The architect and social activist, Ana Falú received the Jorge Camberos Garibi Medal at ArpaFIL on December 3rdthe International Meeting for Architecture and Design, which took place as part of the Guadalajara International Book Fairorganized together with University Center for Art, Architecture and Design (Cuaad) from the University of Guadalajara in Mexico.
The “Jorge Camberos Garibi” medal is awarded to outstanding personalities in urban planning, theory and practice. From the Cuaad, they argue that recognizing Falú “means recognizing a life dedicated to reimagining cities in terms of social justice, equity and inclusion.”
When asked how she finds this distinction, Falú assures that she finds it “in a moment of great serenity, personally and professionally.” And he continues: “It is with deep emotion that I accept the Jorge Camberos Garibi Medal, a tribute to an urban planner who understood that the city is a collective project and that our task is to improve people’s lives (…). I am also honored and excited by this award, which makes me the bearer of a recognition that I consider collective, for all of us who, in a tireless and sustainable way, from feminism to critical thinking in urban planning and “Architecture has contributed to the way we think about cities, their neighborhoods are facing a new epic despite the threat of setbacks and the demonization of the rights they have won.”
The return to democracy and the country
Ana Falú was born in Tucumán and chose to settle in Córdoba as soon as she returned to the country after her exile. She and her husband, architect Fernando Chaves, were part of the Latin American Association for Urbanism and Architecture in Ecuador. “We were strongly connected to Latin American groups working on housing and housing and we wanted to bring these experiences to Argentina. We thought that this would open a favorable process for working on these issues,” he explains.
That’s how it was born Exchange and Service Center for the Southern Cone of Argentina (Ciscsa). “The aim has always been to work on improving the conditions of social living space, collective proposals and housing alternatives that improve living conditions.”
Urbanism in feminist form
As part of her career and work as director of Ciscsa, Falú works on initiatives that address the intersection of gender and territory.
-How do you define feminist urbanism? When did you start thinking about urban planning in a feminist way?
-It is a collective construction, a reflection to which we have added many. We start from a simple statement: the city is not equal in its diversity for men and women; Urban areas are not neutral. Cities that exclude women not only reproduce social inequalities, but also gender inequalities and reinforce roles.
Feminist urbanism challenges the urbanism of modernity, which is built on hierarchies and an artificial separation between the productive and reproductive, and is designed for a supposedly universal subject – male, white, productive, heterosexual – that leaves out many men and almost all women. Also for bodies in old age, in childhood or for dissidents or those who live on the outskirts of the urbanized city.
For example, an urban design that contributes to security, to illuminated living spaces, above the hostile city with spikes on the benches so that those who “have no place” cannot even sit.
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– What variables or factors determine the housing situation of women in Córdoba?
– There is a high percentage of women who are solely responsible for their home and their relatives, i.e. for childhood and old age. They have precarious jobs, low incomes, live in precarious housing conditions, rent or insecure tenancy agreements. We have developed an urban tool, namely the Territorial Gender Vulnerability Index, with socio-economic and territorial indicators that explain what I claim. The areas of high vulnerability, lack of services and poverty are eight times larger than the richest and best served areas of the city.
– What debt does Córdoba still owe to feminist urbanism?
– Many. Policies generally remain gender-blind and non-inclusive. We know that violence continues and therefore the need to continue working. Córdoba has a good initiative at the provincial level, the Comprehensive Women’s Pole, it needs a lot more resources. Violence also takes place outside doors, in safe public spaces, in means of transport that must be safe. Much of this could be integrated into local politics, but so far it does not seem to be understood. Caregiving is crucial for women and especially for low-income households. What I can confirm is that in the most vulnerable areas of cities there is a lack of places for childcare and for older people, and this is a key issue to really have a gender policy and understand how important it is.. To this end, it is important to have services that enable women carers to “buy time” so that they can work, study and lead a social or political life. Urban planning is politics and services and care infrastructures are instruments of social gender redistribution.
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