Infrastructural Strategies for Informal Housing in Quito Ecuador
Increasing numbers of Ecuadorians are migrating from rural areas to the urban scape, establishing informal and sometimes illegal settlements in the steep and precarious slopes immediately surrounding Quito city. Housing in these settlements currently lack adequate foundation and are vulnerable to landslides caused by heavy rains and earthquakes. These settlements currently do not have access to water as they sit just outside the city’s current water and sewage system.
Both land and water are needed as the population of Quito grows and people continue to occupy these slopes. This project explores intersections between habitation and water systems in an informal ravine settlement on the western periphery of Quito. I am looking for points of equilibrium between water, vegetation, and habitation, around which strategies and interventions can be applied to build the integrity of the land so that it can safely house both people and water.
iipinternationalideapoolforarchitectureandurbandesign.org 