Venezuela's 45 storey skyscraper slum could finally be a skyscraper, as Venezuela Begins Relocation - Polidicks

[IMG]http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--2u4Qhqnb--/c_fit,fl_progressive,q_80,w_636/vgx6iqmxrhvjebrpscb4.jpg[/IMG] [QUOTE]Monday night began the relocation process of thousands of inhabitants living in Venezuela’s Torre de David ([URL="http://www.archdaily.com/420345/inside-the-world-s-tallest-slum-venezuela-s-tower-of-david/"]Tower of David[/URL]), the world’s tallest slum, according to reports by Venezuelan newspaper [URL="http://www.ultimasnoticias.com.ve/noticias/ciudad/parroquias/claves---5-claves-tras-el-desalojo-de-la-torre-de-.aspx#ixzz38Cz3TaZ9"]Últimas Noticias[/URL], [URL="http://www.bbc.co.uk/mundo/ultimas_noticias/2014/07/140721_ultnot_venezuela_desalojos_torre_david.shtml"]BBC Mundo[/URL] and tweets from journalists following the coverage. The relocation initiative is being carried out by the [URL="http://www.ultimasnoticias.com.ve/noticias/actualidad/sucesos/ordenan-desalojo-de-la-torre-de-david.aspx"]Interior and Justice Ministry[/URL], and comes just five days after [URL="http://www.archdaily.com/528516/thousands-of-inhabitants-may-be-relocated-as-chinese-bankers-eye-venezuela-s-torre-david/"]the announcement[/URL] that the Venezuelan government is in negotiations with Chinese banks interested in purchasing the building.As we previously reported, the negotiations with Chinese banks are being led by the Minister of State for the Revolutionary Transformation of Greater Caracas, Ernesto Villegas, and would involve the relocation of the tower’s current tenants to Cúa, a city 53 kilometers outside of the capital, possibly in December of this year. However, prior to the disclosure of the negotiations, the government [URL="http://www.minci.gob.ve/2014/07/gobierno-mejorara-calidad-de-vida-de-habitantes-de-torre-confinanzas-2/"]had announced[/URL] that they would perform “an analysis of the community in order to take the steps necessary to improve the living conditions and environment” of the tower’s residents. Yet despite this announcement to improve the living conditions, the government reportedly began relocating the Tower of David’s residents on July 21 at 10pm. The relocation is being carried out floor-by-floor and the inhabitants will be moved to housing solutions, primarily in Valles del Tuy, in Miranda state. The Tower of David negotiation coincides with the close of the XII China-Venezuela High Level Bi-national Committee, and the signing of 38 new cooperation agreements between both countries in addition to [URL="http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2014/07/21/actualidad/1405973469_339054.html"]US$4bn in loans from China[/URL]. [/QUOTE] [url]http://www.archdaily.com/529864/venezuela-begins-relocation-of-thousands-living-in-torre-de-david-the-world-s-tallest-slum/[/url]

That's where Nicholas Brody is hiding out

"skyscraper slum" sounds like some real cyberpunk/Mega-City One stuff

[QUOTE=Joazzz;45657659]"skyscraper slum" sounds like some real cyberpunk/Mega-City One stuff[/QUOTE] [IMG]http://i.imgur.com/jtpzgdv.png[/IMG] Peach Trees?

judge dredd was my first thought too

[QUOTE=Joazzz;45657659]"skyscraper slum" sounds like some real cyberpunk/Mega-City One stuff[/QUOTE] It's exactly as absurd as you think it is. I've heard stories about it (Never been really all that close to it since it's on a pretty rough area), and as far as I'm aware of it operated pretty much autonomously, it had basically it's own law enforced by criminal groups, who administrated the entire tower from leases to regulating public services usage and also used it as a den to hide guns, drugs, people they kidnapped, you name it. Amongst the weirdest features were a gym on one of the top floors, an indoor basketball court, several small locally owned groceries, fingerprint scanners to access the gangs' headquarters, a ridiculous amount of Chavez propaganda despite these people being squatters at best entirely forgotten by the government, and how the parking lot was a privately owned business by the same gangs, so you could park in there, get your parking ticket and everything without nobody screwing with your car. I've been meaning to find some pictures about the tower, I'll post them later if anybody cares about that. I just find the whole thing fascinating, how the tower is the third or fourth tallest building in Caracas yet it is used as a vertical slum, how people who were evacuated the tower had shit like flatscreen TVs as their sole personal items, how the government just got the people out of there because the Chinese wanted the tower for themselves.

[QUOTE=Big Bang;45658344]It's exactly as absurd as you think it is. I've heard stories about it (Never been really all that close to it since it's on a pretty rough area), and as far as I'm aware of it operated pretty much autonomously, it had basically it's own law enforced by criminal groups, who administrated the entire tower from leases to regulating public services usage and also used it as a den to hide guns, drugs, people they kidnapped, you name it. Amongst the weirdest features were a gym on one of the top floors, an indoor basketball court, several small locally owned groceries, fingerprint scanners to access the gangs' headquarters, a ridiculous amount of Chavez propaganda despite these people being squatters at best entirely forgotten by the government, and how the parking lot was a privately owned business by the same gangs, so you could park in there, get your parking ticket and everything without nobody screwing with your car. I've been meaning to find some pictures about the tower, I'll post them later if anybody cares about that. I just find the whole thing fascinating, how the tower is the third or fourth tallest building in Caracas yet it is used as a vertical slum, how people who were evacuated the tower had shit like flatscreen TVs as their sole personal items, how the government just got the people out of there because the Chinese wanted the tower for themselves.[/QUOTE] That's fucking crazy, reminds me of the Kowloon Walled City. [url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kowloon_Walled_City[/url]

[QUOTE=Big Bang;45658344]It's exactly as absurd as you think it is. I've heard stories about it (Never been really all that close to it since it's on a pretty rough area), and as far as I'm aware of it operated pretty much autonomously, it had basically it's own law enforced by criminal groups, who administrated the entire tower from leases to regulating public services usage and also used it as a den to hide guns, drugs, people they kidnapped, you name it. Amongst the weirdest features were a gym on one of the top floors, an indoor basketball court, several small locally owned groceries, fingerprint scanners to access the gangs' headquarters, a ridiculous amount of Chavez propaganda despite these people being squatters at best entirely forgotten by the government, and how the parking lot was a privately owned business by the same gangs, so you could park in there, get your parking ticket and everything without nobody screwing with your car. I've been meaning to find some pictures about the tower, I'll post them later if anybody cares about that. I just find the whole thing fascinating, how the tower is the third or fourth tallest building in Caracas yet it is used as a vertical slum, how people who were evacuated the tower had shit like flatscreen TVs as their sole personal items, how the government just got the people out of there because the Chinese wanted the tower for themselves.[/QUOTE] Fucking hell, it really IS Peach Trees.

[QUOTE=Sir Whoopsalot;45659401]Fucking hell, it really IS Peach Trees.[/QUOTE] Maybe the movie was inspired by this?

Alright, well, here's an image dump then Original design for the tower: [thumb]http://i.imgur.com/Le8RrJv.jpg[/thumb] Outside shots: [thumb]http://i.imgur.com/6taNFdd.jpg[/thumb][thumb]http://i.imgur.com/4NXow2O.jpg[/thumb][thumb]http://i.imgur.com/ABhNzCC.jpg[/thumb][thumb]http://i.imgur.com/LgPUb64.jpg[/thumb][thumb]http://i.imgur.com/39WSQKt.jpg[/thumb][thumb]http://i.imgur.com/FUDAIcG.jpg[/thumb] Inside shots and people who lived there: [thumb]http://i.imgur.com/Hu3ivxZ.jpg[/thumb][thumb]http://i.imgur.com/eYcv2u7.jpg[/thumb][thumb]http://i.imgur.com/KTavSgF.jpg[/thumb][thumb]http://i.imgur.com/dJgBBoT.jpg[/thumb][thumb]http://i.imgur.com/ljFSHgl.jpg[/thumb][thumb]http://i.imgur.com/ZzbdxpR.jpg[/thumb][thumb]http://i.imgur.com/r9Y9wXE.jpg[/thumb][thumb]http://i.imgur.com/qkXb3Hh.jpg[/thumb][thumb]http://i.imgur.com/y1itlHF.jpg[/thumb][thumb]http://i.imgur.com/MqbN0nX.jpg[/thumb][thumb]http://i.imgur.com/tfKwfqa.jpg[/thumb][thumb]http://i.imgur.com/MC40HsI.jpg[/thumb]

[QUOTE=Hat-Wearing Man;45657657]That's where Nicholas Brody is hiding out[/QUOTE] I know you're probably joking, but it looks exactly like that. Where were those episodes shot?

[QUOTE=Sansa Stark;45660522]I know you're probably joking, but it looks exactly like that. Where were those episodes shot?[/QUOTE] It's supposed to be the same place, but it was shot in Puerto Rico

[QUOTE=Hat-Wearing Man;45660555]It's supposed to be the same place, but it was shot in Puerto Rico[/QUOTE] Oh, wow. That's cool. Place looks like a shit-hole, no offence to anyone who lives there. Also, [sp]RIP Brody[/sp].

[QUOTE=Big Bang;45659970][thumb]http://i.imgur.com/MC40HsI.jpg[/thumb][/QUOTE] that looks cozy as hell tbh

[QUOTE=Joazzz;45657659]"skyscraper slum" sounds like some real cyberpunk/Mega-City One stuff[/QUOTE] Still waiting for those galaxyscrapers.

That's cyberpunk as fuck

I would've liked to see a documentary about this before they relocated, oh well.

How can they even manage to complete the project? The thing is dilapidated as fuck. There's concrete hanging by rebar in massive crumbled sections, there's flooding in the basement, and half of the exposed supports for fire escapes and other support systems are rusted through. It'd cost a fortune to fix the place up, and cost less to demolish it and build something else in it's place.

[QUOTE=ewitwins;45663481]How can they even manage to complete the project? The thing is dilapidated as fuck. There's concrete hanging by rebar in massive crumbled sections, there's flooding in the basement, and half of the exposed supports for fire escapes and other support systems are rusted through. It'd cost a fortune to fix the place up, and cost less to demolish it and build something else in it's place.[/QUOTE] There were talks of demolishing the whole thing but knowing the Venezuelan government they will find a way to just reuse what's already up in the cheapest and most unsafe way possible.

Holy fuck, it's like a legal Kowloon Walled City. [t]http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/05/05/article-2139914-12EF3420000005DC-42_964x471.jpg[/t] This also reminds me how I really want to make a Garry's Mod RP map based on a cyberpunkish slum tower/city. If a map was done as the maximum source grid size, and had thousands of rooms, and such, it'd make a really interest, and really awesome map.