Borderscape: Weaving Political Boundaries in the Amazon Through Water Performance
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BORDERSCAPE: WEAVING POLITICAL BOUNDARIES IN THE AMAZON THROUGH WATER PERFORMANCE LUCILA SILVA-SANTISTEBAN MLA CANDIDATE 2017 Rhode Island School of Design A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Landscape Architecture Degree in the Department of Landscape Architecture of the Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, Rhode Island. By Lucila Silva-Santisteban May 30, 2017 Approved by Masters Examination Committee: Scheri Fultineer, Department Head, Landscape Architecture Suzanne Mathew, Primary Thesis Advisor Matt Donham, Secondary Thesis Advisor To my Family for the love, To Lili for the support, To Scheri for the opportunity, and to Suzanne for the structure. Contents Overview 6 Site 7 Phase 1 | EXPLORATION 10 Phase 2 | SUPERIMPOSITION 40 Phase 3 | PUNCTURE 59 Overall Assessment 80 Bibliography 83 Overview This research project is about how to connect political bordering urban systems through the natural structure for a coherent occupation between the built environment, ecosystems and resources following the Landscape Architecture lens that can address different scale systems simultaneously to create a holistic approach between them. And the proposition of a new type of landscape of this threshold territory as its own kind. Specifically looking at the bordering cities in the heart of the Amazon Region in South America that fall between Colombia, Brazil and Peru. Why the Amazon? Not only because of the usual fascination, but because of the crucial importance it has in the Earth’s well being. Being one of the most ecological diverse places in the world: holding 1 in 10 of the world’s known species1, comprehending 40% of the South American continent 2 and holding 15% of the planet’s fresh water 3. These type of landscapes have been left under the crystal-category-and-seal of “conservation”where a stance is needed by the rapid urbanization processes happening now which are accelerating each time more. The Amazon region is composed of the watershed of the same name. This larger “water” system includes 9 countries with the Amazon River, the largest in the world, as the umbilical chord connecting and nurturing it. 1 “Amazon.” WWF. World Wildlife Fund, n.d. Web. 23 Feb. 2017. 2 Buttler. “Facts about the Amazon Rainforest.” The Amazon Rainforest. Mongabay, n.d. Web. 31 May 2016. <http://rainforests.mongabay.com/amazon/amazon-rainforest-facts.html>. 3 “Human Appropriation of the World’s Fresh Water Supply.” Human Appropriation of the World’s Fresh Water Supply. University of Michigan, 2006. Web. 31 May 2016. 6 obo C squez Site á Avenida V This border city is composed of 3 nationalities were political boundaries are Carrera Avenida Calle 14 overlooked by the people’s dynamics in it. 11 V ásquez Cobo It is located in the heart of the Amazon Region and most central part of the Calle 14 C Calle 13 Calle 11 arrera 11 le 12 Amazon River totally disconnected from the corresponding capital cities. Cal e 11 Call Carrera 8 Calle 11 Calle 10 Carrera 7 Calle 9 Avenida Vásquez Cobo Carrera 9 Calle 8 Carrera 6 The 3 cities: Leticia, Colombia (North); Tabatinga, Brazil (South) and Santa Rosa Calle 8 Carrera 12 Calle 7 Carrera 8 Calle 6 Perimetral Norte Dois Calle 6 Island, Peru (West) Carrera 6 Ideal Afonso Carrera 11 Santa Rosa María Vieira María Rodrigues Rua Peri Rua Perimetral Norte Um Marechal Rondon Rua Life is entirely weaved the use of the 2 majority languages (Spanish and Costa da Rua Portuguese) plus the indigenous dialects is usual for the area as well as the 3 Rua da Patria Rua Dom Bosco Avenida da Amizade Rua Vilagran Cabrita Rua Men de Sá Rua Marechal Mallet Rua Marechal Mallet currencies: Pesos (COP), Sol (PEN) and Reais (BRP). Duque de Caxias Rua Marechal Mallet Rua Primeiro de Maio Rua General Sampaio Rua Tiradentes Rua Tiradentes Rua Marecha Rondon Osval Rua Fabio Lucena de Aragão do Cruz Rua Muñiz Osvaldo Cruz Rua Muñiz de Aragao Rua Santos Dumont Rua Vinte Seis Rua Santos Dumont Rua do Aterro Rua Santos Dumont Rua Santos Dumont Rua Francisco Gonçalo de Lima Rua Fábio Lucena Rua Tabatinga Rua Coronel Berg Rua Marechal Rondon Rua Dois Rua Almirante Tamandaré Rua Coronel Berg Rua Dois Rua Diogo Alves Rua Duarte Coelho Rua das comunicacoes Rua Ajuricaba Aires da Cunha Rua Duarte Coelho Rua Coronel Berg Rua Primeiro de Fevereiro ua Antonio Barbosa R Rua Um Rua Dom Adalberto de Marzzia Av. da Amizade Rua Castelo Braco Rua Duarte Coelho Aires da Cunha Rua Jerusalem Aires da Cunha Rua Joao Romario Rua Carneiro Rua Sargento Oscar Do Arlindao Rua da Patria Rua Expedicionário da Pátria Rua da Arruda Rua Marechal Rondon Rua Dom João VI Rua Sargento Oscar Rua Viuvav Vidal Samambaia Rua General Osório Tri-national city. Border between Colombia, Brazil and Peru in the Amazon. 7 8 9 Phase 1 EXPLORATION Investigation of the different layers and systems that make up the Border City 10 Abstract In this first phase the investigation looked to adjust and revise the collected fieldwork and analysis done during Wintersession 2017 to feed into the new direction the investigation is taking. After having visited the place where the investigation is set and having done a preliminary analysis, issues that were intuited were reinforced as major components of this investigation. Being these: sanitation, water quality issues, lack of connectivity and lack of public space. The main objectives of this phase are to: 1. Create a body of Contextual Information to introduce the place and its complexity in a larger scale. 2. Thoroughly understand the systems that make up the place (City Scale) through map analysis of the tangible and intangible components. 3. Introduce the driver component of the investigation: the Water. The main research question for this phase: What are the systems of this place (urban and ecological) and how are they spatialized in the territory? The systems that make up this landscape 11 Introduction Methods Many scales had to be addressed to understand the systems that make up this In general the method used for this phase, that will continue throughout all 3, place. The city scale which involves the 3 cities (Leticia-COL, Tabatinga,-BRA and is the Projective Design Research. Where knowledge is created by alternating Santa Rosa-PE) that function as 1 urban center and the regional scale that helps Deductive and Inductive methods which allows for accuracy and specificity at understand the context and reason of this settlement’s location and activities. the same time. Being that Deductive strategies are characterized by being TOP- During this phase there was an initial focus in the first part of the City scale DOWN where there is an intake of large groups of information to reach an systems which were thoroughly broken down for a better understanding of the specific goal and Inductive BOTTOM-UP, where there is the recognition of a dynamics of the city and their intrinsic relationships with the river and between particularity that drives the investigation. the people. Then there was the exploration on how to visualize the regional relationships that are very much given by the physical context to reinforce the 1. Literature Review + Theoretical Framework Definition construct that this city and its closer urban settlements are in fact part of 1 During the Fall semester of 2016 there was an initial phase which focused on region (The Amazon Region) and 1 identity. creating the theoretical base as well as an initial research of the site. In this phase Mapping exercises as well as a modeling one tried to highlight the total concepts were explored to help aid the discourse of the investigation such as: integration of urban systems and ecological within the place. border, borderland, fringe, ecotone, ecozone, Eco-regions. Taking from the Ecology field, the Urban Planning, Architecture and Landscape Fields definitions to be set as starting points of this possible new definition: “borderscape”. 2. Site Visit (Wintersession 2017) 3. Collection of Information and Classification 4. Analysis of the information through Mapping exercises. 5. Synthesis of analysis information through visualization methods as mapping and modeling. 12 Colombia The Amazon Basin Brazil Peru 13 Phase 1 | CONTEXT Structure, Cover, Watershed, Connectivity 14 15 16 17 18 Phase 1 | CONTEXT The River’s History Brief historical summary of major events of the region. The location for this research, the border between Colombia, Peru and Brazil, has been subject to major political spatial enforcement, meaning changes in occupation by different groups and agendas that have modified the landscape throughout time. This place has always been in the ‘eye of the storm’ of political struggle, making this an element inherent to its essence as a place. 19 1713-1750 Utrecht Treaty + Madrid Treaty Tratado de Utrecht, Tratado de Madrid Peace treaty between the Spanish and English Empires and definition of borders between the Spanish and Portuguese colonies in the Americas. Tabatinga appears as a military post defending the territory. Vice-royalties of the Americas Louisiana of New Spain (Audience of British Cuba) Colonies Viceroyalty of New Spain 1494 June 7 Tordesillas Treaty Tratado de Tordesillas Spanish and Portuguese Empire distribution of Viceroyalty of navigation and conquest zones. New Granada Viceroyalty of Brazil Viceroyalty of Peru Viceroyalty of La Plata Tordesillas treaty first known planisphere map 1502 20 75° 74° 73° 72° 71° 70° Salomon -Lozano 0° 0° Puerto Leguízamo Güepi Río Apaporis Treaty signed (1922) Río Yarí Leticia was ceded to Colombia