Gobierno de la Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires
The Pitch
The Government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires (Gobierno de la Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires) used the Building Information Modeling (BIM) approach and participatory planning to formalize infrastructure and public services in Barrio Mugica, integrating the neighborhood with the rest of the city.
The Problem
An informal settlement that lacked safe infrastructure and reliable public service systems, Barrio Mugica faced sanitation problems and isolation from the broader urban landscape. The neighborhood was not recognized on maps and residents did not interact with the rest of the city.
The Process
- Created the Barrio Mugica Project to integrate Barrio Mugica into Buenos Aires’ formal urban landscape
- Used the BIM approach and citizen participation to plan, collect information and make decisions
- Improved existing housing, expanded mobility options, added infrastructure needed for basic services and created new public spaces
- Recognized the pre-existence of existing housing and the historical and cultural value of what was constructed by the community
The Impact
- Added 17 kilometers of new infrastructure to improve mobility
- Established formal connections to basic services to address sanitation problems
- Installed public lighting
- Improved streets
- Upgraded 26+ public spaces and created 4,000+ square meters of additional public spaces
- Improved 2,140 existing homes and built 1,000+ new homes to house families who had been living in unsafe conditions under a highway, increasing the amount of residents who have access to formalized housing to 40,000+
- Helped to integrate the neighborhood with the rest of the city via infrastructure formalization
- Allows neighbors from other areas of the city to visit
- Generated economic progress for 1,200+ businesses and 1,740 entrepreneurs
- Worked to get Barrio Mugica’s restaurants and stores on delivery apps
- Set the neighborhood on a path toward social, cultural and economic integration with the rest of Buenos Aires
