Territorial Management Project in La Silsa receives CAF recognition

The proposal titled “La Silsa Territorial Management Platforms” was recognized today as one of the top three among 238 proposals from 14 countries that participated in the fifth edition of the Urban Development and Social Inclusion Competition developed by CAF -development bank of Latin America.

The project was ranked third and focuses on providing public spaces and facilities in La Silsa, in Caracas. The design includes two naves on the ends of the plot of land, a hub that integrates plots of tropical foliage and a special protection zone for native crops. The first nave features a roofed square at street level, offering a flexible space for cultural activities, workshops and markets. The square will have a basketball court and exercise machines. The second nave will house an energy management unit, which includes devices for sorting solid and organic waste, connected to a project for channeling sewage and power distribution, a public water supply outlet and a comprehensive productive landscaping plan, implementing phytoregeneration and urban agriculture.

The panel explained that the “La Silsa Territorial Platforms” project, led by the Piso Colectivo and Aga-Estudio consortium is based on ideas conceived by the communities. The unique technical/architectural ability to redefine the meaning of public institution while also promoting designs linked to community creativity. The idea clearly shows that there is no conflict between architectural/urbanistic design and community engagement. It also shows that isolated or unused areas may be leveraged to provide new public services that the entire city needs.

“The barriers of access to opportunities, goods and services affect the economic, social and environmental sustainability of Latin American cities. In this connection, CAF’s Urban Development and Social Inclusion competition seeks to recognize the importance of cities as promoters of economic and cultural development in the region, while promoting the design of comprehensive projects, in favor of more inclusive, connected, environmentally responsible, spatially, economically and socially integrated cities,” said Julián Suárez Migliozzi, Vice President of Sustainable Development at CAF, during the award ceremony.

Panel members: Diana Giambiagi, architect and lecturer in Urban Development Planning at University College London; Mayra Madriz, urbanist and lecturer in Community and Regional Planning and Latin American Studies at the University of New Mexico, and Washington Fajardo, a renowned architect and urbanist with many years of experience in urban renovation of cultural heritage, awarded the first place to Proposal “Urban 95 - Lima Norte” (Peru) and second place to “Quito Seguro. Resilient Neighborhoods as a Sustainable Development Strategy for Latin American Cities” (Ecuador), with eight honorable mentions and three special mentions.

The Urban Development and Social Inclusion competition is part of CAF’s Cities with a Future initiative, which promotes an efficient urban management model, focusing on improving accessibility (access to goods, quality services and socio-economic, recreational and cultural opportunities), in order to help improve productivity and social inclusion, with resilience and gender equity in Latin American cities as crosscutting themes.