The use of color in the dwellings of the informal settlement “la perla” in san juan, puerto rico

Abstract

This paper aims to explore the importance of color in a particular self-built informal settlement called La Perla in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The neighborhood is located next to the historic attractions of this important tourist island, but is not incorporated within the tourism industry even though its vernacular architecture may have strong appeal among tourists. The artistic use of color by its inhabitants makes La Perla an area with high tourism potential. The objective of this research is to present partial results of a color survey in the settlement and to understand what are the main colors used in the façades of La Perla. Photographs of the façades of the dwellings were analyzed using image color summarizer software and the main colors of the façades were calculated. The results show how La Perla is very colorful and also the important use of bright colors. Future research is necessary to complement this pilot study and to understand also the use of colors in the public areas.