Surface for Urban Innovation: The Politics of Designing Poverty in Colombia and Czechia

Project Information

SURBANIN

Grant agreement ID: 101032970

DOI

10.3030/101032970

Project closed

EC signature date 21 April 2021

Start date 1 September 2021

End date 31 August 2024

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Total cost

€ 246 669,12

EU contribution

€ 246 669,12

Coordinated by

HUMBOLDT-UNIVERSITAET ZU BERLIN
Germany

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - SURBANIN (Surface for Urban Innovation: The Politics of Designing Poverty in Colombia and Czechia)

Reporting period: 2023-09-01 to 2024-08-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

According to the United Nations (2003), approximately 30% of the inhabitants of cities in the global South live in self-built settlements constructed by inhabitants on illegally occupied land, using only locally available materials. These settlements can be seen as analogous to homelessness in the global North. A recent report (2019) by the European Federation of National Organizations Working with the Homeless states that, with the exception of Finland, homelessness has sharply increased across Europe in recent years. As structural policy changes are often difficult to achieve, various collectives have adopted architecture, art, and design as tools to transform the material environments of poor communities in the global South, a trend also visible in the global North. However, while these innovations have had positive impacts, such as empowering local populations and improving mobility within the city, they do not eliminate poverty but rather redesign it.

The SURBANIN project compares self-built settlements in Colombia with homeless communities in Czechia to establish a new understanding of how global innovations emerge, travel (e.g. North-North or North-South), are locally applied, and what their impact is. In doing so, the project critically contributes to the interdisciplinary discussion on strategies and tools for tackling urban poverty and inequality today.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

Throughout the project, the researcher focused on three case studies of varying forms, scales, and materialities: macromurals, Iglou shelters for unhoused people, and homeless encampments. The researcher conducted policy mobility research across Latin America, Europe, Africa, and Asia, following the spatial and temporal connections of these case studies.

Macromurals have emerged as a major trend in recent years, where various actors collaborate to transform communities in the cities of the global South by painting their physical environments. The researcher collected data on the origin and connections of 18 individual projects across six Latin American countries (Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, and Puerto Rico), carried out by eight different collectives. The researcher visited seven of these projects personally and additionally visited an artist in the Netherlands who co-created one of the world’s first macromurals. Observations were also made in Egypt and Indonesia, both of which influenced macromurals in Latin America.

To understand the impacts of macromurals, the researcher conducted interviews with key figures involved in macromurals in Bogotá, as well as with numerous residents and community leaders from neighborhoods such as Buenavista, La Mariposa, and Mariscal Sucre (home to Bogotá’s first macromural from 2016). The researcher also participated in four local tours across various locations and conducted numerous observations in La Mariposa to deepen understanding of the impacts of macromurals and the techniques used in their creation.

Regarding Iglou shelters, the researcher visited the inventor of the shelter in France, as well as coordinators from Czechia who contributed to the development of international best practices surrounding the Iglou. Interviews and observations were conducted at an NGO in Ostrava, Czechia, with clients using Iglou shelters during cold winter months. Additionally, the researcher made several observations at a long-term homeless encampment in Prague, which has been a key field site since 2015.

During the SURBANIN project, the researcher delivered five public talks across Czechia and Colombia, presented at five conferences across four continents, and co-authored three papers and one book chapter—all in major and/or invited outlets. The researcher also coordinated one special issue. Two publications have already been released, while the remaining ones are expected to be published in 2025. Beyond scientific results, the researcher dedicated time to outreach activities, including media management, event participation, and media interviews.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Interventions in art, architecture, and design are often seen as either an ambivalent top-down policy of local governments or as emancipating bottom-up initiatives by artists and residents. Instead, the researcher aimed to understand the different trajectories of these projects and what impacts, and why, these trajectories bring.

In the case of macromurals, the researcher analyzed the narratives surrounding these projects, focusing on the differently perceived histories. Rather than determining which narrative is true or who may be misrepresenting the facts, the researcher explored the practical implications of ruptures in inspiration and mobility. Using geographical approaches to policy mobility and some conceptual tools from the sociology of organization, the researcher found that these ruptures offer the potential for novelty in the artistic and urban policy domain. The researcher also focused on the actors and forces that contribute to both the successes and failures of these projects.

Additionally, by examining the sociocultural and technological conditions of Iglou before its expansion, the researcher provides critical insights into how a minor design intervention can evolve into a global best practice. This project’s theoretical and conceptual insights, as well as its empirical findings, were crucial for teaching an undergraduate course in 2023.

As the idea of macropainting spreads, an increasing number of cities in Latin America, Africa, and South Asia have realized, supported, or enabled large-scale painting projects in their territories since the early 2010s. The idea of macromurals is now slowly entering the European context. The knowledge gathered in the SURBANIN project is being introduced to public art managers in Czechia, and discussions about the potential implementation of a macromural in the European context are ongoing. Insights from the project may become critical guidelines for more sustainable and ethical implementations in Europe and beyond.

Similarly, other social interventions are also globalizing. The more interventions there are, the more diverse the conditions and motivations under which they are realized. Understanding these interventions will become increasingly important as the world faces growing crises, which disproportionately affect poor and marginalized communities.

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