The public hearing on the project of the Buenos Aires Government called “Young District” ended on Wednesday after four days in which political and social organizations they rejected it for its environmental impact and for considering it part of a “policy of handing over public lands”, while at the same time questioned for involving the transfer of the Indira Gandhi school.
With more than 200 people registeredsince last Friday the public hearing was held where the citizens of Buenos Aires were able to give their opinion on the “Youth District-Costanera Norte Masterplan”, an initiative of the Government of Horacio Rodríguez Larreta that seeks to install gastronomic and dance venues along about seven kilometers of the banks of the Río de La Plata.
The polygon defined for the new district begins at the limits of Parque de la Memoria and ends at the Costa Salguero property, passing in front of the Metropolitan Airport.
In total, it covers 73 hectares, of which 14 will be concessioned to private for “gastronomic, leisure, entertainment, sports and cultural” uses, according to local Executive spokesmen.
Although the hearing is not binding, the Buenos Aires Government has the obligation to take into account the opinions that were presented there and, in case of rejecting them, you must inform the reason.
During the hearing, one of the main criticisms was that the City Government did not disclose the “masterplan” in its entirety, but only fragmentsTherefore, it is not known precisely what the scope and environmental impact of the infrastructure and road works planned by the City Government for the new district will be.
One of the speakers, Bárbara Rossen, who spoke on behalf of the City’s Ombudsman, said that in the environmental impact study “the master plan is not reproduced” and “it is only commented on in fragments; that is, it is not analyzed as a system but as a succession of isolated parts”.
Collective of architects in defense of public lands @gabicerru @Les_jovenes @CDArquitectas @jmvaldesre @TognettiDaniel pic.twitter.com/QCMdQSchTh
— Barbara Rossen (@BarbaraRossen) January 19, 2021
According to what was reported by the Buenos Aires Government, the Young District project “provides for a set of civil infrastructure works, roads, installation of urban furniture and the development of parks and public spaces with their services”, as well as “the development of recreation circuits, cultural activities and gastronomic, playful spacessports practice and tourist spots“.
Another criticism was that the environmental impact study excluded two farms from the analysis which, according to what was reported by the local government itself, are part of the Young District: Salguero Coast and Punta Carrascowhere the construction of houses, hotels, shops and offices was authorized.
By excluding these two properties, which add 32 hectaresthe environmental impact study only takes into account the uses of gastronomic and dance venues and spaces for cultural and sports activities.
“The environmental evaluation presented is partial, since it is carried out only for four sectors, leaving out sector five, Costa Salguero, the largest and most important. If it were taken into consideration, the survey would account for a considerably higher construction capacity“warned several members of the Collective of Architects in Defense of Public Landswho read a document prepared together.
Another question referred to what is established by the Buenos Aires Constitutionaccording to which the green and public spaces on the banks of the Río de la Plata must be “recovered and increased”, therefore, when a concession to a private entity ends in that area, the property in question should be made freely available again.
“The City Constitution clearly establishes in its article 8 that the lands that are part of the riverside contour are public and of free access and circulation“, said Nidia Bellene, when reading the document of the Collective of Architects on Wednesday.
In her turn, the former Buenos Aires legislator of the Left Front, Mercedes de Mendieta, expressed her rejection to “this project for the delivery of public lands”, which is added to the “more than 500 hectares auctioned off first with (Mauricio) Macri and then with Larreta, at the service of real estate speculation”.
I left you my speech today at the public hearing against the delivery of Costanera Norte by the Larreta government. https://t.co/mwuHLSk1Ap
– Mechi de Mendieta (@MechiDemen) February 16, 2022
Several participants also they rejected the transfer of the Indira Gandhi public schoolwhich operated on a property near Parque Norte and Parque de la Memoria, but with the construction of the Distrito Joven It is presumed that it will be taken to a property in Barrio 31, in Retirowhich is rejected by the educational community of this school.
In this regard, Laura Fiumara, who introduced herself as a “teacher 35 years ago”, said she was “outraged by the closure of a model school to make way for a real estate development“.
And he added that “schools are not closed or moved, they are built, cared for and improved”, and accused the City Government of “constantly attacking public education“.
