As our learnings from 2013 illustrate, much progress has been made over the past year with respect to inclusive urban planning and poverty alleviation. But there is still much more to do in 2014. Some cities in the URB.im network will begin work on large-scale “greening” initiatives, such as Cali‘s ambitious Green Corridor project or Jakarta‘s plans to expand green areas by 30 percent. Other cities are experiencing a surge in citizen participation: online activism is transforming urban spaces in São Paulo, and popular protest in India has led to promising reforms that are expected to reduce political corruption. What will it take for initiatives such as these to succeed and grow, and what challenges will confront them? Read on to learn more, and then add your thoughts to the discussion below.
 |
 |
 |
 |
Eliana Barbosa, Coordenadora da Rede em São Paulo
Sem dúvida há muito que esperar para São Paulo em 2014. A abertura da copa, as mudanças na mobilidade, a aprovação do plano diretor, o dilema do mercado imobiliário — será uma bolha? — todas as questões acima poderiam ser tópicos para discutir no ano que vem.
Entretanto, o fato extraordinário em 2013 que pode mudar o modo como vivemos a cidade é o seguinte: As pessoas estão provocando mudança. Muito foi dito sobre as manifestações de junho e seu impacto no que diz respeito a conscientização política, cidadania, participação e o surgimento de uma nova geração de ativistas. Nota-se cada vez mais o surgimento de grupos independentes transformando o espaço da cidade com suas próprias mãos e meios.
De acordo com a pesquisa “Ativismo Online: 2013 o ano do Brasil,” esse foi o ano que mostrou aumento histórico dessa forma de ativismo no país. Campanhas de sucesso foram capazes de mudar micro-realidades, chamando atenção para causas locais. Ao contrário das caras campanhas mundiais das grandes organizações — como a Greenpeace e o WWF — a tendência atual se refere à escala do cotidiano. Habitantes descobriram nas petições online um canal para participação popular.
Interessante o fato de que as causas relacionadas ao planejamento urbano ganharam mais impacto. Foram capazes de alterar decisões institucionais através de pedidos específicos, pressionando as autoridades locais. Um exemplo interessante é a petição organizada pelo coletivo Ocupe & Abrace, que conseguiu evitar a derrubada de 30 árvores para a implementação de corredores de ônibus na zona oeste.
O que nos leva a outro tópico digno de nota para o próximo ano: os Coletivos. É impressionante a quantidade de coletivos relacionados a mobilidade, espaços públicos e cultura que se formaram nos últimos anos. Coletivos são grupos de pessoas que, através de uma causa ou interesse em comum, juntam-se agindo para mudar a letargia da participação pública pelos meios oficiais. A Cidadania e o Direito à Cidade revigoram-se com essas nova forma de olhar a cidade. De muitos exemplos interessantes, destaco três:
Baixo Centro, com seu delicioso slogan “As ruas são para dançar,” começou como um grupo de produtores culturais ao redor do Minhocao, promovendo, através de financiamento coletivo, eventos e intervenções urbanas nos espaços públicos na região.
O movimento Boa Praça é um grupo que se reúne com o objetivo de revitalizar as praças da zona oeste da cidade. Apenas em 2013 eles trabalharam em dez praças, através de eventos abertos, nos quais pessoas podiam plantar árvores, construir mobiliário urbano e compartilhar um picnic numa praça local, o que — na “cidade dos muros” — já é uma grande conquista.
Recentemente, um grupo decidiu transformar um estacionamento em Parque Público. Terreno marcado como parque desde o Plano Regional de 2004, a área nunca foi desapropriada. Em novembro o lote foi comprado pela maior incorporadora da cidade, para o desenvolvimento de um empreendimento de uso misto. Após apelar para a prefeitura, sem sucesso, o Grupo Parque Augusta começou trabalhar na área, criando uma programação diária de atividades, que culminou num festival para 4000 pessoas. O Parque Augusta tornou-se, pelas mãos dos próprios habitantes, uma realidade.
Como outras organizações, esses coletivos são abertos, não-institucionalizados e horizontais, Organizados virtualmente, promovem atividades culturais financiadas coletivamente, chamando atenção para os debates urbanos, promovendo mudanças reais em lugares específicos da cidade. Tudo feito apesar da vontade política, das verbas públicas e da burocracia que envolve os canais formais de participação.
Eliana Barbosa, São Paulo Community Manager
No doubt there is a lot to look forward to in 2014 with respect to the city of São Paulo. The World Cup, changes in the transportation system, the new Master Plan, the ongoing real estate dilemma (is it a bubble, is it not?) are all topics to be discussed in the coming year.
Yet something remarkable occurred in 2013 that will change the way we experience the city: people are taking action. A lot has been said about the protests in June and their impact on political awareness, citizenship, participation, and the rise of a new generation of activists. Remarkably, we can see more and more grassroots organizations acting to transform spaces of the city with their own hands and their own funds.
Online activism
According to “Online activism: 2013 the year of Brazil,” Brazil showed the biggest increase in online activism in 2013. Campaigns successfully changed micro-realities, bringing awareness for local causes. Residents discovered online petitions as a channel to participation on a neighborhood scale.
Interestingly, urban planning causes gained greater impact, changing institutional decisions with focused requests, pressuring the local authorities. An interesting example is the petition created by the group Ocupe & Abrace, which was able to prevent 30 trees from being chopped down in order to create a bus corridor.
Coletivos
An impressive number of grassroots organizations working in transportation, public space, and urban culture have emerged in the last couple of years. Called “coletivos”, they are groups of people united by a common cause, working to change the lethargy in which public participation officially happens. With these lenses, citizenship and the Right to the City take on fresh and exciting new meanings. The following are three interesting examples from São Paulo:
Baixo Centro, with the wonderful slogan “Cities are made for dancing,” started as a cultural producer’s group acting in Minhocao, and promotes crowdfunded culture festivals, urban interventions, and traditional parties in public spaces.
Movimento Boa Praça is a group of neighbors aiming to revitalize the public squares of the western zone of the city. In 2013 alone they refurbished ten squares during events in which people could plant trees, construct urban furniture, and share a picnic in a given public space — which in São Paulo is quite an accomplishment.
Recently, a group decided to create a public park — Parque Augusta — out of an empty lot. Marked as a park in the Regional Plan of 2004, the area was never expropriated. Last November, the city’s largest real estate company bought the area to develop a mixed-use complex. After unsuccessfully appealing to the mayor, the Parque Augusta group began to “officially” promote daily activities in the “park.” Parque Augusta was suddenly, by the hands of its inhabitants, a reality.
These initiatives are open, non-institutional, and run by horizontally-organized and “online-based” groups that promote and finance cultural activities, bringing awareness of public spaces and urban debates, and promoting real change in places of the city. This is all done without the local authorities’ will or funds, and without traditional, formal channels of participation.
Jorge Bela, Gestor Comunitario de Bogotá
Hay muchas cosas positivas que esperar para el año 2014 en Colombia. Se prevé que el crecimiento económico siga siendo vigoroso, al tiempo que las conversaciones de paz pueden acabar con un conflicto armado que ha durado ya varias décadas. Estas circunstancias presentan un escenario sin precedente para aliviar los problemas de pobreza y desigualdad que sufre el país. Bogotá y Cali, las dos ciudades que seguimos en este blog, tienen iniciativas en marcha que pueden ofrecer soluciones concretas a estos dos problemas. Sin embargo, la incertidumbre es también elevada, tanto a nivel nacional como local. Por un lado, los resultados de las conversaciones son inciertos. Por otro, las elecciones presidenciales que se celebrarán en su primera vuelta en mayo también resultarán en una ralentización de la administración central. Aunque se espera que Juan Manuel Santos ganes la reelección, cualquier cosa puede suceder en la política colombiana, y un cambio en la presidencia puede decelerar aún más el ritmo de las reformas.
En Bogotá hay varias iniciativas en marcha en el sector del transporte público. Los planos para el metro están entrando en la última fase de los estudios geológicos, que estarán terminados a lo largo de 2014, lo que permitiría que en 2015 se adjudicara la construcción de la mega obra. En la superficie se está avanzando en la ampliación del sistema de Transmilenio por una avenida aún por definir. 200 autobuses híbridos empezarán a circular por la Avenida 7ª, sustituyendo a las contaminantes busetas privadas. Si a esto sumamos la reciente inauguración del Transmilenio a Soacha, 2014 puede ver una mejora significativa en los problemas crónicos de transporte público en la capital colombiana, aunque aún serán necesarios ingentes esfuerzos en esta área para llegar a tener el sistema que necesita una ciudad tan grande y extendida.
Por otro lado, el plan para revitalizar el hermosos pero descuidado Centro Histórico continúa avanzando. La administración está trabajando en los protocolos necesarios para llevar a buen puerto estos planes. Para lograrlos se está contando con la ayuda de expertos internacionales de la región, así como de agencias multilaterales. Se espera que su definición termine a lo largo del año, lo que permitiría que las obras de mejora se completaran a lo largo del 2014.
En diciembre, sin embargo, la oficina del Procurador General de la República ordenó la destitución del Alcalde de Bogotá, Gustavo Petro, por supuestas deficiencias en la transferencia del servicio de basuras de concesionarios privados a la Ciudad. La decisión puede ser recurrida y el Sr. Petro ha asegurado que la combatirá tanto con acciones legales como con movilizaciones populares. El diferendo legal y político en el que está inmersa Bogotá añade un elevado grado de incertidumbre al futuro de las iniciativas actualmente en marcha.
En Cali el alcalde Rodrigo Guerrero goza de considerable apoyo político y popular, lo que trae mayores perspectivas a su plan urbano más ambicioso: el Corredor Verde. Sin embargo, Guerrero está sujeto a la misma limitación de mandatos que el resto de los alcaldes colombianos, y que prohíben la reelección consecutiva. Cuatro años es un plazo demasiado corto para acometer un proyecto de esta envergadura, por lo que se hace imprescindible generar el mayor apoyo posible a la iniciativa como mecanismo para garantizar su continuidad a largo plazo. Con este fin a lo largo del 2014 se dará inicio a proyectos piloto relacionados con el Corredor a los que daremos cumplido seguimiento en este blog.
Finalmente, el 7 Foro Urbano Mundial tendrá lugar en Medellín de 5 al 11 de abril de 2014. Se espera que el Foro atraiga más de 10.000 participantes, incluyendo jefes de estado, alcaldes, gobernadores, académicos, profesionales y representantes del sector público. El Foro ya está atrayendo la atención de los medios de comunicación colombianos. El lema del Foro, Equidad Urbana en el Desarrollo — Ciudades para la Vida, sin duda tendrá una resonancia especial en Colombia. El Foro, y su resonancia internacional, servirán como incentivo y como inspiración para las ciudades de Colombia.
Jorge Bela, Bogotá Community Manager
There is much to look forward in 2014 in Colombia. Economic growth is expected to remain strong, and the decades-old armed conflict could be close to its end if the peace conversations now underway are ultimately successful. These circumstances bring an unprecedented opportunity for the country to tackle poverty and rampant inequality. Bogotá and Cali, the two Colombian cities covered on this platform, are working on major initiatives that could have a significant impact on these fronts. However, uncertainty is also quite high, both at the national and local levels. For one, the results of the peace conversations are far from certain. Furthermore, Presidential elections, to be held in mid-year, imply a slowdown of central government activity for most of the year. Although Juan Manuel Santos is expected to win re-election handily, anything can happen in Colombian politics, and a change at the top would also bring the processes of reform to a temporary halt.
In Bogotá, several major initiatives related to mass transportation are underway. Plans for the subway system are reaching their final stages as geological studies are being undertaken on the proposed path of its first line. The engineering studies should be finished in the course of 2014, which would enable the construction of the system to be formally awarded in 2015. Above ground, the Transmilenio surface is to continue its expansion through a still undefined major avenue, while 200 hybrid buses are scheduled to run on 7th Avenue, replacing aging and highly polluting private mini-buses. Together with last week’s inauguration of the Soacha line, these Transmilenio initiatives would bring significant relief to the perennial transportation woes that plague the capital, although much work remains to be done to bring Bogota’s public transportation system up to the level needed for a city of its size.
The plan to revitalize the beautiful but largely dilapidated historic center also continues to advance. City Hall is in the process of defining the protocols that would allow these plans to come into effect. In order to do so, Bogotá is seeking technical advice from regional experts, as well as from multilateral organizations. The protocols are expected to be finalized well before the end of 2014, allowing for actual work to start in 2015.
In December, however, the Solicitor General’s office ordered the Major of Bogota, Gustavo Petro, to be ousted from the post over alleged mishandling of the garbage service reforms. The decision can be appealed, and Mr. Petro has vowed to fight it, both legally and by mobilizing people in the street. The legal and political battles surrounding Bogotá now leave serious clouds of uncertainty over the future of the projects currently underway.
In Cali, Mayor Rodrigo Guerrero has wide political and popular support, which brings great hope for the city’s most ambitious urban renewal project: the Corredor Verde. Still, Mayor Guerrero is held to the same strict term limits that apply to all mayors in Colombia: four years with no consecutive reelection. Since a project as complex as the Corredor Verde cannot be undertaken in such a short time, it is essential to garner as much support as possible so that future administrations will continue to pursue the project. In order to do so, Cali is planning to launch pilot projects during 2014, to be completed through 2015. We will follow these pilot projects closely and report on them here on URB.im.
And, of course, the 7th World Urban Forum will be held in Medellin on April 5-11. The Forum, which is expected to attract 10,000 participants including heads of state, governors, mayors, academics, professionals, and members of the private sector, is already receiving significant media coverage. This year’s theme is, significantly, Urban Equity in Development — Cities for Life, which is likely to resonate strongly in Colombia. The Forum will without a doubt serve as an incentive and an inspiration for all Colombian cities.
Priyanka Jain, Delhi Community Manager
For those of us living in Delhi today, let’s start our look at 2014 by admitting that we’re lucky. We don’t live in the city we lived in two years ago, where our political choices were so limited and our collective conscience was in a state of sleepy inertia. If you followed the debates and movements of the year 2013, you know there is still hope for our city. But all of this aside, we still have a problem: water scarcity through corruption, slum rehabilitation, and sexual assaults affect the citizens of Delhi across class, caste, and gender boundaries. Before Delhi progresses up the ladder of livability, the year 2014 will require answers to four big questions.
The Nirbhaya Fund
First, did the horror of a girl who was brutally gang-raped and injured, with a rod shoved inside her genitals, fast-track the reforms for women’s safety? The answer today is a resounding “No.” 94 percent of 2,178 people surveyed in the Times of India poll said that our cities aren’t any safer for women a year after the horrific Nirbhaya gang-rape. On the one hand, we saw the case as a catalyst. It led to the Nirbhaya Act, which increased the quantum of punishment for crimes against women, and to the “One Billion Rising” campaign, which galvanized women from across the world. But the perception of insecurity hasn’t changed. In the 2013-14 Union Budget, GOI announced the Nirbhaya Fund, 10 billion rupees to enhance women’s safety in public spaces. Year 2014 will show the effectiveness of Nirbhaya Fund in changing the perception of safety for women in Delhi.
Debut of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and None of the Above (NOTA) vote option
Second, will the introduction of the None of the Above (NOTA) vote option, and 2011 and 2012 anti-corruption protests, followed by the success of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in 2013, increase accountability in governance and help cut corruption? A total of 44,000 voters (0.63 percent) exercised the NOTA option in Delhi. The number, when compared to other states — Chhattisgarh (4.6 percent), Rajasthan (1.92 percent), and Madhya Pradesh (1.9 percent) — is quite low. But it has made the politicians more accountable. Another sign of progress is the unprecedented rise of AAP, with 28 seats in the Legislative Assembly elections. It’s most likely that AAP will form the government with the support of congress. But, more importantly, it has shaken up the political order in Delhi and spurred the parties to pass the Lokpal Bill. The Lokpal Bill, armed with the Right to Information Act, will provide the necessary institutions for people to fight corruption effectively.
Setback with Section 377 IPC
On the other end of the spectrum is the reversal in the fundamental rights of Delhi’s citizens with the recent Supreme Court verdict upholding Section 377 IPC, a law criminalizing homosexuality — a ruling that some activists called a “black day” for the LGBT community. It quashed a 2009 Delhi High Court verdict that had decriminalized homosexuality. Free for the last four years, will the LGBT community of India again face sexual assault, harassment, blackmail, and extortion by the police, neighbors, and even family members?
Water scarcity and Delhi’s tanker mafia
Water scarcity is Delhi’s biggest challenge, despite the fact that no other capital in the world has the kind of water availability Delhi has. According to Ashish Kundra, additional chief executive officer at Delhi Jal Board (DJB), Delhi has 670 million gallons per day (MGD) of water supply. The supply would go up to 810 MGD after completion of the Sonia Vihar project. And if divided by the 150 million people who reside in Delhi, it comes to 220 liters per capita per day (almost 11 buckets). DJB says that it loses 50 percent of its water. The speculation is that private suppliers or “water tanker mafia” tap DJB booster stations as well as bore wells in farmhouses located on the outskirts of Delhi, and distribute the water at exorbitant prices. If the above is untrue, where is the remaining 335 MGD of water supply going?
Photo credit: sandeep bisht
Widya Anggraini, Jakarta Community Manager
Bagi kebanyakan orang Jakarta identik dengan kota macet, kota polusi, kota mall atau kota banjir. Sedikit atau bahkan hampir tidak ada yang menyebut Jakarta sebagai kota Hijau. Sebutan ini bukan tanpa alasan mengingat kondisi Jakarta saat ini yang kian macet, polusi udara yang parah, pembangunan yang banyak menyalahi penggunaan lahan dan tingkat urbanisasi yang tinggi dan munculnya kam. Kondisi ini membuat masyarakat merindukan kehadiran ruang terbuka hijau atau taman-taman di pusat kota yang berfungsi sebagai tempat rekreasi, olahraga, serta interaksi sosial. Hal-hal inilah yang menjadi harapan masyarakat di tahun 2014 yang ingin melihat lebih sedikit pembangunan mall dan lebih banyak taman kota. Secara kebijakan, pemerintah telah merespon dengan mengeluarkan undang-undang Penataan Ruang yang secara tegas mengamanatkan bahwa 30% dari wilyah kota berwujud Ruang Terbuka Hijau (RTH). Undang-undang ini kemudian diterjemahkan kedalam sebuah program bernama Program Pengembangan Kota Hijau (P2KH).
P2KH merupakan kolaborasi antara pemerintah pusat, pemerintah kota, masyarakat dan dunia usaha dalam menciptakan kota hijau. Program ini sendiri merupakan tindak lanjut dari 10 Prakarsa Bali dari Forum Sustainable Urban Development (SUD). Kota yang berkomitmen mewujudkan kota hijau dalam kerangka program ini diharuskan menyusun rencana aksi kota hijau (RAKH) yang mulai dijalankan tahun 2012. Sebagai pembagian peran maka dalam hal ini pemerintah pusat wajib memberikan bantuan dan bimbingan teknis, pelatihan dan dukungan program. Untuk pelaksanaan program seperti implementasi fisik, sosialisasi, penjaringan aspirasi masyarakat dan replikasi program menjadi tanggung jawab pemerintah kota bersama dengan masyarakat dan dunia usaha terutama untuk implementasi dan advokasi kegiatan.
Dalam rencana kerja yang telah disusun terdapat dua strategi yang kini pemerintah Jakarta terapkan, yaitu penerusan kondisi sesuai peran Jakarta saat ini dan transformasi fisik serta perubahan perilaku masyarakat yang lebih sadar lingkungan. Dalam hal transformasi fisik dan perlilaku masyarakat telah disiapkan 5 strategi mendasar yaitu:
- Meningkatkan kemampuan tenaga perencana ekonomi lingkungan. Untuk ini sudah dilakukan kerjasama dengan UNDP dan World Bank dalam hal penyediaan training dan workshop terkait isu-isu perubahan iklim.
- Menerapkan program pencegahan meliputi bagaimana menumbuhkan kesadaran masyarakat tentang efek perubahan cuaca. Kegiatan seperti car free day sudah dimulai dan dilakukan tiap hari minggu. Kemudian menggalakkan kegitan Bike to Work untuk mengurangi polusi. Tahun-tahun mendatang Jakarta berharap ada sekitar 30% dari total pekerja akan menggunakan sepeda.
- Mendorong masyarakat untuk lebih aktif dalam program-program perubahan lingkungan (climate change). Dalam hak ini pemerintah akan mendorong para perencana di Dinas Tata kota Jakarta untuk bekerjasama dengan komunitas dalam menciptakan masyarakat yang lebih ramah lingkungan seperti mendorong komunitas membuat lebih banyak taman.
- Menambah jumlah ruang hijau publik. Untuk mengupayakan penambahan ruang terbuka hijau, sejak tahun 2011 telah dibuka lebih banyak ruang hijau dan kini telah mencapai 6% dari target 30%.
- Menambah jumlah kendaraan ramah lingkungan. Pemerintah juga akan terus mengupayakan penambahan fasilitas transportasi ramah lingkungan contohnya MRT yang sedang dalam proses pengerjaan dan transformasi model bis Trans Jakarta yang menggunakan bahan bakar ramah lingkungan dan terintegrasi dalam system transportasi perkotaan.
Dengan demikian di tahun 2014 akan mulai terlihat rintisan berbagai kegiatan yang akan membawa Jakarta menuju kota Hijau (Green City) baik melalui pembukaan lebih banyak ruang hijau, inovasi transportasi ramah lingkungan dan masyarakat yang kiat sadar untuk berperan serta dalam menciptakan lingkungan yang bersih dan hijau.
Foto: Yudho
Widya Anggraini, Jakarta Community Manager
For most people, Jakarta is associated with traffic, pollution, shopping centers, or floods. Rarely do people identify Jakarta as a green city. This is unsurprising considering the city’s increasing traffic jams and air pollution, the rapid land development in violation of city plans, and growing slums. These circumstances have led Jakartarians to long for the presence of green open space or public parks that could function as locations for recreational, exercise, and social activities. This is the hope of Jakarta’s residents for 2014: less shopping malls, more public parks. In terms of city ordinance, the government has responded to the people by passing the Spatial Planning Bill, which strictly states that 30 percent of the city must consist of green open space. This bill then was translated into a project called the Green City Expansion Project (P2KH).
P2KH is a collaborative project between the central government, the city government, local residents, and the business community. The program is a continuation of the Ten Bali Initiatives from the Sustainable Urban Development Forum. Cities that are committed to achieving the green city status within the framework of the program are required to draw up a Green City Action Plan, which Jakarta started in 2012. As a part of the arrangement, the central government provides the cities with technical supervision, training, and program support. The project execution – physical implementation, dissemination, communal feedback, and program replication – is the responsibility of the city government, along with the residents and the business community, especially regarding implementation and advocacy.
The work plan consists of two strategies being implemented by the government of Jakarta: Jakarta’s physical transformation, and raising community awareness about the environment. In terms of physical and communal behavior transformation, five fundamental strategies have been prepared:
- Increasing the capacity of environmental and economic policymakers. This strategy has been conducted in cooperation with the UNDP and the World Bank in terms of providing workshops and trainings about climate change issues.
- Implementing preventive programs, including ways to raise public awareness about the effects of climate change. Events like car-free days have been started and now happen weekly. Biking to work initiatives are promoted to reduce congestion and pollution. In coming years, 30 percent of Jakarta’s workers are expected to commute by bike
- Encouraging the local community to be more active in climate change awareness events. To accomplish this, the government is encouraging policymakers at the Jakarta Urban Planning Agency to collaborate with the community to create a more environmentally-friendly society, for example through the creation of parks.
- Increasing the number of public green spaces. In adherence to the green open space plan, there has been an expansion of green areas since 2011, which has now reached six percent of the city (the target being 30 percent).
- Increasing the number of environmentally friendly vehicles. The government will continue increasing the amount of environmentally-friendly public transport options. Examples include the MRT project and the TransJakarta bus model, which runs eco-friendly fuels.
2014 will therefore witness the expansion of projects that will lead Jakarta towards its goal of being a green city, including through the expansion of green areas, innovations in eco-friendly transportation, and an increasingly aware community to participate in promoting a green society.
Photo: Yudho