Teddy Cruz: How architectural innovations migrate across borders

Prevodilac: Jelena Ilisić Lektor: Mile Živković

The urban explosion

Urbana eksplozija

of the last years of economic boom

poslednjih godina ekonomskog buma

also produced dramatic marginalization,

proizvela je takođe i dramatičnu marginalizaciju,

resulting in the explosion of slums

što je rezultovalo eksplozijom straćara

in many parts of the world.

u mnogim delovima sveta.

This polarization of enclaves of mega-wealth

Ova polarizacija enklava mega-bogatstva

surrounded by sectors of poverty

okruženih sektorima bede,

and the socioeconomic inequalities they have engendered

i socio-ekonomske nejednakosti koje su izazvale,

is really at the center of today's urban crisis.

su zaista u središtu današnje urbane krize.

But I want to begin tonight

Ali večeras želim da počnem

by suggesting that this urban crisis

sugestijom da ova urbana kriza

is not only economic or environmental.

nije samo ekonomska ili ekološka.

It's particularly a cultural crisis,

To je naročito kulturna kriza,

a crisis of the institutions

kriza institucija

unable to reimagine the stupid ways

nesposobnih da ponovo osmisle glupe načine

which we have been growing,

koje smo gajili,

unable to challenge the oil-hungry,

nesposobnih da postave izazov gladi za naftom,

selfish urbanization that have perpetuated

sebičnoj urbanizaciji koja je ovekovečila

cities based on consumption,

gradove zasnovane na potrošnji,

from southern California to New York to Dubai.

od južne Kalifornije, preko Njujorka, do Dubaija.

So I just really want to share with you a reflection

Tako da zaista želim da podelim sa vama misao

that the future of cities today

da budućnost gradova danas

depends less on buildings

zavisi manje od zgrada

and, in fact, depends more

a zapravo, zavisi više

on the fundamental reorganization of socioeconomic relations,

od temeljne reorganizacije socio-ekonomskih odnosa,

that the best ideas in the shaping

da najbolje ideje u oblikovanju

of the city in the future

grada budućnosti,

will not come from enclaves of economic power

neće doći iz enklava ekonomske moći

and abundance,

i izobilja,

but in fact from sectors of conflict and scarcity

nego zapravo iz sektora konflikta i oskudice,

from which an urgent imagination

iz kojih nas hitna mašta

can really inspire us to rethink urban growth today.

može zaista inspirisati da danas ponovo osmislimo urbani rast.

And let me illustrate what I mean

Dozvolite da ilustrujem šta mislim

by understanding or engaging sites of conflict

pod razumevanjem ili uključivanjem mesta koja su u konfliktu

as harboring creativity, as I briefly introduce you

kao luka kreativnosti, dok vas ukratko upoznajem

to the Tijuana-San Diego border region,

sa graničnim područjem Tihuana-San Dijego,

which has been the laboratory to rethink my practice as an architect.

koje je laboratorija za ponovno osmišljavanje moje arhitektonske prakse.

This is the wall, the border wall,

Ovo je zid, granični zid,

that separates San Diego and Tijuana,

koji razdvaja San Dijego i Tihuanu,

Latin America and the United States,

Latinsku Ameriku i Sjedinjene Države,

a physical emblem

fizički amblem

of exclusionary planning policies

isključive politike planiranja

that have perpetuated the division

koji je ovekovečio podelu

of communities, jurisdictions

zajednica, nadležnosti

and resources across the world.

i resursa u celom svetu.

In this border region, we find

U ovom graničnom području nalazimo

some of the wealthiest real estate,

neka od najbogatijih imanja,

as I once found in the edges of San Diego,

što sam jednom otkrio na obodu San Dijega,

barely 20 minutes away

jedva 20 minuta

from some of the poorest settlements in Latin America.

od nekih od najsiromašnijih naselja u Latinskoj Americi.

And while these two cities have the same population,

I dok ova dva grada imaju istu populaciju,

San Diego has grown six times larger than Tijuana

San Dijego je porastao šest puta veći od Tihuane

in the last decades,

u poslednjim decenijama,

immediately thrusting us to confront

gurnuvši nas da se suočimo

the tensions and conflicts

sa tenzijama i konfliktima

between sprawl and density,

između širenja i gustine,

which are at the center of today's discussion

koji su središte današnje diskusije

about environmental sustainability.

o ekološkoj održivosti.

So I've been arguing in the last years

Tako sam se poslednjih nekoliko godina prepirao

that, in fact, the slums of Tijuana can teach a lot

da zapravo straćare Tihuane mogu mnogo da pokažu

raširenosti San Dijega

to the sprawls of San Diego

when it comes to socioeconomic sustainability,

kada se radi o socio-ekonomskoj održivosti,

that we should pay attention and learn

da bi trebalo obratiti pažnju i učiti

from the many migrant communities

od mnogih migrantskih zajednica

on both sides of this border wall

sa obe strane ovog graničnog zida,

so that we can translate their informal processes

tako da možemo prevesti njihove neformalne procese

of urbanization.

urbanizacije.

What do I mean by the informal in this case?

Šta podrazumevam pod neformalnim u ovom slučaju?

I'm really just talking about

Zapravo pričam

the compendium of social practices of adaptation

o sažetom pregledu socijalnih praksi adaptacije

that enable many of these migrant communities

koje omogućavaju mnogima od ovih zajednica

to transgress imposed political and economic recipes

da prevaziđu nametnute političke i ekonomske recepte

of urbanization.

urbanizacije.

I'm talking simply about the creative intelligence

Govorim jednostavno o kreativnoj inteligenciji

of the bottom-up,

onih sa dna,

whether manifested in the slums of Tijuana

bilo da se manifestuje u straćarama Tihuane

that build themselves, in fact, with the waste of San Diego,

koje se zapravo same grade, otpadom San Dijega,

or the many migrant neighborhoods in Southern California

ili mnogim migrantskim naseljima južne Kalifornije

that have begun to be retrofitted with difference

koja su počela da naknadno ugrađuju razlike

in the last decades.

poslednjih decenija.

So I've been interested as an artist

Postao sam zainteresovan kao umetnik

in the measuring, the observation,

za merenje, posmatranje,

of many of the trans-border informal flows

mnogih prekograničnih neformalnih tokova

across this border:

preko ove granice:

in one direction, from south to north,

u jednom pravcu, sa juga na sever,

the flow of immigrants into the United States,

tok imigranata u Sjedinjene Države,

and from north to south the flow of waste

i sa severa na jug, tok otpada

from southern California into Tijuana.

iz južne Kalifornije u Tihuanu.

I'm referring to the recycling

Mislim na reciklažu

of these old post-war bungalows

ovih starih posleratnih bungalova,

that Mexican contractors bring to the border

koje su meksički građevinci doneli na granicu

as American developers are disposing of them

jer ih američki graditelji prodaju

in the process of building a more inflated version

u procesu izgradnje naduvanijih verzija

of suburbia in the last decades.

predgrađa poslednjih decenija.

So these are houses waiting to cross the border.

Tako ove kuće čekaju da pređu granicu.

Not only people cross the border here,

Ne prelaze ovde granicu samo ljudi,

but entire chunks of one city move to the next,

nego čitavi komadi jednog grada prelaze u drugi,

and when these houses are placed on top of these steel frames,

i kada se ove kuće smeste na ove čelične okvire,

they leave the first floor to become the second

prvi sprat postaje drugi

to be in-filled with more house,

da bi se popunilo još više kuće,

with a small business.

malim biznisom.

This layering of spaces and economies

Ovu slojevitost prostora i ekonomije

is very interesting to notice.

je veoma zanimljivo primetiti.

But not only houses, also small debris

Ali ne samo kuće, već i male krhotine

from one city, from San Diego, to Tijuana.

iz jednog grada, San Dijega, u Tihuanu.

Probably a lot of you have seen the rubber tires

Verovatno su mnogi od vas videli gume vozila

that are used in the slums to build retaining walls.

kako se koriste u straćarama za gradnju nosivih zidova.

But look at what people have done here in conditions

Ali pogledajte šta su ovde ljudi uradili u uslovima

of socioeconomic emergency.

socio-ekonomske urgentnosti.

They have figured out how to peel off the tire,

Shvatili su kako da ogule gume,

how to thread it and interlock it

kako da ih ispletu i skopčaju

to construct a more efficient retaining wall.

da bi izgradili efikasniji nosivi zid.

Or the garage doors that are brought

Ili garažna vrata koja se dovoze

from San Diego in trucks

iz San Dijega u kamionima

to become the new skin of emergency housing

da bi postala nova koža urgentnih naselja

in many of these slums

u mnogim od ovih straćara

surrounding the edges of Tijuana.

koji okružuju ivice Tihuane.

So while, as an architect,

I dok je za mene kao arhitektu

this is a very compelling thing to witness,

veoma neodoljivo da svedočim ovome,

this creative intelligence,

ovoj kreativnoj inteligenciji,

I also want to keep myself in check.

takođe želim da držim sebe pod kontrolom.

I don't want to romanticize poverty.

Ne želim da romantiziram siromaštvo.

I just want to suggest

Samo želim da sugerišem

that this informal urbanization

da ova neformalna urbanizacija

is not just the image of precariousness,

nije samo slika nestabilnosti,

that informality here, the informal,

da je ovde neformalnost, neformalno,

is really a set of socioeconomic and political procedures

zaista skup socio-ekonomskih i političkih procedura,

that we could translate as artists,

koje bismo mi kao umetnici mogli da prevedemo,

that this is about a bottom-up urbanization

da se radi o urbanizaciji sa dna

that performs.

koja se ovde izvodi.

See here, buildings are not important

Vidite, zgrade nisu važne

just for their looks,

samo zbog svog izgleda,

but, in fact, they are important for what they can do.

nego su zapravo važne zbog onog što mogu da učine.

They truly perform as they transform through time

One zaista dejstvuju dok se transformišu kroz vreme,

and as communities negotiate

i dok zajednice pregovaraju

the spaces and boundaries and resources.

o prostorima, granicama i resursima.

So while waste flows southbound,

I dok otpad teče prema jugu,

people go north in search of dollars,

ljudi idu na sever u potrazi za dolarima,

and most of my research has had to do

i veći deo mog istraživanja ima veze

with the impact of immigration

sa uticajem imigracije

in the alteration of the homogeneity

na izmenu homogenosti

of many neighborhoods in the United States,

mnogih naselja u Sjedinjenim Državama,

particularly in San Diego.

naročito u San Dijegu.

And I'm talking about how this begins to suggest

I govorim o tome kako ovo počinje da sugeriše

that the future of Southern California

da budućnost južne Kalifornije

depends on the retrofitting

zavisi od montaže

of the large urbanization -- I mean, on steroids --

obimne urbanizacije - mislim, od steroida -

with the small programs,

malim programima,

social and economic.

socijalnim i ekonomskim.

I'm referring to how immigrants,

Mislim na to kako imigranti,

when they come to these neighborhoods,

kada dođu u ova naselja,

they begin to alter the one-dimensionality

počinju da menjaju jednodimenzionalnost

of parcels and properties

parcela i imanja,

into more socially and economically complex systems,

u društveno i ekonomski složenije sisteme,

as they begin to plug an informal economy into a garage,

dok postavljaju neformalne poslove u garaži,

or as they build an illegal granny flat

ili dok grade baki ilegalan stan

to support an extended family.

da bi podržali proširenu porodicu.

This socioeconomic entrepreneurship

Socio-ekonomsko preduzetništvo

on the ground within these neighborhoods

na licu mesta, unutar ovih naselja,

really begins to suggest ways of translating that

zaista počinje da predlaže načine prevođenja toga

into new, inclusive and more equitable

u nove, inkluzivne i pravednije

land use policies.

politike korišćenja zemljišta.

So many stories emerge from these dynamics

Mnogo priča se pojavljuje iz ove dinamike

of alteration of space,

promene prostora,

such as "the informal Buddha,"

kao što je "neformalni Buda",

which tells the story of a small house

koji priča priču o maloj kući

that saved itself, it did not travel to Mexico,

koja se spasila, nije otputovala u Meksiko,

but it was retrofitted in the end

nego je na kraju bila pretvorena

into a Buddhist temple,

u budistički hram,

and in so doing,

i dok se to dešavalo,

this small house transforms or mutates

ova mala kuća se transformiše ili mutira

from a singular dwelling

iz jednog stambenog objekta,

into a small, or a micro, socioeconomic

u malu, ili mikro socio-ekonomsku

and cultural infrastructure inside a neighborhood.

i kulturnu infrastrukturu unutar naselja.

So these action neighborhoods, as I call them,

Tako ova akciona naselja, kako ih zovem,

really become the inspiration

zaista postaju inspiracija

to imagine other interpretations of citizenship

za zamišljanje inerpretacija državljanstva,

that have less to do, in fact,

koje ima, zapravo, manje veze

with belonging to the nation-state,

sa pripadanjem naciji-državi,

and more with upholding the notion of citizenship

a više sa podržavanjem ideje državljanstva

as a creative act

kao kreativnog čina

that reorganizes institutional protocols

koji reorganizuje institucionalne protokole

in the spaces of the city.

u prostorima u gradu.

As an artist, I've been interested, in fact,

Kao umetnik, zainteresovan sam zapravo

in the visualization of citizenship,

za vizualizaciju državljanstva,

the gathering of many anecdotes, urban stories,

sakupljanje mnogih anegdota, urbanih priča,

in order to narrativize the relationship

sa ciljem da naratorski formulišem vezu

between social processes and spaces.

između društvenih procesa i prostora.

This is a story of a group of teenagers

Ovo je priča o grupi tinejdžera

that one night, a few months ago,

koji su jedne noći, pre nekoliko meseci,

decided to invade this space under the freeway

odlučili da zaposednu ovaj prostor ispod autoputa,

to begin constructing their own skateboard park.

da počnu sa izgradnjom svog vlastitog skejt parka.

With shovels in hand, they started to dig.

Sa lopatama u rukama, počeli su da kopaju.

Two weeks later, the police stopped them.

Dve sedmice kasnije, policija ih je zaustavila.

They barricaded the place,

Zabarikadirali su mesto,

and the teenagers were evicted,

i tinejdžeri su iseljeni,

and the teenagers decided to fight back,

pa su odlučili da uzvrate udarac,

not with bank cards or slogans

ne bankovnim karticama ili sloganima,

but with constructing a critical process.

nego izgradnjom kritičkog procesa.

The first thing they did was to recognize

Prvo su prepoznali

the specificity of political jurisdiction

specifične političke jurisdikcije

inscribed in that empty space.

upisane na tom praznom prostoru.

They found out that they had been lucky

Saznali su da su imali sreće

because they had not begun to dig

jer nisu počeli da kopaju

under Caltrans territoy.

na teritoriji Kaltransa.

Caltrans is a state agency that governs the freeway,

Kaltrans je državna agencija koja upravlja autoputevima,

so it would have been very difficult to negotiate with them.

pa bi bilo jako teško pregovarati sa njima.

They were lucky, they said, because they began

Imali su sreće, kažu, jer su počeli

to dig under an arm of the freeway

da kopaju ispod dela autoputa

that belongs to the local municipality.

koji pripada lokalnoj opštini.

They were also lucky, they said,

Takođe su bili srećni, rekli su,

because they began to dig in a sort of

jer su počeli da kopaju na nekoj vrsti

Bermuda Triangle of jurisdiction,

bermudskog trougla nadležnosti,

between port authority, airport authority,

između uprave luke, uprave aerodroma,

two city districts, and a review board.

dva gradska distrikta i odbora za razmatranje.

All these red lines are the invisible

Sve ove crvene linije su nevidljive

political institutions that were inscribed

političke institucije koje su upisane

in that leftover empty space.

na tom preostalom praznom prostoru.

With this knowledge, these teenagers

Znajući to, ovi tinejdžeri

as skaters confronted the city.

su se kao skejteri suprotstavili gradu.

They came to the city attorney's office.

Došli su u kancelariju gradskog advokata.

The city attorney told them

Gradski advokat im je rekao

that in order to continue the negotiation

da ako žele da nastave sa pregovorima,

they had to become an NGO,

moraju da postanu NVO,

and of course they didn't know what an NGO was.

i naravno oni nisu znali šta je NVO.

They had to talk to their friends in Seattle

Morali su da razgovaraju sa svojim prijateljima u Sijetlu

who had gone through the same experience.

koji su prošli kroz isto iskustvo.

And they began to realize the necessity

I počeli su da shvataju da je neophodno

to organize themselves even deeper

da se organizuju još više

and began to fundraise, to organize budgets,

i počeli da sakupljaju sredstva, organizuju budžete,

to really be aware of all the knowledge

da zaista budu svesni sveg znanja

embedded in the urban code in San Diego

ugrađenog u urbani kod San Dijega,

so that they could begin to redefine

da bi mogli početi sa redefinisanjem

the very meaning of public space in the city,

samog značenja javnog prostora u gradu,

expanding it to other categories.

proširujući ga na druge kategorije.

At the end, the teenagers won the case

Na kraju, tinejdžeri su dobili slučaj

with that evidence, and they were able

sa tim dokazom, i bili su u stanju

to construct their skateboard park

da izgrade svoj skejt park

under that freeway.

ispod autoputa.

Now for many of you, this story

Za većinu vas, ova priča

might seem trivial or naive.

može izgledati trivijalno ili naivno.

For me as an architect, it has become

Za mene kao arhitektu, postala je

a fundamental narrative,

fundamentalna priča,

because it begins to teach me

jer je počela da me uči

that this micro-community

da ove mikro-zajednice

not only designed another category of public space

ne samo da dizajniraju drugu kategoriju javnog prostora,

but they also designed the socioeconomic protocols

nego dizajniraju i socio-ekonomske protokole,

that were necessary to be inscribed in that space

neophodne da budu upisani na tom prostoru

for its long-term sustainability.

radi njegove dugoročne održivosti.

They also taught me

Naučili su me takođe

that similar to the migrant communities

da su slično migrantskim zajednicama

on both sides of the border,

na obe strane granice,

they engaged conflict itself as a creative tool,

oni angažovali sam konflikt kao kreativno oruđe,

because they had to produce a process

jer su morali proizvesti proces

that enabled them to reorganize resources

koji im je omogućio reorganizaciju resursa

and the politics of the city.

i politike grada.

In that act, that informal,

Taj čin, to neformalno

bottom-up act of transgression,

prekršajno delo sa dna,

really began to trickle up

zaista je počelo

to transform top-down policy.

da transformiše upravljačku politku sa vrha.

Now this journey from the bottom-up

Ovo putovanje sa dna,

to the transformation of the top-down

ka transformaciji vrha,

is where I find hope today.

je mesto gde danas nalazim nadu.

And I'm thinking of how these modest alterations

I razmišljam kako ove skromne promene

with space and with policy

u prostoru i politici

in many cities in the world,

mnogih gradova sveta,

in primarily the urgency

u prvenstveno hitnosti

of a collective imagination

kolektivne mašte,

as these communities

dok ove zajednice

reimagine their own forms of governance,

ponovo osmišljavaju svoje oblike upravljanja,

social organization, and infrastructure,

društvenog organizovanja i infrastrukture,

really is at the center

zaista jesu u centru

of the new formation

novog oblikovanja

of democratic politics of the urban.

demokratskih politika grada.

It is, in fact, this that could become the framework

Zapravo, to je ono što bi moglo postati okvir

for producing new social

za proizvodnju nove socijalne

and economic justice in the city.

i ekonomske pravde u gradu.

I want to say this and emphasize it,

Želim da ovo kažem i naglasim,

because this is the only way I see

jer je to jedini način koji vidim,

that can enable us to move

koji nam danas može omogućiti pomak

from urbanizations of consumption

od urbanizacije potrošnje,

to neighborhoods of production today.

ka naseljima proizvodnje.

Thank you.

Hvala.

(Applause)

(Aplauz)