Built Environment. Objects. 

 

Urban Elements creates built objects or infrastructure that enhances the community's well-being, whether this be: physical, mental or otherwise practical.  Physical well-being could mean creating an urban garden with parallel capacity building on how to use the fruits and veggies in healthy recipes and cooking classes. Another alternative is creating through innovative engineering, clean drinking-water at the top of a steep edge hill in slopey terrain where mud slides abound and pipes don't give its residents clean drinking water. The topics vary to the geographic area and its respective issues, such as dealing with heat-waves and its damaging effects on homes made from roof tin or other re-used materials.

 

 

 

 

 

 

People. Attitude. Vibrancy​

 

Attitude (positive) is a central topic we deal with through social economics (social capital as a means of production). Urban Elements explores community engagement to create stronger families  in informal  settlements.  A strong society emphasizes activating socialization among all age groups in creative  and productive projects that capture social capital dormant within individuals. Both family and capacity building impact the neighborhood by linking stakeholders and  actors at all scales for a stroger sense of governance. Finally, vibrancy is activated within unused public spaces, in order to build activity with music, small shops, art, social entrepreneurship, informal shops, active conversation. The purpose is to develop projects that ignite civic action in informal settlements and edge zones of urban spaces to motivate action and social capital.

Nature. Ecology. Space.  

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The ecological enhancement of a neighborhood brings native species back to their natural habitat and increases the beautification of a neighborhood's native elements. These create safer and more attractive places to live, increasing their market value and the pride their citizens have for their area. We try to invite innovative solutions to third-world problems, bridging the North-South divide. 

 

We explore how to create habitats for families so that there are a net zero energy, waste and water life cycle. We integrate ecology and larger analyses of the city's terrain, environmental shifts and changes, including analyzing seasons and river flows, to explore how architecture, design and nature can come together and instill a just economy, ecology and social equity. Nature is a central component that must be addressed through all funded projects.

Caracas, Venezuela 1010

All Images and Videos © Mabe Garcia