The Barranquilla Center Management and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) launched a call to select a project that develops a comprehensive urban intervention strategy for the Historic Center of the city.
Through this recovery, the reactivation of a set of alleys is sought as meeting places, economic activity and vital nucleus of the development of the Atlantic capital, as a contribution to the revitalization and enhancement program of the Historic Center.
In this call, which will be open until September 25 and will deliver $ 5,000 in prizes, a detailed urban-architectural proposal will also be chosen for the 42C race between 30 and 33 streets, also known as ‘callejón del meao’, as an intervention Illustrative for the plot of alleys in the Historic Center.
“This contest gives the opportunity to show the cultural and architectural wealth of the Historic Center of Barranquilla. The transformation of the center is one of the flagship programs of the Mayor’s Office and this reorganization of the alleys allows us to revitalize these spaces as heritage and culturally ”, stated Angelo Cianci, manager of the Center.
The Mayor’s Office of Barranquilla stated that the urban intervention strategies and the proposals for public space that result from the competition will add to the lessons learned from previous IDB initiatives in the city.
One of them is the Program for Fiscal Strengthening and Public Investment Expenditure, which financed the improvement and construction of public spaces and urban facilities to increase the supply and quality of urban infrastructure in the capital of Atlántico.
This university contest is aimed at young people from all over Latin America through the IDB Cities Lab initiative, which seeks creative solutions and innovative ideas to urban problems in Latin America and the Caribbean, in the hands of students, university professors and young professionals from all over the region.
This exercise has the objective of serving as a seedbed and incubator for young talent in urban issues from a network of work with universities, offering direct experience to promote real plans and projects, as well as promoting a participatory space that puts into discussion the paradigms of the discipline.
This project has already been carried out in five other cities in the region: Curundú, Panama (2015), Santa Marta (2016), Mendoza, Argentina (2017), Santiago de Chile (2018) and Buenos Aires (2019).
In this edition of the contest, students from any of the member countries of the Inter-American Development Bank, who are studying the last two years of university or postgraduate studies, or students and / or collaborators of a university in a country in America, may participate. Latin America and the Caribbean.
Recovery of the historic center
The district administration has bet on an “ambitious” project to recover the city’s public and heritage space.
This intervention begins with the master market plan, which includes, in turn: remodeling of traditional plazas (there are two works in progress: EPM and Grains), new markets such as the Grand Bazaar and satellite markets.
The Mayor’s Office of Barranquilla points out that, through this project, there will be a major reorganization of formal and informal merchants and recovery of architectural heritage, which will stimulate real estate projects and, therefore, more employment in the future.
In addition, the District seeks to rescue the heritage of buildings such as the old Dugand Bank, the National Bank of Commerce, the Caja Agraria building, the Plaza Concordia, the Volpe, Robertico building, the San Nicolás square and the Fedecafé building, among others.
In addition, it has contemplated that the original names be returned to the streets of this area of the city, in order to regain their identity.
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