Colombian Displaced Communities: Planning and Urban Design Seminar

Program Contact

Jota Samper

jota@colorado.edu

619.808.9461

During a six-week summer course, students from CU Boulder specializing in environmental design and other fields will study and work in Carpinelo 2, an unplanned settlement near Medellin, Colombia. This settlement emerged as a result of people fleeing the city due to violence, and over the years, its thousands of residents have built infrastructure, businesses, and community centers from the ground up. In 2023, students will collaborate with residents to create community development plans and design infrastructure to address issues such as landslides, water access, public spaces, and more.

The area surrounding metropolitan Medellin is characterized by numerous informal, unplanned settlements lacking mechanisms to prevent encroachment and urban sprawl. There are a total of eight municipalities in the region, and they are witnessing an influx of newcomers seeking safety and better economic prospects. Over the past decade, these areas have witnessed the emergence of entire neighborhoods with thousands of informal dwellers. Carpinelo Dos in Medellin, Colombia, serves as a notable case study of this phenomenon, where most development has been driven by informal dwellers. Street networks, water supply, sewage, and electricity services are provided by informal entrepreneurs and the community board of Carpinelo Dos.

The primary objective of this trip is to enable students to understand the potential impact of their projects. They will enhance their design skills, collaborate with community members, and gain a deeper understanding of working with a community in need.

During their stay in Medellin, CU Boulder students will engage in various learning activities, including workshops, lectures, site visits, studio work, and hands-on experiences. The first week will focus on developing research skills through fieldwork, including activities such as photography, video recording, sound recording, and sketching of the Manantiales community. Additional information will be collected through observations and interviews with the community. Students will collaborate to compile a narrative of key learning objectives.

The following week will be dedicated to enhancing skills for informed design through research. Students will gain insights into the manifestations of informal forms and use drawings, diagrams, cartography, and timelines to illustrate these relationships. They will present their research findings through multiple forms of media.

In the third week, the focus will shift to identifying community goals and their corresponding urban forms. Understanding catalyst projects that can help achieve these community goals is essential for successful urban planning. This stage will also involve exploring project alternatives and identifying potential stakeholders. Following a thorough analysis of these subjects, students will create presentation boards to communicate their design intentions.

The fourth to six week in Medellin will be devoted to building physical interventions aimed at enhancing the community’s social and ecological performance. The final two weeks will be dedicated to the construction of the designed infrastructure projects, which will be co-developed with community members. The most important task in the last week will be delivering the revised student work to the community.

  • Building Improvements in Carpinelo Dos and La Honda neiborhoods next event Summer 2024

    Additional Info

    Activity happens on weekends with community members in Capinelo 2 and La Honda.
    Get more info here:
    https://www.colorado.edu/envd/medellin-colombia


    Location

    outside colorado

    Dates

    Ongoing

    Public or Private

    Private Program (by request only or for a specific audience or group)

    Program Fee

    Not Applicable

Sponsoring Units

  • Graduate School

  • Program in Environmental Design

Program Partners

  • Universidad de San Buenaventura, Medellin, Colombia
  • Corporacion Convivamos
  • Mobility Movilidad
  • Carpinelo Dos Planning Council
  • Casa de Encuentros Luís Ángel García

Audiences Served

  • Adult Learners
  • Children & Youth (outside school)
  • Families
  • General Public
  • Historically Excluded/Marginalized/Non-dominant Group(s)
  • Indigenous Populations
  • International
  • Non-Profit Organization
  • Socioeconomically Disadvantaged
  • Urban Communities
  • Youth Placed At Risk