In addition to delivering more than 1,000 modern residential units to citizens of Panama City who were living under precarious housing conditions, the Curundu urban renovation project initiated a transformation of a community beset by gang activity, social exclusion and high unemployment.
The challenges for contractor Construtora Norberto Odebrecht began before the start of the $108.8-million project, which included the erection of 63 four-story apartment buildings, improvements to the nearby river channel and the construction of roads, bridges, walkways and water- and sewer-system infrastructure. First, to relocate some of the roughly 5,000 displaced citizens, contractors built 320 temporary housing units, while another 680 families were relocated to existing facilities.