Description

Scharloo and Fleur de Marie are two suburbs of Willemstad, the capital of Curaçao. They are situated close to each other, but each has its own history. Scharloo was a plantation and later became a wealthy neighborhood. Fleur de Marie, located on a rocky slope to the northwest of Scharloo, was once a community of immigrant laborers, primarily from Bonaire, who worked for the oil refinery that established itself on the island at the beginning of the twentieth century. These were once two vibrant communities near downtown Willemstad. Both were abandoned, deteriorated, and became characterized by a rising crime rate and the presence of drug addicts. This situation was addressed and changed by the implementation of an integral government policy in the first decade of the twenty-first century. Revitalization initiatives were established that aimed to make these neighborhoods safe and livable again by strengthening civic infrastructure and promoting sustainable mobility that reconnected the old and the new residents while instilling in them a joint sense of community The tour will show how the two neighborhoods of Fleur de Marie and Scharloo have preserved their cultural heritage within a revitalization process aimed at strengthening civic infrastructure and promoting sustainable mobility. It will be a guided walking tour in an urban landscape with buildings, some of which are renovated pieces of historic architecture, that gives a feeling of walking in a large-scale outdoor museum of livable spaces, geared toward the well-being of its residents.

Tour Itinerary:

9:00AM - Meet at University of Curacao for morning briefing

9:30AM - Board bus to tour site

10:00AM - 12:00PM - Tour Fleur de Marie and Scharloo

12:00PM - Lunch back at University of Curacao

13:00PM - 14:00PM - Case Study Panel Discussion