Muestra 10
Local vs Global
Fábrica de Paisaje (Uy) ● Supersudaca (Ar)

Sous les pavés, la plage…
(Under the paving stones, the beach…)

Or a reflection on the diffuse condition of the local in the globalised world. By Fábrica de Paisaje

The local and the global constitute, in a broad and long-term reading (because they are intimately related to changing factors such as the ecosystem, the climate, the landscape), historically transformable conditions, or in other words, concepts in movement.

However, having provisionally accepted as valid the illusion of their immutable characteristics, we propose to reflect on the construction of a Rio de la Plata landscape identity.

Identity, the ultimate expression of the local, as a historically and culturally determined imaginary, depends consequently on the specificities present in each of the temporal stages of a territory.

The territory in question, which is part of the second most important hydrographic basin in Latin America, whose final area is the estuary of the Río de la Plata, has different specificities in its final stretches for its opposite margins: accumulation of sediments on the west coast and generation of white beaches on the east coast.
For this reason, in terms of landscape (and tourism to boot), the underlying perception of Uruguay, by extension of its natural spaces, is its sand.

It is worth remembering that, after the industrial revolution, the sustained growth of Buenos Aires during the first decades of the last century turned sand without sediment into a scarce commodity, at the same time as it was essential for the construction in reinforced concrete of both large infrastructures in everyday architectural works.

Once the accessible reserves in Argentine territory were exceeded, the proximity to the east bank of the River Plate led to the proliferation of extractive activities in the region of Colonia – Conchillas, which would lead, over time, to drastic transformations in its coastal profile.

The landscape of the Uruguayan coast is thus, like Adam’s mythical rib, the material from which its companion, the nascent metropolis of Buenos Aires, was elaborated. The open wounds are still there, generating other landscapes, raw material for other developments, and ever-changing testimony to that original creation.

La villa es bella?
[Is the slum beautiful?]

The slum as a model of contemporary urban growth in Latin America. by Supersudaca

In 2007 the majority of the world’s population became urban. In Latin America since the 1970s the urban population is over 75%.

Urban concentration happened at great speed in countries of large size and little infrastructure, due to high rural emigration, economic immigration and world wars, generating laterally a centralised, rapid and precarious model of urbanisation: La Villa Miseria.

The slum is part of the housing typology of the region, it is part of the urban landscape of the cities. It coexists with the traditional urban layout, the gated community and the tower with amenities. In this context, we believe that, as a dynamic, flexible and efficient urbanisation model, it is worth studying.

The slum can be beautiful. It has positive and interesting morphological characteristics from an urban planning point of view. And from this perspective we want to put the slum in focus. Morphologically, at the level of public space, it generates a porous urban fabric, with a great diversity of urban situations: streets, alleyways, passages, avenues, small squares that enrich the space. The urban scale is small, the layout is labyrinthine and organic. The housing has minimal outdoor space, so the use of public space is essential for outdoor recreation. Access to the upper floor housing is generally from the outside. This generates greater interaction between inhabitants in the public sphere. Streets have restricted vehicular access, which makes them safer for pedestrian use. All this creates a lively public space.

The slums are located adjacent to consolidated urban neighbourhoods, generating differences in the urban fabric, particularities and variety. This proximity makes it possible to move around without the need for transport. Density is high, which generates an efficient use of resources.

These are highly desirable characteristics for a city. There can be more. The village is beautiful?

La villa es bella?
[Is the slum beautiful?] - infographics

Part of Supersudaca’s presentation consisted of a series of infographics that analysed the data behind the villas of the city of Buenos Aires and compared them to other formal urbanisations that in recent years have forged an abrupt growth of the suburban sprawl.

Research: Supersudaca (AR)
Design: Estudio Bestia (Smud-Iosipescu-Simone)