Urban planning as urban marketing
Introduction
Contenido
Playa Serena -también conocido como Parque Playa Serena o simplemente La Serena- es un balneario ubicado en las playas situadas al sur del Faro Punta Mogotes, Partido de General Pueyrredón, Provincia de Buenos Aires, República Argentina.
Forma parte del cordón de playas al sur de Mar del Plata, que se caracterizan por sus grandes acantilados y playas agrestes.[1][2].
Historical context and urban development
The emergence of Playa Serena is related to the expansion of Mar del Plata towards the south, based on subdivision and urbanization policies promoted since the mid-1930s. The model adopted for these new coastal neighborhoods combined elements of modern urbanism with aesthetic and functional criteria, articulating housing, green spaces and a road infrastructure that guaranteed access from the city and tourist centers.
A key component of this expansion was the construction of the Provincial Route 11 parkway "Provincial Route 11 (Buenos Aires)"), conceived as a scenic corridor that would connect Mar del Plata with Miramar through a tree-lined coastal route. In parallel, the afforestation of the dunes was promoted with the aim of consolidating the landscape and making it habitable, thus reinforcing the real estate appreciation of the seafront.
Within this framework, Playa Serena was planned as an urbanization with sea views and accessible lots, intended mainly for an emerging middle class that was beginning to incorporate the automobile as a means of vacation transportation.
Notable architectural works
The Playa Serena neighborhood was the scene of two emblematic architectural works that acted as milestones of the urban project and symbols of the local coastal landscape:
The Parador Ariston was built in the late 1940s and designed by renowned Hungarian-American architect Marcel Breuer, in collaboration with Argentine architects Carlos Coire and Eduardo Catalano. The work is characterized by its clover-shaped floor plan, large panoramic windows and the use of Mar del Plata stone, which gives it a material identity linked to the local environment.