The relation between the formal and informal city presents the focus of this class. The focus is on strategies to improve the living conditions in disadvantaged residential quarters.

General topic in 2018:

Social inclusive strategies to upgrade the In_Formal City.
Practical examples from Latin America.

Keywords

Arrival City, informal urban development, social inclusion, micro-urbanism approach, incremental housing, neighbourhood upgrading, tactical urbanism.

Participants

• 20-25 students from Architecture and Planning (inscription by TISS: www.tuwien.ac.at)

• Other disciplines are welcome !

Organization

• The class is English spoken and can be taken as part of the Module “International Urban- and Regional Development” (organized by Prof. Rudolf Giffinger:  www.srf.tuwien.ac.at ) or on its own.

• The class will be organized as a block seminar in March 2018 with 5 lectures and finalized end of May 2018 with a short-term design project (practical part). The attendance of all the lectures and the finalization of the practical part is required.

Timtable (preliminary)

• Thu March 8^th     9.30-13.00           Kick-off, Introduction.
                           ZS 13                      The Latin American City and the role of the urban activist: 
                                                          challenges of informal urban development.
                                                          Group work

• Mon March 12^th  14.00-17.00        „The Urbanization of the Air“: Integral Upgrading Strategies:
                          Kl_Prechtlsaal         North-East Zone / Santo Domingo, Medellín.
                                                          Group work

• Thu March 15^h   9.30-13.00            Microurbanism and integral neigborhood upgrading strategies: 
                       ZS EG Panigltrakt      The Favela Bairro experience from Rio de Janeiro.
                                                          Group work

• Mon March 19^th 14.00-17.00         Affordable housing: From Social housing to self-help solutions:
                       ZS EG Panigltrakt      Metrovivienda, Bogotá; Medellín and others.
                                                          Introduction to the practical part – short-term urban design:
                                                          “Neighborhood- Upgrading Ciudad Bolivar”

• Thu March 22^nd   9.30-13.00           Affordable housing: Site-and-Service and incremental housing:
                       ZS EG Panigltrakt       Villa El Salvador, Lima; Cd. Bolivar, Bogotá; Elemental Chile and others.
                                                           Group work / Questionnaire to the short-term urban design:
                                                          “Neighborhood- Upgrading Ciudad Bolivar”

• April / May 2018  timing tbd.        Individual meetings for the practical part (short_term urban design)

                                                           “Neighborhood- Upgrading Ciudad Bolivar”

• Mon May 28t^h    timing tbd.          Final presentation of the practical part:

                                                          “Neighborhood - Upgrading Ciudad Bolivar”

Each of the 5 lectures consists of:
• a presentation of one or several study cases (about 1 ½  hrs) 
• a following discussion / group work (about 1 hr)

The further process of the practical part will be developed as a “ short_term urban design” project in April / May 2018; the detailed schedule and the locations are yet to be defined.

The informal city often stands as a synonym for a place with high population density. Social exclusion and segregation along with economic marginalization are all too often existing conditions that frame the real urban life of such an informal city. The term ‚informality’, however, is by no means synonymous to chaos or delinquency, or simply something ‚illegal’. Without dispute, the future of the city depends on the extent to which we are able to synchronize the existing potentials of both the informal and formal city; it will certainly depend on how fast we learn to plan the unplanned!
By now, there exist various urban regions worldwide, particularly in Latin America, which in their develop-ment trajectory have positively influenced the interface between the informal and the formal city. What all these strategies have in common is that especially existing, grown structures – be they formal or informal – have been integrated in further urban development efforts. These upgrading-projects intend to uplift dis-advantaged informal urban districts and their deficits as opposed to the formal city.
The cities and examples discussed in class mainly attempt to find answers to all those areas where the city authorities still have an ultimate decision taking authority: the public space, the transport sector and education!
Within that context neigborhood upgrading, affordable urban housing and mobility infrastructures are key challenges for the contemporary Latin American City. Thereby the role of architects and planners is of central importance to provide urban housing facilities and a livable neigbourhood environment. It is their responsibility to go beyond the need for creative design and planning in order to create a favourable climate for dialogue and consult other disciplines from social and administrative areas. Mobility infrastructures and tactical interventions within the urban transformation of the Latin American City and their relevance for social inclusion are the main topics of this class.

15 students can register from Febraury 20th on via TISS (link below)! People remaining on the waiting list can appear at the first meeting and take the place of those students who are registered but not showing up.
Other disciplines are also welcome: multidisciplinarity is a goal of this class!

Students participating in the Module "Internationale Urbanisierung (Architektur: Modul 12)" don't have to register separatly!