Abstract:

It is estimated that 1 in 8 people globally live in slums or slum-like conditions, with over three billion people needing adequate housing in the next 15 years. This housing crisis perpetuates poverty, denying millions a decent standard of living and access to sustainable urban development. This research uses Petare, the largest informal settlement in South America, as a test ground to explore resilient community structures and strategies to improve living conditions in marginalized urban areas. Amid systemic state neglect, collapsing public services, and chronic government dependency, Petare faces daily infrastructural crises. Access to basic needs such as clean water and reliable electricity remains limited, reinforcing cycles of poverty and disempowerment. Through site-specific research and analysis of Petare’s socio-political history, spatial configuration, and infrastructural challenges, the thesis identifies key areas for intervention, including housing degradation, lack of water and electricity, and the absence of communal and digital spaces. The study proposes three strategies: improved walkways and civic spaces, self-sufficient infrastructure for water and electricity, and incremental housing prototypes. Rooted in participatory design, these interventions empower residents as both users and creators of infrastructure, reimagining it as a spatial language of resistance and resilience that catalyzes social, economic, and spatial growth through care and local agency.