ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the process of consolidation and densification of two informal settlements, La Montañita and Julián Blanco, in Petare-Norte.1 Both are the result of three decades of building and development, produced mainly by their inhabitants. The building strategies of the original settlers and their families are examined to illustrate how this dense urban pattern and the compact urban form of clustered building structures have evolved.2 The positive and negative impact of the compact neighbourhood form on people’s lives is explored. The chapter questions how the future urban development of the consolidated parts of the socalled Ciudad de Barrios (City of the Barrios)3 could be supported, and if the concept of a compact city is a viable option for attaining sustainable urban development.
