Led by Sam Halvorsen from the School of Geography
Research:
This project seeks to empower Barrio Saldías, a small informal settlement in Buenos Aires facing challenges of long-lasting invisibility and exclusion from urban development initiatives. Barrio Saldías, like many informal neighborhoods, grapples with limited visibility, inadequate basic services, and infrastructural deficiencies, contributing to broader urban disparities. The initiative aims to address these challenges by enhancing the neighborhood's visibility through a mural, co-curated exhibition, and documentary. The goal is to foster public engagement, deepen collaboration with key stakeholders, and promote infrastructural upgrades in alignment with broader objectives of social inclusivity and democratic participation. By intertwining cultural initiatives with urban development, the project strives to recognize Barrio Saldías as an integral component of Buenos Aires' community and contribute to the larger discourse on equitable urban politics in Latin America
Impact:
The primary impact envisioned by this project lies in the recognition and full integration of Barrio Saldías as an indispensable component of Buenos Aires' community. Through initiatives like exhibitions, documentaries, intensifying public engagement, and instigating infrastructural upgrades, it enhanced the visibility and public profile of Barrio Saldías.
Stakeholders, including the residents, Roca Museum, and Buenos Aires' policy-makers, benefited from strengthened institutional capacity, increased community engagement, and a heightened focus on upgrading initiatives. The project's impact was evident in challenging prevailing narratives, placing community issues on the political agenda, and fostering collaborations between cultural institutions.
Funding Allocation:
The funds were strategically allocated to key components of the project. This included resources for a Post-Doctoral Research Associate (PDRA) to manage activities and coordination, a field site visit for the mural's inauguration and book dissemination, a capacity-enhancing trip to the UK for Roca Museum personnel, and costs related to the documentary, mural, and book promotion. The funding enabled the project to address specific needs, such as language translation, community engagement, and dissemination activities.
Lessons Learned
“The QMIF award involved planning future impacts, which is inevitably is a challenge, so getting the right balance between breadth and focus of impact strategies has been key. A key lesson learned has been not to leave the documentation of impacts until later in the project: this can and should begin from the start!" Sam Halvorsen