Proposals to improve habitat in informal settlements in Paraguay

In 2017, Paraguay’s Ministry of Urban Planning, Housing and Habitat (MUVH) and CAF—development bank of Latin America—held an International Competition for Urban Design for Bañado Norte, Asunción, where national and international specialists were invited to present proposals for urban intervention on 514 hectares of Bañado Norte, in the riverside area of the Paraguay River. Applicants were expected to come up with a solution to improve the habitat of current residents (totaling around 2,000 families) and a comprehensive urban response for the entire city, taking into account social, territorial, design, environmental and regulatory dimensions.

As a result of this initiative, the publication “Proposals to improve habitat in informal settlements. The Case of Bañado Norte in Asunción, Paraguay” was conceived, which not only summarizes the development and implementation of the competition and the winning proposals, but also presents reflections from international and Paraguayan experts regarding the challenges and opportunities that intervention of these territories entail.

The “Yrendague” project (Guarani for “place where there was water”) earned the first prize. The proposal seeks to enhance the water resources under intervention that have set the boundaries of the territory and still have an impact on the city, through the consolidation of a ravine, with a river bank road and a linear park that articulates the level differences along the area of intervention.

The second place was awarded to a project entitled “4 Founding Ideas. Bañado Norte District”, which aims to generate a new urban river front with features typical of a tropical urban planning, considering the hot weather and coexistence with the powerful ecosystem of the Paraguay River. In short, this is a commitment to structural resilience, through ecological, water-based, socially sustainable urban planning.

The third prize was awarded to the project ”Hybrid Landscapes”, which focuses primarily on accessibility and integration of the most vulnerable groups in the territory, i.e. persons with disabilities, the elderly, women, children, and families living in flood-prone and risk areas.

Lastly, the project “9 steps to a city to walk in” received an honorable mention, for presenting urban notions to revitalize a proposal that favors walkability.

The city of Asunción was urbanized turning its back to the Paraguay River. Neglecting the presence river led to the abandonment of spaces of great value on the riverbank, which have been settled irregularly by people who must live in low quality urban spaces, total or partial lack of basic services and high vulnerability to flooding.

Thus, CAF—through its Cities with a Future initiative—and the MUVH have since 2017 worked on defining a project for urban intervention on the riverside area of the Paraguay River, which can provide habitat solutions for current residents, a definition of the use of the intervened area and the linkage with the rest of the city.

Architecture and urban planning professionals from more than 13 countries (Sao Tome and Principe, Brazil, Ecuador, Bolivia, Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, United States, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Portugal and Peru) participated in the competition, which was managed by the Paraguayan Association of Architects (APAR). The winning project was “Yrendague,” by a team made up of top professionals from Spain, Paraguay and Argentina.

The Cities with a Future initiative seeks to reinforce the CAF’s interventions to ensure higher levels of access to goods and services in cities in the region, as well as promote urban management models aimed at boosting productivity, encouraging social inclusion and improving overall well-being of Latin Americans.