2015 Theses Master's
Service Provision in the Slums: The Case of La Perla in San Juan, Puerto Rico
The purpose of this thesis is to study the basic services and infrastructure available to residents of the informal settlement of La Perla in San Juan, Puerto Rico. This thesis researched the availability of services, the acquisition and quality of these services and who provided them. This research concurrently explores the governance structures that emerged as a result of marginalization, the absence of government involvement and the endurance of La Perla for over a century. The research design consisted of reviewing background documents, photographing the study site, and interviewing both residents and local government officials. Seven public services were selected for study within La Perla: electricity, water, garbage collection, public transportation, education, fire and rescue, and safety and security. The findings show La Perla challenges the perception of informal settlements as places that lack access to public services and infrastructure with a mix of formality and informality in its built form and availability of the services studied in this thesis.
El objetivo de esta tesis es el estudio de los servicios basicos e infraestructura disponible a los residentes de la comunidad informal de La Perla en San Juan, Puerto Rico. Esta tesis analizs los servicios, la adquisicisn y calidad de los mismos y sus proveedores. La tesis, de forma concurrente, explora cuales estructuras gubernamentales y que necesidades emergen como resultado de la ausencia de servicios gubernamentales y la perpetuidad de La Perla como comunidad marginada por mas de un siglo. El estudio consistis en revisar documentos antecedentes, fotografiar el sitio de estudio, y entrevistar residentes y funcionarios del gobierno local. Siete servicios pzblicos fueron seleccionados para estudiar dentro de La Perla: electricidad, agua, coleccisn de basura, transportacisn pzblica, educacisn, fuego y rescate, y seguridad y proteccisn. Los hallazgos muestran que La Perla desafma la percepcisn de las comunidades informales como lugares que carecen de acceso a los servicios pzblicos y la infraestructura con una mezcla de formalidad y la informalidad en su forma construida y la disponibilidad de los servicios estudiados en esta tesis.
Geographic Areas
Files
- VegaValdiviesoYesmin_GSAPPUP_2015_Thesis.pdf application/pdf 13.4 MB Download File
More About This Work
- Academic Units
- Urban Planning
- Thesis Advisors
- Beauregard, Robert
- Degree
- M.S., Columbia University
- Published Here
- July 17, 2015