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“Reintroducing the Spatial Dimension in the Planning and Management of Latin American Cities,” Lecture Presentation by Yves Cabannes, 2003

Abstract

In March 2003, the Center for Urban Development Studies (CUDS) at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design offered a lecture presented by Yves Cabannes, the Regional Coordinator for Latin America and the Caribbean, as part of the Urban Management Program for Latin America and the Caribbean from UN-Habitat. The lecture covers past and current planning of spatial dimensions in Latin American cities and highlights the importance of spatial factors in social integration. It also touches on the significance of citizen participation and of partnerships among civil society, governments, and private sectors.

Presentation topics include:

  • Land use plans in the 90s;
  • (Mono) sector approaches to planning;
  • Strategic City Planning (Barcelona);
  • Influence of UN and Global Agenda in the 90s; and
  • Participatory Action Planning with spatial dimension.

The presentation addresses principles behind the term social inclusion, as “a multidimensional problem: territorial (physical), legal, social, cultural, economic and racial,” going beyond just poverty. The presentation detailed four examples of urban upgrading projects that sought to solve issues of social exclusion and housing shortages in Ecuador, Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina.


[Excerpt: Presentation, Experiences 1-5, lessons in social inclusion from urban development projects in Latin American cities]

“Lessons from some experiences addressing at the same time the global development of the city, the inclusion of the poor communities in the perspective of building democratic, productive and inclusive cities.”

Experience 1: Comunidades, Fortaleza Metropolitan Region, Brazil.

Experience 2: Neighborhood Improvement Participatory Action Planning (City Consultation) in Mesa Los Hornos, Mexico City, Mexico, (1998-2000).

Experience 3: Mapping the social exclusion at city level: Exclusion and Inclusion Map of Santo André, Brazil.

Experience 4: The Spatial dimension of Social inclusion: Integrated Program for Social Inclusion, Santo André, Brazil.

Experience 5: Optimization of Vacant Land in Rosario, Argentina.
___

Project Year:2003
Project Type:Public Lecture
Geographic Regions:Fortaleza and Santo André, Brazil / Rosario, Argentina / Mexico City, Mexico / Quito, Ecuador
Reports:
Reintroducing the Spatial Dimension in the Planning and Management of Latin American Cities: (Presentation)
Authors:Yves Cabannes
Sponsors:Center for Urban Development Studies, Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Categories:Reconciliation and Development, Urban Planning
  
ID:2003_03_001

Related I2UD Projects

Gallery 4: Chile: Santiago, Concepción, and Talcahuano (1992-1993)

Gallery 16: Venezuela: Caracas (1989)

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“Development of Infrastructure and Initiating of Sustainable Projects in Elim, South Africa,” Report for the 2001 UN-Habitat Best Practices Leadership Programme for Elim Historic Settlement, Western Cape, South Africa

Abstract

The Center for Urban Development Studies (CUDS) at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design prepared a report “Development of Infrastructure and Initiating of Sustainable Projects in Elim” for submission to the UN-Habitat 2001 Best Practices Local Leadership Programme, based on the upgrading initiative that began in 1995 on the historic settlement of Elim in Western Cape, South Africa.

Primary initiative goals included:

  1. Upgrade the basic town infrastructure and services;
  2. Improve the living standards of the residents;
  3. Improve economic growth within the community;
  4. Preserve the historical character of the village; and
  5. Create employment opportunities, agriculture development, social health and sustainable community development in Elim.

The project assisted in upgrading sewage systems, streets and stormwater systems and the electrical reticulation system. Prior to these upgrades, sewage would flow through the streets and the town reservoir would often dry up in the summer months, causing a shortage of water.

[Excerpt: Summary, page 3]:

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Project Year:2001
Project Type:Development Strategy
Geographic Regions:Elim, Western Cape, South Africa
Reports:Development of Infrastructure and Initiating of Sustainable Projects, Elim, South Africa: (Report, August 2001)
Authors:CUDS Team
Sponsors:United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (UN-Habitat)
Categories:Informal Settlements and Urban Upgrading
  
ID:2001_08_001

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“Szczecin Local Initiative Program,” Urban Improvement Intervention Strategy, for the USAID Regional Housing and Urban Development Office, Szczecin, Poland, 1999

Abstract

The USAID Regional Housing and Urban Development Office (RHUDO) sponsored a 1999 project addressing the Szczecin Local Initiatives Program for Szczecin, Poland. The program sought to develop a supportive framework linking neighborhood revitalization and economic development. The contract involved funding partnerships between residents, the private sector, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

Team members, led by John Driscoll and Mona Serageldin, worked towards the development of local initiative programs with community-based organizations in Szczecin, Poland. The project also tapped a network of local universities, foundations, civic institutions and other non-profit organizations to improve the physical and social conditions in lower-income neighborhoods in Poland.

Project Year:1999
Project Type:Urban Improvement Intervention Strategy
Geographic Regions:Szczecin, Poland
Reports:
Authors:John Driscoll; Mona Serageldin; Dominik Górski; Anna Stepień; Pawel Szczyrski; Janusz Szewczuk
Sponsors:USAID Regional Housing and Urban Development Office
Categories:Informal Settlements and Urban Upgrading
  
ID:1999_05_001
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ITP 1997: “South Boston Metropolitan Area Community Housing,” Case Studies from Boston, Massachusetts, International Training Programs, 1997

Abstract

Documents represent curriculum components from the 1997 International Training Program (ITP), primarily case studies on community housing projects around the South Boston area including:

  • The Engleston Jackson Strategy
  • Wharf Three
  • Tower Hamlets Housing Action Trust
  • The Massachusetts Third Harbor Tunnel Project
  • The South Station Joint Development Project
  • The Massachusetts Port Authority Project
  • The Urban Development Policy in Contrats de Ville, France

Additional documents are resource materials for job creation and economic growth, micro-business models, an overview of Boston, and an outline of faculty, guest lecturers and speakers.

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Project Year:1997
Project Type:ITP; Education
Geographic Regions:Boston, Massachusetts, US / Tower Hamlets, London, UK / France
Reports:
Authors:François Vigier; Mona Serageldin; Jerold Kayden; John Driscoll; David Jones; Judith Grant; Pat Cusick; Richard Dimino; Linda Mogelli Haar; Richard Henderson; James Kostaras
Sponsors:Unit for Housing and Urbanization, Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Categories:International Training Program; Education;
  
ID:1997_00_002

Related I2UD Projects

Beginning in 1982, the Unit for Housing and Urbanization at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design hosted International Training Programs (ITP), an annual series of 2- to 4-week summer seminars designed to strengthen the decision-making skills of senior professionals in public and private agencies responsible for urban development.

The I2UD Digital Library holds curriculum materials for ITPs from 1988, 1991, 1994, 1995, 1997, and 1998:

The tradition of ITPs continued after 2000, when the Center for Urban Development Studies (CUDS) (a re-organization of the Unit) continued training seminars as International Education Programs (IEP) from 2000-2004:

Programs included inter-linked modules, lectures, case studies, interactive computer simulation models, site visits to urban projects, discussion groups and networking with professional counterparts from international metropolitan regions. Sessions had a modular format and structured team teaching, taught by a team of senior faculty and guest lecturers. Programs ended with a synthesis presented through a project evaluation exercise. Participants used case projects to examine strategies from the viewpoint of both public and private partners — to assess the feasibility and potential impacts of policies and projects on the community and the city. Presentations by guest speakers, representing U.S. and international agencies, NGOs, and community groups, were also integrated within the pedagogic framework of each module.

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Design Studio 1993: “Rabat’s Urban Fringe,” Rabat, Morocco, Seminar Curriculum

Abstract

The Design Studio from Spring 1993, “Rabat’s Urban Fringe,” was led by Professors François Vigier and Mona Serageldin. The seminar focused on informal housing and the fringe region around the old city sections of Rabat, Morocco.

The seminar report includes the following five chapters on urban development in Rabat, Morocco, circa 1992:

  1. National Background
  2. The Process of Urbanization
  3. The Housing Sector
  4. Rabat-Salé: The Capital City, and
  5. The Southern Fringe of Rabat

Section 5 on the Southern Fringe contains an expansive study of squatter settlements, historic regions, and upgrading in Rabat, with details on squatter regions and upgrading activity zones, including an analysis of the social and economic impact of housing projects underway. A final section (5.5) details case studies of Doum and informal housing in Takadoum and La Butte.


[Excerpt: Table of Contents fo Rabat’s Urban Fringe, October 1992]

This document presents an overview of the Design Studio, authored by Vigier and Serageldin in October 1992, for use in the Spring 1993 Design Studio curriculum. This topic was reused from the Design Studio from 1989, “Rabat’s Urban Fringe,”  Urbanization Analysis of Rabat, Morocco, Seminar Curriculum (Project ID: 1989_01_001).

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Project Year:1993
Project Type:Urban Design Studio
Geographic Regions:Rabat, Morocco
Reports:1993 Design Studio: Rabat’s Urban Fringe (Report)
Authors:Mona Serageldin; François Vigier
Sponsors:Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture
Categories:Design Studios; Education
  
ID:1993_00_001

Related I2UD Projects

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“Financing Infrastructure Upgrading Programs,” Two Urban Development Research Papers, Mona Serageldin, 1989-1991

Abstract

In 1989 and 1991, Mona Serageldin authored two related papers on financing urban development for the Unit for Housing and Urbanization at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design: “Financing Upgrading Programs” and “Financing Infrastructure Upgrading Programs.”

The papers assessed the exchange components of local and foreign currency as cost factors in urban development upgrading projects, using municipalities in Jordan and Tunisia as examples. Serageldin focused on three main needs to establish effectively-financed upgrading programs:

  1. Construction of new infrastructure networks,
  2. Building and improvement of community facilities like schools and health centers, and
  3. Creation of homeowner credit mechanisms to improve residential properties.



[Excerpt: “Financing Upgrading Programs, November 1989”]

“…Upgrading is widely held to be the most effective mechanism to expand the supply of housing for limited income groups and improve living conditions for the urban poor. By providing the support infrastructure, it opens up opportunities for new economic activity.”

“Despite highly publicized haranguing by U.N. Habitat, housing is no longer viewed as a priority for public expenditure by international funding organizations and bilateral aid agencies. The debt situation in developing countries implies a widening gap between urgent needs and potential resources. Demographic pressure and the economic crisis have concentrated efforts on economic development and employment generation rather than social infrastructure.”

Project Year:1989-1991
Project Type:Research Paper
Geographic Regions:Global / None Specified
Reports:
Authors:Mona Serageldin
Sponsors:Unit for Housing and Urbanization, Harvard University Graduate School of Design; USAID
Categories:Reconciliation and Development
  
ID:1989_11_001
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ITP 1988: “Housing Affordability: Project Appraisal and Program Structure,” with Boston Redevelopment Authority Site Visit, International Training Programs, 1988

Abstract

Documents include case studies for the 1988 International Training Program, addressing the Boston housing economy and detailing site visits with the Boston Redevelopment Authority. Particularly informative is a paper by Mona Serageldin, “Housing Affordability: Project Appraisal and Program Structure.” This paper details a housing affordability model for urban housing development and provides various data sets, including tables of urban indicators and global household graphical statistics used for ITP sessions.

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Project Year:1988
Project Type:ITP; Education
Geographic Regions:Boston, Massachusetts, US
Reports:
Authors:Mona Serageldin
Sponsors:Unit for Housing and Urbanization, Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Categories:International Training Program; Education
  
ID:1988_00_002

Related I2UD Projects

Beginning in 1982, the Unit for Housing and Urbanization at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design hosted International Training Programs (ITP), an annual series of 2- to 4-week summer seminars designed to strengthen the decision-making skills of senior professionals in public and private agencies responsible for urban development.

The I2UD Digital Library holds curriculum materials for ITPs from 1988, 1991, 1994, 1995, 1997, and 1998:

The tradition of ITPs continued after 2000, when the Center for Urban Development Studies (CUDS) (a re-organization of the Unit) continued training seminars as International Education Programs (IEP) from 2000-2004:

Programs included inter-linked modules, lectures, case studies, interactive computer simulation models, site visits to urban projects, discussion groups and networking with professional counterparts from international metropolitan regions. Sessions had a modular format and structured team teaching, taught by a team of senior faculty and guest lecturers. Programs ended with a synthesis presented through a project evaluation exercise. Participants used case projects to examine strategies from the viewpoint of both public and private partners — to assess the feasibility and potential impacts of policies and projects on the community and the city. Presentations by guest speakers, representing U.S. and international agencies, NGOs, and community groups, were also integrated within the pedagogic framework of each module.

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“Upgrading and Conservation of the Walled City of Lahore,” Regional Report on the Preservation of Historic Lahore, Pakistan, 1988

Abstract

The project “Upgrading and Conservation of the Walled City of Lahore” was implemented in 1987 by Rafique H. Keshavjee, Mona Serageldin, and François Vigier, under the Unit for Housing and Urbanization (the Unit) at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design, to address the urban circumstances surrounding the historic Walled City in Lahore, Pakistan.

The report was part of a larger project undertaken from 1978 through 1980, “Lahore Urban Development and Traffic Study” (LUDTS). This study defined issues of urban economics, housing dilapidation, infrastructure development, urban management, and finance, with the aim of developing comprehensive strategies to implement improvements for Lahore, specifically for the Walled City area.

This study format—a robust detailed review and strategic presentation for improvements in historic and low-income urban spaces—was replicated throughout later work under the Unit, CUDS, and I2UD. Documents include a Primary Information paper, Background paper, Preliminary report, Interim report, Progress report and a Project Summary paper.

See also below: Photograph galleries of the Walled City of Lahore, Pakistan—including streetscapes, housing exteriors and interiors, and historic architecture—which were initially produced for the Unit’s study, and then later used as case study material and curated within Serageldin’s slide collection.



[Excerpt: Overview of the Walled City of Lahore, Primary Information Paper, Page 9-14]

“The Walled City of Lahore, one square mile (2.5 sq. km) in area, is the oldest and most densely populated quarter of the provincial capital of the Punjab. It acquired some of the greatest monuments of Indian Muslim architecture. The palace-fort complex, the vast badshai mosque, as well as the superbly decorated Wazir Khan mosque, with its attached madrasah, bindery stalls and hammam are among the symbols of the heritage of Pakistan. The domestic architecture is also of value, and numerous dwellings, often with rich hierarchies of space, ranging from large homes to palaces of city notables, especially from the Sikh period, dot much of the area….Numerous shrines, mainly tombs of Muslim saints and sages, within and just outside the walls, entire some venerated regularly, some periodically by thousands of Muslims each year, usually in large processions. In short — with its proud history, varied urban texture, 20 protected national monuments, numerous shrines and other estimated 4,000 buildings of cultural value, the Walled City is one of the richest repositories of the nation’s cultural heritage.”

“The Walled City is an integral and vital component of the metropolitan complex. It provides shelter and employment to more than 8% [circa 1988] of Lahore’s population, and contributes about 8% of the revenues collected through property tax, and about 13% of the octroi (trade tax) revenues….”

“…Yet Lahore has one of the highest densities in the world and represents a major concentration of urban poor in the city as a whole. Population densities are the highest in Lahore, ranging around 1,100 persons per hectare…The man-made mound of the old city provides an unstable base for foundations. This, coupled with a falling water-table, frequent seepage from water mains and age, has weakened many of the buildings structurally and even to the point of danger [of collapse]…Of the 22,500 premises, more than one eighth lie vacant where houses have collapsed and not been rebuilt, and more than every twelve is structurally dangerous. Less than 18% of the buildings have been constructed since partition (1947).”

“As a result about one third of the population now live in dilapidated buildings and most dwellings are overcrowded, with nearly seven persons per household….The structures, mainly of burnt brick walls and timber floors and balconies, are densely packed into tiny plots of 42 to 62 sq. m each, rising often 3 or 4 stories. More than half the premises are occupied by single households, about a quarters contain two households each, while the remainder house three or more.”

“Recent Trends – Upgrading and Affordability: Owing to the constraints of cost and logistics, increasing attention has been given to in-situ slum upgrading. A prime component of this approach is legalization (through leases) and upgrading of squatter settlements. The Government has also begun to consider the need to reduce land development standards. This is critical to increasing the affordable housing stock, as well as to encouraging conformity of the “informal” building sector with new standards.”

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Project Year:1987
Project Type:Regional Report
Geographic Regions:Lahore, Pakistan
Reports:
Authors:Rafique H. Keshavjee, Ph.D.; Mona Serageldin; François Vigier
Sponsors:World Bank
Categories:Historic Districts
  
ID:1987_00_003

Related I2UD Projects

Gallery 11: Pakistan: Lahore and Karachi (1982-1993)