Blog

Victoria Okoye, Lagos Community Manager

In the area of sanitation, access to improved facilities, expanding women’s management and planning opportunities, and improving women’s safety and security are inextricably linked. For example, for women working in the market, commuting between destinations or even for young girls in school, gender concerns limit their access to finding and accessing private spaces to go to the toilet.

An October 2012 poll of 500 female residents on their sanitation and safety concerns in the slum communities of Ajegunle, Ijora Badia, Oko Agbon and Otto-Oyingbo sets the scene: two out of every five women said they lack access to sanitation facilities. They develop their own, informal solutions, relieving themselves outside, and in the open, such as behind buildings, in open drains, or off roadways.

Over half of the women affirmed that they avoid using public toilets at certain times to avoid any perceived danger. In these spaces, like in open areas, they have to share facilities with men. The lack of privacy makes them vulnerable to public attention and physical and verbal abuse. Many may try to go at night under the cover of dark, but that brings its additional threats and dangers.

“My neighbor or people passing will start staring at you,” said one. “And some will stare like they want to come and rape you.”

For others, the harassment goes beyond perception to the real thing. Another respondent commented: “There is a day I went to the toilet and somebody flogged me from behind.”

There is a strong correlation between women’s sense of safety and access to private toilets, or those available in markets: 77 percent reported feeling unsafe when using public facilities, while 19 percent reported feeling unsafe when using their own private, household facilities. The women reported feeling more safe when they were able to access a toilet in their local market or on public transport than when they had to use a shared or community toilet, or use an open space.

When it comes to improving women’s safety in the urban space, “public services can and must be part of the solution for making their lives safer,” says Ramona Vijeyarasa of WaterAid. She points to the lack of women’s participation in planning, highlighting that women have to be included not only in the as end users, but as managers and planners who work to improve sanitation access throughout the city. The women’s experiences from Ajegunle and other low-income areas highlights that it’s not just about having access to public services, it’s about services that are planned and managed with gender considerations in mind.

In terms of waste management, the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), which manages the collection and disposal of both public and household waste, incorporates one-third female representation in its administrative and technical staff, creating employment opportunities for women, as well as breaking into a male-dominated profession of urban services. Impressed with the female staff’s performance, the agency said in 2012 that it was planing to hire even more female drivers.

On the non-governmental side, a local organization is making inroads. In 2008, two women, Jife Williams and Adeola Asabia, set up MN Environmental Services, an NGO providing sanitation and hygiene services in Lagos. According to Adeola Asabia, the NGO focuses on providing sanitation solutions in low-income areas, markets and lorry parks. Their impacts have gained notoriety for their company as well as the issue of sanitation, earning them a Cartier Women’s Initiative Award in 2009.

Williams and Adeola say that their end goal is to provide Lagosians with modern, clean amenities, and raise people’s awareness about hygiene. As part of their business model, they hire locally from communities, engaging community members as supervisors, cleaners and security guards of the facilities that they help construct. The first public toilet MN Services developed, at New Alayabiaga Market, was constructed with separated male and female sections, with female hygiene assistants for the women’s section, and male assistants for the men’s section, security personnel and a supervisor to manage the facility.

Recognizing women’s concerns, as well as integrating women into the solutions – at the administrative, technical and directoral levels – are integral to addressing women’s safety in sanitation. Planning facilities that are separate, secure and accessible, as well as affordable are the inroads to addressing this challenge. And it seems that slowly but surely, these concerns are coming to the spotlight.

By Rishi Aggarwal

A minister’s cavalcade reportedly gets delayed in traffic last month, someone blames it on the city’s hawkers, and a brazen policeman is unleashed on the street vendors like a guard dog. In the ensuing crackdown on Mumbai’s hawkers, a fruit vendor was killed because of the panic and assault, and news just broke that his 25-year-old daughter has died out of shock.

Mumbai has a long history of conflict with hawkers, but what is happening in the past few years is nothing short of human rights violations as the State “cleans up” the city to make it “world-class.” Yes, the hawkers obstruct pedestrian movement, but is that really the concern that has led to the crackdown?

My reading is that creating parking space is the real motive here. Mumbai has seen an exponential growth in cars in the past decade. A poor transport and parking policy has meant a literal clogging of the streets with cars. The poor are being sacrificed to liberate street space in the name of pedestrians; however, the reality is that the spaces will be handed over to motorists for parking. In fact, parking on both sides of the streets and even on footpaths is now emerging as the biggest threat to pedestrians and a cause for traffic congestion — an issue that is being conveniently overlooked by the police.

Buying from street vendors, enjoying some snacks or your favorite tea or coffee with friends on the streets is something which every citizen of Mumbai engages in, not necessarily due to lack of choice but also out of love for doing it this way. Imagine streets without hawkers or any lively street activity. Compare a Bandra Kurla Complex and the Fort Fountain area; which is more lively and pleasant to be in? Bandra Kurla Complex — the city’s corporate part that edges up against Dharavi — might have billions of dollars flowing within its buildings, but the “clean” streets represent a ghost town — you don’t want to spend time on them. On the other hand, the Fountain area, which integrates hawkers, shops and walking areas, is a place that most Mumbaikers and tourists enjoy. Hawkers bring life and vitality to Indian streets, which is what also makes it a great tourist attraction for millions in the West whose streets have been sanitized long ago.

In planning our cities and streets, this is something which should have been incorporated and should be going forward if it has been neglected until now.

What causes conflict is that hawkers will necessarily come to places which have high footfalls, which can be on arterial roads, outside mass transit stations and the like. There is a certain invisible economic logic which makes hawkers congregate in certain locations. This is where the urban planners have to step in, closely observe human interactions and mobility, and be able to innovatively create new hawking spaces in the same street architecture as before. It goes without saying that a large amount of urbanization which is yet to happen in India has to be clearly driven by accommodating hawking spaces in the street networks.

When I started the Walking Project last year with a few friends of mine, I was very clear to not include the hawkers issue in the first few years of the decade-long project. It is not a simple issue of carrying out encroachment raids; it is a deeper urban planning issue which can be solved through adequate space allocation for hawking in the Development Plan and through the Urban Street Vendors Policy. Delhi has made a beginning with its street design guidelines and I believe Mumbai needs to focus on one soon as well.

Rishi Aggarwal is a research fellow at the Observer Research Foundation, a public policy think tank in Mumbai.

The development of “Cities for Life” requires infrastructure to bring life’s fundamentals to the community: water, sanitation, housing, transportation, energy. Historically, stark inequities in access to these basics have divided cities, leaving informal communities marginalized and their residents struggling to survive. What would an equity-driven approach to urban infrastructure development look like? Who should participate and what part should they play in order to bring about a sustainable approach that will deliver the desired results in terms of inclusiveness as well as delivery of services? How can players of various types — from government agencies to profit-driven vendors, from grassroots community organizations to academics and urban planners — complement one another and coordinate their contributions to produce a coherent, effective whole? How might new technologies and service models transform the array of possible infrastructure solutions? This discussion will examine all these elements and explore ways of integrating them into an urban infrastructure matrix that delivers the goods while serving the goals of justice, inclusion, and urban sustainability.

El desarrollo de las “Ciudades para la Vida” implica el despliegue de infraestructuras capaces de proveer a las comunidades de los suministros básicos necesarios para la vida: el agua, el saneamiento, la vivienda, el transporte y la energía. Históricamente, las ciudades se han visto divididas por fuertes desigualdades en el acceso a los servicios básicos, y las comunidades informales y sus habitantes han quedado marginadas, en una lucha permanente por la supervivencia. ¿Cómo sería un desarrollo de las infraestructuras impulsado por lo búsqueda de la equidad? ¿Quienes debería participar en este proceso y qué papel deberían jugar para lograr un avance sostenible que a su vez se tradujera en una mayor inclusión social y una mejor distribución de los servicios? ¿Cómo se pueden coordinar los trabajos de los distintos actores — desde las agencias gubernamentales hasta las empresas privadas con ánimo de lucro, desde las organizaciones comunitarias de base hasta los académicos y planeadores urbanos — para lograr que se complementen y se logren resultados globales coherentes y efectivos? ¿Cómo pueden las nuevas tecnologías y los nuevos modelos de servicio transformar el abanico de soluciones tecnológicas disponibles? En esta conversación examinaremos todos estos temas y exploraremos la posibilidad de integrarlos en una matriz de infraestructura urbana capaz de lograr sus objetivos primarios al tiempo que cumple con los objetivos de justicia, inclusión y sustentabilidad urbana.

Conversation hosted in partnership with UN-HABITAT and the Ford Foundation in conjunction with WUF 7.

Click on the pictures to see each panelist’s perspective below.

An equity-driven approach that targets transportation would advance pro-poor sustainable transportation integrated with transit-oriented development and affordable housing. Worldwide, transport policy and planning inadequately target the needs of the poor, while the majority of public resources are dedicated to transport investments like highways that cater to the desires of the car-owning minority. Coupled with the shortage of affordable, quality transport is the pervasive trend to locate affordable housing on inexpensive land in the urban outskirts — far from reliable transit, economic opportunity, and critical services, all while driving urban sprawl. As a result, poverty is concentrated and isolated in spatial pockets disconnected from the broader metropolitan economy, where residents suffer not only low income and low opportunity, but also high transport costs.

Transportation system improvements like Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), when integrated with comprehensive spatial planning and affordable housing policy can significantly improve the lives of the urban poor by reducing the two most critical household costs: housing and transportation. By reducing these costs, families can save money and invest it in home ownership, education, or other intergenerational household assets that are proven to alleviate poverty.

All relevant actors need to take place in the planning process (assessments, implementation, monitoring and evaluation): government, developers, community organizations, academics, and most important, the beneficiaries themselves. An equity-driven approach increases participation of beneficiaries through a re-balance of power structures, and not only as an instrument to achieve legitimation of interests. The outcome is to make informal, marginalized communities to take control of their lives and realize their capabilities.

New technologies and service models can transform infrastructure solutions, provided there is clear definition of quality and performance, with proper tools such as standards and proven methodologies.

Clarisse Cunha Linke is a Brazilian with thirteen years experience in social policy, planning and implementation in Brazil, Mozambique and Namibia. She holds an MSc in Social Policy, NGO and Development from the London School of Economics and Political Science, where she was the winner of the “Titmuss Examination Prize”. She also holds a MBE in NGO and Civil Society from the Institute of Economics, Rio de Janeiro Federal University, Brazil. From 2006-2011, Clarisse was one of the Bicycling Empowerment Network Namibia (BEN Namibia) directors, where she played a key role in the expansion of BEN Namibia’s activities, helping it develop the biggest community-based enterprise bicycle distribution network in sub-Saharan Africa. In 2010 she was the winner of the Ashoka Changemakers Challenge “Women, Tools and Technology”. Clarisse joined ITDP Brazil in January 2012.

Un enfoque de equidad dirigido al transporte podría avanzar la transportación sustentable pro-pobre integrada con el desarrollo orientado al transporte y vivienda económica. A nivel mundial, la política de transporte y la planificación se dirigen inadecuadamente a las necesidades de los pobres, mientras que la mayoría de los recursos públicos se dedican a transportar inversiones, como las carreteras que se adaptan a los deseos de la minoría que tiene auto propio. Junto con la escasez de transporte de calidad y de transporte económico, está la tendencia generalizada de localizar viviendas económicas en terrenos de bajo costo en la periferia urbana—lejos del tránsito fiable, oportunidades económicas, y de servicios críticos, todo mientras se evoluciona la expansión urbana. Como consecuencia, la pobreza se concentra y es aislada en los bolsillos espaciales desconectados de la economía amplia metropolitana, donde los residentes no sólo sufren de bajos ingresos y baja oportunidad, sino también de los altos costos del transporte.

Mejoramientos en el sistema de transporte como el Transito de Autous Rapido (BRT), cuando se integran con la planificación comprensiva espacial y con la política de vivienda económica pueden mejorar significativamente la vida de los pobres urbanos al reducir los dos costos más críticos del hogar: la vivienda y el transporte. Al reducir estos costos, las familias pueden ahorrar dinero e invertirlo en la propiedad de su vivienda, educación, u otros bienes del hogar intergeneracionales que han demostrado el mejoramiento de la pobreza.

Todos los actores con relevancia deben tener lugar en el proceso de planificación (evaluaciones, implementación, monitoreo y análisis): el gobierno, los desarrolladores, las organizaciones comunitarias, los académicos, y con importancia mayor, los propios beneficiarios. Un enfoque de equidad dirigida aumenta la participación de los beneficiarios a través de un re-equilibrio de las estructuras de poder, y no sólo como un instrumento para lograr la legitimación de los intereses. El resultado es de hacer las comunidades informales, marginadas tomar el control de sus vidas y darse cuenta de sus capacidades.

Las nuevas tecnologías y modelos de servicio pueden transformar las soluciones de infraestructura, siempre y cuando exista una definición clara de calidad y rendimiento, con las herramientas apropiadas, como las normas y metodologías ya probadas.

Clarisse Cunha Linke es un brasileña con trece años de experiencia en la política social, planificación e implementación en Brasil, Mozambique y Namibia. Tiene una Maestría en Política Social, en el tema de ONG y del Desarrollo de la Escuela de Economía y Ciencia Política en Londres, donde fue la ganadora del “Premio de Examinación Titmuss.” También, tiene un MBE en ONG y Sociedad Civil del Instituto de Economía de la Universidad Federal de Río de Janeiro, Brasil. Desde el 2006 hasta el 2011, Clarisse fue una de los directoras la Red de Empoderamiento del Uso de Bicicletas en Namibia (BEN Namibia), donde desempeñó un papel clave en la expansión de las actividades de BEN Namibia, ayudando a desarrollar la empresa más grande de la red de distribución de bicicletas en la comunidad en la África subsahariana. En 2010 fue la ganadora de Ashoka Changemakers Challenge “Mujeres, Herramientas y Tecnología.” Clarisse se unió a ITDP en Brasil en enero del 2012.

To me, the more difficult part of this question may not be answering what a more equity-driven approach to city infrastructure would look like — but figuring out how we would get there from here. In Chennai, we have interacted with government servants from a number of agencies that regularly deal with the urban poor, such as officials from the Slum Clearance Board or the city department that builds and maintains public toilets. Especially in India, government officials are often portrayed as corrupt and lazy, barriers to better governance. However, what we have found is that many officials are actually sincere and hardworking, but that they themselves face barriers that prevent them from taking actions that benefit the poor and create a more equitable city.

What are some of these barriers? They are often working under tight schedules, with little time for research and reflection. Many cities are grossly under-staffed, even as they are being asked to do more complex tasks. For example, central government funding for all major cities in India has been dependent on them instituting participatory planning processes. However, cities have not been provided adequate training or guidance on participatory planning methodologies, nor have been provided more staff to run these time-consuming processes. Government officials also lack basic data and information to target services to areas of greatest need. Government offices rarely have data in usable, shareable formats, and departments and agencies are not encouraged to share information with one another.

A realistic approach to creating more inclusive cities would take into account the barriers that government officials themselves face in improving outcomes for the poor.

Nithya V. Raman is an urban planner who has been working in India for nearly a decade. Her research and writing has focused on urban governance, slums and access to land and services, and transparency. In 2010, she founded Transparent Chennai, which creates maps and information about neglected civic issues to support advocacy by and for the urban poor. The team’s research is cited widely, and has informed public discourse and decision-making on urban policies in India.

Para mí, la parte más difícil de esta pregunta no es responder en como un enfoque patrimonial dirigido a la infraestructura de la ciudad se miraría—sino tratar de averiguar cómo podemos llegar allí desde aquí. En Chennai, hemos interactuado con los funcionarios del gobierno de una serie de agencias que tratan con los pobres urbanos regularmente, tales como los funcionarios de la Junta de Eliminación de Suburbios o el departamento de la ciudad que construye y mantiene los baños públicos. En la India especialmente, los funcionarios del gobierno son representados a menudo como corruptos y perezosos—barreras a la gobernación eficaz. No obstante, lo que hemos encontrado es que muchos funcionarios son realmente sinceros y trabajadores, pero ellos mismos tienen barreras que se enfrentan y que les impiden tomar acciones que beneficien a los pobres para crear una ciudad más justa.

¿Cuáles son algunas de estas barreras? Ellos trabajan con a menudo bajo horarios de poco o no flexibilidad, con poco tiempo para la investigación y reflexión. Es increíble cuantas ciudades no tienen el personal necesario, incluso durante tiempos que se les piden proyectos más complejos. Por ejemplo, la financiación del gobierno central para todas las ciudades principales de la India, han dependido de que las ciudades instituyan procesos de planificación participativa. Sin embargo, las ciudades no han sido proveídas con el entrenamiento adecuando sobre las metodologías de planificación participativa, ni han sido proveídos con más personal para ejecutar estos procesos que consumen mucho tiempo. Los funcionarios gubernamentales también carecen de datos básicos e información para orientar los servicios a las zonas de mayor necesidad. Las oficinas gubernamentales, raramente tienen datos en formatos utilizables que se puedan compartir, y los departamentos y agencias no son animados a compartir información entre sí mismos.

Un enfoque realista para la creación de ciudades más inclusivas y justas, tendría en cuenta las barreras que los funcionarios del gobierno se enfrentan para mejorar los resultados de los pobres.

Nithya V. Raman es un planificadora urbanista que ha estado trabajando en la India durante casi una década. Su investigación y escritura se han centrado en la gobernanza urbana, los suburbios y el acceso a la tierra y a los servicios, y la transparencia. En el 2010, ella fundó Transparent Chennai, el cual crea mapas e información sobre cuestiones cívicas descuidadas para apoyar la abogacía por y para los pobres urbanos. El equipo de investigación ha sido citado ampliamente, y tiene el discurso público y la toma de decisiones sobre las políticas urbanas en la India.

Urban service networks have long been the domain of public utility companies, private enterprises, and city governments to plan and manage, but as cities grow rapidly, existing mechanisms become overstretched and cannot keep up with demand. Citizen participation in the management of these urban networks can go a long way to make urban systems more effective; when citizens work with them to supply information and give feedback on service quality levels and identifying service gaps. A few trends that can support this are: the increasingly widespread use of cell phones in many developing countries, and also the increasing sophistication of local community organizations to gather data to support citizen advocacy efforts. Both these mechanisms can increase citizen participation by giving the public access to information to enable citizen and community-based groups to be proactive stakeholders, not simply being clients or beneficiaries. By receiving and supplying information, the citizens can be informed and updated, and also provide information to service providers about their needs, in a way that would otherwise be difficult.

I have been working to develop information systems that promote citizen participation and community mapping initiatives in Indonesia since 2009. I recognize that introducing technology and new forms of community outreach and institutional partnerships are an important aspect of “retooling cities,” while other traditional methods of community-level organization and activism remain as important as ever. The urban information systems that I have helped to develop are to be found in Indonesia (Solo Kota Kita and SMS AIR), Mongolia (Manaikhoroo), and Angola (Cazenga Forum — AngoNet).‬‬

John Taylor is an urban planner and activist. He is the founder and director of the Indonesian NGO Yayasan Kota Kita (Our City Foundation) whose mission is to improve participatory planning and budgeting processes by making information available to citizens and help them understand and take advantage of the opportunities that come with urbanization. In addition John has served as a technical advisor to UN-HABITAT Indonesia, Mercy Corps Indonesia and The Asia Foundation Mongolia, supporting their urban programs and research initiatives. John has also worked in Latin America (Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Honduras) and Africa (Angola) on urban development and planning issues. He received his Masters in Urban Planning from Harvard University in 2006.

Las redes de servicios urbanos han sido el dominio de las empresas de servicios públicos, de las empresas privadas y de los gobiernos municipales para planificar y gestionar durante mucho tiempo; considerando que las ciudades crecen rápidamente, los mecanismos existentes son agobiados y no pueden cumplir con la demanda. La participación ciudadana en la gestión de las redes urbanas ayuda al crear sistemas urbanos más efectivos; cuando los ciudadanos colaboran con las redes para suministrar información y para dar sus comentarios sobre los niveles de calidad del servicio, e identificar brechas en el servicio. Algunas tendencias que pueden apoyar esto son: el uso generalizado de teléfonos móviles en varios países en desarrollo, y también la sofisticación aumentada de las organizaciones comunitarias locales para el recaudado de datos para apoyar los esfuerzos de abogacía para los ciudadanos. Los dos mecanismos pueden aumentar la participación ciudadana al darle acceso al público a información para permitir que las organizaciones comunitarias y ciudadanas sean actores participantes proactivos, y no solamente clientes o beneficiarios. Además, al recibir y suministrar información, los ciudadanos pueden estar informados y al tanto de lo que ocurre; también, al suministrar información a los proveedores de servicios sobre sus necesidades, en un manera estratégica ayudaría.

He estado trabajando desarrollando sistemas de información que promueven la participación ciudadana y iniciativas de mapeo comunitario en Indonesia desde el 2009. Reconozco que la introducción de tecnología y nuevas formas de compromiso con la comunidad y asociaciones institucionales son un aspecto importante de “reequipar a las ciudades”, mientras que otros métodos tradicionales de organización a nivel comunitario y el activismo siguen teniendo la misma importancia de siempre. Los sistemas de información urbana que yo he ayudado a desarrollar se pueden encontrar en Indonesia (Solo Kota Kita y SMS AIR), Mongolia (Manaikhoroo) y Angola (Cazenga Forum — AngoNet).

John Taylor es un urbanista y activista. Él es el fundador y director de la ONG, Yayasan Kota Kita (Nuestra Fundación Ciudadana), en Indonesia, cuya misión es de mejorar los procesos del presupuesto y de la planificación participativa, al otorgar información disponible a los ciudadanos y al ayudarlos a entender y tomar ventaja de las oportunidades que vienen con la urbanización. Además, John ha servido como asesor técnico, al apoyar los programas urbanos e iniciativas de investigación, de ONU- HABITAT Indonesia, Mercy Corps Indonesia y de la Fundación Asia Mongolia. John también ha trabajado en América Latina (Brasil, Colombia, Ecuador y Honduras) y en África (Angola) en temas de desarrollo y planificación urbana. Él obtuvo su Maestría en Planificación Urbana de la Universidad de Harvard en el 2006.

South Africa has entered into its 20th year of democracy and as the world looks on at a society that has been free of the shackles of Apartheid for two decades, the form of its urban fabric is changing as its cities try to shake off their segregated pasts. Over the last two decades, cities in South Africa have seen the tremendous influx of people in search of economic opportunities and better access to services. This in-migration to urban areas has seen the proliferation of informal settlements from nearly non-existent in the late ’80s to over 2000 (and counting) in present day South Africa. Local municipalities and city planning departments have not planned for these settlements. If anything, the only strategy being applied today is a reactionary one, further handicapped by the very formal and rigid development methods imposed by city officials trained primarily in planning for and implementing very traditional city planning processes. Where does that leave the informal settlement dweller?

In South Africa, the Federation of the Urban and Rural Poor (FEDUP) and the Informal Settlement Network (ISN) are two social movements working hard toward changing the way cities think about informal settlements and the urban poor. This is best encapsulated in their slogan “No upgrading without us.” The fight for these social movements is to move city governments away from a traditional developmental approach of planning “for them” and instead encourage a plan “with them” strategy. In cities all over South Africa, the ISN and FEDUP are engaged in massive data collection drives where informal settlement dwellers themselves are collecting the information needed to help cities plan more effectively with informality in mind. By participating in the gathering of their own information, slum dwellers in South Africa are trying to place themselves at the centre of city planning after being at its peripheries for so long.

Charlton Leslie Ziervogel is the Programme Manager for the Community Organisation Resource Centre (CORC), an NGO supporting communities to drive their own development agendas with an overarching objective of making cities more inclusive. He oversees the work of CORC in supporting the FEDUP and ISN in 4 major metros and 8 provinces across South Africa. He completed his Masters Degree in Sociology at the University of Cape Town. Working in the NGO sector in South Africa over the past decade, Charlton has honed his skills specifically around community engagement and the fostering of a bottom up approach to urban development.

Sudáfrica ha entrado en su vigésimo año de democracia y mientras el mundo mira a una sociedad que ha estado libre de las cadenas del apartheid durante dos décadas, la forma de su tejido urbano está cambiando a medida que las ciudades tratan de deshacerse de su pasado de segregación. Durante las últimas dos décadas, las ciudades de Sudáfrica han visto una enorme afluencia de personas en busca de oportunidades económicas y de un mejor acceso a los servicios. Esta migración a las zonas urbanas ha visto la proliferación de asentamientos informales casi inexistentes en los últimos años de los 80s, a más de 2.000 habitantes (y va aumentando) hoy en día en Sudáfrica. Los municipios locales y los departamentos de planificación de la ciudad no tienen planes para estos asentamientos. En todo caso, la única estrategia aplicada hoy en día es reaccionaria, con límites por los métodos de desarrollo muy formales y rígidos impuestos por los funcionarios municipales capacitados principalmente en la planificación e implementación de procesos muy tradicionales de planificación para la ciudad. ¿Dónde deja esto al habitante del asentamiento informal?

En Sudáfrica, la Federación de los Pobres Urbanos y Rurales (FEDUP) y la Red de Asentamientos Informales (ISN) son 2 movimientos sociales que trabajan duro para cambiar la manera en la cual las ciudades piensan acerca de los asentamientos informales y pobres urbanos. Esto es mejor capturado en su lema “No modernización sin nosotros”. La lucha para estos movimientos sociales es de quitar el enfoque los gobiernos de las ciudades de la idea del desarrollo tradicional de planear “para ellos” y en vez fomentar un plan de estrategia “con ellos”. En ciudades a través de Sudáfrica, la ISN y FEDUP están comprometidas en una recolección masiva de datos, donde los habitantes de asentamientos informales están recolectando la información necesaria para ayudar a las ciudades a planificar de una manera más eficazmente—esto con la informalidad en mente. Al participar en la recaudación de su propia información, los habitantes de los asentamientos en Sudáfrica, están tratando de colocarse en el centro de la planificación de la ciudad después de estar en sus periferias por bastante tiempo.

Charlton Leslie Ziervogel es el Gerente de Programa del Centro de Organización de Recursos Comunitarios (CORC), una ONG que apoya a las comunidades para dirigirlas hacia su propio programa de desarrollo con un objetivo primordial con el propósito de hacer a las ciudades más inclusivas. Él está a cargo del trabajo de CORC en el apoyo de FEDUP y ISN en 4 zonas metropolitanas y en 8 provincias de Sudáfrica. Completó su Maestría en Sociología en la Universidad de Ciudad del Cabo. Charlton ha perfeccionado sus habilidades, trabajando en el sector de las ONG en Sudáfrica en la última década, específicamente alrededor de la participación comunitaria y de la promoción de un enfoque de abajo hacia arriba para el desarrollo urbano.

Power supply, generation, and distribution are some of the many challenges facing developing nations. Lagos receives 25 percent of the power generated in Nigeria every day, but it’s only enough to meet less than 10 percent of the energy demand. In response to the inadequate supply, the city government has created three running independent power project (IPP) plants that generate energy, and two more are scheduled for completion before the end of 2014.

The existing IPPs supply energy to city facilities such as the City Hall, the State Secretariat, and hospitals to ensure that public services are being delivered promptly, without the challenges that accompany the lack of power supply. While these three plants do contribute to improving service delivery, they do not currently supply private homes, businesses, or industry. The IPPs also help power streetlights, improving driving and safety conditions.

The city is definitely not where it needs to be considering its power needs, but plans are looking to expand to more areas and to improve the generation and distribution capacity of energy. The state government is calling for private partnerships to invest in power infrastructure in an effort to improve generation capacity and to meet the power demands of the city. Increased investments in independent power generation plants will expand street lighting across Lagos, and also increase the possibility of extending generated energy to homes and businesses.

Lagos community manager Wura Ladipo-Ajayi is fascinated by human development, its effect on poverty eradication, and how various programs such as Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives might contribute to development. She is passionate about development issues and has worked for a range of organizations that includes the International Rescue Committee (IRC), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and Google Inc., among others. She holds a BSC. Honours Economics degree from the University of West Georgia and an Msc. International Development degree from the University of Bristol. She is excited to be exploring how social platforms can contribute to development efforts.

El suministro, la generación, y la distribución de energía son algunos de los muchos retos de las naciones en desarrollo. Lagos recibe el 25 por ciento de la energía generada en Nigeria a diario, pero esta energía es sólo suficiente para cubrir menos del 10 por ciento de la demanda de energía. En respuesta a la oferta inadecuada, el gobierno de la ciudad ha creado tres Productores de Energía Independientes (IPP, por sus siglas en ingles), plantas que generan energía, y dos más están programadas para completarse en el 2014.

Los IPPs existentes suministran energía a las instalaciones de la ciudad, como la alcaldía, la Secretaría de Estado, y los hospitales para garantizar que los servicios públicos estén siendo entregados sin demora, sin los retos que acompañan la falta de suministro de energía. Estas tres plantas contribuyen al mejoramiento de la entrega de servicios, aunque no suministran servicio a casas privadas, empresas, u a la industria. Los IPPs también ayudan a alumbrar las calles, al suministrar energía a las farolas, las cuales ayudan a mejorar las condiciones de manejo y de seguridad.

Es por cierto que la ciudad no está en donde tiene que estar considerando su necesidad de energía, pero hay planes que tienen como propósito la expansión a más zonas y el mejoramiento de la capacidad de generación y distribución de energía. El gobierno estatal está promoviendo la idea para que las asociaciones privadas inviertan en la infraestructura de energía para mejorar la capacidad de generación y para satisfacer las demandas de energía de la ciudad. El aumento de inversiones en plantas de generación de energía independientes expandirá del alumbrado de las calles de Lagos, y también aumentara la posibilidad de extender la energía generada a casas y empresas.

La gerenta comunitaria de Lagos, Wura Ladipo-Ajayi, está fascinada por el desarrollo humano, su efecto en la erradicación de la pobreza, y cómo varios programas, como las iniciativas de la Responsabilidad Social Corporativa, podrían contribuir al desarrollo. Ella tiene una gran pasión sobre los temas del desarrollo y siempre ha trabajado para una serie de organizaciones que incluye el Comité de Rescate Internacional (IRC, por sus siglas en ingles), la Comunidad Económica de los Estados del África Occidental (CEDEAO, por sus siglas en Ingles), y Google Inc., entre otros. Tiene un BSC con Honores en Ciencias Económicas de la Universidad de West Georgia y un Msc. en Desarrollo Internacional de la Universidad de Bristol. Ella esta emocionada de estar explorando cómo las plataformas sociales pueden contribuir a los esfuerzos de desarrollo.

After the transition to democracy from the apartheid era in 1994, an ambitious post-apartheid housing initiative was implemented in South Africa to provide formal housing for those denied it under apartheid.

However, the simplest and cheapest policy has been to locate this housing on the urban peripheries (typically over 20km away in the case of Johannesburg’s or Pretoria’s economic centres) — thus creating an alarming parody of apartheid-spatial planning in locating former black townships in marginal locations far from economic opportunities, amenities, and public transport. This has not only compelled people residing in these areas to use much of their income on transportation but, moreover, the dispersion perpetuates a marginal urban form which increases the burden placed on the city’s financial models and its already depleted and over-extended infrastructure networks.

The quantitative successes of housing provision and service delivery aside (to date, 3.3 million state-subsidised ‘RDP housing’ units have been built since 1994); the ‘softer’ democratic project of transcending former spatial, racial, and psychological barriers between South Africans, of engaging ‘difference’, toward building a “united and non-racial South Africa,” have fallen well short and appear to be an increasingly marginalised discourse in favour of other ‘hard’ priorities. Notwithstanding such developments, foregrounding difference is no less relevant today than it was in the days of the iconic Mandela era. Degrees of xenophobia are today increasingly common in Johannesburg. In an extreme case in 2008, the city was rocked by xenophobic violence signaling a red flag to the neglect of issues of social integration.

The priorities of delivery and development should not preclude difference. The social function of infrastructure is a pursuit of which diverse and unequal cities should not lose sight.

Cape Town and Johannesburg community manager Tariq Toffa is an architect, researcher, and writer based in Johannesburg. He is the Executive Manager at SHiFT (Social Housing Focus Trust), an NGO which provides expertise on the role and design of housing in transforming the built environment. He also lectures at the Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture (FADA) of the University of Johannesburg (UJ). He completed his professional architectural studies at the University of Cape Town (UCT), holds a Masters in architectural research from the University of the Witwatersrand (WITS), and studied religious and constitutional law at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN).

Una iniciativa ambiciosa de viviendas post-apartheid se implementó después de la transición a la democracia de la era del apartheid en 1994 en Sudáfrica, para proporcionar viviendas formales, para aquellos que fueron negados viviendas bajo el apartheid.

No obstante, la política más simple y económica ha sido localizar estas viviendas en las periferias urbanas (generalmente a más de 20 kilómetros de distancia, que es el caso de los centros económicos de Johannesburgo o Pretoria), y de esta manera se ha creado un parodia alarmante de planificación espacial-apartheid al localizar los viejos municipios negros en zonas marginales lejos de oportunidades económicas, servicios, y transporte público. Esto no sólo ha obligado que las personas viviendo en estas zonas usen una gran parte de su ingreso en transporte; por otra parte, la dispersión perpetúa una forma urbana marginal que aumenta la carga en los modelos financieros de la ciudad y de sus infraestructuras agobiadas y agotadas.

Tomando los éxitos cuantitativos de la provisión de vivienda y la prestación de servicios a un lado (hasta la fecha, 3,3 millones de unidades ‘viviendas PRD’ subvencionadas por el estado han sido construidas desde 1994); el proyecto democrático “más ligero” de transcender barreras previas espaciales, raciales y psicológicas entre los sudafricanos, de comprometer la “diferencia”, rumbo hacia la construcción de una Sudáfrica “unida y no racial,” no ha alcanzado su meta y un discurso cada vez más marginado en favor de prioridades “menos ligeras” emerge. A pesar de estos avances, poniendo en primer plano la diferencia no es menos relevante de lo que era en el tiempo del icónico Mandela. Hoy cada vez son más comunes los grados de xenofobia en Johannesburgo. En un caso extremo del año 2008, la ciudad fue sacudida por la violencia xenófoba, la cual indico la negligencia de los temas de integración social.

Las prioridades de entrega y el desarrollo no deben impedir la diferencia. Las ciudades diversas y desiguales no deben perder de vista de la búsqueda de las funciones sociales de la infraestructura.

Tariq Toffa es gerente comunitario de URB.im en Ciudad del Cabo y Johannesburgo. Es arquitecto, investigador y escritor residente en Johannesburgo. Actualmente es Gerente Ejecutivo de Social Housing Focus Trust, una ONG que proporciona conocimientos sobre la función y el diseño de la vivienda en la transformación del entorno construido. También es profesor en la Facultad de Arte, Diseño y Arquitectura (FADA) de la Universidad de Johannesburgo (UJ). Completó sus estudios profesionales de arquitectura en la Universidad de Ciudad del Cabo (UCT), cuenta con una maestría en investigación arquitectónica por la Universidad de Witwatersrand (WITS) y estudió un curso de Libertad de culto en el marco de la ley constitucional en la Universidad de KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN).

La Ciudad de México es por excelencia, el centro político-económico del país. Es en éste donde se dan la toma de decisiones más importantes, donde se encuentran los poderes de la unión y donde se ubica el centro financiero de México.

Es por ello, que como toda capital de país debe contar con una visión clara de mediano y largo plazo. Sin embargo, eso no se ha visto durante los últimos años. A pesar de las grandes inversiones en materia de infraestructura, el crecimiento del D.F. ha estado lejos de ser el óptimo, más aun cuando el poder adquisitivo de sus habitantes es considerablemente mayor si se compara con entidades federativas como Michoacán, Chiapas, Guerrero, Colima o Nayarit.

Tal como se observa, si bien durante la crisis económica, el impacto, en comparación con el recibido a nivel nacional, fue menor, un habitante de la capital puede vivir (sufrir) lo que implica radicar en el D.F.

El gasto en infraestructura se ha incrementado de manera importante, se han ampliado vías de comunicación en el periférico de la ciudad, se han hecho líneas de metro; sin embargo, la falta de alumbrado, banquetas, agua, drenaje y seguridad, persisten en diversas zonas del D.F.

Aunado a lo anterior, el tiempo promedio que un ciudadano “invierte” en trasladarse a su centro laboral desemboca en un estrés y tensión permanente. Muestra de ello, es el estudio realizado por IBM denominado Commuter Pain Index, donde se observa al D.F. como la ciudad que más se sufre.

En este sentido, si una persona tarda, en promedio, tres horas al día en ir y regresar de su trabajo, estaría pasando casi 29 días en el automóvil; ello, sin contar los fines de semana. La otra opción, es utilizar el transporte público, el cual carece de una política pública de servicio y atención al usuario. Dicho transporte es insuficiente, y presenta saturaciones en diversos horarios del día.

Por si fuera poco lo anterior, el gobierno encabezado por el Dr. Miguel Ángel Mancera ha iniciado un programa (Programa para la Integración a la Economía Formal de los comerciantes) para que dejen de vender productos en el metro. Si bien es cierto, ello pudiera implicar una buena iniciativa, lo que no se entiende es la forma de operación: se les dará $2,108.40 pesos a 2,500 vagoneros para que éstos persistan en sus intentos de vender productos, en su mayoría pirata, en el metro de la ciudad.

Dicho programa se aplica después de un incremento considerable en la tarifa del metro, pasando de $3 pesos a $5 pesos. A pesar de que el metro del D.F. es de los más económicos a nivel mundial, no se logra comprender la canalización de los recursos adicionales para programas como el antes mencionado. Dicha redistribución no genera valor agregado, ni aporta a un mejor desarrollo económico; únicamente causa malestar dentro de la población usuaria.

En la siguiente entrada, abordaremos ciertos temas de desigualdad y áreas de oportunidad de la actual administración.

En la entrada anterior, comentábamos acerca de las importantes áreas de oportunidad que no han sido abordados por las diferentes administraciones del Gobierno del Distrito Federal (GDF), al menos, los últimos 20 años.

En este sentido, la falta de planeación urbana se hace cada vez más visible y sobretodo, palpable. Los tiempos de recorrido son preocupantes, y muestra de ello, es el índice que señalamos que generó IBM (Commuter Pain Index) donde pone a la ciudad de México como la ciudad “que más se sufre” a nivel mundial.

Lo anterior, no es nada despreciable, inclusive es una pésima señal para los potenciales turistas que pudieran visitar esta ciudad. Asimismo, hemos comentado la carencia de alumbrado público, pasos peatonales (donde también la ciudadanía, en su mayoría, carece de una cultura vial importante) y drenaje.

Finalmente, señalamos que hay diversos programas que desde su origen no tienen razón de ser, como es el caso del Programa para la Integración a la Economía Formal de los comerciantes, donde se les da, actualmente, $2,108.40 pesos a 2,500 vagoneros (vendedores ambulantes) para que éstos persistan en sus intentos de vender productos, en su mayoría pirata, en el metro. Es decir, dicha acción de manera implícita señala la falta de respuesta que tiene la actual administración ante el problema de la economía informal, y de los grupos de poder que representan los ambulantes en el metro de la ciudad.

Así pues, había comentado que en esta entrada platicaría con ustedes acerca de varias carencias, en materia social y económica, que presenta el DF, para que se tuviera una imagen un tanto más clara, y así saber hacia dónde se tuviera que enfocar la actual administración. Sin embargo, desde hace una semana saltó un tema que involucra a la nueva línea del metro construida hace poco (octubre 2012), y que hoy en día está detenida: la línea 12 del metro.

Dicha línea no tiene siquiera 2 años en funcionamiento, y ya presenta diversas fallas, por lo que necesitará cerrarse en 11 de sus 20 estaciones, para reponer las estructuras desgastadas.

Al inicio de dicho proyecto, la administración (en ese entonces encabezada por Marcelo Ebrard) en su propuesta inicial mencionaba lo siguiente:

“En concreto, la zona sur-oriente de la Cuidad, que comprende las delegaciones de Tláhuac, Iztapalapa, Xochimilco, Coyoacán, Benito Juárez y Álvaro Obregón, presenta un alto porcentaje de viajes, en concreto, 7.9 millones de viajes diarios se originan o tienen como destino esta zona, lo que representa el 57% de los viajes diarios que se originan o se producen en el Distrito Federal (Encuesta Origen Destino EOD, 2007).

En la actualidad, no existe una alternativa de transporte público eficiente para realizar viajes entre distintos puntos de la zona sur-oriente, tal y como se demuestra con el hecho que en promedio los viajes en transporte público entre las seis delegaciones mencionadas se demoran un promedio de 84 minutos (EOD, 2007)”.

De hecho, el propio el diputado del PAN Héctor Saúl Téllez Hernández, en ese entonces, presidente de la Comisión de Hacienda de la ALDF, indicó en su momento que el proyecto presentó un sobreprecio.

¿A cuánto asciende el sobreprecio, o el costo “inflado” de la línea 12 del Metro, para la que originalmente se calculaba una inversión de 17 mil 500 millones de pesos?

Ha existido una discordancia en todo el número de cifras que nos han dado a conocer los propios funcionarios. Primero, nos dijeron que la obra costaría 17 mil 500 millones de pesos. Después, al momento de la inauguración y por dicho propio de los responsables, ese costo se había elevado a 24 mil 500 millones de pesos. A últimas fechas, el director general del Proyecto Metro indicó que no, que el gasto en realidad fue de 21 mil 300 millones de pesos. Sin embargo, él mismo volvió a modificar esa cifra dos días más tarde, durante su comparecencia ante la Asamblea, cuando sostuvo que se invirtieron cerca de 22 mil 500 millones de pesos.

Lo que resulta ya ofensivo, es que dicho proyecto fue asignado al consorcio constructor integrado por las empresas Ingenieros Civiles Asociados (ICA), Carso Infraestructura y Construcción y Alstom Mexicana, donde a través de un comunicado señalan que ellos realizaron las vías, pero que los trenes fueron adquiridos después a otra empresa, es decir, dicho consorcio cumplió con las certificaciones solicitadas por el GDF, pero éste no previó (por alguna extraña razón) analizar si los trenes que posteriormente iba adquirir (también por alguna extraña razón) pudieran no ser compatibles.

Así pues, los deslindes de todas las partes involucradas han estado al orden del día, sin mostrar una rendición de cuentas y transparencia total, ni castigos ejemplares a los funcionarios o ex funcionarios inmiscuidos en este problema, con centenares de miles de usuarios varados a su suerte ante la falta de transporte, con un alza en la tarifa del 40%, con un subsidio mensual a gente de la economía informal, y con un base fiscal casi inamovible a la que se le solicita pague sus impuestos (locales y federales) de manera puntual. Ante tal circunstancia, decimos ¡Ya basta!

Victoria Okoye, Lagos Community Manager

In the area of sanitation, access to improved facilities, expanding women’s management and planning opportunities and improving women’s safety and security are inextricably linked. For example, for women working in the market, commuting between destinations or even for young girls in school, gender concerns limit their access to finding and accessing private spaces to go to the toilet.

An October 2012 poll of 500 female residents on their sanitation and safety concerns in the slum communities of Ajegunle, Ijora Badia, Oko Agbon and Otto-Oyingbo sets the scene: two out of every five women said they lack access to sanitation facilities. They develop their own, informal solutions, relieving themselves outside, and in the open, such as behind buildings, in open drains, or off roadways.

Over half of the women affirmed that they avoid using public toilets at certain times to avoid any perceived danger. In these spaces, like in open areas, they have to share facilities with men. The lack of privacy makes them vulnerable to public attention and physical and verbal abuse. Many may try to go at night under the cover of dark, but that brings its additional threats and dangers.

“My neighbor or people passing will start staring at you,” said one. “And some will stare like they want to come and rape you.”

For others, the harassment goes beyond perception to the real thing. Another respondent commented: “There is a day I went to the toilet and somebody flogged me from behind.”

There is a strong correlation between women’s sense of safety and access to private toilets, or those available in markets: 77 percent reported feeling unsafe when using public facilities, while 19 percent reported feeling unsafe when using their own private, household facilities. The women reported feeling more safe when they were able to access a toilet in their local market or on public transport than when they had to use a shared or community toilet, or use an open space.

When it comes to improving women’s safety in the urban space, “public services can and must be part of the solution for making their lives safer,” says Ramona Vijeyarasa of WaterAid. She points to the lack of women’s participation in planning, highlighting that women have to be included not only in the as end users, but as managers and planners who work to improve sanitation access throughout the city. The women’s experiences from Ajegunle and other low-income areas highlights that it’s not just about having access to public services, it’s about services that are planned and managed with gender considerations in mind.

In terms of waste management, the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), which manages the collection and disposal of both public and household waste, incorporates one-third female representation in its administrative and technical staff, creating employment opportunities for women, as well as breaking into a male-dominated profession of urban services. Impressed with the female staff’s performance, the agency said in 2012 that it was planing to hire even more female drivers.

On the non-governmental side, a local organization is making inroads. In 2008, two women, Jife Williams and Adeola Asabia, set up MN Environmental Services, an NGO providing sanitation and hygiene services in Lagos. According to Adeola Asabia, the NGO focuses on providing sanitation solutions in low-income areas, markets and lorry parks. Their impacts have gained notoriety for their company as well as the issue of sanitation, earning them a Cartier Women’s Initiative Award in 2009.

Williams and Adeola say that their end goal is to provide Lagosians with modern, clean amenities, and raise people’s awareness about hygiene. As part of their business model, they hire locally from communities, engaging community members as supervisors, cleaners and security guards of the facilities that they help construct. The first public toilet MN Services developed, at New Alayabiaga Market, was constructed with separated male and female sections, with female hygiene assistants for the women’s section, and male assistants for the men’s section, security personnel and a supervisor to manage the facility.

Recognizing women’s concerns, as well as integrating women into the solutions – at the administrative, technical and directoral levels – are integral to addressing women’s safety in sanitation. Planning facilities that are separate, secure and accessible, as well as affordable are the inroads to addressing this challenge. And it seems that slowly but surely, these concerns are coming to the spotlight.

Victoria Okoye, Lagos Community Manager

In the area of sanitation, access to improved facilities, expanding women’s management and planning opportunities and improving women’s safety and security are inextricably linked. For example, for women working in the market, commuting between destinations or even for young girls in school, gender concerns limit their access to finding and accessing private spaces to go to the toilet.

An October 2012 poll of 500 female residents on their sanitation and safety concerns in the slum communities of Ajegunle, Ijora Badia, Oko Agbon and Otto-Oyingbo sets the scene: two out of every five women said they lack access to sanitation facilities. They develop their own, informal solutions, relieving themselves outside, and in the open, such as behind buildings, in open drains, or off roadways.

Over half of the women affirmed that they avoid using public toilets at certain times to avoid any perceived danger. In these spaces, like in open areas, they have to share facilities with men. The lack of privacy makes them vulnerable to public attention and physical and verbal abuse. Many may try to go at night under the cover of dark, but that brings its additional threats and dangers.

“My neighbor or people passing will start staring at you,” said one. “And some will stare like they want to come and rape you.”

For others, the harassment goes beyond perception to the real thing. Another respondent commented: “There is a day I went to the toilet and somebody flogged me from behind.”

There is a strong correlation between women’s sense of safety and access to private toilets, or those available in markets: 77 percent reported feeling unsafe when using public facilities, while 19 percent reported feeling unsafe when using their own private, household facilities. The women reported feeling more safe when they were able to access a toilet in their local market or on public transport than when they had to use a shared or community toilet, or use an open space.

When it comes to improving women’s safety in the urban space, “public services can and must be part of the solution for making their lives safer,” says Ramona Vijeyarasa of WaterAid. She points to the lack of women’s participation in planning, highlighting that women have to be included not only in the as end users, but as managers and planners who work to improve sanitation access throughout the city. The women’s experiences from Ajegunle and other low-income areas highlights that it’s not just about having access to public services, it’s about services that are planned and managed with gender considerations in mind.

In terms of waste management, the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), which manages the collection and disposal of both public and household waste, incorporates one-third female representation in its administrative and technical staff, creating employment opportunities for women, as well as breaking into a male-dominated profession of urban services. Impressed with the female staff’s performance, the agency said in 2012 that it was planing to hire even more female drivers.

On the non-governmental side, a local organization is making inroads. In 2008, two women, Jife Williams and Adeola Asabia, set up MN Environmental Services, an NGO providing sanitation and hygiene services in Lagos. According to Adeola Asabia, the NGO focuses on providing sanitation solutions in low-income areas, markets and lorry parks. Their impacts have gained notoriety for their company as well as the issue of sanitation, earning them a Cartier Women’s Initiative Award in 2009.

Williams and Adeola say that their end goal is to provide Lagosians with modern, clean amenities, and raise people’s awareness about hygiene. As part of their business model, they hire locally from communities, engaging community members as supervisors, cleaners and security guards of the facilities that they help construct. The first public toilet MN Services developed, at New Alayabiaga Market, was constructed with separated male and female sections, with female hygiene assistants for the women’s section, and male assistants for the men’s section, security personnel and a supervisor to manage the facility.

Recognizing women’s concerns, as well as integrating women into the solutions – at the administrative, technical and directoral levels – are integral to addressing women’s safety in sanitation. Planning facilities that are separate, secure and accessible, as well as affordable are the inroads to addressing this challenge. And it seems that slowly but surely, these concerns are coming to the spotlight.

Victoria Okoye, Lagos Community Manager

In the area of sanitation, access to improved facilities, expanding women’s management and planning opportunities and improving women’s safety and security are inextricably linked. For example, for women working in the market, commuting between destinations or even for young girls in school, gender concerns limit their access to finding and accessing private spaces to go to the toilet.

An October 2012 poll of 500 female residents on their sanitation and safety concerns in the slum communities of Ajegunle, Ijora Badia, Oko Agbon and Otto-Oyingbo sets the scene: two out of every five women said they lack access to sanitation facilities. They develop their own, informal solutions, relieving themselves outside, and in the open, such as behind buildings, in open drains, or off roadways.

Over half of the women affirmed that they avoid using public toilets at certain times to avoid any perceived danger. In these spaces, like in open areas, they have to share facilities with men. The lack of privacy makes them vulnerable to public attention and physical and verbal abuse. Many may try to go at night under the cover of dark, but that brings its additional threats and dangers.

“My neighbor or people passing will start staring at you,” said one. “And some will stare like they want to come and rape you.”

For others, the harassment goes beyond perception to the real thing. Another respondent commented: “There is a day I went to the toilet and somebody flogged me from behind.”

There is a strong correlation between women’s sense of safety and access to private toilets, or those available in markets: 77 percent reported feeling unsafe when using public facilities, while 19 percent reported feeling unsafe when using their own private, household facilities. The women reported feeling more safe when they were able to access a toilet in their local market or on public transport than when they had to use a shared or community toilet, or use an open space.

When it comes to improving women’s safety in the urban space, “public services can and must be part of the solution for making their lives safer,” says Ramona Vijeyarasa of WaterAid. She points to the lack of women’s participation in planning, highlighting that women have to be included not only in the as end users, but as managers and planners who work to improve sanitation access throughout the city. The women’s experiences from Ajegunle and other low-income areas highlights that it’s not just about having access to public services, it’s about services that are planned and managed with gender considerations in mind.

In terms of waste management, the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), which manages the collection and disposal of both public and household waste, incorporates one-third female representation in its administrative and technical staff, creating employment opportunities for women, as well as breaking into a male-dominated profession of urban services. Impressed with the female staff’s performance, the agency said in 2012 that it was planing to hire even more female drivers.

On the non-governmental side, a local organization is making inroads. In 2008, two women, Jife Williams and Adeola Asabia, set up MN Environmental Services, an NGO providing sanitation and hygiene services in Lagos. According to Adeola Asabia, the NGO focuses on providing sanitation solutions in low-income areas, markets and lorry parks. Their impacts have gained notoriety for their company as well as the issue of sanitation, earning them a Cartier Women’s Initiative Award in 2009.

Williams and Adeola say that their end goal is to provide Lagosians with modern, clean amenities, and raise people’s awareness about hygiene. As part of their business model, they hire locally from communities, engaging community members as supervisors, cleaners and security guards of the facilities that they help construct. The first public toilet MN Services developed, at New Alayabiaga Market, was constructed with separated male and female sections, with female hygiene assistants for the women’s section, and male assistants for the men’s section, security personnel and a supervisor to manage the facility.

Recognizing women’s concerns, as well as integrating women into the solutions – at the administrative, technical and directoral levels – are integral to addressing women’s safety in sanitation. Planning facilities that are separate, secure and accessible, as well as affordable are the inroads to addressing this challenge. And it seems that slowly but surely, these concerns are coming to the spotlight.

Victoria Okoye, Lagos Community Manager

In the area of sanitation, access to improved facilities, expanding women’s management and planning opportunities and improving women’s safety and security are inextricably linked. For example, for women working in the market, commuting between destinations or even for young girls in school, gender concerns limit their access to finding and accessing private spaces to go to the toilet.

An October 2012 poll of 500 female residents on their sanitation and safety concerns in the slum communities of Ajegunle, Ijora Badia, Oko Agbon and Otto-Oyingbo sets the scene: two out of every five women said they lack access to sanitation facilities. They develop their own, informal solutions, relieving themselves outside, and in the open, such as behind buildings, in open drains, or off roadways.

Over half of the women affirmed that they avoid using public toilets at certain times to avoid any perceived danger. In these spaces, like in open areas, they have to share facilities with men. The lack of privacy makes them vulnerable to public attention and physical and verbal abuse. Many may try to go at night under the cover of dark, but that brings its additional threats and dangers.

“My neighbor or people passing will start staring at you,” said one. “And some will stare like they want to come and rape you.”

For others, the harassment goes beyond perception to the real thing. Another respondent commented: “There is a day I went to the toilet and somebody flogged me from behind.”

There is a strong correlation between women’s sense of safety and access to private toilets, or those available in markets: 77 percent reported feeling unsafe when using public facilities, while 19 percent reported feeling unsafe when using their own private, household facilities. The women reported feeling more safe when they were able to access a toilet in their local market or on public transport than when they had to use a shared or community toilet, or use an open space.

When it comes to improving women’s safety in the urban space, “public services can and must be part of the solution for making their lives safer,” says Ramona Vijeyarasa of WaterAid. She points to the lack of women’s participation in planning, highlighting that women have to be included not only in the as end users, but as managers and planners who work to improve sanitation access throughout the city. The women’s experiences from Ajegunle and other low-income areas highlights that it’s not just about having access to public services, it’s about services that are planned and managed with gender considerations in mind.

In terms of waste management, the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), which manages the collection and disposal of both public and household waste, incorporates one-third female representation in its administrative and technical staff, creating employment opportunities for women, as well as breaking into a male-dominated profession of urban services. Impressed with the female staff’s performance, the agency said in 2012 that it was planing to hire even more female drivers.

On the non-governmental side, a local organization is making inroads. In 2008, two women, Jife Williams and Adeola Asabia, set up MN Environmental Services, an NGO providing sanitation and hygiene services in Lagos. According to Adeola Asabia, the NGO focuses on providing sanitation solutions in low-income areas, markets and lorry parks. Their impacts have gained notoriety for their company as well as the issue of sanitation, earning them a Cartier Women’s Initiative Award in 2009.

Williams and Adeola say that their end goal is to provide Lagosians with modern, clean amenities, and raise people’s awareness about hygiene. As part of their business model, they hire locally from communities, engaging community members as supervisors, cleaners and security guards of the facilities that they help construct. The first public toilet MN Services developed, at New Alayabiaga Market, was constructed with separated male and female sections, with female hygiene assistants for the women’s section, and male assistants for the men’s section, security personnel and a supervisor to manage the facility.

Recognizing women’s concerns, as well as integrating women into the solutions – at the administrative, technical and directoral levels – are integral to addressing women’s safety in sanitation. Planning facilities that are separate, secure and accessible, as well as affordable are the inroads to addressing this challenge. And it seems that slowly but surely, these concerns are coming to the spotlight.

Victoria Okoye, Lagos Community Manager

In the area of sanitation, access to improved facilities, expanding women’s management and planning opportunities and improving women’s safety and security are inextricably linked. For example, for women working in the market, commuting between destinations or even for young girls in school, gender concerns limit their access to finding and accessing private spaces to go to the toilet.

An October 2012 poll of 500 female residents on their sanitation and safety concerns in the slum communities of Ajegunle, Ijora Badia, Oko Agbon and Otto-Oyingbo sets the scene: two out of every five women said they lack access to sanitation facilities. They develop their own, informal solutions, relieving themselves outside, and in the open, such as behind buildings, in open drains, or off roadways.

Over half of the women affirmed that they avoid using public toilets at certain times to avoid any perceived danger. In these spaces, like in open areas, they have to share facilities with men. The lack of privacy makes them vulnerable to public attention and physical and verbal abuse. Many may try to go at night under the cover of dark, but that brings its additional threats and dangers.

“My neighbor or people passing will start staring at you,” said one. “And some will stare like they want to come and rape you.”

For others, the harassment goes beyond perception to the real thing. Another respondent commented: “There is a day I went to the toilet and somebody flogged me from behind.”

There is a strong correlation between women’s sense of safety and access to private toilets, or those available in markets: 77 percent reported feeling unsafe when using public facilities, while 19 percent reported feeling unsafe when using their own private, household facilities. The women reported feeling more safe when they were able to access a toilet in their local market or on public transport than when they had to use a shared or community toilet, or use an open space.

When it comes to improving women’s safety in the urban space, “public services can and must be part of the solution for making their lives safer,” says Ramona Vijeyarasa of WaterAid. She points to the lack of women’s participation in planning, highlighting that women have to be included not only in the as end users, but as managers and planners who work to improve sanitation access throughout the city. The women’s experiences from Ajegunle and other low-income areas highlights that it’s not just about having access to public services, it’s about services that are planned and managed with gender considerations in mind.

In terms of waste management, the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), which manages the collection and disposal of both public and household waste, incorporates one-third female representation in its administrative and technical staff, creating employment opportunities for women, as well as breaking into a male-dominated profession of urban services. Impressed with the female staff’s performance, the agency said in 2012 that it was planing to hire even more female drivers.

On the non-governmental side, a local organization is making inroads. In 2008, two women, Jife Williams and Adeola Asabia, set up MN Environmental Services, an NGO providing sanitation and hygiene services in Lagos. According to Adeola Asabia, the NGO focuses on providing sanitation solutions in low-income areas, markets and lorry parks. Their impacts have gained notoriety for their company as well as the issue of sanitation, earning them a Cartier Women’s Initiative Award in 2009.

Williams and Adeola say that their end goal is to provide Lagosians with modern, clean amenities, and raise people’s awareness about hygiene. As part of their business model, they hire locally from communities, engaging community members as supervisors, cleaners and security guards of the facilities that they help construct. The first public toilet MN Services developed, at New Alayabiaga Market, was constructed with separated male and female sections, with female hygiene assistants for the women’s section, and male assistants for the men’s section, security personnel and a supervisor to manage the facility.

Recognizing women’s concerns, as well as integrating women into the solutions – at the administrative, technical and directoral levels – are integral to addressing women’s safety in sanitation. Planning facilities that are separate, secure and accessible, as well as affordable are the inroads to addressing this challenge. And it seems that slowly but surely, these concerns are coming to the spotlight.