The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) announced that the Huella Cultural team of the University of Buenos Aires in Argentina is the winner of the sixth edition of its LAB Cities Contest. This edition, organized by the IDB's Cities Laboratory in collaboration with the Barranquilla Mayor's Office, aims to develop an urban development strategy for the recovery of the Old Center of Barranquilla, Colombia.
In particular, the Huella Cultural proposal links the Old Center of Barranquilla with its alleys through history, art and culture. With the soil as a unifying element, the proposal rescues elements of the city´s cultural heritage, such as local colors, plants and materials, and considers a mixed use of the land to incorporate commercial activities, heritage elements and green spaces.
This edition of the contest received a total of 147 proposals from 26 universities in Latin America and the Caribbean. The winning team and the two finalists - Cultura Inquieta of the National University of Córdoba in Argentina and Callejones Vivos of the National Autonomous University of Mexico - were selected by an international jury composed of Diego Ceresuela, director of the Satellite Office of the Federal Institute of Swiss Technology (ETH Zurich); Claudia Gelves, director of heritage of the Culture Secretariat of the Mayor's Office of Barranquilla; Giancarlo Mazzanti, founder of “El Equipo Mazzanti”; Francisca Rojas, senior specialist in Urban Development and Housing at the IDB; Alfredo Reyes, national president of the Colombian Society of Architects; and Ricardo Vives, president of Puerta de Oro.
In addition to receiving a prize of US$5,000, the winning team will be part of the validation phase of the contest, in which the project will be adapted to the local context in conjunction with the community and urban specialists from the Barranquilla Mayor's Office and the IDB. Likewise, the members of the three finalist teams may be certified in four distance learning courses on the IDB Edx platform.
About the IDB
The Inter-American Development Bank is devoted to improving lives. Established in 1959, the IDB is a leading source of long-term financing for economic, social and institutional development in Latin America and the Caribbean. The IDB also conducts cutting-edge research and provides policy advice, technical assistance and training to public and private sector clients throughout the region.
Lobera,Jose Luis
