DPU’s BUDD program collaborates with partners in Medellin to co-create a Living Heritage Atlas

The MSc Building and Urban Design in Development has generated a learning alliance with the Moravia Cultural Development Centre, the Cooperative COONVITE and the Collective Moravia Resiste to co-create a Living Heritage Atlas. More than 62 participants between students, residents, local leaders, artists, volunteers and civil workers are working remotely during a month to co-create an integrated strategy for Moravia’s transformation in the context of Medellin’s Pos-pandemic Recovery. The local government, national media and and regional outlets have highlighted the innovative approach to bring closer cultural approaches to urban planning processes in self built neighbourhoods.

The main site of inquiry, Moravia, has been the laboratory of spatial interventions and has endured long-term eviction threats. Through this collaboration, participants are trying to uncover and grasp the complexities and contradictions of urban transformations in order to rethink different urban futures for Moravia through a living heritage approach as a way to respond to those threats. The guiding overarching design based research questions has been: How do we frame Moravia as living heritage? And as a consequence, what type of socio-spatial strategies can be imagined to respond to urban transformation?  Emphasis is placed on the community’s connection with heritage and in its intangible expressions and use, rather than on the tangible and material conservation or protection of the city fabric. The Living heritage approach is studied through four thematic lenses selected with the partners, they are: Systems of Care, Neighbourhood Memory and Migrations, Recycling Landscapes and, lastly, Community Communication.

On May 22 the results will be presented to get feedback from Local Authorities, UN Habitat, Community leaders and social movements representatives. If you are interested in joining, please send an email to el.majali.17@ucl.ac.uk