In days when the Telethon campaign is being carried out, columnist Rita Cox reflects on how cities respond to those who are disabled. “It is not necessary to emphasize the relevance of the work carried out in the fourteen institutes that have been set up in Chile. But we do have to ask ourselves how the cities are responding to those who have and could have, for infinite reasons, some type of mobility,” he analyzes.
The seventh edition of Open House Santiago (OH! Stgo) which, managed in Chile by Fundación Aldea, opens the doors of numerous buildings and spaces in the Metropolitan Region that usually do not have access to the general public. The initiative highlights contemporary architecture and landscaping and dialogues very well with Heritage Day.
Open House, which has versions in several capitals of the world, including Buenos Aires, was created in 1992 as a charity organization by the Englishwoman Vitoria Thornton, who detected that, thanks to her work as an architect, and the circuit she used to travel due to her work, and neighborhood of residence, had the privilege of access to the most brilliant of London architecture. Along with the desire to progressively manage a circuit of a few days of free access, Thornton opted for this socialization of works to generate the possibility of cultivating experience, eye and debate about the value of “a well-built environment.” designed” in the city.
A well-designed built environment? The question should worry us especially today, while a new Telethon campaign is underway. It is not necessary to emphasize the relevance of the work carried out in the fourteen institutes that have been created in Chile. But we do have to ask ourselves how cities are responding to those who have and could have, for infinite reasons, some type of mobility problem. It would be contradictory, even cruel, for those who make determinations in this regard – from the State to the private sector; from mayors and governors, to owners of shopping centers and bars – do not consider that rehabilitation should be accompanied by the right to the city.