Los Puentes (The Bridges)

A dense urban barrio with hundreds of houses built up on stilts over the ocean. Los Puentes began as an invasion on the periphery of the downtown commercial district. People came in the night to quickly build the foundations of their houses, claiming a piece of land. The houses were built close together along common elevated, wooden walkways, extending from the fabric of the city, they were later developed into concrete streets raised above the water on piers. The street is the most active living space in the neighborhood. The fronts of the houses have large decks which effectively widen the street, making a long series of outdoor spaces that are used for work, gathering, bakeries, canteens, food and drink stands. Formally every house in the barrio is of the same type, with dark, private interior spaces behind a very public street facade. The back of the house is a relatively private outdoor deck for cooking, cleaning and domestic livestock.

Map: The larger dark segments belong to the fabric of the city that is laid out on dry land the smaller marks represent the community of Los Puentes, built on stilts over the ocean.