The growing informal city: Alfredo Brillembourg at TEDxLakeGeneva
TEDx Talks・10 minutes read
Over 800 families turned an abandoned tower in Caracas into a livable space lacking basic amenities, highlighting the failure to address urban realities in the 21st century. The growth of informal cities and the need for innovative urban design approaches are emphasized, with successful interventions in Caracas showcasing the impact of community collaboration and adaptable design.
Insights
- Families in Venezuela repurposed an abandoned building into a functional home, underscoring the power of community-driven initiatives to address housing shortages and urban neglect effectively.
- Architects in Caracas are pioneering innovative urban design strategies, emphasizing collaboration with marginalized communities and adaptive reuse of existing structures to create sustainable solutions for informal settlements, challenging traditional urban planning paradigms.
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Recent questions
What is Tora Dahveed?
A residential tower in Caracas, Venezuela.
What percentage of the global urban population lives in informal settlements?
33%
What strategies have architects in Caracas developed for urban interventions?
Community collaboration, adaptable design, retrofitting existing spaces.
How did residents of Tora Dahveed address the lack of basic amenities in the building?
Added necessary services, sporting facilities, makeshift housing units.
What is the significance of the tower Tora Dahveed in Caracas?
A work of collective architecture emerging from urban realities.
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Summary
00:00
"Collective architecture transforms abandoned tower in Caracas"
- Over 800 families moved into the third tallest building in Venezuela in Caracas after it was left abandoned in 1994, lacking basic amenities like elevators, running water, sewage, and windows.
- The tower was transformed into a home by organized barrio dwellers who added necessary services, sporting facilities, and makeshift housing units.
- The building, named Tora Dahveed, is seen as a work of collective architecture emerging due to the failure of addressing urban realities in the 21st century.
- Key numbers 53, 33, and 96 highlight the global urban population shift towards cities, with 33% living in informal settlements lacking infrastructure and secure tenure rights.
- The text emphasizes the growth of informal cities, contrasting them with traditional urban landscapes like Manhattan or Paris, highlighting the need for innovative urban design approaches.
- Architects in Caracas have developed a toolbox of strategies for urban interventions, focusing on community collaboration, adaptable design, and retrofitting existing spaces for marginalized communities.
- Examples include a vertical gym in Caracas that reduced crime rates by 30% and a cable car system in San Agustin barrio to improve access to the formal city core, showcasing successful urban interventions in informal areas.
