Abstract
This paper examines the rehabilitation of mesones in San Salvador following the 1986 earthquake, these buildings being particularly vulnerable to earthquake damage as a result of lack of maintenance. Mesones are old colonial style houses, originally built for rich households, which now provide one room per family rental accommodation for those with low incomes. In 1986, GTZ were looking to initiate a housing programme in collaboration with the government of El Salvador and, following the earthquake, the government responded positively with a proposal for an urban renewal programme. This paper describes how development institutions work with local agencies to address the need for housing improvements and how, in the absence of any interest on the part of previous owners, a shift has occurred away from rental accommodation towards home ownership. Section I describes the mesones, the socio-cultural conditions of the residents and the characteristics of the physical infrastructure. Section II considers the earthquake's impact on this type of low-cost housing. Section III discusses the conceptual and methodological frameworks of the Programme for Integrated Urban Renewal (PIUR). Section IV looks at its implementation in a specific neighbourhood. Finally, Section V evaluates the achievements and limitations of the project with Section VI containing the conclusions. It is important to point out that the rehabilitation of the mesones took place within a wider programme and that this paper restricts its focus by concentrating on this specific component.