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Reference Date: 26-07-1998
Experience selected in the 1998 Dubai Award for Best Practice, and catalogued as BEST.
(
Best Practices Database.)
País/Country: Spain
United Nations Region: Europe
Ecological region: Arid/Semi-arid
Activity: City/Town
Partnerships: Local Authority. Regional Government. Private
Sector. Comunity Base Organization.
Themes = Architecture and urban design: sustainable community
design. Poverty erradication: income generation; job creation.
Social Services: education; health and welfare.
Main contact:
D. Consuelo González Diéguez
Valladolid City Council (Local Authority)
San Benito, n. 1
Valladolid
SPAIN
47003
Tel: +34 983 42 61 05
Fax: +34 983 42 63 00
E-mail: acsoprog@accionsocial.ayto.ava.es
Partner:
Benedicto González Vereda
Regional Government of Castilla y León (Regional Government)
Rigoberto Cortejoso, 14
Valladolid
Valladolid
Spain
47014
Tel: +34 983 41 90 00
Fax: +34 983 41 99 99
Partner One Support Type: Financial Support
Partner:
D Angel Ramírez
Gipsy Young Association "La Esperanza" (Comunity Base Organization)
Carretera de Villabáñez n. 58
Valladolid
Valladolid
Spain
47012
Tel: +34 983 21 01 13
Fax: +34 983 21 01 13
Partner Two Support Type: Other/Participation
Partner:
D. Luis Fernando González González
Inversion Bank of Spain (Private Sector)
Fuente Dorada, 6-7
Valladolid
Valladolid
Spain
47001
Tel: +34 983 42 55 00
Fax: +34 983 42 55 30
Partner Three Support Type: Financial Support
Nominating Organization:
Marta García Nart
Spanish National Committee
Paseo de la Castellana 67
Ministerio de Fomento
Madrid
Madrid
SPAIN
28071
Tel: +34-91 597 75 72
Fax: +34-91 597 86 04
E-mail: mgnart@mfom.es
A mixed commission for follow-up on the Relocation Framework
Agreement formed by the City Council of Valladolid and the Junta de
Castilla y León. In addition, a Transfer Follow-up Commission was
created, formed by the City Council, the Junta, the Province
Council, the neighbourhood association "La Unión de Pajarillos",
the "Asociación Secretariado Gitano de Valladolid", the savings and
loan "Caja España de Inversiones", The youth group "Aleste"... This
Commission is responsible for discussing an reaching a consensus on
priorities to be established.
The programme is complemented by social action programmes,
particularly that of follow-up of relocated families, social action
with indigent gypsy population and combating economic and social
exclusion for families receiving public welfare funds. These
programmes address personal, family, educational and socio-labour
aspects of the families.
1. Situation before the initiative
In the city of Valladolid, there were several substandard housing
situations: temporary settlements, shanty town areas and the
"Poblado de la Esperanza".
The local Administration was worried about this situation, while
the Regional Government was in charge of housing policy. The
Central Administration supported these policies and developed the
Plan for Gypsy Development, as this minority ethnic group is the
one most affected by this situation.
Each sector's actions were not co-ordinated. In 1989 the
Collaboration Framework Agreement was signed by the Junta de
Castilla y León and the City Council of Valladolid, with the
objective of relocating the indigent population. The programme
centres of the city of Valladolid and, specifically, in the shanty
town areas and provisional settlements of the city. The familiy
units that live in this substandard housing have levels of extreme
poverty, which is understood to be a process of multidimensional
social exclusion.
Therefore, the topics which must be addressed lie in two main
areas: on the one hand, the relocation of population into
normalised city housing; and on the other, social action for the
preparation and integration of the families in their neighbourhoods
and acquisition of normalised life styles, as well as preparation
for job market entry.
Preparing information and clarifiying priorities
At the begining of the programme for relocating the indigent
population, two priorities were established:
2. Objectives, strategies and mobilization of resources
The objectives of the programme for the indigent relocation are the
following:
The leadership in formulation of objectives, as well as in the
implementation of the proporsals, is asumed by the City Council of
Valladolid, based on an ancillary criterium, as it is the
Administration which is closest to the citizens and which is
carrying out consensual activities with the social forces involved.
3. Process
The first problem which arises in the implementation of the
programme is the social rejection of the city population against
the positive discrimination which will take place with a sector of
the population. This is especially strong against the ethnic
minorities living in the "Poblado de la Esperanza" or those living
in "Camino de Obregón". Attempts are made to solve this problem
through dialogue with the social forces and with the neighbourhood
associations in the areas involved.
On the other hand, it is necessary to close the general relocation
census. To do so, the individual situations of the families in the
provisional settlements, shanty town areas and specific substandard
housing situations are studied.
With respect to the "Poblado de la Esperanza" it can be indicated
that this consists of 110 dwellings inhabited by gypsies who
previously had been in a shantytown situation. These dwellings were
built as interim housing prior to the families' later integration
into the city. Given that there is no legal document which
testifies as to the situation of the families in so far as the
dwellings the ocupy, a funding plan for the owner of these
dwellings has been set up to allow them to purchase other
normalised housing in the city.
Significant problems which still continue are that a small number
of inhabitants of the "Poblado de la Esperanza" cause difficulties
for leaving their ghetto situation, and that in some cases social
integration of transferred families is very difficult to
accomplish.
The current situations in the city maintain their relocation census
open. This is due to the facts that there is insufficient credit to
solve all the situations, and a lack of adequate housing to
relocate this population, given that they prefer individual
dwellings or ground-floor flats, which are more in line with their
socio-cultural characteristics. Such dwellings are infrequently on
the market and those available are very expensive. In addittion,
there is the problem of rejection by the current owners of such
properties, who resist the idea of selling them for relocation of
theses families.
4. Results Achieved
Impact
The previously described objectives have not been reached
completely. The most significant results to date are 117 families
relocated to an equal number of dwellings. Of these, 58 dwellings
of general relocation and 59 dwellings bought by owners of housings
in the "Poblado de la Esperanza" . In addition, the provisional
settlement of the Portuguese in the "Camino de Obregón" has been
eliminated and an interim campground has been set up for 16
Portuguese families that wre not within the general relocation
census.
There are still 51 families in the "Poblado de la Esperanza" to be
relocated, and the general relocation census has openings
avaliable. The relocation results are considered quantitatively;
however, the social programmes which complement it posseses
qualitative indicator, taking into consideration that they involve
variables such as economic and social situation, possibilities for
work, participation in collective property and social networks. The
indicator to measure the impact is the number of families
relocated, the degree of enviromental integration of the
transferred families and the number of community conflicts which
have arisen.
The impact obtanined by this programme is relected in the consensus
obtained among the political and social forces, although it is true
that there still exist segments of rejection in a few specific
neighbourhood associations and the housing owners who refuses to
sell their dwellings for the implementation of the programme. Thus,
the local and regional policies have been influenced by the
programme for the point of view of consensus.
The oportunities for change which are under study at present
involve revising the legal instruments utilised in the general
programme, as private rental contracts are used, and it seems
appropiate to turn to public housing aid. In addition, the
programme can be improved by ensuring funding and human resources
designated for the programme.
The resources allocated have been significant, both financial as
well as human, in that it has been possible to arrange funding from
various institutions.
This programme has improved the urban image of Valladolid,
eliminating indigent settlements, although there has been an
increasing in real state speculation, an aspect which has an
unfavourable impact on the population in general.
Sustainability
As a fundamental aspect of maintenance, special reference must be
made to perdurability. The programme was set up in 1989 and has
prospects for the future, given that the situations which it
focuses on have not been erradicated totally. In addition, it is
possible to reorient the programme towards new aspects such as
relocation due to expropiation of the indigent population's
dwelling sites for infraestructure construction (roadways, etc.)
The City Council has a substantial amount allocated for this
programme from its own funds, above all for the relocation
programme itself, as the complementary programmes of a more social
character are supported by external funding.
It should be point out that the political consensus archived makes
the process initiated sustainable, as demostrated by the fact that
this programme has been considered a matter of priority throughout
the different legislatures and political changes of the past ten
years.
Finally, the new orientations under study should be mentioned. It
is important to note that, in specific situations, housing should
be considered as social aid. With respect to personal resources,
the relocation programme team consist of a coordinator, social
workers, a construction foreman, a lawyer, a faility educator and
a gypsy mediator, complemented by other social programmers with
civic educators, workshop monitors, family councillors, labour
advisors...
Lessons learned
The lessons learned in this programme can be summarised as follows:
5. The experience in numbers
Financial Profile:
Funding in the last 5 years:
| 1998 Spanish Best Practices selected by the International Jury > http://habitat.aq.upm.es/bpes/onu98/bp450.en.html |