In 2010, a major landslide destroyed part of Vijus. The informal mining service town was settled by economic migrants in one of Peru's most productive extraction areas, but suffers from high indices of poverty. By steering growth towards safe areas and by consolidating public space as a protective buffer along areas of high risk the project develops new urban strategies to mitigate the impact of landslides and flooding. New public spaces and new civic buildings will use sustainable materials.

Diagnosis and Intervention

The Urban Regeneration Masterplan for Vijus [URMV] responds to a complex set of territorial and social problems. At the strategic scale the plan works within the logic of the informal city by providing a new road to steer future informal urban growth towards safer high ground. Smaller scale punctual projects aim to defend the town from landslides and flooding, and improve the day to day life of residents by providing shade, reducing dust, and creating inclusive public spaces with areas to sit, play and rest.

Public spaces and civic buildings

A market and community centre will create a civic identity for the town. These strategically located facilities were proposed by the community and will be built and operated by them. The new market will help diversify the economy and establish the town as a regional agricultural centre. A mosaic for the adobe wall on the community centre & market will be designed by the town’s children through a participatory workshop. In this way, they will be represented in and take ownership of the buildings.

Participatory mapping

The participatory method in the form of a game, allowed them to define their town's priorities. Participatory activities also create community awareness, social interaction, civic engagement, and community resilience to respond to future natural disasters.

Strategies

In Peru, 20% of the land has a mining concession. The result has been a radical territorial transformation where mine tailings are a ubiquitous landscape element. The URMV proposes the recycling of local mine tailings for the fabrication of non-toxic geo-polymer pavers. This innovative solution would protect the landscape, reduce dust and provide permeable paving for all of the streets and plazas of Vijus. In addition to the use of mining waste as pavers, the project proposes the use of adobe and wood in the construction of a Community Centre, a Market and an Assembly Hall for the local school. These materials will help ensure buildings are comfortable given the extreme temperatures of Vijus. They are also renewable, locally made and carbon neutral. The use of adobe and wood in civic buildings could also raise their profile as “noble materials" with the goal that they become trendy in the construction of houses, and thereby create a new sustainable industry for the town.

Masterplan

The community led plan will empower the town to affect change at the strategic and punctual scales. The street is improved by small scale interventions: paving, trees, play areas and public seating. Vijus lack of civic buildings and social infrastructure. A new Community Centre provides a civic presence in the town square. Besides, a new market will help diversify the economy and develop Vijus as a regional agricultural centre. At the urban scale, a new bridge will act to connect the town and create a new centrality for Vijus. And finally, A riverfront esplanade doubles as a flood defense wall to protect the town from natural disasters.

Punctual projects