In cities around the world, the question of who does urban planning, and how, is central to the creation of just cities. This week’s conversation focuses on how to design city planning instruments to be more inclusive. Examples include government programs, participatory development schemes, biometric databases, and promising newly-elected officials. Read on to learn more about urban planning in Mumbai, Nairobi, Rio de Janeiro, Jakarta, Dhaka, and Mexico City, and then join the discussion below.
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Carlin Carr, Mumbai Community Manager
Urban India can boggle the mind of even the most seasoned planners. The country’s economic growth has put metropolitan areas at the center of aspirations, causing widespread migration from rural villages and towns. With little urban planning on which to base the massive population growth, Mumbai has mushroomed chaotically. Transport, housing, water, sanitation, healthcare, and education fall short of residents’ most basic needs. Few master plans have moved from theory to action. And frustrated citizens have grown increasingly wary of political inaction. Yet one government program, the country’s ambitious Aadhaar initiative — which aims to provide every citizen with a unique identification number — has the potential to return planning to foundational basics on which to base equitable urban development.
India is giving its citizens unique identification numbers at a daily rate equal to the size of small countries. Daily, nearly 40,000 new registrants hand over biometric data to government database registration centers. The undertaking, says The New York Times, will be “the world’s largest biometric database, a mind-bogglingly complex collection of 1.2 billion identities.” The Aadhaar program hopes to improve access to the country’s public distribution system and eliminate corruption by giving millions of poor people a simple but, until now, elusive official identity.
The unique identity will not only help understand better who lives in urban areas, but also provides a channel through which the government can distribute welfare programs and link people to formal banking channels. In fact, Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Minister Ajay Maken even believes that the Aadhaar number can aid in making urban planning more participatory. Following a workshop on the new national urban poverty alleviation program, Rajiv Awas Yojana (RAY), Maken said that it will be made mandatory that the impacted communities must be part of the planning and implementation of projects under the scheme. In order to monitor this, he says that Aadhaar cards and biometric data will be key.
While urban planning in India is often discussed in terms of large-scale mega-projects, the Aadhaar initiative challenges the very ground on which the programs are built. How can inclusive rhetoric be used if individual citizens lack such basics as identities? These identities are not just existentialist frameworks; rather, the unique numbers granted to each citizen gives the government a clearer picture of who lives here and what the needs are. It is also a mechanism, a new tool, for including all urban citizens in programs and projects that stand to benefit them. With that, more inclusive urban planning and implementation can help to tackle urban India’s mounting issues, bringing into focus how to move forward most effectively with all citizens in mind.
Katy Fentress, Nairobi Community Manager
Dr Evans Kidero, winner of the newly created Gubernatorial seat of Nairobi County, has promised to tackle head-on the majority of the city’s planning, infrastructure, and security problems.
Speaking during his inaugural address on the 27th of March this year, Dr Kidero unveiled a seven-point plan with which he intends to bring Nairobi to the status of a World Class African metropolis. The speech highlighted a desire to address the desperate solid waste management situation the city is currently faced with; following that, Dr Kidero promised to focus on infrastructure development, public transport, and replacing informal settlements with low-cost housing.
Dr Kidero’s has pledged to thoroughly re-examine the Nairobi Metro 2030 strategy, in order to ensure that Nairobi “residents enjoy a better life arising from better management of their city’s resources”.
In his quest to upgrade the city, however, the ex-pharmacist and corporate manager is faced with an uphill struggle: Business Daily reports that the governor is inheriting $470,000 in debts from the previous city council, a number that he hopes to reduce through negotiations with the central government.
Dr Kidero has drawn up a budget of $370,000 which will be spent on providing services to residents. Of this total budget, around $175,000 will be raised from internal sources within the county, while the National Treasury should provide the remaining amount.
In order to achieve his objectives and ensure that the Nairobi Metro 2030 strategy remains on track, Dr Kidero has urged Nairobians to think creatively about what options they have. He has encouraged planners to think out of the box with regards to improving housing and living conditions.
With respect to informal settlements, Dr Kidero believes their transformation to low-cost housing neighbourhoods will be achieved by putting enabling housing strategies in place through appropriate public-private partnerships; encouraging low-income households to save and invest for the incremental development of their housing; and establishing administrative procedures for the provision of less costly housing to the poor.
Yet the question remains how Kidero will be able to reach many of the goals with a bankrupt city council. According to the online news outlet Jambonews, so far he has won widespread support (and made enemies) attempting to limit financial waste by firing 11 people for “delivering fictitious invoices for nonexistent goods” and suspending 16 members of his staff on suspicion of corruption.
Dr Kidero, credited with reversing the fortunes of the Mumias Sugar Company while presiding over it as managing director, has a reputation for getting the job done and cutting back on inefficient practices.
So will he be the man who finally manages to eliminate corruption from all levels of Nairobi’s city planning infrastructure? And will eliminating corruption make up for the backlog of debts the city is faced with?
A lot hinges on the success of devolution, one of the main tenets of the 2010 constitution and a process that was fully put into motion once the elections were completed last month. The post of a County Governor directly elected by registered voters is an entirely new one and as a result Dr Kidero is treading unknown waters. He is the first to test whether the decentralisation of State organs will truly ensure that national and local resources are shared out equitably.
Between the constitution, the Nairobi 2030 strategy and Dr Kidero’s successful past as a manager and not as a career politician, there is a chance that the objective of transforming Nairobi into a more productive and better functioning city, that can be increasingly enjoyed by all its citizens and not just a small percentage of them, could one day become a reality. Time will tell.
Catalina Gomez, Rio de Janeiro Community Manager
Planejar o desenvolvimento urbano das cidades no médio e longo prazo é um grande desafio. Para compreender melhor o processo de planejamento urbano no Rio de Janeiro, é importante descrever o marco do planejamento no Brasil para logo compreender melhor sua implementação ao nível da cidade.
O planejamento das cidades Brasileiras é uma responsabilidade municipal. O Estatuto das Cidades é o nome da lei que guia o desenvolvimento urbano e o planejamento no país. O Estatuto foi aprovado em 2001 e entre outros requerimentos, estabelece que cidades com mais de 20 mil residentes desenvolvam um Plano Diretor, como o principal instrumento para guiar seu desenvolvimento urbano. Este plano deve ser atualizado a cada 10 anos. Adicionalmente, o Estatuto estabelece que as cidades com mais de 500 mil habitantes deverão desenvolver planos de transporte integrado compatíveis com o Plano Diretor.
Atualmente, a grande maioria das cidades tem desenvolvido e aprovado seus planos, mais ainda presentam desafios para assegurar sua qualidade, especialmente os municípios com maiores debilidades institucionais. Outro desafio enfrentado por um grande número de cidades é assegurar um processo adequado de consulta com a sociedade civil para que sua visão seja incorporada no plano.
Com 6.2 milhões de moradores, Rio precisa desenvolver seu próprio Plano Diretor e seu plano de transporte integrado. O Plano Diretor da cidade foi desenvolvido pela Secretaria Municipal de Urbanismo e foi aprovado pelo Prefeito em 2011. O processo de consulta precisou mais de um ano para ser completado devido à ativa participação da sociedade civil no processo de formulação. Para desenvolver o plano aquela Secretaria precisou estabelecer claramente o desenvolvimento que Rio procura para os próximos 10 anos. A preparação também precisou de bons diagnósticos da cidade e suas condições urbanas, com detalhamento das áreas em risco ambiental e com alta vulnerabilidade.
O Plano Diretor do Rio tem um bom detalhamento do instrumento de zoneamento. Aquele instrumento predefine o uso (ou usos) do solo numa área especifica. Por exemplo, devido ao zoneamento uma área definida como residencial não pode se tornar numa área de desenvolvimento industrial porque já está previamente definido seu uso. É importante destacar que dentro do zoneamento, os bairros de baixa renda e favelas são declarados “áreas de interesse social”, as quais permitem o desenvolvimento de programas de urbanização, além da promoção de serviços públicos subsidiados naquelas zonas.
Embora o Plano Diretor seja um instrumento muito importante e de valor para os encarregados do planejamento da cidade, o instrumento também tem suas limitações. Por exemplo, atualmente com todos os preparativos para a Copa e Olimpíadas, a cidade tem apresentado dificuldade para viabilizar projetos que não estejam bem definidos no Plano Diretor, criando improvisações por parte do governo local e conflito com os residentes da cidade, especialmente nos casos de reassentamento e outras medidas complexas que afetam a população mais vulnerável.
Foto: Secretaria Municipal de Urbanismo do Rio de Janeiro
Catalina Gomez, Rio de Janeiro Community Manager
Planning the medium and long-term development of a city is not an easy task — it requires a clear framework and effective tools. In order to understand how planning takes place in Rio de Janeiro, it is important to look at the highlights of the Brazilian planning framework, and then how it is implemented at the city level.
Urban planning throughout Brazilian cities is a municipal responsibility. It is guided by the Estatuto das Cidades, the law that guides urban development and planning in Brazil. The Estatuto was approved in 2001 and requires that cities with more than 20 thousand residents develop a Master Plan, and use it as the main instrument to guide urban development (the plan must be updated every 10 years). In addition, the Estatuto requires that cities of more than 500 thousand residents develop an integrated urban transportation plan that is compatible with what is stated in the Master Plan.
Most cities do comply with this requirement of the Master Plan, but challenges remain, including how to ensure better quality of planning instruments, especially in municipalities with less institutional capacities. Another challenge that many cities face is ensuring an adequate consultation process with city residents, so that their views are reflected in the plan.
As a city of more than 6,2 million, Rio is required to develop a Master Plan, and the related integrated urban transportation plan. The Master Plan was developed by the city’s Urban Development Secretariat and was approved by the Mayor in 2011. The consultation process took over a year, as various civil society groups actively participated on its formulation. In order to develop this plan, the Secretariat had to define the city’s long-term vision and provide detail on the type of development the city intends to pursue over the next 10 years. In addition, the Secretariat developed a detailed diagnostic of the city’s urban conditions, with a specific focus on vulnerable and environmentally-degraded areas.
Rio’s Master Plan also has a detailed description of its “zoning” instrument, which is used to predefine the uses of a specific piece of land. For example, a residential neighborhood cannot turn into an industrial area because its use has already been pre-established. Low-income neighborhoods are declared “areas of social interest,” allowing them to be targeted by urban upgrading programs and subsidized public services.
Although the Master Plan is a highly useful instrument and hold much value for city planners, it has limitations. For example, as the city gets ready to host the upcoming World Cup and Summer Olympic Games, many new developments that aren’t clearly defined in the Master Plan are leaving room for improvisation and therefore creating conflict. This is especially true when it comes to displacement and the implementation of other complex social and economic measures, effecting the most vulnerable.
Photo credit: Secretaria Municipal de Urbanismo do Rio de Janeiro
Widya Anggraini, Jakarta Community Manager
In 2004, the Indonesian government passed a law saying that participatory public meetings must be used to involve the community in planning decisions. This bottom-up approach is called the Council Meeting Development Plan (Musrenbang), and is used from the village-level government all the way to the national level. However, this system faces challenges including low levels of participation, which leads to inefficency. Organizations like Seknas Fitra and Kemitraan are working on these issues to ensure that citizens’ opinions are heard and acted upon. Seknas Fitra works mostly on budget transparency and open information issues, while Kemitraan works with the National Member of Parliament to improve its representation capacity and to listen to their electoral districts’ voices.
Perencanaan pembangunan yang ideal adalah perencanaan yang melibatkan masyarakat dalam prosesnya atau kerap kita kenal dengan sebutan perencanaan partisipatif. Bangsa Indonesia telah menggunakan prinsip tersebut dan melegalkan system perencanaan partisipatif dalam sebuah undang-undang yaitu Undang-undang Nomor 25 Tahun 2004 tentang Sistem Perencanaan Pembangunan Nasional yang menyebutkan bahwa setiap proses perencanaan pembangunan dari tingkat desa/kelurahan hingga nasional harus melibatkan partisipasi sebanyak-banyaknya dari masyarakat dalam sebuah forum pertemuan yang disebut Musyawarah Rencana Pembangunan (Musrenbang). Musrenbang merupakan ajang menjaring aspirasi masyarakat melalui pendekatan ‘bottom-up’. Meski demikian, hingga kini keluhan masyarakat tentang belum tertampungnya aspirasi mereka masih terdengar dimana-mana.
Pemandangan gedung-gedung terbengkalai kerap merupakan akibat negatif pembangunan yang mengabaikan aspirasi masyarakat. Contohnya adalah kejadian yang terjadi di Jakarta Timur dimana masyarakat memprotes dan berusaha menghentikan proses pembangunan kios komersial yang diprakarsai oleh Pemerintah Daerah di dalam sebuah Taman Kota. Masyarakat berkeberatan dengan pembangunan tersebut karena dianggap merugikan dan dengan upaya warga akhirnya kegiatan pembangunan berhasil dihentikan. Sesuai sistem perencanaan kita, pada dasarnya Musrenbang merupakan wadah paling tepat dalam menyampaikan aspirasi. Pendekatan yang partisipatif memungkinkan warga hadir ke Musrenbang dan menyampaikan aspirasi secara langsung. Namun demikian seringkali prioritas kegiatan yang muncul sering hilang ataupun berganti saat dilaksanakan Musrenbang di tingkat yang lebih atas. Hal ini di percaya karena adanya intervensi politik dari beberapa pihak yang memaksakan agar programnya menjadi daftar prioritas untuk dibiayai oleh pemerintah. Intervensi dan tidak adanya keterbukaan informasi dan anggaran menyebabkan masyarakat seperti buta mengenai rencana pemerintah dalam melaksanakan pembangunan. Sekretariat Nasional Forum Indonesia Untuk Transparansi Anggaran (Seknas Fitra) merupakan salah satu garda depan dalam mendukung keterbukaan informasi anggaran melalui advokasinya menuntut agar masyarakat dilibatkan dalam proses perencanaan penganggaran dari proses penyusunan, pembahasan, pelaksanaan, hingga tahap evaluasinya. Dengan mengetahui anggaran daerah, masyarakat akan mampu mengetahui rencana pemerintah dan pada saat yang sama mereka juga akan menyampaikan aspirasi dan kebutuhan mereka sesuai kemampuan daerah.
Secara konseptual, proses Musrenbang dimulai dari tingkat terendah yaitu desa hingga nasional, namun dalam praktiknya masih menyisakan banyak masalah. Proses penjaringan aspirasi masyarakat tidak selalu berjalan mulus dan tidak setiap kebutuhan masyarakat dapat terakomodasi dengan baik maupun dapat terealisasi dalam kegiatan pembangunan. Salah satu bentuk penjaringan aspirasi adalah melalui penyampaian usulan kepada anggota parlemen, terutama selama masa reses. Salah satu organisasi yang secara aktif memberikan dukungan kepada anggota DPR RI untuk menjaring aspirasi selama masa reses adalah Kemitraan melalui sebuah program yang disebut sebagai Jabat (Jangkau dan Libatkan). Tujuan utama dari program ini adalah untuk mendekatkan anggota parlemen kepada konstituennya dan menyerap sebanyak mungkin aspirasi untuk disalurkan melalui program-program anggota parlemen. Program Jabat mendapat sambutan baik dari anggota dewan yang ikut terlibat serta konstituen di dapil dewan sebab dengan agenda reses ini tercipta komunikasi dan ada mekanisme dimana masyarakat bisa berkomunikasi langsung dengan anggota dewan perwakilan mereka dan mengetahui sampai sejauh mana aspirasi yang mereka sampaikan telah ditindak-lanjuti.
Selain itu, aspirasi dapat disampaikan masyarakat melalui rumah aspirasi yang dibentuk anggota dewan seperti halnya rumah aspirasi milik Budiman Sudjatmiko, anggota DPR RI dari fraksi PDI Perjuangan yang membuat Rumah Aspirasi Budiman di salah satu dapilnyaa, Banyumas, Jawa Tengah. Rumah aspirasi ini berfungsi sebagai wadah penyalur aspirasi dan tempat mengadu masyarakat terkait permasalahan yang terjadi di wilayah daerah pemilihan Budiman. Tidak jarang Budiman mengadakan dialog dengan masyarakat sekitar. Aktivitas Rumah Aspirasi Budiman sebagaian besar dibiayai oleh Budiman sendiri serta donasi yang sifatnya tidak mengikat.
Foto 1: Pembangunan terbengkalai di Jakarta. Foto 2: Pembangunan terbengkalai di Jakarta. Foto 3: Rumah Aspirasi Budiman (RAB) di Banyumas.
দ্বঢাকা সমিতি
ঢাকা শহরের অধিকাংশ দরিদ্রগোষ্ঠী নদীর তীরে বসবাস করে, যেখানে বন্যা ও ভূমিধ্বসের সম্ভাবনা প্রচুর। জমির উচ্চ মূল্য এবং দূর্বল অর্থনৈতিক অবস্থার কারনে, শহরের অধিকাংশ দরিদ্র জনগোষ্ঠী নিষ্কাশন প্রণালীর কাছাকাছি অথবা সংকীর্ণ স্থানগুলিতেই শুধুমাত্র বসবাস করতে সমর্থ হয়। দ্রুত জলবায়ু পরিবর্তন, ভারী বৃষ্টিপাত এবং বৈশ্বিক উষ্ণায়নের কারণে এই এলাকাটি আরো বন্যা প্রবণ হয়েছে। তাই, এসব এলাকায় বসবাস তাদের দারিদ্র জীবনের উপর কঠিন প্রভাব ফেলে। তাই ঢাকা শহর পরিকল্পনা এবং উন্নয়ন সংস্থা, রাজউক (রাজধানী উন্নয়ন কর্তৃপক্ষ) “হাতির ঝিল” নামক একটি বড় প্রকল্পের পরিকল্পনা করেছে যা শহুরে দরিদ্রদের বাসস্থান সুবিধার পাশাপাশি ঢাকা শহরের পরিবেশগত স্থায়িত্বও নিশ্চিত করবে।
রাজউক তাদের “হাতির ঝিল” প্রকল্পের কাঠামোর মধ্যে পরিবেশ ও সংযোগ সমস্যার সমাধান উল্লেখ করে। হাতির ঝিল খাল এলাকাটির পরিবেশগত অবনতির মাত্রা তীব্র হওার কারণে খালটি ‘মৃত খাল’ হিসেবে পরিচিতি লাভ করে, যেখানে শুধু কালো পানি প্রবাহিত হতো। সময়ের সাথে সাথে বর্জ্য ফেলবার কারণে হাতির ঝিল খাল একটি বর্জ্য জমি হয়ে ওঠে। পরিবেশগত অত্যাচারের পাশাপাশি, এই বর্জ্য-জমি ভূমিদস্যুদের শিকারে পরিণত হয় যারা খালের চারপাশে বৈধ ও অবৈধ বসতি স্থাপন করে। এই অসুস্থ পরিবেশ ও অপরিকল্পিত বসতি চর্চা হাতির ঝিল খাল এলাকায় অনেক উন্নয়নমূলক পদক্ষেপকে সমস্যাজনিত করে তুলে।
ঢাকা ওয়াসার (পানি সরবরাহ এবং নিষ্কাশন কর্তৃপক্ষ) সহযোগিতায় রাজউক (রাজধানী উন্নয়ন কর্তৃপক্ষ) এবং বুয়েটের (বাংলাদেশ প্রকৌশল বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়) নগরী উন্নয়ন ও আঞ্চলিক পরিকল্পনা বিভাগ “বেগুন বাড়ি খাল সহ হাতিরঝিল এলাকার সুসংহত উন্নয়ন প্রকল্প” চালু করেছে, যারা হাতিরঝিল এলাকার পরিবেশ নতুন এবং সুন্দরভাবে গড়ে তোলার জন্য এবং ঢাকার অন্যান্য এলাকার সাথে এই এলাকার সংযোগ বাড়ানোর জন্য কাজ করে যাচ্ছে। কিন্তু এর পরিকল্পনা প্রক্রিয়া পর্যালোচনা করে দেখা যায় যে, প্রকল্পটিতে কর্তৃপক্ষের প্রভাব অনেক বেশী ছিল, ফলে খালের আশেপাশের এলাকার বিধিবদ্ধ এবং বিধিবহির্ভূত জনবসতির মানুষরা এই প্রকল্পটিকে সাহায্য করার ব্যাপারে উদাসীন হয়ে উঠছিল।
এই প্রকল্পটি হাতির ঝিল এলাকাটিকে ঢাকা শহরের ধনী-গরীব উভয় বাসিন্দাদের জন্য একটি সুন্দর পরিবেশ-বান্ধব যায়গা হিসাবে তৈরি করেছে। যেহেতু হাতির ঝিল খালটিকে খুড়ে হ্রদে পরিণত করা হয়েছে, তাই এখন এটির নিচু অংশ বেশী পানি ধারন করার ক্ষমতা রাখে যা ঢাকা শহরে বন্যার ঝুকি কমিয়ে দেয়। তাই এখন ঢাকার দরিদ্র বাসিন্দারা যারা নর্দমার পাশে বসবাস করে, বন্যা দ্বারা তাদের কম ক্ষতি হয়ে থাকে। উপরন্তু, হাতির ঝিলের উপর নির্মিত সেতু এর আশেপাশের এলাকা যেমনঃ বাংলা মোটর, মগবাজার, মৌচাক, তেজগাঁও, গুলশান এবং ঢাকার অন্যান্য অংশের যোগাযোগ ব্যবস্থার উন্নতি করেছে। হাতির ঝিল বৃষ্টির পানি ধারণকরণ ছাড়াও, এর আশেপাশের এলাকায় রাজউক ২০০০টি এপার্টমেন্ট বিল্ডিং নির্মাণ করবে শহুরে দরিদ্রদের জন্য। এককথায়, এই প্রকল্পটির মাধ্যমে বৃষ্টির পানি ধারণ করা যাচ্ছে, ঢাকার পূর্ব ও পশ্চিম এলাকার যোগাযোগ বাবস্থার উন্নতি হচ্ছে, যানজট এর পরিমাণ কমে যাচ্ছে এবং হাতির ঝিল এলাকাটিতে একটি নিরাপদ এবং সুন্দর পরিবেশ নিশ্চিত করে গড়ে উঠছে।
Photo credit: Ibrahim Husain
AUW Writing Team, Dhaka Community Managers
In Dhaka, the poor mostly live near river banks, where they face the constant risk of floods and landslides. Because of the high cost of land, the urban poor can only afford to live near drainage congestions or on the edges of deep narrow valleys, areas which are prone to flooding because of the heavy rainfall, exacerbated by rapid climate change in the last few decades. In response to these difficult living conditions, and some of Dhaka’s environmental and connectivity issues, the Capital Development Authority of the Government of Bangladesh, Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (RAJUK) has planned a prodigious environmental sustainability project called Hatir Jheel.
Previously, the Hatir Jheel canal area was severely environmentally degraded due to the large amount of waste dumped in the canal. In addition, formal and informal settlements had sprung up around the canal, adding to the environmental issues, and posing a significant challenge to any proposed intervention.
RAJUK collaborated with Dhaka’s Water Supply and Sewerage Authority, and the Department of Urban and Regional Planning from the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology. Together, the team developed a plan to reconstruct and beautify the Hatir Jheel canal area, as well as to increase the connectivity of this neighborhood with the other areas of the city.
The Hatir Jheel project was completed in early 2013, and successfully transformed the area into an environment-friendly and beautiful location for both rich and poor residents. The canal was dredged into lakes, meaning that low-lying areas can be used as rain water retention basins. This also minimizes the risk of flooding, causing less damage to the nearby residents who live on the edge of ravines. The bridges and surrounding roads constructed around the lake have improved connectivity to other areas in Dhaka, like Bangla Motor, Moghbazar, Mouchak, Tejgaon, and Gulshan. In addition, RAJUK has built new apartments for the displaced residents.
Critics remark that the project was implemented in a top-down manner, without the participation of important stakeholders such as the inhabitants of the nearby formal and informal settlements, and the businesses that had developed near the canal. Despite these critiques, the project has generally been successful in facilitating rain water retention, developing east-west communication, reducing traffic congestion, and ensuring a safer environment for the Hatir Jheel area.
Photo credit: Ibrahim Husain
María Fernanda Carvallo, Mexico City Community Manager
El Pueblo San Andrés Totoltepec en la Delegación Tlalpan ha sido parte de una metodología de planeación urbana instrumentada por la Organización Fomento Solidario de la Vivienda (FOSOVI). Dicha organización busca desarrollar el diseño y planteamiento del hábitat popular a través de metodologías participativas, y que incida en el diseño de las políticas públicas. El eje central de esta metodología es un proceso dinámico basado en la capacidad y voluntad de la sociedad para guiar su propio destino. Este proceso parte de la Investigación-Acción-Participativa; una herramienta que vincula la reflexión, el diálogo, la acción y el aprendizaje entre los actores involucradas y externos para promover el empoderamiento de las comunidades excluidas de los procesos socio-políticos.
En este sentido, para FOSOVI la planeación urbana participativa es un proceso de toma de decisiones compartidas sobre un deseo, donde los fines son seleccionados democráticamente y puestos en práctica colectivamente; y que además serán soluciones sustentables en el tiempo para lograr mejores condiciones de vida de los grupos involucrados.
Para su implementación, la organización se vincula con la comunidad a través de 4 fases. La primera entra en contacto para que la comunidad exponga sus principales problemáticas; posteriormente, en conjunto diseñan un programa a implementar que brindará alternativas de solución a la comunidad. Con este programa se analiza la viabilidad y estrategia de implementación identificando los actores involucrados y finalmente en la última etapa se ejecuta el programa con un seguimiento y evaluación.
Bajo esta metodología, FOSOVI, el Gobierno del Distrito Federal a través de la Secretaría de Desarrollo Urbano y Vivienda del Distrito Federal (SEDUVI), la Delegación de Tlalpan y alumnos de la Facultad de Arquitectura de la Universidad Autónoma Nacional instrumentaron talleres participativos para la elaboración del Programa Parcial de Desarrollo Urbano de San Andrés Totoltepec (PPDU).
Para su implementación, se formó un Comité Técnico integrado por miembros de las diversas instituciones, consultores y representantes de entidades socio-económicas en el territorio, para direccionar el proceso de elaboración e instrumentación, la aprobación de los documentos y líneas de acción, la priorización de acciones y el establecimiento de sistemas de control y seguimiento. De tal forma, con la población interesada de San Andrés Totoltepec durante la primera fase se realizó un pre-diagnóstico a través de investigación de campo, mapeos y un diagnóstico participativo. En la segunda fase se construyeron objetivos, así como líneas de acción estratégicas para cada área de la Delegación, proyectos críticos y conciliación de opiniones en mesas de trabajo; lo anterior relacionado con los temas de usos actuales del suelo, medio ambiente, infraestructura urbana y estructura urbana. Durante la tercera fase se determinaron las prioridades específicas así como las metas y concreción de proyectos urbanos prioritarios; seguidos por la elaboración de proyectos y programas. En la última fase se llevó a cabo la aprobación del PPDU por el Comité, el establecimiento de los procedimientos para su ejecución y seguimiento al programa y la Consulta Pública. En este último punto, se presentó el programa a la población y vecinos de la demarcación para que fuera un proceso consensuado y democrático.
Como resultado de esta metodología, se desarrolló un anteproyecto urbano para la rehabilitación de una parte del centro histórico del poblado; se promovió la rehabilitación de la zona patrimonial y se aprobaron estrategias para el PPDU. La Delegación y los actores involucrados integraron a la planeación urbana algunos de los elementos del PPDU, logrando un vínculo entre autoridades y la realidad de la comunidad. Como parte del aprendizaje, FOSOVI afirma que “es necesario que la administración pública reconozca un proceso de cambio que conjugue el procedimiento normativo tradicional y el ‘estratégico’ que promueve la más amplia y diversa participación, y que esté orientado a la acción”.
Foto: FOSOVI
María Fernanda Carvallo, Mexico City Community Manager
The town of San Andrés Totoltepec, located in the administrative borough of Tlalpan, has been part of an urban planning methodology implemented by the Organización Fomento Solidario de la Vivienda — FOSOVI (the Social Fund for Housing). This organization uses participatory methodologies to design public policy; the core is to create a dynamic process based on the capacity of society to guide its own future. This is known as participatory action research, a tool that links reflection, dialogue and the knowledge of the actors involved in order to promote the empowerment of excluded communities in the process of public policy.
For FOSOVI, participatory urban planning is a process, in which decisions are shared, outcomes are agreed upon democratically, and decisions are put into practice collectively. The goal is to create sustainable, timely solutions to achieve a better standard of living for the communities involved.
During implementation, FOSOVI interacts with the community in four phases. In the first phase, the organization works with the community to expose the main issues. Next, FOSOVI and the community work together to design an implementation program that provides alternative solutions to the community. The strategy and viability of the solution are then analyzed so that the program is properly implemented for the identified stakeholders. In the last phase, the program is executed, as well as monitored and evaluated.
Using this methodology, FOSOVI, the city government’s Secretaría de Desarrollo Urbano y Vivienda del Distrito Federal (the Federal District’s Department of Housing and Urban Development), the administrative borough of Tlalpan, and alumni of the Architecture Faculty at the Universidad Autónoma Nacional implemented participatory workshops for the development of the Programa Parcial de Desarrollo Urbano de San Andrés Totoltepec – PPDU (Program of Partial Urban Development of San Andrés Totoltepec).
For the implementation of this PPDU, a Technical Committee was created, with members of various institutions, consultants, and representatives from diverse socio-economic entities. The committee was responsible for the development and implementation process, the approval of documents and action items, the prioritization of actions, and the establishment of monitoring and control systems. For this project targeting the population of San Andrés Totoltepec, the diagnostic phase one consisted of field research, mapping, and participatory investigation. During phase two, objectives and strategic action plans were determined for every area of the borough. This entailed workshops to conciliate opinions, especially on issues like land use, the environment, urban infrastructure, and urban structure. During phase three, specific priorities and goals were determined, followed by the development of projects. In the last phase, the Technical Committee approved the PPDU and the establishment of procedures for implementing and monitoring the program, as well as the procedure for public consultation. Finally, the program was presented to the community and nearby neighbors to garner consensus.
As a result of this methodology, an urban bill was drafted for the rehabilitation of part of the community’s historic downtown, using the strategies from the PPDU. By using strategies from this participatory action research method, the community and stakeholders were able to make the link between the authorities and the reality of the urban issues. As part of its results, FOSOVI says that “it is necessary that the public administration recognizes a change in the process that combines the traditional normative procedure and the ‘strategy’ that promotes a wider and more diverse participation, and that is also action oriented.”
Photo: FOSOVI