Managua's contemporary footprint radiates from a rectangular void: the former city which was destroyed by earthquake in 1972. The new city is growing around the 4 major bus stations at the corner points of that former downtown.
Within this 273 km2 - partially urban and partially rural - sprawl, 28% of all housing has been built in the form of spontaneous settlements where 97% of the houses are auto-constructed.
Nothing seems to be stable, the urban landscape is made up of both temporary and permanent constructions or temporary constructions that become permanent.
This study about the urban condition in Nicaragua's capital is connected to various proposals for housing developments and urban planning.
The work was presented in the exhibition series EW/NS 02 at the centre for architecture Arc en Reve in Bordeaux, France.
Credit
Oliver Schütte and Marije van Lidth de Jeude with the Municipality of Managua, the Universidad Nacional de Ingeneria (U.N.I.) in Managua, Nicaragua, the University of Houston (U of H) and local non-governmental organization (NGO) Habitar.
Managua, Nicaragua, 2002 – 2004.