Carlos Manuel Valencia Villamizar - 840977 Abstract - Thesis Project
Thesis Director: Prof. Luis Vives Laurea Magistrale - Architectura Politecnico di Milano
“A Waterfront Rediscovery Urban Strategy” -
Cartagena, Colombia
Recovery and Urban Intervention of one of the Waterfronts in the internal Bay of Cartagena de Indias, Colombia. With the objective of increase the city dynamics and the historical values of the city. The project pretends also the possibility or provide an urban strategy to be apply in other waterfronts in the urban area as an actor to benefit less developed sectors.
Cartagena was born as a City Port, playing an important roll for the Spanish Empire as the most use port and as an strategic military point for the control of the lands in America. The city was for long time the place for heroic fights against pirates and armies send by the British and French crown who pretended in several time conquer the city to expand their Empires inside the Spanish America. All this historical memory has been putting apart and the city it is currently a truistic destination for its beaches and tropical weather condition. STRIP INTERVENTION MODEL - A Scale Prototype to be applied to different seafronts The Urban intervention to recover the use of the “El Bosque” waterfront to make of it a meaningful and useful space for the city has as first action, the objective to break the existing urban limits that this area presents making of the sea an element not reachable for the local community and the rest of the city. The Industrial Use and Buildings that occupy the waterfront had created security walls that face to the urban area , Providing the first limited. Also the existing vehicular roads network in the area creates a strong barrier forcing the direction of the city dynamics in north-South order, In which the High Vehicular Industrial Flow create an obstacle for the City Center areas to connect with the waterfront. With a Strip Intervention Connecting the waterfront with the city center instead of focusing on an intervention along the cost, it is possible to include the neighborhood areas and link directly the center to the sea.
Urban Strategy
Diverse Actions and Scales = Integral Proposal
Diverse Urban Strategy Methods to create a positive and realistic effect in the Area. Each Strategy used is proposed for specific scales of the urban and social context: “City Scale, Community/Neighborhood Scale, And Local Scale”. An Integral Strategy.
1. The Waterfront Corridors Strategy - City Scale Intervention
A City Scale Intervention that pretends with Simple and Clear elements to break the limits and connect the city and to the Waterfront and to provided a horizontal access to it.
Mix Circulation Corridors. Pedestrian + Biking Mainly Purpose and Low Speed Vehicular
2 . P e r m e a b i l i t y S t r a t e g y - S e c t o r / Neighborhood Intervention
Due to the Brownfields identified and the informal occupation of the blocks, it is possible to improve neglected areas at the interior of the block, creating a network directed to the Use of the Local Community in which new public spaces and secondary connections Creates a Vernacular Tissue activating the social and economic dynamics of the area.
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3. Urban Acupuncture Strategy- Local Intervention
Identifying the points where a small action will cause a large and meaningful change. The model using Strategic Punctual interventions can create a new positive synergy and energy that help the desired s c e n a r i o t o b e c o n s o l i d a t e d . T h e interventions can for Residential purposes, Public spaces, cultural or educational purposes, or spaces to encourage the economic and work possibilities to the
Strip Intervention Model
