Guatiguará Valley – Moneo Brock

This project conceives of the Guatiguará Valley in Santander (Colombia) as a new focal point to build an efficient development model for the region with the express intention of counteracting the accelerated and disorderly growth of the metropolitan settlements by providing the services, infrastructure, commerce and facilities that can meet the needs of the local populations.

The project is based on an exhaustive analysis of the territory, its climate, topography, landscape and identity. This distillation of the essence of the region, its genetic code, led us to a development proposal based on the integration of the urban and rural areas, one that generates economic development by taking advantage of the valley’s natural potential.

Environmental corridors link the dry forest to the Rio de Oro Valley and connectivity is expanded to encourage territorial expansion in a less dispersed manner; the proposal for future urban development is based on continuity with existing centers and overall compactness. The latter would be carried out to ensure respect for the environment, manage environmental risks and improve existing services and infrastructure.

The Guatiguará Valley can only be projected as a sustainable environment if the local community is involved in its development. One main objective that arose from workshops with local actors is the need to recover the valley’s water quality. The final document lays out seven major strategies each with a detailed action plan towards the development of a healthy and sustainable territory that ensures the quality of life of its inhabitants, today and in the future.

This project has been developed by the team composed by Belén Moneo and Jeffrey Brock: international architects, founding partners of Moneo Brock Studio, Ester Higueras García: PhD architect, expert in bioclimatic urbanism and urban health and professor at the Polytechnic University of Madrid (UPM), Elisa Pozo Menéndez: urban architect, doing the PhD in urban health and active aging, Rafael Moneo: collaborator, architect of high prestige and worldwide recognition.