Radical Cities

1. Latin America's urban experiments offer global lessons in tackling inequality

"Latin America may have most to offer. The fact that Latin American nations endured the levels of urbanisation that they did in the mid twentieth century, in conditions of scarcity, has made them a prime testing ground for radical ideas in urban development and management."

Pioneering urban solutions. Latin America has become a laboratory for innovative urban strategies, born out of necessity due to rapid urbanization and limited resources. Cities like Medellín, Bogotá, and Caracas have implemented groundbreaking initiatives that address social inequality, violence, and urban segregation.

Transferable lessons. These experiments offer valuable insights for cities worldwide facing similar challenges:

• Participatory budgeting (Porto Alegre, Brazil)
• Bus Rapid Transit systems (Curitiba, Brazil; Bogotá, Colombia)
• Cable car networks connecting informal settlements (Medellín, Colombia; Caracas, Venezuela)
• Social urbanism focusing on education and public spaces (Medellín)
• Civic culture programs to reduce violence and improve urban behavior (Bogotá)

2. Informal settlements are not problems, but solutions to housing crises

"When are we going to recognise that favelas are not an aberration, but the primary urban condition? When will we come to terms with the fact that the favelas are not a problem of urbanity, but the solution?"

Shifting perspectives. The traditional view of informal settlements as urban blight is being challenged. These self-built communities demonstrate remarkable resourcefulness and adaptability in the face of government failure to provide adequate housing.

Recognizing value. Informal settlements offer:

• Affordable housing solutions for the urban poor
• Proximity to employment opportunities
• Strong social networks and community bonds
• Flexibility to expand and adapt over time

Urban planners and policymakers are increasingly recognizing the need to work with, rather than against, informal settlements, focusing on upgrading and integration rather than demolition and relocation.

3. Activist architects initiate change through community engagement

"The activist architect is an extrovert or he is nothing. You have to be comfortable in the community, and if the community is not instantly comfortable with you, then it takes charisma to win them over."

New role for architects. Activist architects in Latin America are redefining their profession by initiating projects, engaging communities, and navigating complex political landscapes to effect change.

Key characteristics of activist architects:

• Proactivity in identifying and creating opportunities
• Strong communication and negotiation skills
• Ability to work across disciplines and stakeholder groups
• Willingness to challenge traditional power structures
• Focus on social impact rather than just aesthetic outcomes

These architects often work in informal settlements, creating innovative solutions like Urban-Think Tank's vertical gyms in Caracas or Alejandro Aravena's incremental housing in Chile.

4. Public transport and spaces can reconnect segregated cities

"Connecting the informal to the formal is one thing, it is undeniably progress of sorts. But if the next phase of the process is to incorporate them into the system – giving them property deeds, taxing them, plugging them into the grid and making them pay for water and electricity – then we already know where that process leads."

Mobility as integration. Public transport projects, such as Medellín's Metrocable or Bogotá's TransMilenio, have been instrumental in physically and socially connecting marginalized communities to city centers.

Public spaces as equalizers. Strategic placement of high-quality public spaces and cultural facilities in underprivileged areas can:

• Improve quality of life for residents
• Attract visitors from other parts of the city
• Challenge stigmas associated with informal settlements
• Foster a sense of civic pride and belonging

However, care must be taken to ensure that these improvements don't lead to gentrification and displacement of the original residents.

5. Urban renewal requires political will and civic participation

"Urbanism is frozen politics."

Political commitment. Successful urban transformation projects in Latin America have often been driven by visionary political leaders who prioritize social equality and urban integration.

Civic engagement. Equally important is the active participation of citizens and civil society organizations in:

• Identifying community needs
• Planning and designing interventions
• Implementing and maintaining projects

The case of Medellín demonstrates how a combination of political will, private sector support, and community involvement can lead to dramatic urban improvements and social change.

6. Education and culture are powerful tools for social transformation

"Where there is fear, you get a fragmented society. The fear and violence destroy any kind of citizenship, any working together. There are no citizens living there, only individuals surviving – 'save yourself'. So everyone is resigned to living in their place, and public space is basically destroyed as a site of reunion for communities."

Education as a catalyst. Investments in education, from early childhood to adult learning, can break cycles of poverty and violence. Medellín's library-parks and Bogotá's school construction programs exemplify this approach.

Culture as a unifier. Cultural initiatives can:

• Bridge divides between different social groups
• Reclaim public spaces from violence
• Foster a sense of shared identity and purpose

Antanas Mockus's unconventional methods as mayor of Bogotá, such as using mime artists to improve traffic behavior, demonstrate the power of cultural interventions in changing urban dynamics.

7. The symbiosis of formal and informal urbanism creates new possibilities

"Torre David, then, is a readymade, the accidental culmination of a century-long modernist lineage. It takes Le Corbusier's concept to its logical conclusion, from two-storey house to forty-five-storey skyscraper."

Hybrid urban forms. The collision of formal and informal urbanism in Latin American cities is producing unique urban typologies that challenge traditional notions of city-making.

Examples of formal-informal hybrids:

• Torre David in Caracas: A squatted skyscraper
• 23 de Enero in Caracas: Modernist housing blocks enveloped by informal settlements
• PREVI in Lima: Architect-designed housing frameworks completed by residents

These hybrid forms suggest new possibilities for flexible, adaptable, and socially inclusive urban development that could be relevant to cities worldwide.

8. Borders are opportunities for innovative urban solutions

"Can ideas as well as just labour cross that border? Can the US, which has exported a pernicious neoliberal culture to the continent below it, gain something less destructive in return? Can Southern California learn from Latin America?"

Rethinking borders. The US-Mexico border, particularly in the San Diego-Tijuana region, offers a unique laboratory for exploring transnational urbanism and the exchange of ideas between the global North and South.

Cross-border opportunities:

• Shared infrastructure and resources management
• Economic complementarity and innovation
• Cultural exchange and hybridization
• Environmental cooperation

Teddy Cruz's work in the border region demonstrates how the informal urbanism of Tijuana can inform more sustainable and adaptable urban strategies in San Diego, challenging the notion of a one-way flow of influence from North to South.

Last updated: July 20, 2024