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International Seminar discusses alternatives to decrease urban deficit
The International Seminar “Social Production of the Habitat – Organizational Strategies for the Elimination of Substandard Housing in Latin America”, held from the 21st to 24th of November in São Paulo (Brazil), brought together over 200 representatives of the public and private sectors, community organizations and non-governmental entities from all over Latin America. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss support alternatives for community initiatives that seek to assure the human right to a decent habitat.
As Habitat for Humanity Brazil (HFH Brazil) initiative, the seminar was held in association with Habitat United Nations (UN-Habitat), Habitat International Coalition Latin America (HIC-AL), Centro Cooperativo Sueco (CCS), Fórum Nacional pela Reforma Urbana – Brazil (FNRU) and Habitat para la Humanidad – Latin America and Caribbean (HFH LAC).
At the opening conference of the seminar, Mrs. Ermínia Maricato, Professor at the University of São Paulo - Brazil, spoke of the international context of the social and economic policies and its impact on urban development and housing within Latin America. During the following three days, a central theme was established and discussed in thematic conferences, followed by debates in the morning and round tables in the afternoon.
On the first day, two important issues were discussed: conceptual aspects of the Social Production of the Habitat and the basic right of citizens to have a home. The thematic conference was presented by Mrs. Lorena Zárate, HIC-AL´s Coordinator, followed by a debate promoted by Mr. Erik Vittrup, representantative from UN-Habitat; Mr. Gabriel Ramírez, from the Centro Operacional de Vivienda y Poblamiento (México); Mr. Ubiratan Félix, from FNRU (Brazil); and Mrs. Martha Arébalo, from CCS.
On the following day, conference participants analyzed public policies, implementation and financial mechanisms of urban development and housing, as well as aspects of political incidence and advocacy. Professor Rubén Sepúlveda, Director of the Instituto de la Vivienda (INVI) from the University of Chile, was in charge of the thematic conference. The debate about this subject was presented by Mrs. Inês Magalhães, National Secretary of Housing of the Brazilian City Ministry; Professor Raúl Fernández Wagner, from the National University of General Sarmiento - Argentina; Mrs. Márcia Krumer, Director of Urban Development of Caixa Econômica Federal - Brazil; and Mr. Donizete from Central de Movimentos Populares and União Nacional de Movimentos Populares - Brazil.
The third day of activities focused on issues related to social mobilization and popular participation in the perspective of protagonism, as presented by Mr. Gustavo González, from CCS and Federación Uruguaya de Cooperativas de Vivienda y Ayuda Mutual - FUCVAM. Other debaters included Mrs. Gorete Fernandes, from the Confederação Nacional de Associações de Moradores - CONAM Brazil; Mr. Orlando Santos Júnior, from FNRU and Federação de Organismos para Assistência Social e Educacional - FASE Brazil; and Ms. Maureen Santos, from Rede Brasileira para a Integração dos Povos (REBRIP).
At the end of the event, representatives from institutions and social movements reaffirmed their commitment with the cause for the right to a decent home by signing the “Declaration of São Paulo”. This document emphasizes that the protagonism of the inhabitants creates the basis for decisions and actions that influence their habitat; calls for the establishment of a regional space for discussion and interchange of initiatives and experiences; reaffirms the commitment to contribute towards the elimination of obstacles that prevent that a big part of the Latin American people have a decent home to live in; and expresses the need to strengthen the spaces of interchange and networking throughout Latin America in order to promote the popular organization of the Social Production of the Habitat, perceiving the right to housing and the city as an integral part of our Human Rights.
The challenge is to guarantee the access to the city
Increased urbanization, especially since the 90´s, in the middle of economic crisis and unemployment growth, has lead to an expansion of informal settlements and a consequent fall in the quality of life in all of Latin America. This large segment of the population, which can’t apply for formal jobs and doesn’t have access to decent housing, is occupying areas that are of no interest to government or private companies. In doing so, they do not have access to basic services like water, energy and sewer systems, school or health care. Invisible to the formal city, these inhabitants many times create ingenious houses, but they don’t have the ownership of the lands they occupy and are victims of the lack of public policies that contemplate them.
To change this situation, there must be a collective effort that involves governments, academics, international institutions and social movements, aiming to adopt new politics, models of management and subsidies that assure the right to housing. This was one of the aspects argued during the International Seminar “Social Production of the Habitat – Organizational Strategies for the Elimination of Substandard Housing in Latin America”.
Despite the different contributions brought by each country, the Seminar evidenced that the urban crisis is actually a reality all over Latin America, bringing serious social effects, especially related to the growth of inequalities and to social and territorial segregation. This scene has implications in the political participation, for the population that lives in the informal city is unable to participate effectively in the definition of the politics that will benefit them.
During the event, it became clear the importance of valuing local solutions and the need to stimulate the participation of the people not only in the building of houses, but also in the collective organization, aiming at the definition of a common demands to be forwarded to the government. This is a way for the right city to be able to conquer space among to the growth of the ideal of the city of companies and government.
© 2006 Habitat for Humanity Brazil. All rights reserved.