After successful completion of the course, students are able to understand informal urban development processes and to react to them with strategic approaches. They acquire the competence to analyse and evaluate the effects of concepts for improving living conditions in informal settlement structures ("upgrading").

The relation between the formal and informal city presents the focus of this class. The focus is on strategies to improve the urban living conditions in disadvantaged residential quarters in emerging cities.
General topic in 2021:

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

Keywords

Arrival City, informal urban development, social inclusion, urban ropeways, micro-urbanism approach, affordable housing, incremental housing, neighbourhood upgrading, urban eco-systems.

Topic

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 mobility 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.

Timetable  Summer Term 2021

Lectures 

• Mon March 8^th 14.00-17.00   Kick-off, Introduction.

                                                The Latin American City:ee The challenge of informal urban development.

Group work            

• Thur March 11^th 10.00-13.00 Microurbanism and integral neighborhood upgrading strategies:

                        The Favela Bairro experience from Rio de Janeiro.

                        Group work                        

• Mon March 15^th 14.00-17.00 The Urbanization of the Air. Affordable mobility and integral upgrading strategies: The Medellín case.

                        Group work

• Thu March 18^th 10.00-13.00  Urban Technologies for Sustainable Integrated Upgrading Strategies: 

Public transport / Waste / Water

Lessons from Curitiba, La Paz, Managua and Medellín

                                               Group work

• mon March 22^nd 14.00-17.00 Affordable housing: in Latin America: Genesis, Site-and-Service and 

incremental housing: Villa El Salvador, Lima; Metrovivienda and Cd. Bolivar, Bogotá; Elemental and others.

                                               Group work 

                                               Practical part: tbd / short term urban design project

• Thu March 25^th   10.00-13.00 Introduction to the practical part

                                               Questionnaire to the short_term urban design project

• April - May (timing tbd)         Individual meetings for the practical part 

• End of May (timing tbd)         Final presentation of the practical part / short term urban design project.

• Each of the 5+1 lectures consists of:

… a presentation of one or several study cases (“learning from” … around 1 ½  hrs) 

… a discussion or group work (“critical review” … around 1 to 1 ½ hrs) 

… and a following reading of recommended texts (“further analysis” … between the lectures)

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 2021 with 5+1 lectures and finalized in April/May 

   with a practical part/ tbd. The attendance of the lectures and the finalization and presentation of the 

   practical part is required.

• The class will have content synergies with the course Entwerfen “Retrofit Las Cruces: Affordable 

productive neighborhood” (260.640 Master resp.  260.639 Bachelor). 

The participation is recommended, but not required!

Zoom-Meeting 

https://tuwien.zoom.us/j/97105041441

Meeting-ID: 971 0504 1441

• The practical part will be developed as a teamwork from April / to end of May 2021 

with 2 -3 optional meetings; the detailed schedule and the locations are yet to be defined.