Detail of the El Aguaje park in Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas. R-Zero studio.
The accelerated expansion of Mexican cities is the result of their rapid growth and a lack of urban planning that leads to the segregation of the population.
In Tuxtla Gutiérrez, the capital of Chiapas, the architects of the R-Zero studio have built public spaces that contribute to rehabilitating marginalized neighborhoods, uniting the city.
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“For us,” say Alejandro Zárate and Edgar Velasco, founding partners of the R-Zero studio, “the challenge of public space is the democratization of places, so this series of interventions is based on the analysis of the site to generate programs in accordance with "the basic needs of the population that favor the construction of a more equitable and inclusive city."
As?
To start walking through the streets without fear.
Being able to meet in the shade of a tree.
Being able to stay in a public square.
That is why the proposals of Zárate and Velasco's study to energize and unite the city are, in general, buildings and gardens or squares that combine exteriors and interiors.
The new November 22 Market in Tuxtla Gutiérrez is thus a place of interaction and movement that “intends to be a blank canvas to be used by its tenants and visitors,” they explain.
The modular building, built with a reinforced concrete structure, is crowned by large barrel vaults that allow the passage of light and give the place its identity.
Red brick walls define and combine interior and exterior spaces.
It is the succession of patios that breaks the limits of the building and makes it porous to the relationship with the citizens.
Aerial view of the November 22 market, in Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas. R-Zero studio
Also in one of the most popular neighborhoods of Tuxtla Gutiérrez, El Aguaje Park seeks to offer rest and respite in one of the neighborhoods with the highest rate of insecurity in the city.
El Aguaje (watering hole) owes its name to the nature of the place, which tends to flood during the rainy season.
The park designed by R-Zero welcomes citizens on large benches that are retaining walls designed to withstand temporary flooding.
The architects speak of an “accessible and inclusive public promenade surrounded by trees already existing in the place, where inhabitants can walk safely or go to spend time with their friends and family.”
Beyond the promenade, this park includes two soccer and basketball fields (one for children and one for adults) that encourage physical activity, the relationship between neighbors as well as the occupation of public space.
This point is important: it is crowded squares that make public spaces safe.
The park even has a library with multiple spaces that are used for neighborhood community meetings.
That is why for the R-Zeta studio, beyond a landscaping exercise, the El Aguaje Park or the Mercado 22 deNovember are “agents of change for the transformation of neighborhoods, promoting the social and economic development of the community.”
The architects speak of dignified and safe spaces “where people can get together, develop cultural and recreational activities or simply live together feeling in a safe place.”
Interior of the 22 de Noviembre market in Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas.R-Zero Studio