Critical Neighbourhoods, the Architecture of Contested Communities, examines practices that contribute to a wider understanding of the relevance and value of so-called “informal settlements,” barrios, slums or incremental neighborhoods. Edited by Paulo Moreira with contributions by Julia King, Elisa Silva, Matthew Barac, Ines Weizman and AbdouMaliq Simone, the book focuses on three communities in Angolia, India and Venezuela. Paulo Moreira describes collaborative efforts through a combination of photography and mapping to document the neighborhood of Chicala in Luanda Angolia as it faced eminent demolition to make way for development in 2013. Elisa Silva foregrounds the opportunities in public space, art, culture and celebrations to represent the neighborhood of La Palomera in Caracas Venezuela both to itself and to the rest of the city at large. Participation in shared events and infrastructure transformations uncover alternative urban narratives that strengthen and understanding of the barrio as an integral part of the complete city. Julia King reflects on her work in T Camp, New Delhi India through collaborative discussions to determine how and where to incorporate sanitary infrastructure. The frustration of seeing the patient and diligent effort to both learn from neighbors and build consensus suddenly derailed when the city announced the slum´s demolition to accommodate higher value real estate development, generated timely reflections on the nature of practice. AbdoulMaliq Simon brings up the idea of Neighbourhood itself as critique of urban processes extending beyond themselves. Ines Weizman highlights how these exercises in practice and documentation from the perspective of the community perform a counter-archive.

Editor: Paulo Moreira
Authors: Paulo Moreira with contributions by Julia King, Elisa Silva, Matthew Barac, Ines Weizman and AbdouMaliq Simone
Publisher: Park Books
Year: 2022

 

Team: Paulo Moreira with contributions by Julia King, Elisa Silva, Matthew Barac, Ines Weizman and AbdouMaliq Simone | Photography: Enlace Arquitectura