La Morán is a barrio located toward the east of Caracas in the Libertador Municipality. It extends over an area of 15 hectares and has very limited access – from the south it can be reached from the Avenida Morán, and from the north through the social housing structures known as Casalta. La Morán is negatively affected by the presence of multiple clandestine open-air waste dumps that contaminate the environment. Enlace Arquitectura together with a local NGO and the community designed several projects to clear waste from the sites and transform them into new public space. The first one was built in the crossing of two paths, on a very steep slope in the neighborhood of La Acequia, where waste had accumulated over many years, and rainwater drained freely, mixed with sewage water from nearby homes. Members of the community helped build a proper rain channel, a modest platform and landscaping that serves as a neighborhood plaza. Given the difficulty in securing land for public space in barrios, waste dumps represent a valuable opportunity that has the added benefit of improving environmental conditions.

Client: Asociación Civil Comunitaria La Morán-Silsa | Team: Enlace Arquitectura and FUDEP Fomento para el Desarrollo Popular | Photography: Enlace Arquitectura