Sociocultural viability of vertical social housing. Ciudad Juarez, sustainable densification of a border city

Abstract

We present a qualitative study that inquires on the qualities of adequate and habitable social housing. In Mexico, social housing policies currently debate between the need to  promote the compact city and the cultural adequation to this model, in recognition of the sociocultural differences in the ways of living. To stimulate compactness in a  sociocultural sustainable way without impairing habitability, it is necessary to consider the context, preferences and lifestyles of the inhabitants, as an essential step to not only build social housing, but also promote livable communities. In this sense, a qualitative study developed from the application of a survey is presented, that seeks to assess whether the promotion of densification is sociocultural sustainable, as well as to identify criteria for urban and architectural design that are appropriate to the living preferences and lifestyles of the inhabitants. We take as a case study the main neighborhoods with existing vertical  social housing typologies in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, the second largest border city in northern Mexico, where policies to promote compactness have been received with skepticism, under the argument that the borderlands have an attachment to the single-family home with a patio. The  contribution of the work lies on promoting compact and livable communities, from the consideration of sociocultural adequate housing. This can refine the mechanisms for adopting this strategy within the framework of the social housing program in cities of this border region, and in other localities where the study can be replicated.