Photo: Vasco Szinetar
Convert a former military airport into a sustainable urban park? Now you can imagine the challenge faced by Associate Professor of Architecture Manuel Delgado (left) when he entered the Venezuelan design competition La Carlota. Along with a team of Venezuelan and Colombian architects, Delgado won the design challenge over 69 other entries.
The team’s proposal, “Natural and Social Reintegration of Caracas,” includes plans for a park system to connect the city, restore the Rio Guaire, and add pedestrian amenities and new subway stops. The plan will be put into action as part of the Caracas Metropolitan Strategic Plan 2020, which aims to improve quality of life in the Venezuelan capital.
“This represents a great opportunity to approach a more sustainable model for the city of Caracas,” Delgado says.
Delgado’s time in Boston helped shape his vision for Caracas. His winning design included a trolley line, similar to Boston’s Green Line, which would run around the park, as well as an esplanade, called the Agora, suitable for large gatherings that could also serve as an emergency helipad.
“The ultimate goal of this work is the ability to provide an opportunity for the residents of Caracas to rediscover and learn to live in harmony with their surrounding spaces,” Delgado and his colleagues wrote in their submission.
The work of Delgado and his colleagues was celebrated at the Designing for Life symposium, held at Wentworth in July, which featured a keynote address from Antonio Ledezma, mayor of Caracas.
–Kimberly Thorpe
