ABOUT
The CASALATA research project began with a short film produced during the postgraduate course in Cinema at M_EIA (International Institute of Art, Technology and Culture) in Mindelo, Cape Verde. The film focuses on the housing deficit in the neighborhoods of Mindelo and the problems caused by its tin buildings.
The CASALATA film then evolved into an architectural project to provide a viable strategy to improve the problems of scarcity of affordable housing and the needs of neighborhoods. The result is an architectural proposal with the potential for effective implementation.
CONTEXT
Cape Verde has shown substantial economic growth in recent years, largely as a result of increased tourist and residential development. This increase, although substantial in quantity, has been smaller in terms of quality. Cape Verde's tourism and urban growth pattern is based on the European Mediterranean coastal development model. Once at its peak, but now in decline, it was characterized by steep and unsustainable growth, low-quality construction and poor urban planning. Mass tourism and overdevelopment are on the rise and, with little or no regulation, have had an impact on local heritage. Although this increase in development has encouraged people to migrate to big cities, it has also created a greater urban imbalance between developed urban centers with new infrastructure and areas without access to these conditions with the social and economic inequalities that are associated with them.
The Cape Verdean cities of Praia and Mindelo are the two main cities with the greatest need for housing. The high cost of construction, inflation in the cost of property and land, together with the rising unemployment rate, make it difficult for most Cape Verdeans to buy or rent a home. The construction of illegal shelters has therefore become widespread and is often the only option for poor families who have no alternatives or means of housing.
Is this illegality a crime? The fringes of cities are populated with illegal buildings that have spread through self-construction, creating new (sub)urban areas without any form of planning or rationalization. The lack of infrastructure, public services, sanitation or other services and the basic construction of shelters make these areas marginalized, insecure and unsuitable for housing. As the areas of illegal shelters expand, the problems are compounded and the degradation of spaces and conditions worsen. What was already unsuitable for its intended purpose, to begin with will soon be further deteriorated. The economy and population growth stimulated the natural growth of these urban areas, accentuating the disparity between social classes in countries with housing shortages, such as Cabe Verde.
Access to adequate housing and sustainable urban planning is therefore key to preventing or reducing poverty and social exclusion.
OBJECTIVES AND PHASES OF THE PROJECT
The housing shortage in Cape Verde is not a problem that can be easily or quickly resolved. Families living in tin houses will continue to live in sub-standard conditions for an indefinite period, even if solving the housing problem is made a government priority.
The main objective of the Casalata project is to raise awareness of the problem and propose a strategy to improve the living conditions of less fortunate families through urban planning. When producing the film Casalata, we became aware of the extent of the difficulties faced by families living in tin houses. The poor living conditions in the spaces, combined with a sense of despair and social marginalization felt by residents who have no choice but to live illegally, led us to expand the project and establish a course of action divided into three phases:
- First - we produced a survey of the construction methods and social organization of the existing urban process, to identify the positive factors and reuse them as instruments in the development of the social housing project at affordable prices
- Second - based on phase 1 research and data, we suggest minor, affordable adjustments to existing homes to provide immediate improvements to residents' living conditions. Issues such as thermal comfort, ventilation and natural lighting of living spaces were addressed and made substantially more efficient.
- Thirdly - we developed a proposal for an affordable social housing project that incorporates the knowledge acquired during phases one and two. This project emphasizes minimizing the environmental impact of buildings and neighborhoods and also educating residents, making them aware of their role in maintaining their urban conditions.
Location. Mindelo, São Vicente
Date. 2011
Architecture. Ângelo Lopes, Lara Plácido, Helena Gomes
Photography. Ângelo Lopes and Lara Plácido