Thursday, February 14, 2013

Sustainable Implications of "Non-Design"

Learning from Transient Intervention and Community Centered Evolution

In the wake of World War II and the emerging issues such as rapid urbanization, shifting population centers, and the impoverishing effects of these wars in areas, governments around the world worked with architects and planners to create answers through new social and urban strategies. Among these included grand social housing blocks and sprawling suburban typologies dotting the landscape with promises of new ideas for living. These modernists notions are now typically considered to be a failure as these social housing projects have not resolved the issues of social and economic inequality they promised and in many cases have become derelict. Populations have begun migrating back to dense urban areas, and the suburban forms that were born from the fascination of the automobile have in some cases proven to be alienating and undesirable.




The past Venice Biennale featured an exhibit focusing on the Torre David in Caracas, Venezuela by Urban Think Tank, Justin McGuirk, and Iwan Baan. The tower never finished construction and in 2007 was inhabited by roughly 2500 transient people. The residents created an informal organization to how they live in the tower, creating shops, gyms, restaurants, and even a voluntary code of conduct that was adopted by its residents. While many consider the tower and the residents to be a blight on the city and its image, its habitation and use can inspire many new ideas in design, how places are programmed, community development, and ultimately sustainable development.

                              

The example of Torre David shows the flexibility that communities are able to use to create a space that works towards their needs. The ambiguity of how a space will be used can often be at odds with how planners and architects intend it to be used. The development of a community with its own unique set of values contrasts with the results of the modernist experiments that often led to lost  values and characteristics of the community. The success of the Torre David as a developmental experiment lies in part with the degree of freedom that its residents maintain in fostering these values and in some respect serves as an example of sustainable development not only due to the reuse of the structure but to the improvement in the lives of the residents.

Going one step further, the redevelopment of the Quinta Monroy area of Iquique, Chile by the firm Elemental takes the existing slums of the region and, at the request of the government, redevelop the existing land for the current population. Using only $7500 per dwelling, the firm was able to create units for each family with a kitchen, bath, open space, and a portion for residents to buy and expand to once they could afford it. The open space was then allowed to be divided up by the tenants, who had an understanding of construction as they had built the previously existing slums. The project proved to be incredibly successful, with the homes now worth roughly $20,000, turning around the local economy.

                   

So how can these projects help inform designers and planners how to best create communities and rethink spaces? The approach used by planners in designing the master plan for these areas often dictates the use and designation of all locations. This top-down approach often fails as many places become unused or undesirable. In a similar manner as the Torre David and Quinta Monroy, a basic framework is often what a community needs to begin and thrive and additional development can occur later according to the needs and values of the community. The framework allows the community to develop or retain its own identity and with this identity comes the greater appreciation and stewardship of the whole community. This type of community based development and active engagement of residents could be promising in furthering ideas of sustainability. By integrating those living in the community directly into to the planning and growth of where they live, local residents are able to understand important issues facing their community as well as making the community a more cherished part of their lives. Excess or unneeded development can ideally be avoided as only the necessary and desired functions and spaces are created and avoiding waste. Top-down approaches often import the model of a city into a new context, erasing the previous history as the modernist examples have done. Instead, these local initiatives can help define new sustainable strategies that are context-appropriate and maintained at a local level in residential, commercial, and public spheres.