升级一下！

升级一下！

Just Upgrade It!

在加拉加斯的Proyectos Arqui 5所做的项目中，3位建筑师不仅给圣拉斐尔联合区的居民带来了崭新的便于公共交流的街道、公共台阶和广场，虽然他们的社区很贫穷，犯罪率也偏高，但仍然是值得保留的。

命运眷顾着委内瑞拉。由于气候宜人，位于安第斯山脉和加勒比海之间的委内瑞拉是非常肥沃多产的。这个国家拥有的石油储量在世界上位居前列。委内瑞拉的首都加拉加斯也拥有绝佳的条件。它位于一条绵延秀美的山谷之中，两侧的山坡植被茂密。这里一片欣欣向荣，常年的微风还能带来天然的凉意。

一座美丽的城市——从远处看

然而，委内瑞拉并不是一个高度发达的国家——加拉加斯也不是伊甸园。相反地，这座城市是世界上最危险的城市之一。访客很少目睹犯罪，但会感觉到暴力无处不在。当地人会经常建议不要去某条街道或某个公园，因为街道上适用的是丛林法则。相对好的社区其实就是比较安全的区域。加拉加斯的许多区域在视觉上也显得很荒凉——从远处看，城市置身大片绿地之中，显得很迷人，但一旦置身其中，城市便失去了它的魅力。城市天际线由巨大的住宅筒仓、丑陋的办公大楼和建筑遗址构成。汽车四处排放着烟雾，垃圾也是随处可见。

山坡上的棚户区

尽管如此，加拉加斯仍然像一个磁铁一样，数十年如一日地吸引着委内瑞拉的人民。到2006年，它已经成为了拉丁美洲人口最稠密的城市。大约有400万～500万居民聚集在此，其中约有一半生活在所谓的贫民区。穷人们为了省钱一户挨着一户地建造着小屋和棚屋，这种棚户区也随之蔓延到城市范围以外。贫民区没有花园、公共广场，也没有基础设施。居民们没有钱建造街道、照明设施或游乐场，政府也几乎没有给这些社区投资。由于地势平坦的山谷早已被正式的城市占据，这些贫民区只能沿着加拉加斯周围的陡峭山坡蔓延。到了晚上，棚户区的灯光会创建出一个华丽的背景。这时候，加拉加斯看起来有点像一个被圣诞灯光环绕的花园。但在山坡上的情况却是令人不快的，因为通往贫民区的路都极其陡峭，很多斜坡也都有滑坡现象。

花箱和砌体废墟

贫民区建造的时间越长，里面的房子看起来越好。在贫民区，每一个人都知道要如何盖房子。如果还剩下一点钱，他们都会投资在砌体墙、门、油漆、窗户或烤架上。这里人虽然比较穷，但他们并不是一无所有。许多人穿得不错，还拥有手机。每户人家都还有一台电视机。这里的建筑也存在着巨大的个体差异。这边有个房子将能供人居住，而那边确是一座设有花箱窗口的精致小屋。房屋的质量不仅与年代有关，也和位置有关。离街道越远的房子质量越差。最穷的人的房子只能通过狭窄的小路或破旧的楼梯到达。他们也没有基础设施，只能通过步行来运输他们的气瓶和所有购买的货物。为了省事，他们到处乱扔垃圾废物。救护车和消防车也无法覆盖到这些房屋。

“这就是我的世界！”

2 平面、轴测、立面及剖面/Plan, axonometric, facade and sections

由于贫民区建筑密度太高，几乎很难进行大规模的改造，除非是在全部拆除以后。在拉丁美洲，有多次提议将这些非正式的棚户区拆除，把居民迁入新的居住区。由于贫民区的规模，这种做法在加拉加斯是不切实际的幻想。此外，更多的人逐渐意识到，人们更应该接受非正规住区作为一种类型的城市形态，更有意义的做法是接受它、改造它而不是拆除它。当然，改造通常比重建更加昂贵。但是全部拆除会破坏社会联系，毁灭人们已居住了几十年的环境。即使大多数贫民区的犯罪率都偏高，人们还是觉得这是自己的家，他们的根在这里。“当我回到家，第一件事就是和邻居打招呼，”一位居民说道，“也许与一个邻居玩多米诺骨牌，与另一个聊天，这里就是我的世界；来到这里，我就回家了！”

一个10万人的贫民区

1998 年前委内瑞拉政府启动了一个项目来改善贫民区。加拉加斯的拉维加区被选为试点项目。这里的贫民区已经发展的比较成熟，土地也归属公共机构所有。拉维加区共占地400hm2，是加拉加斯最大和最古老的无规划住区之一。自 20 世纪初以来，就有人居住在这里。大约 40 年前，人口开始爆炸式增长。如今拉维加区已有约 10万人。改善项目开始后，政府为拉维加区各区组织了设计方案征集。Proyectos Arqui 5赢得了圣拉斐尔联合区的设计竞赛。这个工作室的3位建筑师伊莎贝尔和玛利亚·伊内斯·波卡泰拉姐妹以及西尔维娅·苏恩奈兹从一起读书到现在一起工作已经有20 年了。她们一起为政府和私人客户设计房屋、居住区、商业建筑和城市项目等。由于工作室非常成功，她们又雇佣了3个人。

3 步道设计/Stairs design

4 鸟瞰/Aerial views

5 总平面/Site plan

6 不同分段配置/Assembly plan

7 步道设计/Stairs design

陡峭，陡峭，陡峭

Proyectos Arqui 5 要改造的圣拉斐尔联合区是拉维加地区中最小的一个片区。26hm2的用地包含 1000座房屋，居住人口约5000人。由于地形复杂，这一区域实际上从未获开发批准。圣拉斐尔联合区有一条主要街道和两条次要街道，都极其狭窄且异常险峻。下雨的时候道路非常滑，基本无法使用。人们从街边的楼梯到达各自的房子。而楼梯的建造却没有一个统一的规划，每家人都仅仅建造通向自家房屋所必需的楼梯。所以这些楼梯宽度有限，台阶高度不一，没有扶手，坡度也很陡。而最高的那些社区完全没有楼梯，只能通过一些条件很差的泥泞小路到达。

路太少

Proyectos Arqui 5从2000年开始对圣拉斐尔联合区进行现状分析，明确贫民区的改造意向并制订初期建设的工作计划。3位建筑师开始对房屋进行分类。由于贫民区完全没有规划，一切都是从零开始。研究表明，圣拉斐尔联合区片区主要存在 4个问题：地形复杂、 可达性很差、服务缺乏（例如垃圾收集）以及公共空间缺乏。建筑师们认为最紧迫的是要改造街道和人行系统，这也给高处的房屋增加了可达性。她们设计了一个新的交通系统，包含一条新的从贫民区上山的主路和居民部落中大量的台阶。给贫民区设计台阶说易行难，因为大多数建筑物之间可用的空间极其有限，而坡度有时却超过60%。

公共广场和城市立面

圣拉斐尔联合区的改造项目当然不只是关于新的楼梯。由于没有可供人们聚会和儿童玩耍的公共空间，3位建筑师尽可能地将各种规模的开放空间纳入行人系统，同时采用温和的手段将他们设计成公共场所。因为圣拉斐尔联合区区和其他贫民区看起来没什么差别，建筑师们试图给它创建一个独立的个性——也就是本项目的一个子项目“城市立面”。主要道路两旁的建筑物被整合成一种新颖的构筑物，旨在成为区域的门脸并界定区域的边界。此外，建筑师还打算借由这个城市立面减缓坡度并容纳各种公共服务。子项目为商店、多功能用房、 幼儿园、新的公寓都预留了空间。建筑师还设计了一个社区中心作为集会的地方。

社区参与是成功的关键

将圣拉斐尔联合区的居民纳入到项目设计过程中来是本次项目最重要的因素。这是为了确保设计能真正满足居民的需求，同时也能使他们支持下一步的计划。社区参与是拉维加区可持续发展的关键。规划方案和项目经理在2000年的会议上被介绍给了当地居民。居民们不仅仅是被告知，更实实在在地掌握着决策权。每当一个设计完成时，都会被呈交给受到影响的人。至少需要75%的人签字同意此项目才能继续。每个施工现场、每个楼梯、每个新规划的公共广场都会有代表所在社区的一位督察员监督。每个项目有自己单独的预算和组织——这可以避免浪费时间并确保有限的资金得到最有效的使用。

更多的公共广场——更多的毒品？

因此改造项目已成为圣拉斐尔联合区居民的一个项目。他们提出了他们的需求，同时也提出了他们的担心。这种担心有时让3位建筑师感到有些惊讶。“我们觉得不可思议，例如，一开始有人反对公共广场，”西尔维娅·苏恩奈兹谈道，“直到我们了解到居民们担心这些地方会被毒品贩子占领。所以我们提出了各种各样的控制机制。”设计师们设法减轻人们的忧虑，并设计了一些小规模的广场。在楼梯尽头的一个露台上，3个男孩正在踢足球；一个微醺的人正骄傲地展示着广场边盛开的鲜花。与邻区相比，这个小广场非常干净，状况良好。人们不仅使用它，也打理得很好。人们从这里不仅能一览圣拉斐尔联合区的全景，还能看到坐落在对面山坡上相邻的贫民区。那个贫民区却都是破旧的波纹金属棚屋。“他们说需要 18 年那样的贫民区才能达到圣拉斐尔联合区的样子。”西尔维娅·苏恩奈兹说道。

建筑师的民族精神

2001年起，各分项工程的重建策略开始在圣拉斐尔联合区组织实施。新的街道仍然仅存于图纸之上，改造是慢慢进行的，但是也有看得到的成果。Proyectos Arqui 5 的设计工作在很大程度上得到落实。建筑师的规划已经完成，只待实施。然而这些女建筑师们还继续在拉维加区努力推动工作进展。为什么这些建筑师——这些在委内瑞拉极少数的富裕的人——在这个项目中投入了这么多？大多数她们阶层的人根本不愿意与这些贫民区的人扯上关系的情况下，她们几个为什么一直在为贫民区寻找可持续的解决办法？伊莎贝尔·波卡泰拉坚定地说道：“加拉加斯超过一半的人住在巴里奥斯。如果我不能帮助这群人解决问题——那为什么我要做建筑师？”

拖延和空头承诺

3个女人的奉献精神是让人尊敬的。她们不会让自己气馁；她们不断推动项目向前，即使圣拉斐尔联合区的工作已经停滞。政府起初比较支持，后来却一直拖延并许下空头承诺。“如今一切都慢得难以置信。”玛利亚·伊内斯·波卡泰拉指着仅完成了部分框架的社区中心说。这里停工了，建筑的第一道墙树立起来了，但现在建筑外壳却在被腐蚀。

石油是一个诅咒

政府似乎很难对拉维加区这种长期项目感兴趣，他们更喜欢快速的解决方案，尽管这些方案是不可持续，也与城市肌理不协调。在加拉加斯不仅有太多不合标准的住宅空间，同时住宅空间也太少。“政府被批评为现有的贫民区做得太多，” 西尔维娅·苏恩奈兹说道，“所以现在它喜欢建立新的社区，而不是处理旧的。”圣拉斐尔联合区的工程停滞甚至不是一个资金筹措问题。伊莎贝拉说：“即使我们从私人资源拿到钱来完成我们的项目，我们也做不了什么！圣拉斐尔的土地归政府所有。我们无能为力。”连贫民区的居民也几乎不再从下而上地推动项目，因为政府不断推出了其他所谓的“新任务”，比如给穷人钱的社会援助计划。如今几乎每个家庭都有两三人得到这种直接付款。政府可以负担得起这些“任务”，因为高价的石油给这个国家带来了巨额资金。通过这些任务还能获得穷人选民的广泛支持。而建筑师们认为，长远来看这种形式的福利支持是非常不利于贫民区发展的。西尔维娅·苏恩奈兹说：“这笔钱让人们麻痹！”对改造项目的兴趣随着时间的推移逐渐减少。“石油是对委内瑞拉的一种诅咒，”玛利亚·伊内斯·波卡泰拉回应道，“因为它传递出的信息是我们国家非常富有，人们可以不用上班。”

The three architects of Proyectos Arqui 5 in Caracas are giving the residents of San Rafael-Unido not only new streets, public stairs, and squares for social interchange – but also the reassurance that their neighborhoods are worth preserving in spite of the poverty and crime.

Fate smiled upon Venezuela. With a favorable climate, the country between the Andes and Caribbean coast is exceptionally fertile. The land has oil reserves that rank among the largest in the world. And the capital of Venezuela, Caracas, is also blessed with outstanding conditions; it lies in a beautiful, elongated valley flanked by densely wooded hillsides. Nature flourishes here, and a constant breeze provides natural cooling.

A beautiful city – from a distance

However, Venezuela is not a highly developed country – and Caracas is no Garden of Eden. On the contrary, the city is among the most dangerous in the world. Visitors seldom witness a crime, but will feel the omnipresence of the violence here. Locals constantly advise against using this street or visiting that park; on the streets the law of the jungle rules. Te "better neighborhoods" are actually high-security zones. Visually, many parts of Caracas also give a desolate impression – from a distance the city looks appealing, set amidst large green areas, but once you are in the city it loses its charm. Te skyline is marked by huge residential silos, ugly office buildings, and construction ruins. Rattling cars spew coal-black exhaust; trash lies around everywhere.

Informal settlements on the hillsides

Nevertheless Caracas is a magnet that has been attracting the people of Venezuela for decades. Today – in 2006 – it is the most densely populated city in Latin America. Of the estimated 4 to 5 million inhabitants about half live in so-called barrios. Tese informal districts grow outside the city limits as poor people build huts and shacks as cheaply as possible, wall to wall. There are no gardens or public squares in a barrio – and no infrastructure. The residents have no money for streets, lighting, or playgrounds, and the government hardly invests anything in these neighborhoods. Because the flat terrain of the valley has been long since occupied by the formal city, the barrios spread up the steep slopes surrounding Caracas. At night their lights create a gorgeous backdrop – Caracas then looks a bit like a garden with beautiful Christmas lights – but the situation on the slopes is more than unpleasant, because the paths through the barrios are extremely steep, and many slopes are sliding.

Flower boxes and masonry ruins

Te older a barrio is, the better the houses in it look. In the barrios every-one knows how you build; you invest in masonry walls, doors, paint, good windows or grills if you have a few bolivares left over. Poverty in the barrios is great indeed, but the people who live here are not without possession. Many of them are well dressed and carry a cell phone. Tere is a television set in every house. There are great differences between the individual buildings – here is a brick ruin in which one can hardly live; there a skillfully built house that even has window boxes for flowers. Building quality is influenced not only by age but by location. The further the house is from one of the few streets in a barrio, the poorer the substance of the building. The poorest of the poor live in houses reached only via narrow paths or dilapidated stairs. Tey have no infrastructure. Tey must transport their gas cylinders and all purchased goods by foot – and waste disposal is such a chore that they often spare the effort and just drop trash any-where. Ambulances and fire trucks cannot reach any of the houses.

"This here is my world!"

The barrios are so densely built that they can hardly be significantly changed – or only when they are demolished. In Latin America, projects have been pro-posed again and again to tear down informal settlements and move the people into new developments. Because of the size of the barrios, doing such in Caracas would be an illusion. Furthermore, people are gradually realizing that it makes more sense to accept informal settlements as a type of urban morphology – to accept and upgrade instead of demolishing. Of course improvement is often more expensive than new construction; but demolition destroys the social network and eliminates the environment in which the people have lived for decades. Even if crime rates are high in most barrios, the people feel at home there; their roots are in the barrio. "When I come home, first I greet all my neighbors," tells one resident, "perhaps play a game of dominoes with one, chat with another. Tis here is my world; here I am home!"

A barrio with 100,000 inhabitants

In 1998 the former Venezuelan government initiated a program to improve the barrios. The quarter La Vega in Caracas was chosen for pilot projects. Here the barrios have already reached a high level of development and the land is owned by public institutions. La Vega is 400 hectares large –one of the largest and oldest unplanned settlements in Caracas. People have been living here since the start of the 20th century. About 40 years ago the population began to explode. Today La Vega is home to about 100,000 people. To launch the improvement program, the government held design competitions for the various districts of La Vega. The competition for the district San Rafael-Unido was won by Proyectos Arqui 5. Behind this name stand 3 architects who have been working together since they studied together 20 years ago: the sisters Isabel and Maria Ines Pocaterra as well as Silvia Soonets. Together they work for the government and private clients, designing houses and residential developments, commercial buildings, urban development projects – with such success that they now employ 3 people.

Steep, steep, steep ...

The district of San Rafael and Unido that Proyectos Arqui 5 CA was commissioned to upgrade is the smallest district of La Vega. Its 26 hectares contain 1,000 houses in which 5,000 people live. Because of the difficult topography this area should in fact have never been allowed to be developed. In San Rafael-Unido there is one main street and 2 secondary streets that are extremely narrow and treacherously steep. When it rains they become so slick that they are barely useable. From the side streets stairs lead to the individual houses. Te stairs were built without any consistent plan; each resident just built what he needed to reach his house. Thus there are stairs with restricted width, irregular pitch, without handrails, and with excessive steepness. In the highest neighborhoods no stairs are built at all; dirt paths lead to the houses, which are in correspondingly poor condition.

... and too few paths

Proyectos Arqui 5 was commissioned in 2000 to analyze the situation in San Rafael-Unido, develop a concept for upgrading the barrios, and draw up plans for the initial construction work. Te 3 architects began by classifying each house. Tere were no plans of the barrios; work began literally from scratch. Te research showed that the situation in San Rafael-Unido was characterized by 4 main problems: difficult topography, poor accessibility, a lack of services (for example trash collection) and the lack of public spaces. Te architects considered the most urgent requirement to be the street and walkway system, which also provides access to the buildings situated further uphill. They designed a new circulation system with a new main road uphill from the barrios and with numerous stairways within the settlement. Designing stair-ways for the barrio is easier said than done – because very little space is avail-able between most buildings, and slopes sometimes exceed 60 percent.

Public squares and an urban facade

The project to upgrade San Rafael-Unido of course involves more than new stairways. Because there are no public spaces where people can meet or children can play, the 3 architects integrated every open space, regardless of size, into the walkway system, and using modest means developed these into public places. Because the district San Rafael-Unido looks like every other barrio, the architects tried to give it an independent identity – with the sub-project "Urban Facade." The buildings along the main road were integrated into an innovative structure. Tis is intended to become the face of the district and to define the boundary of the district.With this urban face the architects furthermore intend to stabilize the slope and accommodate a range of public services. The sub-project envisions spaces for shops, multipurpose rooms, preschools and new apartments. A community center is planned as a place of assembly.

8.9 建筑设计/Architectural design

这里时间几乎停止

Proyectos Arqui 5 的计划很难实现，不仅是因为政府兴趣不大以及福利金浇灭了穷人长期改善生活的热情。另一个原因是因为在贫民区生活虽不平静，但却了无生气。人们有的是时间，却没有任何娱乐。人们很热衷于任何有关注点的东西。这里的人们对项目的每一个细节和私人事务都津津乐道。当Proyectos Arqui 5的女建筑师们从这里走过时，总有一堆人跟在她们后面。建筑师表现出令人敬佩的耐心，倾听所有的声音，并一直保持专注和兼听。“我有 30 多年生活在这里，”一位妇女对3位建筑师抱怨道，“但那个楼梯建成后，我的房子被水淹了 ！”西尔维娅·苏恩奈兹安抚她，并承诺解决问题。“当然有些人很生气是因为他们不同意某个分项工程，”西尔维娅·苏恩奈兹说。但总体来说，圣拉斐尔联合区的人们还是支持我们的工作的。

10 步道设计/Stairs design

居民们也是伙伴们

尽管项目并没有按之前计划的速度向前推进，但在这么多的不利情况下能达到现在的程度已无疑是巨大的成功。人们并没有感觉到 Proyectos Arqui 5制定的战略是强加给他们的。是不是因为女性建筑师提出的方案更容易让人接受？建筑师身后人群中有人摇头大笑道：“不是，不是！”玛利亚·伊内斯·波卡泰拉说，实际上这些类型的项目在委内瑞拉往往由妇女完成。“在这里设计界更活跃的就是女性。男人则多为工程师——也许是因为这里的建设项目都由工程师主导，而不是建筑师。”但这个项目的高接受度和Proyectos Arqui 5的女建筑师认真对待居民是分不开的，居民觉得他们是项目真正的参与者，而不只是政府项目的受益者。

家就是家——无论如何

“我们不想要改变这个贫民区——我们想改造它！”伊莎贝尔·波卡泰拉强调，“这里的人形成了一个正在运作的社区。他们互相照看对方的孩子，互相帮助。这种社会构架必须保留！但我们也希望这里的人们能够享有与正规城市类似的基础设施。即使有这样的贫困和犯罪，如果人们或多或少还是生活地很开心，那为什么还要对这里进行改造呢？”她回答道：“这样的贫民区当然是不可持续的。如果我们现在不采取一些措施，建立更完善的街道和排水系统，居民点迟早会崩溃瓦解，也将不再是居民们居住了40多年的家。”（马里乌斯·罗通艾格 文，张弦 译）

Community participation as the key to success

More important than any architectural subproject in the upgrading strategy is the integration of the residents of San Rafael-Unido into the process. This is to ensure that the design really does meet the needs of the residents, and to encourage the people to support further initiatives. Community participation is considered the key to sustainable development in La Vega. In 2000 a meeting was held to introduce the plans and the project managers to the residents. The residents were not just informed, however; decision making power was placed in their hands. When a project is designed, it is submitted to the people it affects. At least 75 percent of them must approve the project in writing. Every construction site, every stairway, every newly planned public square is represented by an inspector from the neighborhood. Every project has its own budget and is separately organized –this prevents idle time and ensures the effective application of the limited finances.

More public squares – more drugs?

Tus the upgrading project has become a project of the residents of San Rafael-Unido. Tey formulated their needs, but also their fears – which were for the 3 architects sometimes surprising. "We were amazed for example that at first there was resistance to public spaces," says Silvia Soonets, "until we learned that the residents feared that these places would be taken over by drug dealers. So we worked out models with various control mechanisms." They managedto scatter the apprehensions – and build some small squares. On one such terrace at the end of a stairway 3 boys now play soccer; a tipsy man proudly shows the flowers growing next to the square. Compared with its neighborhood, the little square is remarkably clean and in good condition. The people use it and take care of it. From here one not only overlooks all of San Rafael-Unido, but also looks across to the next barrio, situated on the opposite hillside. In that barrios are only the shabbiest corrugated metal shacks. "Tey say it takes 18 years for such a barrio to reach the level of San Rafael- Unido," tells Silvia Soonets.

Ethos of the architects

Te sub-projects of the renewal strategy began being implemented in San Rafael-Unido in 2001. Te new streets still exist only on paper; improvement comes slowly. But there is visible success. Te design work of Proyectos Arqui 5 is largely finished. The plans of the architects are ready for execution – yet the women continue their engagement in La Vega, striving to push the work forward. Why do these architects, who are among the very small minority of better-off people in Venezuela, in vest themselves so much in this project? Why do they search for sustainable solutions in a barrio, a neighborhood most people of their class prefer to have nothing to do with? Isabella Pocaterra answers promptly: "Over half the people of Caracas live in barrios. If I can't help solve the problems of this multitude – then why am I an architect?"

Delays and empty promises

The dedication of the 3 women is admirable. They won't let themselves be discouraged; they continuously push the project forward, even though the work in San Rafael-Unido has stopped in the meantime. After being supportive in the beginning, the current government practically blocked the programs through constant delays and empty promises. "Today everything creeps forward unbelievably slowly," says Maria Ines Pocaterra, pointing to the partially built frame of the community center. Te work here was stopped just as the very first walls of the structures were being erected; the building shell is now deteriorating.

"Oil is a curse!"

The government hardly seems interested in long-term projects such as at La Vega; it prefers fast solutions, which are poorly sustainable, and stamps new neighborhoods out of the ground. In Caracas there is not only too much sub-standard residential space, but generally too little residential space. "The government got blamed for doing too much for the existing barrios," tells Silvia Soonets. "So now it prefers to build new neighborhoods rather than deal with the old ones." Tat the up-grading of San Rafael-Unido is currently not progressing as it should is not even a matter of financing. Isabella says: "Even if we got the money from private sources to finish our project – we could do nothing! San Rafael is on government land. Our hands are tied." Even the residents of the barrios hardly push any more from the bottom since the government has been constantly launching its new so-called "missions." These are social aid programs that give poor people money. These days 2 or 3 people in almost every family receive such direct payments. Te government can afford these "missions," through which it secures broad support among poor voters, because the high price of oil has brought huge amounts of money into the country. In the long term, this form of welfare support is poison for the development of the barrios, believe the architects. Silvia Soonets: "The money paralyzes people!" Interest has clearly dwindled in projects that noticeably change conditions only over time. "Oil is a curse for Venezuela" agrees Maria Ines Pocaterra, "because it gives the message that our country is rich and you don't have to work to get somewhere."

Where time almost stands still

The plans of Proyectos Arqui 5 are slow to be realized not only because the government shows little interest and the welfare payments kill the motivation of many poor people to work to-ward long-term improvement of their living conditions. Another reason is that in the barrios, although life is anything but calm, it is without the least trace of dynamic. One has time. Tere is no entertainment; every opportunity for diversion is gratefully accepted. The people here are glad to talk about every detail of the project – and of course about private things also. When the women of Proyectos Arqui 5 walk through the sector, a whole train of people always grows behind them and follows along. The architects show admirable patience, listen to all concerns, and remain attentive and open. "I have lived here for 30 years," complains a woman at a house Silvia Soonets, Isabel and Maria Ines Pocaterra pass, "but only since that stairway was built does my house get flooded!" Silvia Soonets calms her and promises to take care of the problem. "Of course some people are angry because they don't agree with a certain sub-project," tells Silvia Soonets. "But in general, the people of San Rafael-Unido do support our work."

Residents are partners

Even though the project is not progressing at the pace that had been previously planned, it is unquestionably a great success that it has already thrived so far in the face of so many adverse circumstances. The people do not have the feeling that the strategy developed by Proyectos Arqui 5 was forced on them. Does the fact that the people behind the project are women add to the high acceptance rate? One of the people in the group following the architects as they walk through the neighborhood laughs aloud and shakes his head: "No, no!" In fact, these types of projects in Venezuela are often implemented by women, tells Maria Ines Pocaterra. "Here more women than men are active in the design profession. Men work rather as engineers – probably because here construction projects are headed by engineers, not architects." But the high acceptance of the project is certainly due to the fact that the women of Proyectos Arqui 5 take the residents seriously and give them the feeling of being genuine partners – and not just beneficiaries of government programs.

Home – in spite of everything

"We don't want to change this barrio – we want to upgrade it!" stresses Isabella Pocaterra. "The people here form a functioning community. They help each other; watch out for each other's children, they are there for each other. These structures must be main-tained! But we also want the people here to get an infrastructure similar to that of the formal city." If the people are more or less happy in spite of all the poverty and crime – why start an up-grading project here anyway? Isabella Pocaterra: "These barrios are of course not sustainable. If we don't do some-thing now, build better streets and drainage systems, the settlement will collapse at some point" – and would cease to be to the residents what it has been for 40 years: Home.(Text: Marius Leutenegger )

11 新一轮城市基础设施项目中的社区中心建设工作/Work recommences on construction of the community center within the urban infrastructure project

12 改造后的El Muro广场/After: "El Muro" Square