On October 31, the World Day for the Right to the City is commemorated, we reflect together with the Secretary of Extension of the Faculty of Architecture, Planning and Design on ArquiDiBarrio, a current program to contribute to territorial development with social equity.

The World Day for the Right to the City arose in 2014 as an initiative of the United Nations Organization for “to highlight global urban challenges and engage the international community in the development of the New Urban Agenda.” This proposal is part of the objectives of the 2030 Agenda, which includes an action plan for the sustainable development of cities. 

In this context, new ways of guaranteeing human rights emerge with the vision of the Right to the City. From the University we have a proposal that elaborates its projects from this perspective. Currently in the Faculty of Architecture, Planning and Design (UNR) the program is being developed archidibarrio, we interviewed the architect and Secretary of University Extension Linking and Transfer and teacher of the subjects Architectural Project I, II of said house of studies, Lautaro Dattilo, who tells us about this experience and we reflect on the relationship between human rights and the right to the city .

1- What does the ArqDiBarrrio program consist of?

ArqDiBarrio is a program of the Secretariat of University Extension, linking and transfer of the Faculty of Architecture, Planning and Design (UNR) whose mission is to expand the capacity of interaction of the University with the communities, especially those in situations of socio-environmental risk , to contribute to territorial development with social equity. It works likepublic consultancy in architecture and industrial design for the popular sectors, providing free technical advice to communities, in project and construction of community public equipment.

2- How did this project come about? 

The project arises from an initiative of the DOMINÓ student group, which submits to the board of directors of the FAPyD, the request to develop a project that makes it possible to carry out community practices, recognizing and consolidating the work carried out by extension groups for more than a decade. The management entrusts the Extension Secretariat with the elaboration of the project that, a year later (2015), will implement its first actions under the name of Arquibarrio Program. It is around the end of this year when the Board of Directors approves (for students of the 2008 plan) the possibility of homologating as supervised professional practices (PPS) the different activities carried out within the framework of this program: until then the PPS were only carried out in private studios or in state technical teams (or their subsidiary companies), that is, the profile of future professionals was restricted as “independent professionals” or “in a dependency relationship”. During 2020, and within the framework of the implementation of the Industrial Design career, the Board of Directors approves the possibility that its students can carry out their internships here, changing their name to ArqDiBarrio.

3- How is the relationship established with the organizations? How does it work? Who's in it?

The Extension Secretariat (FAPyD) has uninterrupted work in the territory of Rosario and its metropolitan region, which has allowed it to consolidate its relationship with different social organizations. It is from this relationship that allows us to be aware of the demands that may arise. In addition, the sustained work over these years and the dissemination of what has been done (interviews and articles in newspapers, participation in workshops and seminars, recognition by the Municipal Council and the Chamber of Deputies, national and international awards, etc.) has enabled other organizations to come to meet us.

The operation is generally given in the same way: a social organization approaches with a demand, we establish the relationship through an agreement and then make an open call for students, teachers, non-teachers and graduates of Architecture and Design careers. Industrial: a work team (transitory) is formed. The Secretariat articulates the relationship with the organization, organizes and executes the work through a (permanent) team coordinated by the Arch. Victoria Funes and convenes specialists and suitable to meet the specificity of the tasks, forming a multidisciplinary team. The social organization actively participates through its representatives.

4- From what perspectives are the proposals made? How are they financed?

We work from a collaborative perspective because the purpose of ArqDiBarrio It is to make collective proposals (projects/works), in which academic knowledge (produced in the university) and popular knowledge (existing in the neighborhoods) can be articulated, without weighing one over the other, but rather enabling a joint construction, generating a new knowledge. To enable this, the social organization participates in all instances of the process: diagnosis, survey, project, staging and construction. This The feedback process also generates a singularity in the proposal and enhances the sense of belonging of the projects, building a bridge between the university and the community., which will not only be the passive recipient of an asset, but will also establish its custody, maintenance, modification and transformation over time. Considering this participatory/collaborative perspective, the area of ​​human rights is involved, coordinated by the Arch. Olivia Bayo, to contribute to the training of future professionals who are aware and committed to the environment and the existing social reality, which allows progress in the academic/disciplinary debate on the right to the city as a frame of reference for understanding the urban situation , its political implications and its attributes in relation to social demand.

The financing to carry out the works is given through different channels: the organization's own funds, contributions from the Corralón Solidario de Materiales (FAPyD-UNR), presentation to calls from the Extension and Territory Area (UNR) or the Secretariat of University Policies (ME). and presentation to calls of Province and Nation.

5- October 31 marks the World Day for the Right to the City. This day consists of putting on the agenda making cities a common good and putting into practice new ways of guaranteeing human rights with the vision of the right to the city and participatory democracy, while respecting the role of cities in contributing to economic redistribution, cultural recognition, and political agency for all. What do you understand by right to the city?

According to the UN "it is the right of all inhabitants to inhabit, use, occupy, produce, transform, govern and enjoy fair, inclusive, safe, sustainable and democratic cities, towns and urban settlements, defined as common goods for a dignified life". . From this definition understanding the city emerges as a priority (and I would add the territory so we would be talking about human settlements, to be more precise) as common good (and not as a consumer good), so it is the responsibility of the state to regulate it (in terms of administration, representativeness, planning and construction) so that all its inhabitants can develop a fair and dignified life, sustainable over time.

The right to the city defines a series of requirements that must be met.

be places free from discrimination of any type (social condition, ethnic origin, gender, age, sexual, political or religious condition) contemplating minorities and diversity of its inhabitants. In addition, tend towards inclusive citizenship and equal treatment for all people.

Promote the gender equality for women and girls in all its forms, guaranteeing a life free of violence.
Contribute to a greater participación, in all areas of government and citizens, in urban policies and land use planning. Fulfill its functions prioritizing the collectively defined public and social interest: right equitable and accessible to housing, goods and services.
Design quality public spaces and services to enhance social interactions, fostering social cohesion: creating safe places and commensurate livelihoods.
Foment diverse and inclusive economies: access to secure livelihoods and decent work: social and solidarity economy, recognition of domestic and community work.
Promote the sustainability of the urban-rural link, benefiting impoverished sectors ensuring food sovereignty, protecting biodiversity, natural habitats and ecosystems.
These are the main components enunciated by the right to the city.

6- What contributions does architecture offer us to reflect on the Right to the City? How do we relate architecture and human rights?

Architecture is the profession that deals with the study and transformations of the habitable space, both in the city and the territory. In recent years, the discipline has been addressing (and incorporating) a wide range of fields of knowledge (which has an impact on the modifications of the study plans) such as: sustainability, energy efficiency, the study of the landscape (both natural and cultural), the social production of the habitat among the most prominent. From this, the contribution of architecture is key, since it allows us: in the first instance, to establish a precise diagnosis on the characteristics, conditions and needs of the territories; in a second instance, the planning and application of strategic urban-territorial policies for a balanced and sustainable development and; in a third instance, produce specific interventions from the building scale. From here arises the need for the state to find and apply other logics and management instruments (perhaps newer) to carry out the transformations of our habitable space, since we are very far from meeting the demands of society regarding the right to city.

We can intuit that the majority of citizens relate human rights to their original definition referring to the "universal rights inherent to every person, by the mere fact of existing", regardless of their nationality, gender, ethnic origin, color, religion, language or any other condition. However, when inquiring about this definition, we find that the fundamental rights that assist people are diverse (and many more), and that they involve specific fields, such as the human habitat. In this context we can link architecture (from a disciplinary approach) with this line that recognizes the expansion of rights acquired from the welfare state as a contemporary phenomenon: the expanded human rights. These, on many occasions, are unknown to the vast majority of the population, and it is up to us, from our expertise, to ponder their dissemination and knowledge for the community as a whole. Among the best known we find the right to drinking water, to decent housing, to a sustainable habitat, to infrastructure, etc., in addition to many others that indirectly involve the field of action of the profession, such as the rights that assist people with disabilities (architectural barriers, universal design, etc.).

7- What challenges exist in Rosario when considering it as an inclusive city?

Rosario is a city with great potential. Daughter of his own effort, it developed vigorously at the end of the XNUMXth century and during the development of the XNUMXth century, becoming one of the most important cities in Argentina. However, this development entailed great imbalances in its constituent parts: outlining an absolute synthesis we have a fragmented city, with an area with quality services, facilities and public spaces (notoriously manifested in the central riverbank) and frayed areas, lack of infrastructure and public spaces, with serious coexistence and security problems. This panorama has worsened during the last decades, in which the formal and informal cities showed an irreconcilable distance.

To think of Rosario as an inclusive city we need public policies that reverse this antagonistic situation between the center and its periphery (in a symbolic allusion to this contrast, not only referring to the geographical issue), in response to a harmonious and sustained growth of its neighborhoods, with a strong presence of the state (and public contribution) in the popular sectors, only in this way can one yearn for a balanced city “for all the people who inhabit it”. At this point it is essential think strategically about specific infrastructure projects and quality public spaces, necessary to promote social cohesion by creating safe places in which the neighbor recovers the street as a meeting place par excellence: For its formulation and design, it is essential to call for citizen participation. It is also necessary to articulate with the provincial and national state and private investors (not only with large private developers), a policy for the use of land and the construction of low-income housing, intended for different social sectors, and distributed equitably and balanced in different areas of the city, with the aim of consolidating the neighborhood fabric. One has to contemplate in an instance of its construction, convene work cooperatives, in which their workers may be recipients of the same. These are just a few points that, by way of synthesis, allow us to think about the inclusive city that we all want.

By Human Rights Area