i APPROPRIATING MODERN ARCHITECTURE: DESIGNERS’ STRATEGIES AND DWELLERS’ TACTICS IN THE EVOLUTION OF THE 1950S VENEZUELAN SUPERBLOQUES By ©2015 Roberto I. Castillo Melo Submitted to the graduate degree program in Architecture and the Graduate Faculty of the University of Kansas in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. ________________________________ Chairperson: Dr. Marie-Alice L’Heureux ________________________________ Dr. Deborah Adams ________________________________ Dr. Farhan Karim ________________________________ Dr. Kirk McClure ________________________________ Dr. Mahbub Rashid Date Defended: May 12, 2015 ii The Dissertation Committee for Roberto I. Castillo Melo certifies that this is the approved version of the following dissertation: APPROPRIATING MODERN ARCHITECTURE: DESIGNERS’ STRATEGIES AND DWELLERS’ TACTICS IN THE EVOLUTION OF THE 1950S VENEZUELAN SUPERBLOQUES ________________________________ Chairperson: Marie-Alice L’Heureux Date approved: May 12, 2015 iii Abstract In the first half of the 20th century, masses of people moved from the decaying rural sector to Venezuelan cities in search of opportunities amid increasing revenues from the oil industry, which created greater demand for affordable housing. As the existing housing supply was deficient, they occupied Caracas’ vacant lands on slopes and green areas and built ranchos (hovels) on uncontrolled barrios (informal settlements). By 1950, an estimated 50,000 ranchos lined the hills of Caracas. As part of the so called “Batalla contra el Rancho”, (Battle against hovels), the dictatorship of Marcos Pérez Jiménez implemented a housing plan that used high-rise superbloques as the emblematic building type. From 1951 to 1958, the government built 97 superbloques with 17,934 apartments. Superbloques started to decay as soon as the dictatorship collapsed. In the last 60 years, the conditions affecting residents have changed in many ways and since the replacement of the superbloques is not conceivable due to Venezuela’s chronic housing shortages, their preservation is a present-day challenge. This dissertation is focused on the assessment of the present living conditions in the superbloques and compares two projects: Cerro Grande, the first superbloque built, that was aimed at middle income households and 23 de Enero, an emblematic community with many superbloques built for low-income households. While Cerro Grande crystalizes the ambitions of the planners to align the superbloque with trending ideas of the modern movement, 23 de Enero is an architecturally less elaborated solution addressing the increasing demand of low-cost housing solutions. This research builds an historical interpretation of the superbloque context and uses a qualitative research design that combines interviews with residents, on-site field observations, and the architectural analysis of the buildings themselves to assess the evolution of the physical organization. The research develops a theoretical framework based on Michel de Certeau´s descriptions of the dialogue between producers and consumers expressed through the use of strategies as a means of control by the former and tactics or ways of operating to navigate the everyday life by the latter. The study asses the dialogue between the strategies established by iv policymakers, planners, and architects in the implementation and design of superbloques and the tactics developed by residents to appropriate and transform the housing to meet their needs. As part of its outcomes, the investigation compares and analyzes the physical characteristics of the buildings to outline the evolution of the superbloque design. The study contributes to the discussion about the preservation of superbloques by outlining the differences between the evolution of the physical layout, the processes of appropriation of residents, and the challenges for the improvement of the quality of life in the two scenarios represented in both case studies. v Acknowledgements This dissertation could not be possible without the unconditional support that I received from my advisor Marie-Alice L’Heureux who accompanied me through all this five-year process with her great mentorship and kindness, even helping my family and me to feel Lawrence like home. I would also like to thank the members of my committee who helped shaped this research with their insights: Dr. Deborah “Deb” Adams, Dr. Farhan S. Karim, Dr. Kirk McClure, and Dr. Mahbub Rashid. I have been fortunate to receive the support of Fulbright in my first two years and also the generous support of KU School of Architecture Design and Planning. I would like to thank Keith Diaz-Moore, Nils Gore, and Paola Sanguinetti for giving me continuous academic support and the opportunity to teach; and many thanks to Steve Padget, Kapila Silva, and Kent Spreckelmeyer for their constant guidance. My appreciation goes also to the School´s staff for their effective support: Barb Seba, Bret Lawson, Patti baker, Cindy Muckey, Chris Bartholomew, Amy Hardman, and Henry Troyer. I will always have fond memories of my colleagues in the program especially of those who were there since I started: Julie Lawless, Nick Nepveux, Hadi Shateh, Sharmin Kader, and Nayma Khan. I owe a great deal to the Universidad Central de Venezuela’s Facultad de Arquitectura y Urbanismo in Caracas for granting me a long leave of absence and also to the Consejo para el Desarrollo Científico y Humanístico (CDCH)for providing me continuous financial support. My deepest appreciation is to those who encouraged me to seek for a PhD and supported me in my application for a Fulbright scholarship: María Isabel Peña, Iris Rosas, and especially Guillermo Barrios. My gratitude goes also to vi Beatriz Meza, who generously introduced me to her magnificent research on superbloques. I also would like to recognize the support of Gustavo Izaguirre, Alessandro Famiglietti, Ana María Marín, Milena Sosa, Joao de Freitas and Luís Polito. Also in Caracas, I owe my deepest gratitude to the two “gatekeepers” for their valuable help in the fieldwork: Ingrid in Cerro Grande and Carlos Gil in 23 de Enero. This work is also dedicated to the residents of Cerro Grande and La Cañada de La Iglesia and Sierra Maestra en el 23 that answered my call for their uninterested contribution. In Lawrence, I would like to acknowledge the support and affection of Susy Mariscal and her family who helped us settle down in Lawrence and also for her insights in the development of this research. I also feel grateful of the people who welcomed me in Lawrence: Jayhawks Geri Lamer, Suzanne House, and Aaron Huerter and my dear friends in the Fulbright Association: Hodgie Bricke, Angela Páez, Bovid Atouta, Alonso Canales, Rodrigo Arancibia, Goran Sabah, Ibrahima Ba, Majo Miselem-Panko, Alexander Myronenko, Rafa Martins, Adriana Guzmán, and Artie Markosov. Of course going through this process could not be possible without the constant patience, support, and love of my wife and daughters, Carla, Helena, and “dissertation baby” Carlota; they have been the best travel companions in this adventure. I would like to dedicate this achievement to them and also to my parents Rosa and Roberto who laid the foundations that allowed me to walk through the Campanile this year. Para Joel y Dyna a quienes extraño mucho y debo mi pasión por la arquitectura y la investigación. vii Table of Contents I. CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION AND RESEARCH SCAFFOLDING .................................................. 1 I. 1. What are Venezuelan Superbloques? ................................................................................. 2 I. 2. Significance of the Study ..................................................................................................... 6 I. 3. Research Purpose & Questions .......................................................................................... 8 I. 4. The Research Scaffolding ..................................................................................................10 II. CHAPTER TWO: STRATEGIES AND TACTICS, A THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK .......................... 31 II. 1. Foucault: Practices of Freedom versus Liberation Machines .............................................32 II. 2. De Certeau’s Producers / Consumers Dialogue ................................................................34 II. 3. The Ecosystems Perspective ............................................................................................38 II. 4. Theoretical Issues Related to the Characterization of Strategies and Tactics ....................42 III. CHAPTER THREE: HISTORICAL BACKGROUND ............................................................................. 53 III. 1. Venezuela Historical Forces: Wealth, the State and the People .......................................53 III. 2. Superbloques’ Historical Context: “Debut” ........................................................................56 III. 3. The Housing Issue and its Solution: the Rise of the Superbloque ....................................59 III. 4. The Battle Against the Rancho .........................................................................................61 III. 5. Precedents of the 1951 Housing Plan ..............................................................................62 III. 6. Superbloque and Utopia ...................................................................................................64 III. 7. Superbloque Critique and Stagnation ...............................................................................67