Urban renewal

The Város echilibrat (Balanced City) project aims to reverse the urban and social segregation of the project area, the San José neighbourhood of Almendralejo.

The intervention gives support to local policies that promote a tolerant, multicultural society, and creates a coherent urban image that values the integration and reuse of the existing buildings.

The project addresses the challenges faced by the Romanian Roma immigrant population, and stresses that the answer needs both the rebuilding of decent housing and urban strategies that allow the gradual social integration of the residents of San José.

The proposal combines the physical refurbishment of the buildings with work on the public space that encourages social cohesion and coexistence between communities.

The initiative recognises that segregation is not solved by building decent housing alone: it needs integrated urban strategies that help residents become part of the community over time.

The project proposes meeting places, community facilities and a general improvement of the urban setting that gives dignity to the neighbourhood and its people.