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Slum improvement projects in Colombia and Jamaica
0361-3690/79/0401-0171102.00/0
HABITATINTL. Vol. 4. No. 1/l. PP. 171-173 0 Pmgamon Press Ltd. 1979. Printed in Great Britain.
Slum Improvement Projects in Colombia and Jamaica1 F. J. ZANDVOORT
CARTAGENA ZONE SUR-ORIENTAL, COLOMBIA The ‘Zona Sur-Oriental’ is a squatter area of about 80,000 people living on the edge of - and partly in- one of the lagoons round Cartagena, Colombia. The area shows the normal infrastructural deficiencies of squatter settlements and, moreover, in times of heavy rainfall, flooding by torrents from higher regions and sometimes also flooding from water from the lagoon. A special law covered the installation of a committee in charge of decision-making for a programme for upgrading and the implementation of that programme. Represented in this committee are: -the President of the Republic; -the Minister of Industrialization; -the Minister of Economic Affairs; -the Department of National Development Planning; -the Governor of the Province; -the Mayor of the City of Cartagena; -the inhabitants of the ‘Zona Sur Oriental’. For the flooding problems a simple solution was chosen. A scheme for normalization of the torrents is carried out. The low regions of the quarter will be levelled-up with sand. A contractor fills up the roads to the required level. People themselves fill the groundfloor of their houses to the level indicated to them. After that, they alter their houses in accordance with the new situation. In the committee, people of higher, middle and lower educational level work together in all phases of the programme, namely: -identification of the problems; -appraisal of possible solutions; -decision-making; - implementation. ‘This paper was presented at the UN Ad Hoc Meeting of Experts at Enschede, Netherlands, in August 1978. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the U nited Nations or the organisation to which the author is attached.
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F. J. Zandvoorr
It seems that this ensures an effective and efficient proceeding of the work. The impact of local leaders on the solutions of the committee is of great help to make solutions realistic. The leaders inform inhabitants about decisions made by the committee. At the moment, people of the squatter area are so involved in the programme, that they themselves prevent new squatting in the area.
The physical upgrading of the quarter is accompanied by a social upgrading programme. In the quarter provisions have been made for four Community Development Centres. These centres combine activities for training adults, kindergarten, medical care and culture. People of different educational levels will meet here and they are also supposed to work together.
KINGSTON SQUATTER UPGRADING PROJECT, WALTHAM PARK ROAD, JAMAICA
Waltham Park Road is a neighbourhood of about 1000 inhabitants in the central part of the city of Kingston, Jamaica. For twenty years, this area has been occupied by squatters. Houses were situated along narrow alleys and accessibility and safety are thought to be problems. Under the local Department of Sites and Services, a programme has been developed to improve access to the houses and to provide the neighbourhood with a community centre. Removal of houses was necessary: some were moved only a few metres to provide room for wider roads; a small number had to be reallocated to adjacent neighbourhoods. The whole process of moving the houses and clearing the alleys has been executed by the inhabitants of the neighbourhood, guided by their own foremen. The construction of roads and public amenities will be done by contractors. This approach has resulted in a positive attitude to the programme; people are really involved. In distinction to the Cartagena scheme, implementation is carried out only by inhabitants of the quarter, without any technically trained people. Transfer of knowledge and experience between different neighbourhoods is difficult -each work has to start again from a basic situation. A committee consisting of inhabitants, all of the four phases of the programme. represented in this committee. Therefore somewhat autonomously and not exactly
accompanied by a social worker, makes decisions in Politicians and people of the administration are not it is sometimes possible for politicians to operate in accordance with project-goals.
CONCLUSIONS
Although remarks on the somewhat less effective organisation of the Kingston project are by no means intended to suggest that this might not be a very interesting project, the conclusion seems to be justified that best opportunities occur when: people concentrating on the different phases of a project are in an enduring and regular contact with each other; people of different schooling levels work together in all phases. It might be of great value to try to start already in the training process with such a way of working. The question arises whether it is possible to give training in teams in which people of different educational levels and with tasks in the different phases of a scheme mutually
Slum Improvement
Projects in Colombia and Jamaica
173
cooperate. Close contact with each other might open their eyes to the different approaches needed in each phase and to the indivisible unity of enthusiasm and goals needed for any successful programme.
HABITATINTL. Vol. 4. No. 1/l. PP. 171-173 0 Pmgamon Press Ltd. 1979. Printed in Great Britain.
Slum Improvement Projects in Colombia and Jamaica1 F. J. ZANDVOORT
CARTAGENA ZONE SUR-ORIENTAL, COLOMBIA The ‘Zona Sur-Oriental’ is a squatter area of about 80,000 people living on the edge of - and partly in- one of the lagoons round Cartagena, Colombia. The area shows the normal infrastructural deficiencies of squatter settlements and, moreover, in times of heavy rainfall, flooding by torrents from higher regions and sometimes also flooding from water from the lagoon. A special law covered the installation of a committee in charge of decision-making for a programme for upgrading and the implementation of that programme. Represented in this committee are: -the President of the Republic; -the Minister of Industrialization; -the Minister of Economic Affairs; -the Department of National Development Planning; -the Governor of the Province; -the Mayor of the City of Cartagena; -the inhabitants of the ‘Zona Sur Oriental’. For the flooding problems a simple solution was chosen. A scheme for normalization of the torrents is carried out. The low regions of the quarter will be levelled-up with sand. A contractor fills up the roads to the required level. People themselves fill the groundfloor of their houses to the level indicated to them. After that, they alter their houses in accordance with the new situation. In the committee, people of higher, middle and lower educational level work together in all phases of the programme, namely: -identification of the problems; -appraisal of possible solutions; -decision-making; - implementation. ‘This paper was presented at the UN Ad Hoc Meeting of Experts at Enschede, Netherlands, in August 1978. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the U nited Nations or the organisation to which the author is attached.
171
172
F. J. Zandvoorr
It seems that this ensures an effective and efficient proceeding of the work. The impact of local leaders on the solutions of the committee is of great help to make solutions realistic. The leaders inform inhabitants about decisions made by the committee. At the moment, people of the squatter area are so involved in the programme, that they themselves prevent new squatting in the area.
The physical upgrading of the quarter is accompanied by a social upgrading programme. In the quarter provisions have been made for four Community Development Centres. These centres combine activities for training adults, kindergarten, medical care and culture. People of different educational levels will meet here and they are also supposed to work together.
KINGSTON SQUATTER UPGRADING PROJECT, WALTHAM PARK ROAD, JAMAICA
Waltham Park Road is a neighbourhood of about 1000 inhabitants in the central part of the city of Kingston, Jamaica. For twenty years, this area has been occupied by squatters. Houses were situated along narrow alleys and accessibility and safety are thought to be problems. Under the local Department of Sites and Services, a programme has been developed to improve access to the houses and to provide the neighbourhood with a community centre. Removal of houses was necessary: some were moved only a few metres to provide room for wider roads; a small number had to be reallocated to adjacent neighbourhoods. The whole process of moving the houses and clearing the alleys has been executed by the inhabitants of the neighbourhood, guided by their own foremen. The construction of roads and public amenities will be done by contractors. This approach has resulted in a positive attitude to the programme; people are really involved. In distinction to the Cartagena scheme, implementation is carried out only by inhabitants of the quarter, without any technically trained people. Transfer of knowledge and experience between different neighbourhoods is difficult -each work has to start again from a basic situation. A committee consisting of inhabitants, all of the four phases of the programme. represented in this committee. Therefore somewhat autonomously and not exactly
accompanied by a social worker, makes decisions in Politicians and people of the administration are not it is sometimes possible for politicians to operate in accordance with project-goals.
CONCLUSIONS
Although remarks on the somewhat less effective organisation of the Kingston project are by no means intended to suggest that this might not be a very interesting project, the conclusion seems to be justified that best opportunities occur when: people concentrating on the different phases of a project are in an enduring and regular contact with each other; people of different schooling levels work together in all phases. It might be of great value to try to start already in the training process with such a way of working. The question arises whether it is possible to give training in teams in which people of different educational levels and with tasks in the different phases of a scheme mutually
Slum Improvement
Projects in Colombia and Jamaica
173
cooperate. Close contact with each other might open their eyes to the different approaches needed in each phase and to the indivisible unity of enthusiasm and goals needed for any successful programme.