The 15^th and 16^th of June a formal presentation was made of the public space projects designed together with the communities of Chapellin and El Cardon in Caracas. The Swiss Ambassador in Venezuela was among the audience members invited to the event. The project emerges as a collaboration between the communities, Caracas MiConvive and Enlace Arqutiectura, with the support of the Swiss Embassy in Venezuela.

During the week of May 21^st 2018, Elisa was invited to participate in a workshop of the Master in Urban and territorial development at the Cataluna Politecnical University UPC together with Prof. María Isabel Espinoza. The ninth debate on “Latin American cities and territories” took place on May 22^ndand was moderated by Prof. Carles Llop.  Elisa presented the content of “CABA Cartography of the Caracas barrios” and the results of the AICA (Actions to Integrate Caracas) workshop sponsored by the Metropolitan Municipality.

Elisa Silva participates as invited guest at the event “La Caracas que Queremos” Wednesday May 4, 2018 at the Simon Bolivar auditorium complex. The initiative represents a space to promote debate and actualize a vision for Venezuela through concrete and current actions and programs that intervene in communities and the public domain from several perspectives.

We would like to invite you to the inauguration of the exhibition “Caracas in Three Historic Times” to commemorate the 450^th anniversary of Caracas and the 50^th anniversary of the Urbanism Institute. Enlace Arquitectura participates with the research project “CABA Cartography of the Caracas Barrios 1966-2014”. The exhibition is organized by the Extension Department at the FAU-UCV.

Place: Exhibition and Lecture Hall FAU UCV

Date: Monday April 23, 2018. 4:00pm

Elisa Silva was invited to speak at the VII Cisneros Foundation Seminar titled “Disruptions: Dilemmas Regarding the Image in Contemporaneity” curated by Ileana Ramírez. It considers art´s link with politics as it operates to construct new subjectivities, and encourage questioning of what Jacques Rancière called “the aesthetic and representative logic of art”. The event took place March 16 2018 at the Chacao Cultural Center. Elisa’s intervention centered on the relationship of Caracas’ inhabitants with the real city, denied and replace by a plutonic and narcissistic love that is disengaged and inoperative. A dysfunctional relationship and missed timing, as exemplified in Félix González Torres´ 1989 piece “Perfect Lovers.”

Elisa was invited to a live interview with Albani Losada and Unai Abenamar as part of their program on Radio Station Exitos 99.7, the 19^th of February 2018. The conversation centered on the role public space plays in building social cohesion in cities. The City Planting projects by Citibank and Fudep are examples of how communities come together to transform their environment, but also manifest their desire to be considered equals in the city. Enlace Arquitectura´s work on the mappings of Caracas´ informal settlements show that half of the urban population lives there, and yet they do not enjoy the same recognition, nor access to urban spaces such as public plazas and children playgrounds. They also spoke about the pending conversion of the city´s Rio Guaire into a continuous linear park, and the critical role civil society can represent in advancing urban transformation agendas.

Elisa participated in the 9^th UN Habitat World Urban Forum in Kuala Lumpur. The Conavi office of social housing in Mexico and the offices of UN Habitat in Mexico have formed an alliance to collaborate on research regarding implementation practices of the NAMA program on sustainable social housing. Elisa Silva will study current practices on existing sustainable social housing complexes and identify practice opportunities to improve implementation and achieve buildings that achieve the targets of reduced energy and water consumption. Conavi and Infonavit, the country´s main mortgage lender, have vowed to reduce carbon emissions 50% by 2020 through better social housing building and maintenance practices. 

We are pleased to communicate that Enlace Arquitectura and MiConvive have started a new collaboration to support communities in El Cardon - Antímano, La Hoyada - La Vega and Chapellín build new public spaces. The process entails a very close relationship with the community through didactic games focused on building awareness about the role and importance of public space. Design workshops allow community members to share their thoughts, desires and opinions about the space, and their continued involvement during the construction phase ensures appropriation and builds a sense of responsibility. We are very honored and excited to begin this new challenge.

Founding of the Biñ Yu Initiative in Mexico to support communities in rural areas of the Oaxaca Central Valley Region to gain empowerment through participatory workshops to improve their livelihood and the sustainability of their environmental conditions. These areas are typically plagued by extended drought seasons and diminished productivity due to the scarcity of water. However, in fact Oaxaca receives considerable amounts of yearly rain in comparison to other regions of Mexico. Studies reveal that better watershed management practices, reforestation and adoption sustainable agricultural practices could significantly increase water availability throughout the year. The Initiative´s intention is to increased awareness and support concrete investments together with the community to increase their productivity and livelihood. It members include Guillermo Chavez, Andres Faustinelli and Elisa Silva.

The publication “Downward spiral: El Helicoide´s Descent from Mall to Prison” edited by Celeste Olalquiaga and Lisa Blackmore takes place the 17th of January 2018, at the Center for Architecture in New York. The book docents the historic and present legacy of a modern architecture monument in Caracas that has become an urban ruin due to its misuse and lack of maintenance. Elisa Silva is a collaborator in the publication with the essay “Mapping the Barrios of Caracas” based on the research “CABA Cartography of the Caracas Barrios 1966-2014”

Place: Center for Architecture, 536 La Guardia Place, Nueva York