Meeting Report: Mercedes and Jorge (Fundasal)
Meeting Report: Mercedes and Jorge
Location: Fundasal
Date: 27/04/09
Time: 15:00 – 16:30
Main topic: Urban Matters
Present: Mercedes, Jorge and Dieuwer
Urban matters is a new program which is a collaboration between Cordaid, Fundasal and an umbrella of different governmental, non-governmental and private organizations.
Instead of doing a project with a community or with a municipality, this program will work integrated on multiple levels using as well as Dutch as El Salvadorian resources. The main focus is to give life to urban planning on the scale of the municipality, which is unknown in Central American countries. The biggest problem in El Salvador is the lack of resources and the short ruling period of the local government. Creating a platform where the municipality can work together with the national government, private sector and NGO’s (of Dutch and El Salvadorian origin) to create a development plan for a number of years, should lead to durability and a continues process even if the local government changes.
Urban Matters will be implemented at Sector Montreal, Mejicanos and Sector Limon, Soyapango. Both are half slum and half popular housing and evolved without any planning. First the people came, and after the municipality implemented infrastructure, basic services, and other networks. Both have gang related problems, are vulnerable for yearly repetitive disasters and outskirts of the greater San Salvador. Limon contains a population of 30 thousand families and Montreal 10 thousand. Where in Limon there are spaces to create parks recreational areas and economical activity, there is a lack of space in Montreal. Adjacent to the lack of space the area of Montreal has a geographical layout which is hard to coop with. To create improved dwellings for instance, there are two possibilities; to build a better house at the same place or to create a new settlement, which opens the possibilities for more social and economical activities. But the question is if people will give up there peace of land.
For Fundasal it is an exception on there regulations, while they intend to help only the poorest people, to work on this project. In this new program the whole area is involved, and not only the poorest people and poorest communities. But the opportunity to create the start of integrated urban planning in El Salvador could not be refused. The idea of an integrated plan goes from dwelling, infrastructure, networks, education, health, recreation etc. as far as to social programs and economical stimulation.
The structure of Dutch and El Salvadorian stakeholders should help and create a bigger participation of the El Salvadorian private sector. At this moment it is hard to find corporate funding or sponsorships because the companies don’t have any social affiliations. The Dutch private sector that is involved consists out of specialists in recycling (the mobile factory), waste and water, but also urban management (Osborne and Arcadis). Out of the Dutch ministry of VROM there will be help to create waste water treatment plants.
Location: Fundasal
Date: 27/04/09
Time: 15:00 – 16:30
Main topic: Urban Matters
Present: Mercedes, Jorge and Dieuwer
Urban matters is a new program which is a collaboration between Cordaid, Fundasal and an umbrella of different governmental, non-governmental and private organizations.
Instead of doing a project with a community or with a municipality, this program will work integrated on multiple levels using as well as Dutch as El Salvadorian resources. The main focus is to give life to urban planning on the scale of the municipality, which is unknown in Central American countries. The biggest problem in El Salvador is the lack of resources and the short ruling period of the local government. Creating a platform where the municipality can work together with the national government, private sector and NGO’s (of Dutch and El Salvadorian origin) to create a development plan for a number of years, should lead to durability and a continues process even if the local government changes.
Urban Matters will be implemented at Sector Montreal, Mejicanos and Sector Limon, Soyapango. Both are half slum and half popular housing and evolved without any planning. First the people came, and after the municipality implemented infrastructure, basic services, and other networks. Both have gang related problems, are vulnerable for yearly repetitive disasters and outskirts of the greater San Salvador. Limon contains a population of 30 thousand families and Montreal 10 thousand. Where in Limon there are spaces to create parks recreational areas and economical activity, there is a lack of space in Montreal. Adjacent to the lack of space the area of Montreal has a geographical layout which is hard to coop with. To create improved dwellings for instance, there are two possibilities; to build a better house at the same place or to create a new settlement, which opens the possibilities for more social and economical activities. But the question is if people will give up there peace of land.
For Fundasal it is an exception on there regulations, while they intend to help only the poorest people, to work on this project. In this new program the whole area is involved, and not only the poorest people and poorest communities. But the opportunity to create the start of integrated urban planning in El Salvador could not be refused. The idea of an integrated plan goes from dwelling, infrastructure, networks, education, health, recreation etc. as far as to social programs and economical stimulation.
The structure of Dutch and El Salvadorian stakeholders should help and create a bigger participation of the El Salvadorian private sector. At this moment it is hard to find corporate funding or sponsorships because the companies don’t have any social affiliations. The Dutch private sector that is involved consists out of specialists in recycling (the mobile factory), waste and water, but also urban management (Osborne and Arcadis). Out of the Dutch ministry of VROM there will be help to create waste water treatment plants.
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