Implementing sustainable hydrology, accessibility and housing developments in a transforming community

The community of Chié is an informal neighbourhood situated in the northeast of Brazil. Due to periods of heavy rainfall and the lack of a functional sewerage system, the community struggles with floods. Despite these unfavourable aspects, the population of Chié continues to grow. Besides that, Chié also functions as an arriving city where new dwellers start building their informal settlements which causes a bad permeable urban fabric. Although its rather favourable location the district remains inaccessible from the urban centres. Working with the Catholic University of Pernambuco (UNICAP) showed the will of the residents to reinforce. The collaboration between the UNICAP and the University of Antwerp made a multidisciplinary research possible between architecture and urban design students.

The aim is to investigate in what way a sufficient hydrological system, sustainable dwellings and accessibility can improve the spatial quality of the community of Chié. In this research three scenarios of urban renewal emerged. One scenario where no government support is provided, one where there is a little support provided and the last scenario where the people of Chié are self- directed to achieve spatial quality. In this way by means of design, this research tries to find an answer to these three themes and to obtain spatial quality. The design can then be used as a negotiating document to help convincing the government to invest in the urban renewal of informal neighbourhoods such as Chié.