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REHABILITACION BARRIO RAFAEL URDANETA

Maracaibo  2000-2002

Proyecto de Habilitación de Barrio, obtenido por concurso

A re-habilitation project for an isolated slum/settlement.

Despite I settled in andthe numerous meetings and assemblies I made with the inhabitants, the project did not really interest them. However, a small group kept asking questions. To keep them busy I gave them a small surplus of the budget to attend the most urgent needs: water and firewood. Well, in less than two months, they set up a complete network of water and gas: storing the water from a well they dug in an elevated tank and bringing gas from an abandoned oil well. Because ofthe risks, we accompany their process to make sure both systems were safe.

Fifteen years later, gas and water systems albeit "precarious", are still there.

Through this experience, I understood that what leads neighbors to work together is to improve their place of life. I also understood what it takes to awaken this will among neighbors. Since then, I work to ignite this phenomenon in all my projects, with the certainty that empowering a community in developing its own habitat, -which is related to the joy of living-, is the best and short way towards sustainability.

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