Sometimes, Seattle, the city where I live, feels like a difficult place to find an affordable home in. But I'm ashamed to even think that when I consider a place like Caracas, Venezuela. The housing shortage there is so acute that in 2007, squatters took over a unfinished skyscraper that had been abandoned for thirteen years. Since then, the 2,500 residents of Torre de David have done what they can to turn this construction site into a home. A communal electrical grid, an aqueduct water system, shops, and other basic services all function illegally in this vertical slum. This short documentary by Vocative is a rare look inside this spontaneous frontier outpost in the middle of a vast city.
Watch Watch This First first, every weekday morning. Because the best way to start the day is to start it a few minutes later.