This thesis examines the architectures of development programmes implemented by the ‘first world’ —with the US at the forefront- in Latin America during the Cold War. It explores the transnational trajectories and contact zones that shaped architectural ideas, underscoring the complexities of inter-American engagement. The research shows the impact of housing aid projects on Latin America’s built environment and local institutions, with Bolivia as a central case study. This dissertation is structured into three development periods.

The first phase begins with the Point Four programme, announced in 1949 by US President Harry S. Truman, aimed at collaborating with ‘underdeveloped’ regions within an anti-communist. framework. This part examines the ‘aided self-help housing’ strategy as a form of US international technical assistance to encourage development. It traces the progression of a low-cost housing model from early essays in Puerto Rico, spreading across Latin America in the 1950s through US Operations Missions. Chile is examined as a link connecting diverse trajectories. Also, the establishment of the Inter-American Housing Centre (CINVA) in 1951 is highlighted as a significant regional platform for architects to exchange housing ideas within an interdisciplinary environment, fostering South-South collaborations. It concludes by analysing Charles Abrams’ United Nations housing consultancy in Bolivia, which aimed to replace previous local programmes with economic austerity measures and to extend homeownership among the lowest-income people.

The second period addresses the 1960s Alliance for Progress, initiated by US President John F. Kennedy after the 1959 Cuban Revolution, to support Latin American development and counter communism. It explores how economic aid funded ‘satellite cities’ and ‘neighbourhood units’, targeting not only low-income populations but also the middle socio-economic strata. Projects financed by the Inter-American Development Bank and the US Agency for International Development illustrate an inter-American trajectory of architectural and urban design ideas, alongside institutional interventions. Additionally, the investments of US companies, such as World Homes, in Latin America are discussed, highlighting the North-South dynamics in their local subsidiaries. Bolivia is presented as a case study to demonstrate a ‘bipolar’ urban growth driven by these international institutions and private firms, contrasting developments in El Alto’s highlands for lower-income residents with those in the La Paz valley for middle-income groups.

The final part explores the continuation of US international housing aid during Robert McNamara’s tenure as World Bank President from 1968 to 1981. This third part shows McNamara’s transition from an ‘armed war’ to a ‘war on absolute poverty’, focusing on housing in ‘third world’ cities across Latin America, Africa, and Asia. It explores updated strategies of aided self-help housing through Sites and Services and Slum Upgrading programmes implemented in 35 countries. Through Bolivia, it explores interactions between foreign experts and local architects in project implementation, with case studies in El Alto and La Paz illustrating the translation of ideas into practice. The research draws on institutional, national, and personal archives from the US, Bolivia, Colombia, and Chile, providing qualitative and quantitative data on housing projects. This includes archival records of memoranda, letters, and contracts between foreign institutions and local authorities. These documents are confronted with personal files and recent interviews with architects and officials, offering insights into these housing operations’ reception, contestation, negotiation, and adaptation.

This thesis aims to contribute to existing research in architectural history concerning western Cold War urbanisations in the ‘third world.’ It argues that a closer examination of Bolivia’s relationship with the US and international institutions can enhance our understanding of Latin America’s post-war urban landscape. By analysing the impact on architecture and the built environment in Bolivia, this study addresses the crossroads of development and housing, presenting a nuanced perspective that transcends the traditional ‘North-South’ narrative, revealing more complex layers of inter-American engagement.