Informal hillside settlements in Bolivia are a direct consequence of rural migration and the inability of the state to ensure access to housing for all newcomers arriving in the city. In this context, hills represent the natural destiny of the population that displaced from the field, has not been able to integrate with the city. From a methodological point of view, the proposal is done for neighborhood Plan 700, with the aim to identify typical solutions and replicable strategies seeking to develop greater capacities for resilience to present and future impacts in territories with similar physical, social and environmental conditions. The proposal seeks to find a solution for urban consolidation in informal settlements on the outskirts of Cochabamba (Bolivia), from the perspective of neighborhood improvement and the implementation of a new urban development.

Regarding the main problems – steep terrain and lack of access to water – a system of retaining walls and water tanks is proposed as project generator. The land that has been dug out is reused for the rammed earth postressed walls, arranged perpendicular to the retaining walls. The construction sequence is adapted to the topography and the environment. Housing, facilities and mixed use takes place between walls, under a flexible, progressive in time and adaptable programme. Collective space, located between containment perimeter and housing works as semi-public/semi-private, hosting several uses related to water and providing access to housing and facilities. Roof is dynamic, as public space and as area of rainwater collection, for further storage in tanks and management for domestic use. Orchards are planned in between the housing, as part of the water process and providing ecological and environmental quality.