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Caracas: Connecting slums to the rest of the city by urban cable car

Caracas, Venezuela, uses cable cars to connect the slums with the rest of the city. This case provides an innovative solution to often poor infrastructure in urban slum. A Think Tank in Caracas proposed this idea, and the municipality is now working on constructing it. Sustainable Cities believe the case provides a good example of the social perspectives of mobility questions.

In Caracas like in many cities around the world, slums are spreading around the formal city. The slums tend to occupy hillsides and are very poorly connected to the rest of the city. Now The Urban Think Tank of Caracas has suggested urban cable cars as a transport solution. The San Augustin Neighbourhood is a hillside community inhabitet by about 40.000 people. It is one of the most highly visible slums in Caracas located near the University City and it is in this area the project will be realised.

Five stations will be built on the 2.1 kilometre route. The route begins and ends close to public transportation links in the formal city and stop at three places along the crest of the hill. One of the stations will include health care, day care, supermarkets, and recreation facilities. The anticipated consequences of introducing cable cars are huge – as it may transform the hillside shanty towns.