Improvement and expiration of social benefit architectonic projects in Medellin, Colombia and Monterrey, México

Abstract

Since the decade of 1990, looking for presenting positive impacts in communities where they serve, some Latin American governments have implemented urban-architectonic projects. These projects have been framed under the notion of social urbanism, coming from Medellin, Colombia. The theoretical scheme of this work focus on urban-architectonic strategies designed for solving social problems in Latinamerican conflicting neighborhoods, using the Social Integration and Citizen Participation operative concepts. Our methodology includes the analysis of strategies that in a certain moment had a social improvement intention, for determining if they really have been successful or if during the time they present tendencies to fail. In other words, we are interested for knowing if with the time passage the projects become important part of the inhabitants’ daily life. The main objective of this research is to show the effects of the Biblioteca Parque Espana in Medellin, Colombia, and the Centro Comunitario Bicentenario Independencia in Monterrey, Mexico in the population. Both projects are important for understanding the social benefit intentions in Latin America, since the architecture and urbanism interventions. In this sense, we analyze the political context that allowed the existence of these projects, the perception of the users of these facilities, as well as the property feeling that these equipments have generated in those who live in surrounding areas. Between the findings we emphasize that, although the project is located in an area that traditionally is classified as conflicting, its influence can transfer the proximity barriers, or even become an attraction center. Also, we remark that if the strategy is not accompanied by social programs and from the real estate control, it can derive in the phenomenon known like gentrification.