic collapse, the building's shell became an opportunity for squatter families whose economic and social situation led them to seek refuge in the city. In the time they lived there, they constructed elaborate informal systems of social and infrastructural networks to link them as part of the city fabric. Even though the residents of Torre David have since been evicted, their innovative approaches at life in the city are widely documented and present a rich case-study about the type of programs necessary to address the urban poor and resilient urban infrastructure. The history of slum clearance and housing projects at the outskirts have turned to be counterproductive to the problem, but not as much as the preconceived idea that the urban poor provide only negative opportunities for architecture. |
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Occupying a space in the city through squatter rights requires no financial transaction. However, a flourishing economy was built-up inside the tower and basic necessities such as electricity and toilets were rigged up rudimentary. Additionally, the community payed for security and other amenities. Torre David community residents. Social: Community-living as drivers for change. Environmental: Reusing spaces in the city without building new structures is a resilient approach to urban regeneration. Mixed-Use of space in the urban core of major cities; since the half-finished building only provided infrastructural and structural support, customization of spaces met needs of each resident, DIY water and electricity systems made entirely by occupants, pop-up amenities, social housing alternative to banishment practices. New intersections between formal and informal architecture of the city. Guerrilla design solutions proposed by citizens themselves that are bottom-up and extralegal, challenging the role of the architect. |
Benefits
Efficient use of urban space by allowing other uses to take over an abandoned building. Freedom for zoning and other codes allowed residents to change dwelling to match their own needs. Resilient use of architectural infrastructure The project's location in the city allows residents more social and economic opportunities. strong social relationships within dwellers as an important feature for the success of the squatter community. |
Negatives
Romanticizing the Poor. Crime and Prostitution, including a general lack of security from thugs and gangs. Improper sanitation systems. Illegal occupation and squatter. |
Lessons
- Torre David challenges the role of the architect and the intended uses of architecture: In the future of urban development, create stronger collaborations among architects, private enterprise, and the global population of slum- and low income- dwellers by integrating interagency partnerships to the make-up of local and federal programs.
- Zoning laws, stringent building codes and regulations, and the nature of a property rights approach in America widely limits the humble moments that average citizens can make to adapt to the changing environment of the city. The U.S should reform Land Use and Zoning regulation based on an analysis of opportunities for mix-use and infrastructure redevelopment that catalyzes on the talents of minorities and low-income residents to solve some of the solutions in their neighborhoods. Ideas include programs of rehabilitating abandoned homes as a way to train and employ the poor or lax code requirements for granny flats and other fusions of space-use based on the needs of the community.
- Appropriate the urban poor back to the city's downtown and urban centers instead of using draconian mandates that ban, for example the homeless, from urban locations and public parks.
- Build social housing projects close the needs of low-income residents and not, like countless examples in the 70s and 80s, secluded from established community networks.
Links
http://torredavid.com/
http://www.iconeye.com/gallery/item/10497-torre-david-gran-horizonte
http://www.pulsamerica.co.uk/2012/10/25/torre-david-vertical-slum/
http://www.dezeen.com/2014/07/24/torre-david-mass-eviction-urban-think-tank-response/
http://torredavid.com/
http://www.iconeye.com/gallery/item/10497-torre-david-gran-horizonte
http://www.pulsamerica.co.uk/2012/10/25/torre-david-vertical-slum/
http://www.dezeen.com/2014/07/24/torre-david-mass-eviction-urban-think-tank-response/