This diploma work concerns revitalization of public space in zone 19, La
Florida, in Guatemala City. The main objective of the study was to develop
planning and design proposals as well as implementation strategies that aim at
gaining more public open space and revitalizing existing public open space, in
a way that will define and emphasize La Florida?s identity.
Although the development of the project - the diploma work - was a process of
going back and forth between different phases of analysis and proposal
development, as to describe the succession of the project, there are three main
parts or phases. The first phase was the field study, which was conducted in
Guatemala City from May trough July in 2000. The field study included studies
on Guatemala City and La Florida based on interviews, literature reviews, site
visits, site inventories and regular contact and meetings with professional
planners, architects and representatives from different municipal departments
as well as locals in La Florida. The intention was to get to know Guatemala
City and La Florida and define the task, which was to develop a ?Plan Integral?
- a plan for improvement of zone 19, La Florida. On the base of the studies,
especially the numerous site visits in La Florida, I chose to focus on
development and improvement of public space.
The following phase included definition of a theoretical base on planning and
design of public space through reviews on literature related to the topic. This
theoretical base together with the studies on Guatemala City and La Florida,
was used as a base from which the proposals was developed.
The third and final phase was the actual development of the ideas and
proposals. Although many ideas and proposals were initiated during the previous
phases, especially during the first, they were not fully developed and
illustrated until this phase. The second phase together with the third phase
was mainly conducted in Sweden during 2000 and 2001.
Both the country Guatemala and its capital, Guatemala City, present many
contrasts and characteristics. The polarization between wealthy groups and
impoverished people is wide. The rapid growth of the capital, which mainly is
caused by migration to the city, together with the suburbanization during the
last decades has brought problems like insufficient and poor infrastructure,
disordered traffic and insufficient public transportation systems, housing
shortage, spread of informal settlements and environmental problems. Added to
these, is also its problematic geographical location in a region with
constantly recurring natural disasters, as the history can proof.
In order to fight these problems, the capital municipality initiated a
development process by establishing a department for urban planning -
Metrópolis 2,010- in 1994. In 1995 the Development Plan, by Metrópolis 2,010,
was approved as the official document for future development strategies
concerning development within the capital. The overall vision for the capital
is to strive for a polycentric urban structure.
La Florida, or zone 19, is one of the numerous low-income areas in the
periphery of Guatemala City. The physical condition of buildings and public
spaces in La Florida are poor, as maintenance and investment have been very
moderate ever since its establishment in the 1950s. La Florida is nevertheless
a diverse area with a mixture of lively commerce, small private businesses and
housing. Public spaces are populated throughout most times of the day, although
there are few public spaces, except from the streets, to meet and gather in.
The streets are used as children?s playground, sport grounds, spaces for
markets, workshops, public celebrations and other communal activities. There is
no open space that has a clear status as focal or gathering point, such as a
square or a plaza.
Planning and design of urban public space include many different issues and
factors that need to be taken into consideration. Such factors are function,
context, space form, human needs, cultural aspects and identity. My intention
has been to develop goals for development and revitalization of public space in
La Florida, by using known planning and design tools that are discussed in the
theoretical part. This means that the defined goals could be achieved by
proposing actions or strategies that are known to bring certain effects.
The planning and design proposals for revitalizing public space in La Florida
aim at gaining more public open space as well as organizing existing public
open spaces in order to create arenas for public activities and social life.
The idea is that revitalization and development of public space also could be
used as a mean to constitute and strengthen the identity of space and by so,
also strengthen the identity of the community. The intention is to develop
proposals that refer to the local and regional urban typology, space system,
architecture and culture in La Florida and the region.
The proposals are based on a development concept. This concept aims at
developing an open space system that focuses on the centre area and the area
around the ravine La Guacamaya that borders to La Florida in the north-east,
together with the connection in between these areas and the shopping area that
borders to La Florida in the south-west. In order to gain public open space,
the proposal is to redevelop the two municipal sites in the centre of La
Florida and the area around the ravine as public open spaces.
The two new public open spaces in the centre will be formed and designed as
plazas. In the regional context plazas are common types of public open spaces.
The two new plazas, Plaza Floridiana and Plaza del Mercado, will have different
characters and serve different purposes. Plaza Floridiana will have more of a
civic function and character, such as of a plaza that houses different kinds of
public ?get togethers?. In contrast, Plaza del Mercado is proposed to have a
character of a casual public space. Plaza del Mercado is to partly serve as an
outdoor market space during daytime.
Due to the risk for erosion and landslides in the ravine La Guacamaya, the area
around it is classified as a high-risk area. The proposal is to relocate the
informal settlement that is situated on the site today, as intended in the Plan
of Emergency developed by the municipality. Since the site is too hazardous for
being grounds for housing, the pro...
