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Building Resilience through Commercial Relations: The Formalization of Carwash Sites in Medellín

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Urban Resilience is seen by many as a tool to mitigate harm in times of extreme social, political, financial, and environmental stress. Despite its widespread usage, however, resilience is used in different ways by policy makers, activists, academics, and practitioners. Some see it as a key to unlocking a more stable and secure urban future in times of extreme global insecurity; for others, it is a neoliberal technology that marginalizes the voices of already marginal peoples. This volume moves beyond praise and critique by focusing on the actors, narratives and temporalities that define urban resilience in a global context. By exploring the past, present, and future of urban resilience, this volume unlocks the potential of this concept to build more sustainable, inclusive, and secure cities in the 21st century.
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Building Resilience through Commercial Relations
The Formalization of Carwash Sites in Medellín
Marcela López
         
           
            
           
            
         
             
               
              
          
          
            
           
         
          
        
            
          
            
 
          
           
            
            
           
            
          
           
          
           
148 Marcela López
            
               
           
    
           
            
           
           
            
              
          
            
        
           
           
          
       
           
           
            
          
                
            
          
          
          
              
             
          
           
        
  
             
              
         
         
            
            
           
         
             
Building Resilience through Commercial Relations 149
            
        
          
      Empresas Públicas de Medellín 
         
            
         
           
         
            
            
     
           
       
            
          
            
        
           
          
           
           
             
 
          
     
              
           
          
          
             
             
             
            
            
          
         
          
   
           
          
150 Marcela López
          
            
          
           
           
          
        
             
         
         
            
         
        
       
            
             
          
              
          
             
         
   
(S)car-City?
          
         
         
           
         
         
        
             
         
            
         
            
           
           
         
Building Resilience through Commercial Relations 151
              
          
          
           
            
          
      
          
          
             
            
              
            
           
              
          
             
           
          
        
          
              
   
          
            
            
            
           
            
         
        
         
              
              
            
            
          
              
             
        
152 Marcela López
Informal Carwash Sites, a Waste of Water
            
           
          
           
           
             
               
          
               
          
           
           
          
           
         
       
            
            
           
           
             
          
            
           
             
        alistadores  
             
                
            
             
    
           
             
          
            
          
             
          
Building Resilience through Commercial Relations 153
            
   
         
            
             
               
           
            
             
              
            
             
            
             
     
          
           
            
             
            
           
            
          
           
Building Resilience Through Commercial Relations
          
            
        
          
           
          
            
         
         
            
               
           
154 Marcela López
           
             
           
           
            
           
           
         
        
           

Figure 1: Carwash site specialized in washing buses (Marcela López 2017 ).
           
          
           
        
             
           
Building Resilience through Commercial Relations 155
        
             
           
          
          
            
           
        
      
Physical Infrastructures
            
            
          
           
            
          
           
            
         
           
           
            
          
         
             
            
    
           
        
         
           
             
         
          
         
           
         
          
156 Marcela López
        
          
           
           
           
          
          
           
         
              
            
        
          
   
Figure 2: Technical interventions in carwash sites implemented by EPM: Installment of
water meters, construction of drainage systems and provision of hoses.(Marcela López 2017).
Building Resilience through Commercial Relations 157
           
          
           
            
           
         
           
           
          
           
            
            
 
           
          
           
          
            
            
            
            
         
  
             
            
         
            
            
          
             
           
           
           
         
     
The Water Bill
           
           
158 Marcela López
Figure 3: Artistic interventions in houses and local business to visibilize the work of carwash
workers. (Deúniti 2018 )
            
              
            
             
            
          
    
           
           
               
        
             
            
           
          
         
           
            
          
Building Resilience through Commercial Relations 159
            
              
            
          
           
         
           
           
            
          
            
 
            
             
          Compañeros 
            
              
         
          
           
         
          
            
          
          
  
          
          
            
          
           
           
          
              
           
       
                
                
          
             
160 Marcela López
            
      
           
         
              
            
              
           
          
            
            
        
          
           
       
           
             
          
            
         
             
            
            
            
           
       
The Law
         
         
            
         Mesa Interin-
stitucional de Lavadores de Autos         
           
         
          
        
          
Building Resilience through Commercial Relations 161
       
           
    
          
           
             
         
           
          
          
          
  
           
          
            
             
           
            
             
   
          
          
  
     
   
   
         
        
        
  
    
  
             
             
            
          
          
             
           
162 Marcela López
             
            
             
          
          
    
Conclusion
          
             
         
           
          
        
           
          
            
          
        
           
           
           
         
           
           
             
          
             
    
          
          
           
           
             
          
           
              
              
             
Building Resilience through Commercial Relations 163
           
              
         
            
         
             
           
           
         
         
           
        
             
           
            
             
            
  
References
         
      
         
           
         
      
           
           
          
      
          
    
           
      
          
      
       
        
164 Marcela López
          

         
            

           
         
        
          
            
    
        
        
           
 
           
     
          
         


        
        
         
              
 
        
         

          
           
   
          
          
    
       
        
  

            
         
Building Resilience through Commercial Relations 165
         
  
           
  https://www.elcolombiano.com/antioquia/lavaderos-de-carros-con-el-
agua-al-cuello-JC3477209
          
     
         
         
         
         
   
           
          
       
          
      
        
        

          
     
         
         
         
   
         
        
            
        
           
    
         
       
        
           
          
   
            
 
166 Marcela López
          
        
         
     
        
        


         
         
       
      

        
          
  
         
         
        
         
          
 
         
       
         
       
       
          
           
 
           

        
         
   
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Jane Bennett is a professor of political science at Johns Hopkins University and a founding member of the journal theory & event. Her recent publications include The Enchantment of Modern Life (2001)and “The Force of Things: Steps toward an Ecology of Matter”(Political Theory, 2004). She is working on a book that explores the ecological implications of different conceptions of materiality in contemporary political thought.
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The term resilience has become the popular formulation for plans that deal with preparedness for disaster. It implies adaptation rather than returning to a pre-crisis state. Its use has been extended from environmental events to social and economic crises. Its fault is that it obfuscates underlying conflict and the distribution of benefits resulting from policy choices. Development of resilience policies is cloaked in complicated models showing complexity and indeterminacy. Marxist analysis provides insights that cut through the failure of these models to assign agency, but it does not offer approaches short of revolution to assist present-day planning. The conclusion of the essay presents strategies that can lead to greater justice in planning to cope with the impacts of devastating events.