Francisco Garcés: 85% of the University City has been renovated while respecting its original essence

Published at: 14/12/2025 12:39 PM

The efforts to renovate the spaces of the University City of Caracas are a “priority of national security and preservation of the world's academic heritage (...) where more than 85% of its spaces have been refurbished respecting the original essence,” said Francisco Garcés, head of the Presidential Commission for the Recovery of the Central University of Venezuela (UCV).

In a recent exclusive interview for the “Meeting with the News” section of the newspaper Ciudad CCS, he described the work of the Commission, which included the renovation of electrical, hydrosanitary and structural systems, followed by historical research to identify and replicate the original color palette conceived by the architect, Carlos Raúl Villanueva, who designed the University City.

He went on to point out the implementation of an implemented co-responsibility model, where the Presidential Commission acted as coordinator, but technical evaluation and supervision fell to professionals from the UCV, who acted as construction inspectors. In this way, Garcés plans to restore to citizens a symbol of Venezuelan education and culture.

On the other hand, he noted that unilateral coercive measures made it difficult to acquire the equipment and resources necessary to carry out this project.

“This criminal blockade, as I tell you, is the one that has affected the university sector,” he criticized.

He added that “this goes beyond a logistical problem, it is the continuation of an aggression of centuries, the aggression started shortly after we became independent, and today it is not an issue against the government, it is an issue against the Venezuelan population.”

In response to these external aggressions, he encouraged the organization of “a unified response that transcends internal divisions, making an urgent call that we should all be united in favor of making a common front against those who intend to attack the Homeland”.

He also regretted the promotion of individualism on the part of social networks, which alienates them from community commitment; however, he proposed establishing a paradigm shift based on the restructuring of the university mission.

Garcés proposes the establishment of permanent working groups with community councils, producer associations and public health systems to define research and training priorities; as well as a curriculum reform that aligns professions with attention to specific national needs, and trains sociologists who analyze community organization; doctors for primary care in popular sectors; and engineers for water management and local infrastructure.

He described as an honor the recognition that the Humanitarian City holds as a World Heritage Site, which was conferred on it by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and facilitates the specialized technical and financial cooperation of international organizations and funds for heritage conservation.