URBAN AGE SOUTH AMERICA CONFERENCE

DECEMBER 2008

Margarita Gutman

Professor, Facultad de Arquitectura, Diseño y Urbanismo,

Universidad de Buenos Aires

Consolidating Buenos Aires

All rights are reserved by the presenter

www.urban-age.net

Consolidation of Buenos Aires 2008

Margarita Gutman Universidad de Buenos Aires & New School University, New York

Urban Age South America ConferenceSao Paulo / December 2008

1990 Buenos Aires 2008

Consolidation of Differences

Feria La Salada informal market Lomas de Zamora and La Matanza

Competition on Puerto Bicentenario Adjacent / North of Puerto Madero

8 hectares site

strategic location

Puerto Bicentenario

residential & business towersunder construction

Puerto Madero 1991 - 2008

Repsol YPF, Cesar Pelli

Mulieris, MSGSSS

Catalinas Norte 1970 - 2008

Puerto MaderoPuerto Madero

Puerto Bicentenario, ex Tandanor shipyards

CatalinasCatalinas Norte Norte

zoned for use as port / nothing done

1994 - 2007 > ideas & projects for a “mini financial city”

http://www.nuevomadero.com/esp/img/noticias/364_ProyectoBicentenario1.jpg

April 2008 > “Puerto Bicentenario” mega private project

proposed by group of national business leaders

Estimated investment $ 1.1 billion Renewal of historic buildings Public parks New ferry terminal High end offices and housing….

Plus Plus > competition for an iconic building to represent city and nation for the Argentine Bicentennial, 2010

Strong critical reaction from Central Society of Architects, SCA >

competition was only to choose icon and program of land use but not for a real estate operation …

Rules for the Competition

• Real estate is invisible, not mentioned

• All language is politically correct >

a debate/ideas about a model for the future of the city

mentioning: social inclusion

diversity

local identities

environmental protection

Competition closed Aug. 15th > 80 entries 12 selected exhibited in Abasto Shopping Mall

20 days in October for people to vote

voting booth

3 awards > 1 by the public / 2 by the Jury

extensive publicity in all main newspapers

Institutional framework >

call and funding: IRSA Corporation

support: National Government Government of the City of Buenos Aires

institutional legitimacy

organization: Central Society of Architects, SCAprofessional legitimacy

Award by the public > Mirador

Award by the Jury > Puerta del Plata

Award by the Jury > Agujas

other selected projects clearly show real estate interest

Marcohousing / offices: vertical towers

commercial / entertainment: in horizontal structure

mini La Defense, Paris

Paseo Aereo50 towers housing/offices, 20 floors

bridge: highway & walking path

Le Corbusier, Rio,de Janeiro,1929

On boundary of Lomas de Zamora and La Matanza

Adjacent to the City of Buenos Aires

No access by road or bus

Feria La Salada

• Growth parallel in time with Puerto Madero & Puerto Bicentenario

• 1991 First illegal occupation of land by Bolivian immigrants to sell clothes and food

• Land occupied without clear tenure / intermittent activities

• Also a product of neo-liberal policies and globalization but the other side

15 km from Puerto Madero

Splendid views of the garbage

Invisible to the official maps

History

1900-1940 > occasional visitors to La Salada lagoon

1940-1950 > popular resort / presidency of Peron

1960s > polluted waters / nearby industries / Riachuelosite abandoned

Expansion during and after political and economic crisis 2001-2002 unemployment 35%

Today > 3 hangars

outside informal marketalong railroadsand Riachuelo

20,000 people /day c. 200 stands

Jobs for 6,000 families > Bolivian, Peruvian, Paraguayan, Argentine, some Senegalese

Sales > $125million /year

Market opens 2 times a week mostly at dawn

producing clothes at homeselling cheap brand copies

importing electro-domestics & watches from Southeast Asia

expanded to the formal city: “Saladitas”

Only cash No taxes / no state regulations Self managed and regulated

sales to the whole country & LA

The biggest informal market in Latin Americaaccording to the European Union

Commerce + food, festivities, religion, assemblies

vernacular objects > deeply America Latina

weblogs.clarin.com/metronautas/archives/2007/...

informal commerce / pollution / local popular music

totally globalized

in the middle of all of that > city life continues