We worked to transform a depressed place outside the city walls into a sustainable, accessible space
Our educational center is located south of Plasencia, outside the city walls and divided from the city by the Jerte river.
We consider El Barrio San Miguel to be the neighborhood of opportunities, a possible factory of ideas and creation. For this reason, a group of students have thought about how to make this a neighborhood where everyone would like to come to live. The proposals are creative, ecological, functional and aesthetic.
Local
Spain
Plasencia, Cáceres
Mainly urban
It refers to a physical transformation of the built environment (hard investment)
No
No
As a representative of an organisation
Name of the organisation(s): IES Sierra de Santa Bárbara Type of organisation: Public authority (European/national/regional/local) First name of representative: Encarna López Roncero Last name of representative: Alberto Vives Valiente Age: 20 Please attach a copy of your national ID/residence card:
By ticking this box, I certify that the information regarding my age is factually correct. : Yes Gender: Female Nationality: Spain Function: Student Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: C. Aldehuela del Jerte, 13, 10600 Town: Plasencia Postal code: 10600 Country: Spain Direct Tel:+34 619 02 73 95 E-mail:mjmanzanares@gmail.com Website:https://iessierradesantabarbara.educarex.es/
The following project has been carried out through a process of research, diagnosis and search for solutions in order to modernize, green and convert the neighborhood of San Miguel de Plasencia, Cáceres, Extremadura, in a pleasant, attractive and useful area for citizens.
The area of action is the one closest to the river. The proposal is the reinvention and creation of new urban furniture looking for a sustainable, modern, aesthetic and practical character.
I propose a model of street lamp with a flat and hexagonal surface at the top in which each side of the polygon is an elongated LED bulb, so that it consumes less energy. The center, is formed by a solar panel in its entirety, to receive sunlight and that this contributes to the operation of the streetlight, thus, it will not use only electricity.
On the other hand, the benches will follow this hexagonal design on the sides. On the sides, they will be equipped with flat rectangular surfaces that will serve as seating for the citizens. At the top, joining the upper side of both hexagons, we will add a solar panel that will collect energy that will be used for civilians to charge phones, use their computers, etc. in sockets installed on the backs.
Tunnel passageway
Construction of stairs on each side of the tunnel that would allow the children to go safely to school as they should not encounter traffic.
Finally, creatively illuminate the three bridges that connect the neighborhood with the city.
These changes would highlight the beauty of the bridges that connect the neighborhood with the city, while respecting their antiquity, history and classic essence.
Accessibility
sustainability
creativity
functionality
interculturality
It would solve such a big problem as is the safe access to the place of education of these children, it would also be fully functional as it would not even have to redirect traffic, it is a structure that integrates perfectly into the landscape and is fully ergonomic as it is eye-catching and ready for people of all ages to pass through here. I think the idea is aesthetic and original as it plays with geometric elements and primary colors symbols of the original Bauhaus, colors that certainly capture the attention of people, and more of children .Even, it could be a totally sustainable idea as it could be made all from recycled glass from bottles in the neighborhood, which also will return to give some aesthetic touch, imagine the light of sunrise or sunset being reflected and directed in all directions by dozens of colored prisms.
The passage of the tunnel, lampposts and river furniture will revolve around a driving unit that will be present throughout the tunnel. This will be the bees. We think of the hexagon of the honeycombs as a thread to unite all the creations and renovations. The bees symbolize prosperity, teamwork, effort, which are values that perfectly define the working class neighborhood of San Miguel.
The lights that illuminate the bridges would contribute to beautify and integrate the depressed neighborhood outside the walls into the city as an example of social inclusion.
Our project would help improve access to education for many children in the neighborhood in terms of safety. It would also bring the neighborhood closer to the rest of the city, helping to narrow the socioeconomic gap that currently exists between the two.
The context in which the neighborhood is located. An area that historically has been a working class area, a place of factories, industries, etc. Currently, it is inhabited by more than 10,000 placentinos and is one of the most multicultural neighborhoods in the city due to the immigration that has taken place and the gypsy population that lives in it. In addition, there is a notable difference between the ages of its citizens, we can find from very young children to people of an older age.
In terms of aesthetics, the neighborhood is neglected, with peeling buildings, garbage on the street, sidewalks in poor condition, full containers ... In short, we have enough work ahead, especially considering that San Miguel has one of the main entrances to the city, as well as some places quite frequented, for example: the Institute Sierra de Santa Barbara, the train station, the soccer field, several supermarkets, etc..
It is an idea that is in prototype phase
It is an idea that is in prototype phase
The whole project is based on the in situ knowledge of the spaces. After getting to know the neighborhood and its casuistry, we worked on aspects such as teamwork, information search, writing, photo processing and the development and presentation of the different projects in a school environment. Disciplines: linguistic, artistic and social.
It is a very integrative research work at an academic level since the student is positioned as a creator and inventor. As a possibility of changing unfavorable situations and depressed spaces into more habitable ones.
Our project is based on the creation of ideas and proposals that propose the participation and commitment of citizens as students of our school. In the reflection and improvement of some concrete inhabitants in a concrete place of a small city. The action plan is included in the educational field and in the transmission of ideas and proposals to higher levels such as the mayor's office of the city.
The year after this call we will continue working on the creation of ideas, in particular on the improvement of our school as a place of meeting and knowledge and we will try to think about improving the common spaces. Our students have a great creative potential, as they are students of a Bachelor of Arts. So they are committed to society through art. And they are able to transform their reality through innovation and creativity.
The main key of our project is to transform a neighborhood with different actions. The work of creating ideas has been done entirely in the educational space so it can serve as a reference to work this same ideas in other centers, even in our school with other students and compare the results.
The work process has been simple:
- Visit to the neighborhood to collect information, photographs, interviews with the inhabitants of the neighborhood to know their needs.
- Each student focuses on an idea and communicates it to the whole class so that the proposals are not repeated.
- Research work on the topic to be developed, search for information, other proposals and similar ideas.
- Development of the project by hand sketches to digitize them later, layout work and creation of simulated images.
- The resulting product has been a series of proposals from which we have chosen three. But we would like to mention the others: Reception center for temporary workers. Adaptation of the slope of the river. Visibility of the bridges. School tunnel. Greenhouse and vertical garden. Living Museum. Barter SHOP. Recreational kiosk. Leisure center for the elderly. Bench seating design. Cultural Center. Bookstore-café and summer cinema. Cultural Integration Center. Ecological Park and Ecological Parking. Mobile library. Design of litter garbage cans. Bruges Market. Hostel for travelers and Art Center LA NUEVA BAUHAUS.
- To finalize all these proposals were taken personally to the City Hall where each student was able to explain his proposal to the mayor of the city.
The transformation of a neighborhood with concrete actions that integrate the river and its banks as well as the greenway that crosses the tunnel favors social inclusion as it makes the entrance of children to school more accessible. Another challenge is the preservation and restoration of the river environment as a common task for the community as well as the creation of green areas as connectors between the city and the neighborhood. All these transformations provide real and possible solutions.
