Productive forces and tensions of the city
How is Caracas made?
Current discussions in architecture and urbanism continue to consider individual use, guides to consumption, and the appropriation of space as the limits of what is possible in urban territories. Yet, appropriation and consumption do not imply a transformation of social and spatial relations. Since being in Caracas we have noticed forms of urbanism that are a part of a greater social transformation and not merely the appropriation of space within existing social relations. This is a transformative urbanism that is both spatial and social.
What are the specific sites and modes of production of contemporary Caracas?
We examine three entry points for the production of Caracas: modernist urban planning and architecture; participatory democracy; and the dominant economic force, the Venezuelan oil industry.