I have been following this laboratory since months with an increasing interest. Below the text that accompanies the video:
With the signing of the Peace Accords between the Government of Guatemala and the URNG in 1996, Central America's last armed conflict came to an end. In a post-conflict political situation, in spite of efforts in plans and policies, Central America has yet to revert a structural housing deficit. Without further delay, we declare the urgent necessity of a project to rethink architecture, the city, the territory and the idea of the political, to guarantee housing access to all — especially the most disfavoured and vulnerable.
We propose a Productive Housing Programme, with a pilot project in Guatemala City, directed towards the construction of a national and Central American housing policy. Fundamentally, the programme proposes to reinstall the principle of subsidiarity through the provision of a new political pact. It works based on a crossed subsidy model, self-sustaining in terms of wealth creation and social justice. And proposes the legal and financial instruments of decentralization to promote housing policy at a local level, within a national and regional level. In a laboratory method, architecture becomes the foreground and pro-active, and acts as a steering agent for the urgent provision of housing and the possibility of making city in Central America.
As a laboratory breakthrough, the Metropolitan Housing and Urban Development Agency was voted in favour by the Guatemala City Municipal Council, effectively constituting it on February 3rd 2012.
I am considering to interview PosConflicto Laboratory for detailed information about their activity, role of architecture in post-conflict space, and current needs in Central America.
Posconflicto Laboratory: MAKING CITY + PRODUCTIVE HOUSING PROGRAMME IN GUATEMALA & CENTRAL AMERICA from posconflictolab on Vimeo.
Credit video: Posconflicto Laboratory
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