Rebuilding Puerto Rico after Hurricanes Irma and Maria. The resistance of the suburban settlement culture in the Caribbean

Abstract

This short study documents a summary of the cultural and technical debate on ‘reconstruction’ developed in recent years in the specific context of Puerto Rico, following the environmental and economic disaster caused by two successive hurricanes on the island in 2017, Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria. The design interventions and long-term visions promoted through an initiative, Puerto Rico Re_Start, led after the disaster by the University of Florida, with the support of the main local universities, and the housing solutions developed by the most culturally active architects of the island, show that the typically American suburban settlement culture, despite the evident risks, continues to be the preferred choice of Puerto Ricans. The text also highlights, through reference to some field studies carried out by a Sapienza University team within the initiatives of the University of Florida, the insufficiency of the suburban settlement model compared to the mobility system and the means of transport most commonly used on the island.

Keywords

• caribe
• cambiamento climatico
• san juan