Urban Pavement Tile Woes

[Aztangogirl]

They‘ve been like it long before Larreta’s time?

Yep. There's a tango song called Baldosa Floja. Juan D'Arienzo. 40s.

 

[sts7049]

They do not rest on sand, they are cemented ( unfortunately with not enough of it ).

i think it's both - they have to have some sort of base layer of soil/sand/etc which is compacted to have a proper foundation. if you do that base layer poorly, things settle and crack as they always do in the sidewalks.

 

[Ries]

Like every single controversial decision in Argentina, somebody benefits, and somebody else suffers.

An Argentine sidewalk is a LOT cheaper to install than a US vesion. Its also very simple to dig up, as the tiles pull up easily, most not even breaking, and the concrete below is pretty thin, and not reinforced. This benefits the people who pay for utility repairs- so the lobby in favor of these individual "floating" tiles includes edenor and edesur, AYSA, Metrogas, and most building owners.
Most of the time, the utility pays for digging them up, and putting in new pipes or cables.
Building owners like my consorcio would pitch a fit if they had to pay to jackhammer and replace a much more expensive US style of concrete sidewalk every time the pipe failed in my 120 year old building.
I walk down Santa Fe every day, and see under sidewalk work taking place everywhere all the time.
And in many streets (not big ones like Santa Fe) the individual building owners paid for the tiles, and the replacement if it happens.
Trying to squeeze money from a consorcio for a modern sidewalk is a non-starter in about 90% of the city.
And the city selects varieties, plants, and maintains the street trees, which, in turn, buckle the sidewalks.
Again, a decision that benefits some (most of us who breathe, for example, and those of us who prefer cooler cities) while making us suffer trip hazards at the same time.
Who Pays for more expensive construction? Where does the money come from?

 

[Lanick]

Park Avenue got concrete pavements. BsAs got tiles. These are great compared to provincia. You should see how awful it gets once you step outside CABA.

 

[antipodean]

Buenos Aires sidewalk tiles are similar to those commonly used in cities like Athens and some in Spain.

I had understood that each property owner is (or once upon a time, was) responsible for maintaining or installing the sidewalk in-front of their property, and for that reason there are frequently different types of crappy paving tiles on the same street, and that they also use/ require easy to remove tiles instead of concrete paving because powerlines, cables and pipes run underneath so it is easier access when maintenance is required.