Project Presentation - Informal Settlements in Medellin

Universidad Nacional de Colombia

Alex 2

Danilo Sepúlveda Giraldo

John Wilfer Ramírez

Susana Flórez Henao

Juan Camilo Calle

Maria Camila Duque Cadavid

Informal Settlements

The subject that we chose is the informal settlements, the presentation will become by means of a video in which each one of the members of the group will represent a personage of the city between governors and representatives of the inhabitants of these informal settlements, each personage will as well explain a subject related to the establishments.

The distribution of the equipment and the content of the presentation will be:

• 1.    What is an informal settlement? (Danilo Sepúlveda)

A slum, an informal settlement or slum is a place to establish a person or community that is beyond the scope of the regulations or the standards set by the authorities responsible for urban management.

Informal settlements (colloquially referred to as "invasions") usually are dense settlements comprising communities in self-built housing in poor living conditions. Take the form of spontaneous establishments without recognition or legal rights, expanding the borders of cities in marginal lands that are within the limits of urban areas.

Are characteristic of developing countries or poor areas of immigrant communities or ethnic minorities in developed countries. Typically they are the product of an urgent need to obtain housing in urban communities with limited economic resources. As such, they are characterized by certain conditions:

- A dense proliferation of houses made from various recycled materials

- For causing environmental degradation on local ecosystems and

- By severe social problems.

• 2.    Why the informal settlements occur? (María Camila Duque)

-Insufficient regulation by the authorities.

- Unavoidable displacement on the part of illegal groups.

- Economic difficulties to acquire house.

-Ignorance of the regulation in the city and risk zones.

• 3.    Types of settlements (Susana Florez)

There are several types of settlements, some of them are:

Settlements in slopes

Settlements in Rivers edge

The settlements in slopes generally these are located in clayey soil and it is geologically unstable so the people living there are in constant danger because their houses can fall.

The settlements in rivers edge are in constant danger because they invade the buffer area and so they are in danger of avalanche and flood they put at risk their lives lived in those areas.

• 4.    Medellin places in which appear this problematic (Jhon Wilfer Ramirez)

The informal settlements appear mainly in the peripheral zones of the city, because these places are in which the city expands. The informal settlements are more frequent in slopes, that are unstable places, also is very frecuent that in the brook an rivers edge exist a lot of informal settlements, and in de Medellin case in the north zone of the river.

• 5.    Possible solutions to informal settlements (Juan Camilo Calle)

- Improvement plans for the elementary public services in the  neighborhood .

- Alphabetization

- Employment opportunities

- Construction of road link

- Construction of modules house and services.