Citizen participation, empowerment and spatial changes on the urban periphery

Abstract

In Latin America, around 80% of the population lives in cities whose complex growth dynamics create territories which are socially and environmentally unsustainable. As a result, citizens living on the fringes have limited access to the services and advantages that cities offer compared to those who live in central and consolidated areas. With this, their right to the city (Lefebvre, 1968) is infringed. This paper is based on a community project envisioned by Engineering Without Borders Argentina, a non-profit interdisciplinary civil association, in a neighbourhood located on the periphery of the city of Córdoba, Argentina. The project objectives were to improve the quality of life of those belonging to this community through the collective construction of public spaces, and to contribute to the promotion of spatial justice (Harvey, 1973) and civic culture. The paper will focus on the impact that social projects can have when they involve a true participatory process. The methodology includes techniques attempted to empower a community and bring about possibilities to reflect on and change their surroundings. Likewise, the paper will focus on the design strategies applied based on the identification of genuine needs and the integration of different traditions and knowledge.