Revista INVI

Architectural features of the outdoor spaces of non-gated residential communities for increasing children’s physical activity

2023-10-26T17:48:47+00:00

As the health of children is important for the next generation, a lack of physical activity can be considered a critical health challenge. One major factor influencing children's physical activity is the built environment, particularly their home area, where they spend most of their lives. The main objective of this research is to identify the architectural features that increase non-organised physical activity among children aged seven to 13 in the outdoor spaces of residential communities. The current research method is a field research type with a qualitative approach, and data is analysed through a descriptive-analytical method. Data collection tools include observation and interviews. In this study, 11 residential communities in four metropolises in Iran were observed, and interviews were conducted with the resident children. The results indicate that spatial diversity significantly influences children's physical activity. Specifically, the study identifies the physical and functional characteristics of spatial diversity within the outdoor spaces of non-gated residential communities that impact children's physical activity.

Opposed Densities in the Enactment of Zoning Codes in the City of Buenos Aires

2024-06-24T17:19:10+00:00

Although current consensus often portrays urban density as socially desirable, different city actors imagine, politicize, dispute, and/or resist it. This article analyzes the meanings of urban density in the public debate surrounding the enactment of a new zoning code for the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires. The announcement of its renewal created a public issue, with neighborhood organizations offering alternative perspectives on urban planning, morphology, and city growth. To examine these meanings, we implemented a qualitative research strategy, including interviews with key representatives from these organizations, observations at hearings and meetings, and analysis of official documents and minutes from participatory spaces. We found that the local government framed the urban planning modifications as virtuous densification efforts aimed at promoting sustainability, affordability, and habitability. However, neighborhood organizations contested these changes, criticizing them as a generalized and harmful increase in construction volumes designed to double the city’s population and create land for real estate development.

Privatization of Public Real Estate and Financialization in Buenos Aires Between 2015 and 2019

2024-09-23T15:55:12+00:00

Our primary aim is to examine the relationship between the implementation of policies aimed at the privatization of public land and real estate and the manner in which real estate financialization processes unfold. To this end, we focus on the case of Argentina between 2015 and 2019, when the national government promoted the sale of substantial amounts of land located in the City of Buenos Aires. Our central argument posits that the auctions acted as catalysts for the real estate financialization process in two distinct ways. First, the government succeeded in transferring portions of the land to financial agents or under increasingly financialized logics. Second, in the dynamics involved in executing the auctions, the agencies and officials responsible for this task adopted discourses, valuation methods, and practices typical of the financial sector, integrating into networks where these agents operate and designing real estate products that would be attractive to them. Methodologically, we employ a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative and qualitative techniques. This includes an analysis of regulations governing the auctions, records of trips and meetings held by public officials, and sectoral analyses of the companies that purchased land. Additionally, we conducted in-depth interviews with high-ranking political officials.

Empty Housing in Demographically Vulnerable Rural Municipalities. A Comparative Study of Two Andalusian Cases

2024-07-29T16:56:01+00:00

In municipalities with a declining population, there is a high percentage of vacant housing that paradoxically coexists with an insufficient offer of affordable and adequate homes for certain residents who either want to remain in town or settle there for work reasons. To put these vacant homes on the market at an affordable price and in adequate living conditions, a first step would be to identify and characterize them.

In the research project Demographic Challenge and Housing (REVIVE), a mixed methodology has been applied to identify and characterize vacant housing in the two municipalities chosen as case studies, Montefrío and Arroyomolinos de León (Andalusia, Spain). In turn, the unsatisfied demand for housing, detected and potential, has been analyzed, qualifying it according to parameters such as the access or tenure regime. In this way, the aim is to determine whether the available stock can serve as a potential resource to facilitate the fixation of population in these municipalities.

As a result, maps of vacant housing have been created in which the situations detected are characterized and the foundations are set for further fieldwork, aimed at reactivating vacant housing.

The conclusions of the study indicate that the demand for housing of the native population and of workers and entrepreneurs can be satisfactorily solved through good management of the vacant housing stock detected, combining rehabilitation and mediation actions in the rental of these homes. At the same time, it points at the importance of carrying out diagnoses to support the development of effective strategies, which, in the case of municipalities of smaller size and population is not easy to do due to the lack of consistent information to carry out this kind of studies.

Anatomies of verticalization in the metropolitan area of Concepción

2024-09-03T20:44:22+00:00

Verticalization refers to a transformation process where high-rise buildings become the predominant typology of urban development, leading to changes in morphology and functional fabric. This article examines the urban growth model based on verticalization in the metropolitan area of Concepción, southern Chile's most significant urban system. It aims to characterize the phenomenon of verticalization using the theory of density anatomies as a conceptual framework and to explain its localization logic from the perspectives of accessibility and urban planning. The methodology involves characterizing the anatomies of density and verticalization in the metropolitan area of Concepción. The results indicate that verticalization increased residential density, but population density decreased during the analyzed period. The discussion highlights three key findings: (1) Dispersed verticalization and density decrease; (2) Diverse anatomies of verticalization; and (3) Incidental and differentiating factors of verticalization: the silence and delayed action of urban planning. Territorial planning instruments have not played a predominant role in directing verticalization. Additionally, the relationship between verticalization and accessibility to transportation services is unclear, with variations in the location of high-rise residential buildings.

Comparative Study of Senior Cohousing Models and Senior Neighborhood Cooperatives in the Spanish Context

2024-10-02T16:41:32+00:00

The article presents a comparative analysis between senior cohousing models and neighborhood cooperatives for older adults in the Spanish context, evaluating their viability from economic, architectural, and social perspectives, with the goal of preventing unwanted loneliness among this population. The cohousing model, which brings older adults together in intentional communities with shared spaces, has gained popularity in recent years. However, peripheral locations, high investment costs, and lengthy development periods pose significant challenges. As an alternative, this study proposes a theoretical model of neighborhood cooperatives that allows older adults experiencing loneliness to group together in homes within their neighborhoods while making their other properties available for rent. The analysis results show that neighborhood cooperatives are more economically viable, flexible in implementation, and promote a more inclusive urban environment. However, the development requires greater institutional support. The research concludes that this model is a promising strategy to address aging in place, improve the housing stock, and foster intergenerational integration in Spanish cities.