06.02.12

Breakthrough in the Posconflicto Laboratory, Guatemala

Guatemala City Council votes unanimously in favor of the Posconflicto Laboratory. This project has been selected for the main exhibition of the 5th IABR: Making City.

On January 11th, the Guatemala City Council unanimously voted in favor of creating the Housing and Urban Development Metropolitan Agency of Guatemala, establishing the institution that Posconflicto Laboratory proposed as part of its project for the 5th IABR: Making City. In addition, the pilot project within the Productive Housing Program was voted to begin implementation immediately. This means that URBANÍSTICA-Taller del Espacio Público, the Municipality's architecture and urban design unit, transforms into an autonomous agency incorporating housing as a priority in its work agenda, and with the capability of working at a metropolitan scale.

Roberto Soundy, of the Posconflicto Laboratory: “Our project's participation in the IABR has fostered an unprecedented fertile ground allowing the Universidad de San Carlos, the Vice-ministry of Housing and especially the Municipality of Guatemala to gather critical support for the project. At the same time, it has enabled us to engage in a productive debate to break ground and make operative the urgent need of a social housing policy in Central America.”