| La Morán, Caracas 2008 |
| Half of Venezuelan live in informal settlements. La Morán is one only one of them, located in the west side of Caracas. Integrating formal and informal parts of the city to improve the quality of life their inhabitants is vital. The high level of criminal activity and homicide between young male gangs, the frequency of adolescent pregnancies and the severely low levels of school attendance threaten the social and economic development of the community and sentence them to a chronic cycle of poverty. The academic exercise in La Moran began as a Master Plan to determine the best places and programs for intervention. Considering, the urgency of occupying young people’s leisure time, assuming that free time tends to result in crime, the creation of a Cultural Center seemed necessary. There is already a Choir (Pequeños Cantores ) in the School Carmen Salles , which is a start. Nonetheless, the building provides space for dancing and visual arts a well as an auditorium for cultural and community activities. Since this is a space for learning, entertainment and social gathering, its proximity to the school is essential to maintain it busy and active. Its location is approximately 45mts height from the nearest driveway, Av La Morán (equivalent to 15 floors). Hopefully, in the future it could be a destination for people from other nearby communities or the rest of Caracas, creating continuity between formal and informal city.    |