Paz Juntos

While some societies face problems of crime and gang violence and are looking into different solutions, very little research exists on what community and architectural design and building can contribute to the reconstruction of the social fabric. This text explores how various elements and factors of architecture can be applied to reduce crime and gang violence activity in a city. By studying several manifestos and classic writings, this study will inquire the moral factor within architecture, the use of local materials and vernacular techniques, the definition of an architectural program that heals and the use of the members of the community hands for the construction of a building, the feel belonging and the ownership of a piece of architecture. La Libertad, El Salvador has been used as the place to put this into practice, being in the top most violent cities in the nation. The initiative of the architect to use the cities resources, such as bamboo as material to boost the economy through the architecture is explored to measure the impact in numbers by reducing rates of crime and gang activity in the city.