Improvement of Neighbourhood and Housing
SELAVIP supports this project not only because it will address social groups living in critical conditions. It also makes possible for University students and young professionals to work with the poor. Since 2006 academics and students of the Faculty of Architecture volunteered to improve housing and living situation of families living in Villa Rivadavia. This year they continued working with other families. The community has an important role in this project. They provide and collect information and decide with the University what improvements will be implemented with assisted self-help strategies. Some relevant outcomes of this project are i) empowerment of local organizations and mutual collaboration among direct beneficiaries; ii) increased power of these organizations to negotiate with authorities the legalization of their settlement and houses; iii) VUCC provided families with updated architectural plans of their houses and extensions. The community presented to the City Council the problems they are facing, and an agreement was reached at a city level that priority would be given to the legalization of their land as a first step towards formalizing the settlement. Contact : Graciela Franchini, vucc@uccor.edu.ar
