Neuquén’s Informal Communities Lack Infrastructure
This was my thesis project for Claudio Vekstein’s 6th year Argentina studio, the concentration of the studio was issues regarding the informal. The unprecedented growth in Neuquén, and specifically the congregation and development of the informal city on the northern edge near the barda is a con-sequence of an explosion of new jobs in the energy sector. This has produced a condition where the barda acts as a social barrier between those within the formalized city and those in the informal, which if not addressed right could be left to deteriorate due to lack of resources (access, sewer, energy) and proper city planning.
Unfolding the Gateway
The barda serves as a physical and psychological divide between the individuals who have built informal housing and the future expansion on the meseta. With an increase in regional and national connection to the Neuquen area, an opportunity to bridge the gateway between these great divides and increase the quality of living is possible to achieve a more socially accessible urbanity. The core elements in Neuquén are the economic drivers (oil fields, waste remediation, agricultural interests) and social indicators (formal city, informal housing, individuals on the fringe). The physical barriers which accelerate the segregation in these areas are the barda, rio negro, access to infrastructure, and political seclusion.
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