Ideas, strategies and projects that give rise to pilot projects. They tackle the challenges raised by the stakeholders involved and which are found in particular places in Barcelona or Medellín.
The slopes of Medellín present a constant conflict between the natural environment and growing urbanization. This situation is particularly critical around the tops of the north and centre-eastern slopes of the valley, characterized by a high geological risk, where the processes of informal urbanization are concentrated.
Informal occupation is a direct consequence of the state’s inability to guarantee access to housing to all the new inhabitants arriving in the city. In this context, the mountainsides are the natural destination for people who are displaced from the country and are unable to find a place in the city. However, local government and experts express their concern at a territorial situation that is unsustainable in physical, social and environmental terms.
According to the figures of the city’s department of planning, there are an estimated 27,000 dwellings located in areas of high unmitigatable risk, and as many more in need of work to reduce the risk. These figures are set to grow: by 2030 there will be a further 13,400 dwellings located in areas with some degree of risk.
What should we do about it? This study sets out to address this challenge, summarised in two questions, with the aim of developing strategies and processes for the mountainsides of Medellín to achieve sustainable housing that can be implemented using an inclusive, participatory management model.
How can informal occupation of the mountainsides be foreseen to prevent disasters and assess the landscape?
What has to be done to guarantee the right to safe housing for the neighbourhoods on the mountainside?
