Housing, entryways and social architecture in poor borderlands of Mexicali

Abstract

This article presents a methodological approach to the insecurity associated with urban peripheries, using the western area of Mexicali, Baja California as a case study. Its focus is on the security of homes, the urban environment and inclusive communities, which serve as a protective mechanism, ranging from collaborative reinforcement of fences with recycled materials to neighbourhood surveillance networks that protect homes. Using the architectural design as inspiration, a prototype of security portals was created, highlighting the importance of local construction knowledge, recycling of materials and using interconnections between the home and the street. The dataset consists of field research conducted between January 2023 and June 2024. A triple method of analysis was used: (1) classification of facades within a polygon of several neighbourhoods in the Centinela area; (2) descriptive statistics based on a survey of perceived security in each street of the study area; and (3) participatory workshops to design urban strategies using materials obtained in the surroundings. The result is a proposal for entryways referred to as ‘sidewalkdesign’ because it combines the transition between the home, the sidewalk and the street, promotes neighbourhood spaces for meeting and cooperation and, most of all, ensures that homes remain safe through physical barriers and natural surveillance.