Hello everyone! My name is Costanza Tremante and I am a 2021 Gallatin Global Fellow in Urban Practice. I will be working with Paisaje Transversal this summer in Madrid, Spain. I am very excited to share with you all my current research and projects that I will be working on!
Project Summary
During my time working at Paisaje Transversal, I worked on two distinct projects, learning about how Paisaje Transversal utilizes participatory approaches to create urban regeneration initiatives as well as researching and learning about disadvantaged communities in Madrid. It was fascinating to hear about how communities can analyze a neighborhood’s overall needs and offer regenerative solutions tailored to their urban projects, by using the gamification approach, participatory gaming methods. Paisaje Transversal was able to measure participants’ preferences for community development using this method. As a result, Paisaje Transversal is able to derive and fine-tune solutions depending on residential goals. I was able to understand the importance of individual and community participation and how it suggests that urban transformations are ongoing rather than discrete.
In my second project, I was able to look at the perspectives of two vulnerable communities, Lavapiés and Tetuán, in dealing with COVID-19. These two areas were already separated primarily to gentrification prior to the pandemic, and there were several unsolved community issues. Many of these issues worsened as a result of the pandemic, generating conflict between residents and city officials. Many people were able to express their worries, while others had to look for jobs, and as a result, they were infected by COVID-19. Paisaje Transversal offered ten recommendations for cities in the aftermath of the coronavirus, which reflect some of United Cities and Local Governments’ concerns (UCLG). In the post-coronavirus age, they were able to foresee many possibilities for the future of cities and regions. Although all 10 proposals are critical, I feel that ensuring public services, financial assistance packages, and generational equality are the most critical for the neighborhoods of Lavapiés and Tetuán. In my study, I discussed how the City of Madrid must prioritize these three recommendations in order to address disparities and reduce COVID-19’s effects.
