CIRCULATION ORGANIZATION

A section of the barrios in Bogota. Courtesy of Lebbeus Woods

One of the largest complaints of the SRA schemes is that they do not keep the character that is most beneficial from the slums. I identified the qualities that I think are most in creating the tight-knit community. I believe the tight-knit community and interaction is based on the circulation and intricacy of the walkways. They touch every home and reflect the exact organization, whether it is logical or not, resulting in many dead-ends. Illogical as it may be, it is this unpredictability that is intriguing about the informal or "home-grown" development i.e. unplanned. So how can this unpredictable quality be planned for?

In terms of horizontal circulation, a main driver is the multiplicity of entrances. This is typically not done in buildings for security purposes, but it may just be this vulnerability that forces the community to police itself.  In terms of vertical circulation, it contains the same multiplicity. The units allow for a central core (that could potential used for universal access) but also for individualized access, again like Dharavi. So the units aggregation is customizable horizontally and vertically. 

Typically the circulation is bordered by double wide housing units back to back, so that each has a connection to the circulation. I paralleled that organization in the units. While it is not double wide necessarily for separate family units, there is living space on both sides of the corridor. This circulation can left open for single residences or closed off to enclose a family space. This central circulation that leads to the communal areas. The circulation intersects with the non-sleeping/living spaces. There is an element of planning that is left up to the residents, as it is in Dharavi and other informal/"home-grown" settlements currently.