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Connecting the city by VOZ
CONTENTS
I. THE AREA: SITUATION ANALYSIS A. History............................................................................. 3 B. Facts and Statistics...................................................... 3 C. Territorial Context........................................................4
II. THE CONCEPT A. Connectivity................................................................... 5 B. Environmental Sustainability.................................... 6
III. THE PROJECT A. Strategy........................................................................... 7 B. Feasibility........................................................................ 11
IV. CONCLUDING REMARKS..................................................13
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I. THE AREA: SITUATION ANALYSIS
A. History B. Facts and StatisticsA. HistoryB. Facts and StatisticsC. Territorial Context
The Mexican port of Veracruz, located in the state of the same name, in the Gulf of Mexico, has played an important role throughout the history and the development of the city. But the port of Veracruz changed fundamentally when the !rst European conquerors entered the continent through this city, and transformed it into the door of the Americas. Ever since, Veracruz has been an important location for the development of local economic activities but also played a strategic role at the national level.
The legacy and importance of the history of Veracruz is even more felt today, over 500 years later, as industries and national and international commercial activities developed in this stra-tegically located city. As such, railways were very important for the transportation of materials and passengers and were built in strategic locations; in this case near the centre of Vera-cruz. Years later, global trends such as population increase and rural-urban migration are one of the reasons for the con-!nement of the industrial zone of Veracruz by the growing residential areas and create an incontestable division between the southern historic centre and the more recent residential areas in the north.
The railway in Veracruz had its golden moment, as was the case in many parts of the world in the 19th century. But as international development such as the use of cars and petrol-operated vehicles gained force in the 20th century, railways slowly started to lose their importance and were left to the ravages of time. Yes, the railway of Veracruz that once shined and allowed for the economic development still felt today, is now a poorly maintained unpleasant site, where only freight trains are in use.
1. http://www.eluniversalveracruz.com.mx/14039.html2. http://www.veracruzmunicipio.gob.mx/transparencia/pdf/veracruz.pdf
- The population of Veracruz and its conurbated area is approximately of 800,000.
- The climate is rather tropical and hot, with an annual average temperature of 25.3°C.
- The soil is composed of two layers: the top one is rich in organic matter and nutrients while the deep layer is rich in clay. In addition to clay, the minerals found are marble, limestone, cement, sand and clay.
- The "ora and fauna of Veracruz are that of tropical forest, including deciduous trees.
- The economy of Veracruz is based on port and commercial activities, tourism, agrobusiness and industry with the presence of the most important Mexican as well as foreign companies.
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I. THE AREA: SITUATION ANALYSIS
C. Territorial ContextA. HistoryB. Facts and StatisticsC. Territorial Context
Because of Veracruz’s development, highly in!uenced by endogenous but also exogenous factors, the surroundings of the railyard are diverse and are also important in the lives of citizens, making it even more important to overcome physi-cal barriers, but also to bring together the daily lives of city-dwellers in one pleasant and environmental-friendly space.
Around the railyard, there are industrial activities, but there is also the ocean, a university, a public health building- IMSS (1 of the 4 IMMS centers), a shopping mall, a sports compound. The immediate environment of the site is composed of an unappealing concrete wall. So far, the links between the historic centre and the residential areas are only three bridges over the rail yard, reserved to motorized vehicles. The rail yard is adjacent to the port and the industrial zone of the city. This, in turn, is not only the source of environmental and visual pollution, which lead to many other problems, but also re!ects the lack of green spaces and places for community interaction. In the surrounding are also residential areas and a storage area for the largest Mexican company Pemex. Besides the storage containers, it is a large unused "eld that has the potential to be a green area such as a park.
Historic Center
Residential Area
Residential Area
Port
Shopping
Center School
Site
Hospital
The !rst pillar aspires to the integration of the centrally-located indus-trial zone into the landscape and the lives of the citizens on both sides of the railyard, for social integration and community interaction through the use of pedestrian and environmentally-friendly spaces. These would still allow and incentivize the use of railways for freight transportation. While it is true that the use of petrol powered vehicles have over the course of the last century been on the rise for all types of transportation, environmental and congestion problems linked to the use of these will force us to rethink the way humans and materials move around. Consid-ering that the train is a relatively less contaminating method of transpor-tation than petrol powered vehicles, it was absolutely essential to leave the actual railyard untouched in its physical structure, in order to take advantage of the already existing infrastructure for a return to the use of trains, hopefully in the near future. The project proposes an intervention that is mainly focused on the immediate surroundings of the railyard and a limited intervention in the actual railyard.
II. THE CONCEPT
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A. Connectivity
A. ConnectivityB. Environmental Sustainability
Successes of the past are often problems of the present and the future; and the railyard in Veracruz is an example of the pre-vious statement. However, as we shape and build the city of tomorrow, we must adapt, remain "exible and most important of all, recognize the potential that already-existing spaces such as this one still have, acknowledging that its new purpose may be completely di#erent than the purpose it had originally. As such our concept is based on two pillars: connectivity and environmental sustainability. Because the idea is to leave the railyard for the useo of trains, the concept is based on an elevated structure, whose support will be on the already-existing infrastructure, such as bridges, as well as ouside of the actual railyard.
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II. THE CONCEPT
B. Environmental Sustainability
A. ConnectivityB. Environmental Sustainability
Environmental sustainability is extremely important in the context of the global ecologic crisis that threat-ens the prosperity not only of the natural environ-ment, but also of humans themselves. Incorporating environmental sustainability also contributes to having a higher quality of life for city dwellers, espe-cially in a city where green areas are scarce. To achieve environmental sustainability, the project will incorpo-rate elements in the physical structure, such as solar panels, use of local materials, but also educational and outreach campaigns that would allow everyone to acknowledge this important component. This is crucial because environmental sustainability can only be obtained through collective action. Concerning an intervention in the actual railyard, it would consist of only cleaning and purifying the soil.
The outcome would lead to an integration of di!er-ent sectors characteristic of the cities of today, and thus participate in the creation of the sustainable city of tomorrow. As such, the proposal is integral in the sense that it aims to clean and adapt the rail yard and its components, as well as making it a more enjoyable space for residents and visitors of Veracruz.
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III. THE PROJECTA. StrategyB. Feasibilty
* Social Integration with mixed-use functions
* Digital interactive connectivity
A. Strategy
Places of gathering for community interaction (students, doctors, workers, tourists, residents, children). This shared space is available to everyone, thus reinforcing the sense of belonging and generating links between di!erent members of the community
Compatibility with innovative technologies such as mobile apps that are interactive with the site and provide information to citizens and local government on security issues , recycling, and activities in the area and surrounding locations. For example, there could be an app that integrates the recycling points in the surrounding areas.The site will also have public wi" for people to use.
Shaded rest areas
Walking paths Variety of local #ora
Bicycle paths
III. THE PROJECT
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A. StrategyB. Feasibilty
* Educational Space* Culture and Recreation
A. Strategy
Flexible indoor space to be used as a gallery for local artists and activities with the community such as recycling workshops, classes, events, etc...
Place to learn about the importantceof sustainability through a permanent outdoor exhibition called “What is Sustainability”, with the use of displays and signs, which provide an opportunity for people to understand and more importantly adopt a “new” mentality based around sustainability.
Link with municipal library and university that would give access to the digital content.
Through the public wi!, everyone will have access to the library content
What is Sustainability?
What is Sustainability?
III. THE PROJECT
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A. StrategyB. Feasibilty
* Use of Local Resources * Railyard Soil Remediation
A. Strategy
Green wall with technology that !lters water and humidity to plants on wall where people can plant their own plants and attend workshops to make recipes and dishes
Solar panels for power in the gallery, lamp posts for energy e"ciency
Remove contaminants of soil through a bioremediation process in which bacteria attenuate and degrade exisitng contaminants.
III. THE PROJECT
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A. StrategyB. Feasibilty
* Promotion of a Culture of Recycle and Reuse* Construction Material
A. Strategy
Waste management is extremely important because the waste generated by global consuming patterns pose a real problem on how to get rid of it in a responsible manner. Reducing waste is important as is establishing a culture of recycling and separating waste so that it can be reused for di!erent purposes (for example energy production). As such, establishing a solid and responsible waste management system gives an added value to waste by either using it for energy production of the site or for other uses in the surrounding.
In addition to having di!erentiated waste bins to facilitate recycling products, outreach and educational material to develop and create a culture of recycling and reusing waste. This can be done in the displays aforementioned and in the gallery, where activities and workshops can be held to teach people how to recycle and reuse common items that often end up in the trash.
For construction material, not only will we try to use disposed material from other construction sites, but we plan to have an innovative way to use waste to create a new building material. It is thus, a way to promote and demonstrate the philosophy of recycle and reuse. For example, one of the construction materials could be a mixture of glass and waste mixed with cement for the construction of the site.
In order to encourage people to participate, there needs to be a good communication strategy. This strategy needs to be based on transparence and use social media and o!cial spaces dedicated to reach citizens such as a city council, community and grassroots groups. Communication channels will be open not only in the consultation phase but throughout the construction phase and even after the construction is "nished. Ultimately, the users of this space are the ones who will know best the successes but also the shortcomings and continuing the interactive communication after the project is done is an excellent way to make sure the site does not go obsolete and remains updated with societal, economic and environmental trends.
III. THE PROJECT
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A. StrategyB. Feasibilty
* Consultation * Communication * Implementation
B. Feasibility
The decision-making process will be participatory and democratic in nature. As such, the plan of the project for this space will be submitted to the public and citizens of Veracruz as well as with all stakeholders for consultation in order to create a debate and leave space for ideas to be added or removed. The involvement of the public and stakeholders must be democratic throughout the entire process, from the planning phase to the construction phase and even after the project is "nished.
This project is radical in the context of Veracruz. For this reason, its concept and realization must be progressive. This will not only keep citizens and stakeholders involved throughout the entire process but develop an a!nity between them and the project. Futhermore, it is important to have a timeline: The "rst phase is, as previously mentioned, the presentation and consultation of the project. The second phase consists of deciding the actual realization strategy. Finally, after having a clear idea and the resources that will be necessary to realize this public space, the construction can begin. It is important to stress, that although some actors may be more present in some phases than others, all stakeholders must be present in the entire process: the planning, the decision-making and the realization phases.
In the current context of public !nances, the resources are often scarce and such project would require a relatively high injection of capital. Investments from the private sector are thus a good way to overcome the budgetary constraints linked to the public sector. However, there needs to be truly well-established Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) for two reasons. Although there are some shortcomings in the representation of the citizens in the public sector, the role of the this sector is to ensure that certain services are provided to everyone. For us, public spaces are part of these services and this is why the public sector must be involved in the planning and elaboration of such spaces. The second reason, is linked to the private sector in the sense that nowadays, it is increasingly more recognized and demanded that private companies play a role in processes that go beyond their productive operations. This is part of the Corporate Social Responsibility, in order to o"set the social and environmental impacts caused by their productive activities. This could be the case of Pemex, who has a space directly adjacent to the railyard. Furthermore, private companies are the ones who possess the skills and expertise to carry out this type of project.
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III. THE PROJECTA. StrategyB. Feasibilty
* PPPs * Maintenance
B. Feasibility
The whole idea of the project is to make users of this public space feel like it belongs to them. This is very important, not only because that is the purpose of public places, but also for the maintenance aspect. If people feel that sense of belonging and the educational outreach is properly carried out, citizens will take care of this space. This is extremely bene!cial in the long term to high maintenance costs related to degradation and physical damage. The interactive communication tools that allow citizens to report problems is a good way for actors and stakeholders involved in the eventual maintenance process to intervene in a timely manner.
IV. CONCLUDING REMARKS
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This is a space that is created not only to improve the quality of lives of current city dwellers, but also a place whose design and purpose can contribute to the process of creating awareness on the importance of high quality sustainable public places.
The real added value of this project will be how the space is used according to the objectives that we have for the project.
Although the project is focused on one public space, the impacts go beyond the direct surroundings of the site and has the potential to attract investments.
The entirety of this project is to done through PPPs (Public Private Partnerships).
It is innovative in the sense that it integrates social and environmental dimensions in a centrally located public place. Rail yards are usually the object of restructuring once they have been out of use. The railway will still be used for freight and there is a potentiality for the railway to be used in the future for passenger train transportation. This is an important aspect because railways play an important role in the transportation of goods (even more so in a port city) and people.
This project can be used as an example not only for other cities in Mexico, but cities in Latin America and in the developing world, where similar problems are faced.
It is sustainable in its inception but also in its implementation in the short and long-term.
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Valdiviezo
Zaidy
25
Politecnico di
Milano
+39 342 697 8036
Architect, Graduate
student in Urban
Planning and Policy
Design.
Cabanas
Orlando
24
Politecnico di
Milano
+39 345 088 5107
Architect, Graduate
student in Urban
Planning and Policy
Design.
Steer
Celine
24
Sciences Po Paris
(2012)
+39 373 027 5322
Masters in Sustainable
Development
interested by
sustainability issues
Team VOZ
