XVI ASSEMBLY OF MINISTERS AND LEADING AUTHORITIES ON HOUSING AND URBAN PLANNING IN LATIN AMERICAN AND THE CARIBBEAN

MINURVI

SOCIAL HOUSING PROGRAMS AND URBAN INCLUSION

ARGENTINA

Chile / October 2007

Social housing programs and urban inclusion Document from Argentina for reference and debate

SOCIAL HOUSING PROGRAMS AND URBAN INCLUSION Introduction The urban population in Latin American and in the Caribbean has shown a steady growth as a consequence of the increase in the number of inhabitants and in the number of cities. At present, 78 % of their population dwell in cities and make their living there. Nevertheless, we should point out that there are striking differences among sub-regions; whereas the Caribbean has 65% of its population living in urban centers, in Central America, the percentage rises to 71% and in South America to 92% 1 . However, it is not for all city dwellers from the region to access all of their services and rights as citizens. Vis--vis this situation, in the year 2000, within the framework of the Goals for the Millennium, specific objectives were set up, oriented to surmounting and urban precariousness. Goal 7 summarizes two objectives which refer to the reinforcement of environmental sustainability, directly related to human settlements. A reduction by half in the percentage of people that cannot access drinking water for the year 2015 (objective 10); and the proposal of improving by the year 2020, in a considerable manner, the quality of living, specifically in those aspects which refer to housing safety and basic sanitation for, at least, 100 million inhabitants who live in hovels (objective 11). Bearing in mind the work that has been carried out within the framework of MINURVI, regarding the compilation of experiences related to urban management in order to surmount urban poverty and precariousness in urban dwellings in the region, it becomes necessary to distinguish between these two concepts, since whereas urban poverty makes reference, in general, to shortages measured through income or consumer spending in households, the second one implies qualitative deficiencies in dwelling places for a part of the population in our cities, be it in terms of ownership rights; access to basic, urban services; structural quality of housing , or stacking up of people. 2 . In our region, poverty and precariousness do not necessarily mean the same thing, therefore there is need of specific ways to deal with both phenomena , seeing to their peculiarities. Pursuant to the compilation of such experiences in the region, it becomes impending to strengthen the following tasks in urban agendas, with the purpose of providing answers to the issue of poverty and precariousness in urban dwellings. expanding the scarce possibilities that the poor count with today in order for them to access urban land; providing services, drinking water and sanitation to the neediest neighborhoods; providing and improving housing conditions so that meet basic comfort, safety and health needs;

In turn, there are striking differences among countries within the same region. Caribbean: Cuba 75%, Haiti 40%, Jamaica 54%, Puerto Rico 98%, Dominican Republic 68%, Trinidad and Tobago 13%; Central America: Costa Rica 63%, El Salvador 60%, Guatemala 48%, Honduras 47%, Mexico 77%, Nicaragua 60%, Panama 73%; South America: Argentina 90%, Bolivia 65%, Brazil 85%, Chile 88%, Colombia 73%, Ecuador 64%, Paraguay 60%, Peru 73%, Uruguay 92%, Venezuela 94%. Source: Status of the World Population in 2007, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

MacDonald, Joan; La otra agenda urbana: Tareas, experiencias y programas para aliviar la pobreza y la precariedad en las ciudades de Amrica Latina y el Caribe, August 2005.

Social housing programs and urban inclusion Document from Argentina for reference and debate contributing towards greater integration of the poor in cities, through the provision of public spaces that may foster a sense of belonging and common, social living, as well as strengthening participation and democracy at local level; meeting conditions that may facilitate work insertion and the development of productive activities for the inhabitants of precarious neighborhoods.

Within this scenario, the objective of this paper is to visualize which are the conditions that social housing programs take into consideration at local management levels,with the purpose of guaranteeing urban inclusion in target households.

Conditions that social housing programs must meet adequate urban inclusion for target households.

in order to guarantee

The Right to Housing entails more that obtaining a product since it implies a social inclusion process. From this standpoint, such a right is understood as accessing a broader and more integrative dimension as social habitat, meaning by the latter, a set of cultural, historical, social, economic, political, legal, environmental, physical and territorial dimensions. To this respect, accessing housing is to count with a private place, enough room, physical accessibility, safe environment and secured ownership. Market policies, in cities in Latin America and the Caribbean, have put in place a growing trend in poverty and deterioration in the quality of living. At present, in order to improve conditions in cities as well as urban inclusion, it becomes necessary for social housing programs to bear in mind the points mentioned above, which we will be developing next: Expanding access to urban land : The poor population in the region is increasingly facing more limitations to occupy urban land: as the shortage of lands close to cities rises, and interests to occupy these lands are stressed, poor households find very few legal means to access a piece of land in a regular manner. These lands do not typically possess adequate environmental urban conditions which are needed for residential use, since they are located in flood-prone areas, near garbage dumps, without any infrastructure, with poor accessibility for public transportation, employment centers or urban services. Generally, policies applied in the region, instead of preventing informality in the way poor sectors access urban land , have tended to correct such informality. The essential challenge is to establish programs before needs of accessing land rises among the urban poor , and to organize suitable channels satisfy those needs.. Providing services, drinking water and sanitation to the neediest neighborhoods: Providing services, especially the supply of drinking water and sanitation, stands as an indispensable goal in order to overcome poverty and precariousness in cities. To this end, it is essential to broaden the infrastructure status and to improve existing installations, without overlooking the need to carry out works for treating waste, to prevent damaging cities environment.

Social housing programs and urban inclusion Document from Argentina for reference and debate Providing and improving housing conditions so that they meet basic comfort, safety and health needs : Housing policies have been gradually paying more attention to the consolidation of informal settlements instead of choosing to move their inhabitants to complexes of new housing units. In this way, by making them settle there, instead of eradicating them from those places, social networks are preserved, as well as their roots and other factors which contribute to strengthening the social capital of the urban poor. To this respect, experiences implemented for the improvement of neighborhoods typically take into consideration a certain range of interventions in precarious dwellings, be it by providing infrastructure, legalizing ownership rights, supplying social organizations else via social integration actions. It is important to incorporate all programs aimed at improving neighborhoods into housing policies, so as to offer a more integrative view that will take into consideration quantitative problems and, at the same time, housing qualitative problems, even if this implies a coordination of all efforts made to this end. Bearing in mind that in most cases these programs are funded by entities belonging to international banking institutions, a design of flexible and progressive strategies should be taken into account, that will take into consideration local realities , while keeping a major role for the public sector, whenever needed, and in the terms which are called for. Likewise, other experiences are focused on extending or replacing shelf life of social housing units by substituting constructive components and providing them with better finishing effects -, thus facilitating a better quality of living to all target families. In turn, it is necessary to put in place programs for the maintenance of the housing park of social housing units already built, which are considerably old, so as to prevent physical and functional deterioration of the place, or else aging or abandonment of the original population, irregularities in ownership status, stacking-up of people, or lack of security. Contributing to greater integration of the city poor, by providing public spaces that may foster a sense of belonging and social, common living as well as strengthening participation and democracy at local level: Urban poor living in segregated neighborhoods has not access the use of the city, neither do they feel represented by their symbols or by the historical places that tend to strengthen the sense of belonging of other inhabitants of the city. Several projects can give evidence of these new approaches and ways of dealing with this matter, with respect to the design, production and management of public spaces, which have turned out to be more effective as a consequence of their participative production. If we can consider, explicitly, in these projects the incorporation of lower-income sectors in scheduling and executive phases, as well as in their use and maintenance, we give them the right to be relocated within the city, as well as to preserve their roots and their feeling of belonging. The participative creation of public spaces contributes , on the one hand, to strengthen the identity of the inhabitants implied and, on the other hand, to accept heterogeneity based on their encounter with others, by promoting acceptance of

Social housing programs and urban inclusion Document from Argentina for reference and debate others, diversity of sexes, ages and ethnic groups, and a multiplicity of uses, which tends to strengthen personal and collective identity. The experience proven by the projects shared with the community , to promote communication and joint work among these players, shows that actions like the recovery of a historical memory, the celebration of festivities and anniversaries, the definition of names for parks and streets, among others, stand as a key factor for the construction of their collective identity, contributing, thus, towards generating a feeling of territorial belonging. The articulation of actors, actions and resources in production and management processes of public spaces entails a diversity of efforts, interest and views which increase the social capital of those involved and contributes to local governance. Designing, building and maintaining public spaces with the groups that use them, creates collective life and identity, contributing to the incidence of community actions in improving their life quality. In turn, the capacity to act in social organizations is encouraged; common, shared living practices are reinforced as well as the capacity to seal agreements among local actors, thus achieving greater autonomy for communities when managing their own problems. Achieving conditions that will facilitate work insertion and the development of productive activities for the inhabitants of precarious neighborhoods. In order to incorporate urban poor fully, environmental policies must include in their projects spaces and installations for production, to enhance local productive undertakings and to stimulate access to other income sources. Taking into account that, in recent years, there has been a significant increase in employment and non-formal work , subsistence economies in poor urban layers should be accompanied by actions which maximize their outputs and benefits, as long as there are not other alternatives coming from the formal sector. Also, when planning the location of housing projects, accessibility to working places in urban areas should be guaranteed; this implies carrying out actions related to public transportation, urban road nets and infrastructure. SOCIAL HOUSING PROGRAMS AND URBAN INCLUSION IN ARGENTINA Urban Population in Argentina The urban population -pursuant to the 2001 National Census on Population, Households and Housing for Argentina- defined as the one that lives in districts with over 2,000 inhabitants, has grown over the years to a larger extent than the overall population. By 1914, it exceeded the participation that rural population used to have . Urban Population in Argentina (en %) 1895 1914 1947 1960 1970 1980 37.4 52.7 62.2 72.0 79.0 82.8 Source: National source of Population and Households.

1991 87.1

2001 89.3

Social housing programs and urban inclusion Document from Argentina for reference and debate From 1947 to 1960, the rural sector expelled population, whereas industrial growth in Greater Buenos Aires and in other cities of the Pampeana region demanded labor. In this way, the country changed from having 26 populated centers with over 50,000 inhabitants in 1947, to counting with 55 centers of these characteristics by 1991, up until the figure of 55 cities of this nature was reached in the year 2001. In turn, regarding the relative distribution of the population by regions and by provinces, we can see that since the beginning of the century, there has been an amazing concentration in the metropolitan area (Capital Federal, Greater Buenos Aires, Pampeana Region), which holds, on its own, 66.5% of the total population of the country. 3 . The housing situation of urban households In order to analyze the housing situation of households, two indicators will be used which refer to the concepts of Housing Quality and Occupancy Quality of Housing for Households, thus establishing basic or standard levels for each indicator which stand as parameters minimum housing conditions- for the classification both of housing units as well of the conditions of households.

2001 National Census on Population, Households and Housing.

Social housing programs and urban inclusion Document from Argentina for reference and debate Housing Quality Housing quality has been defined based on two dimensions: constructive quality and the quality of the connection to basic services (origin of water and type of toilet drainage) and to urban services in the environment. In measuring constructive quality , the materials of walls, floors and roofs are also added, attributes which ensure conditions both in terms of sanitation as well as regarding well-being , and which include the following installations: Water distribution through pipes inside the housing unit Flush toilet availability Available space to cook with water supply to wash food products and utensils

Urban housing shows the following distribution regarding the quality of the materials and the availability of internal installations:
Urban housing according to constructive quality and internal installations
HOUSING QUALITY Satisfactory (very good quality in materials with all internal installations) Basic ( good quality in materials with all internal installations) Not satisfactory (very good and good quality in materials without any internal installations) 4 Not satisfactory (poor quality in materials without any internal installations) 5 Total Urban Housing 8.775.601 5.305.562 1.725.341 1.422.006 322.203 % 100.0 60.5 19.6 16.2 3.7

Source: INDEC, 2001 Census Special Tabulations. IAIVA Project (SSDUV UNQ)

Housing occupancy quality The quality of housing occupancy is measured by people stacking level (number of persons per room). If this indicator is combined with the quality of housing in constructive aspects (the quality of materials and the presence of installations), it is possible to evaluate the number of households where, despite featuring adequate housing conditions , their size is not enough to shelter all occupants. Households per housing quality pursuant to occupancy quality
OOCUPANCY QUALITY Satisfactory (up to one person per room) Basic ( from 1 to two persons per room)
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Total Urban Households 5.031.669 2.100.138

Housing Quality Satisfactory 2.745.164 795.070 Basic 1.285.878 663.284 Not satisfactory 1.000.627 641.784

This category of housing units are subjected to completion and remodeling work and therefore are considered to be recoverable. 5 This category of housing units must be replaced and therefore are considered not to be recoverable.

Social housing programs and urban inclusion Document from Argentina for reference and debate
Not satisfactory (over two persons per room) 1.967.789 161.008 221.283 1.585.498

Cohabitation of households. Another dimension that must be taken into consideration upon defining the housing situation of households is that of housing independence, which quantifies the housing situations where there is cohabitation of households or external gatherings. In urban areas, 602,126 households share their housing with another household. Consolidation of the location area of housing units. In order to proceed to the evaluation of the quality of urban services, a separate analysis is conducted on the availability of residential services and on the availability of street services. In order to establish the quality of residential services in the environment of housing units, the following parameters were established: Satisfactory consolidated area: housing units are located within a segment where there is a sewage network, a network of home electricity, water network and garbage collection services. Basic consolidated area: housing units are located within a segment where there is a network of home electricity, a water network and garbage collection. Non consolidated area: housing units are located within a segment where there is no water network , or a home electricity network or any garbage collection services.

Urban housing according to consolidation of the environment per residential services

Consolidation of the environment per residential services Satisfactory (there is a sewage network, a network of home electricity, water network and garbage collection services.) Bsica (there is a network of home electricity, a water network and garbage collection) Insatisfactoria (where there is no water network or a home electricity network or any garbage collection services) No answer Total Urba Households 8.775.601 5.104.964 % 100.0 56.4

2.312.315 1.346.056

27.4 15.3

12.266

0.9

Source: INDEC, 2001 Census Special Tabulations. IAIVA Project (SSDUV UNQ)

In order to evaluate the consolidation of the urban and rural location area, grouped together according to existing street services within the segment, the following elements are taken into consideration: Consolidation of street services is satisfactory when there is public lighting, public phone booths at least 300 meters away, when there is at least one paved road, and when there is public transportation no less than 300 meters away.

Social housing programs and urban inclusion Document from Argentina for reference and debate Consolidation of street services is considered to be basic when there is public lighting and at least one paved road, or else public transportation no less than 300 meters away. When there is no public lighting, or at least one paved road, or else public transportation no less than 300 meters away, then we talk about non consolidated areas.

Urban housing pursuant to consolidation of the environment per street services

Consolidation of the environment per street services Satisfactory (there is public lighting, public phone booths at least 300 meters away, when there is at least one paved road ,and when there is public transportation no less than 300 meters away.) Basic (there is public lighting and at least one paved road, or else public transportation no less than 300 meters away.) Not consolidated (there is no public lighting, or at least one paved road, or else public transportation no less than 300 meters away) No answer Totaln urban Households 8.775.601 5.587.227 % 100.0 63.7

2.112.976

24.1

1.063.132

12.1

12.266

0.1

Source: INDEC, 2001 Census Special Tabulations. IAIVA Project (SSDUV UNQ)

Housing Deficit On the basis of the description of the housing situation, it is possible to estimate a housing deficit pursuant to the actions must be taken in order to solve this problem. Qualitative Deficit The qualitative deficit includes: a) Households that live in housing units featuring shortages of some of the components which relate to the constructive quality of the place, that is, where some of the installations are missing, or else materials show no finishing work, yet their quality makes it possible to carry out improvements and completion ,for which reason they are defined as being in deficit, but recoverable b) Households that live in housing units which feature a good constructive quality , yet whose size is not enough to shelter all of them and therefore stacking levels are over two persons per room.

Quantitative Deficit The quantitative deficit includes: a) Housing units that, since their constructive quality is not satisfactory, have been qualified as being non recoverable.

Social housing programs and urban inclusion Document from Argentina for reference and debate b) Housing units that must be built in order to solve the problem of household cohabitation or gathering.

Deficit due to quality of services in the environment In this situation, we include the availability of home services and street services. To sum up, the situation of urban households is as follows
Situations where there is some deficit Quantitative Deficit Households in recoverable housing units Households featuring stacking-up situations per room Quantitative deficit Households in non recoverable housing units Households where there is cohabitation Deficit due to quality of services Residencial services Street services Urban households 1.809.119 1.422.006 387.113 924.951 322.825 602.126 2.129.203
1.346.056 1.063.132

The Federal Housing Policy in Argentina The National Argentine Government has driven the development of an integrative housing policy oriented to, gradually and increasingly, enforcing the right which is stated in the National Constitution, for all Argentine families to have access to dignified housing. The general objective of this policy is to improve the access to housing, by generating, in a massive manner, a wide range of operations that will make it possible to cover the wide spectrum of housing demands, meeting with adequate answers all the various housing needs of Argentine households, from a standpoint of social habitat improvement and productive reactivation. In order to meet these objectives, the National Government has put in place the following actions: To foster the strengthening of the National Housing Entity by concentrating, in its structure, all the programs whose actions relate to housing improvement, through housing construction and improvement, infrastructure, and social organizations for the community, providing them with the resources needed to develop their management tasks. To horizontally carry out all the work, jointly with all the different governmental and not governmental areas, at national, provincial and municipal levels, who are directly related to the matter of housing improvement , employment generation and productive reactivation. To seek to strengthen the Federal Housing System by channeling via Provincial Housing Entities all the programs implemented, and by incorporating resources through the integration of national resources to those pertaining to the National Housing Fund.

Social housing programs and urban inclusion Document from Argentina for reference and debate To set the guidelines that will be developed , we must start from an integrative vision of the social housing reality, in order to start generating initiatives that will make it possible to see to all the various deficit related situations. Based on the socio-economic characteristics of households which suffer from a housing deficit situation, the action from the State shall take various ways of intervention: actions to facilitate market actions in the production of housing options; promotion initiatives that will complement market actions; and direct actions in housing production. In the following chart, the ways of intervention are shown pursuant to the economic capacity of households.

Social housing programs and urban inclusion Document from Argentina for reference and debate Actions of the Federal Housing Policy pursuant to socio-economic level Income Low Intervention modality Direct action from the State by means of building housing units and granting loans to rehabilitate subnormal housing park. The objective , besides that of meeting housing needs of these sectors, will aim at the creation of employment that may improve their working conditions. Housing projects will be oriented to the participation of co-ops and small construction companies , and they will be located in those regions of the country that feature the highest poverty levels. Programs There are currently several Programs whose actions are focused on this segment: Neighborhood Improvement Program (PROMEBA BID 940 OC/AR, Housing Improvement and Basic infrastructure, Social development in Frontier areas NEA y NOA (PROSOFA) and supply of drinking water , social assistance and basic sanitation (PROPASA) Two new programs are ongoing and under execution Housing Emergency oriented to productive reactivation through the utilization of those who receive social plans called Household Heads, organized in Co-ops for the construction of housing units , in order to generate a policy that may simultaneously solve housing problems and full employment and production issues, making it possible to apply funds which are currently being devoted to unemployment subsidies under the emergency, to the generation of a productive process that will allow for social and work reinsertion. Housing Assistance The Program includes the implementation of national resources for the execution of projects for the construction of housing units and infrastructure works in urban areas located in the most affected regions of the country due to the economic emergency, by incorporating labor from among those who receive the benefit of Household Head Plans, or else idle labor, in order to try to reinsert them as formal workers of the companies that will be executing the works. Projects are executed in the provinces having the greatest percentage of population with unmet basic needs. Urban development of Shanty towns and Precarious Settlements. The actions of the Program are oriented to shanty towns and precarious settlements, located in land that is not flood-prone and where the ownership situation may allow to legally clear up ownership status of housing units in the settlement and these actions will include:

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Social housing programs and urban inclusion Document from Argentina for reference and debate Ownership regularization Infrastructure networks: sewage, water, electricity, gas. Opening of internal streets Construction of new housing units to allow for the opening of the road network and / or replace housing units whose characteristics make them unrecoverable. Improvement of existing housing : construction of core parts; expansion by building another room; repairs of walls and ceilings. Housing improvement The program aims at contributing to solve the housing deficit existing in the housing park which, even if built with non precarious materials, still lacks bathrooms, does not count with any internal water installation or else their dimensions are not adequate for the size of the household members living there. Improvement of urban habitat, infrastructure and complementary works The program partially or totally finances the works which come up as essential in order to authorize housing units to be used, all of which are build through Federal Programs based on the principle which establishes that, once the housing works are over, the housing unit shall be immediately inhabited by those to whom they have been awarded, under reasonable conditions of urban development and with all of the basic services correctly in place .

Middle Low Middle

Direct action from the State through the construction of housing units and by granting loans in order to allow the sub-normal housing park to be rehabilitated.

Program from the National Housing Fund. The Federal Program for the Reactivation of FONAVI Works attempted reactivation of housing plans funded with resources from the National Housing Fun and executed by Provincial Entities through the contribution of non reimbursab funds from the National Government. In the first stage, this contribution wa equivalent to a 30% of certifications, in the Second Stage, to 50% of Certifications. Federal Program for Housing construction The program is funded with

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Social housing programs and urban inclusion Document from Argentina for reference and debate national budgetary resources for the construction of 20,000 housing units in all the jurisdictions of the country. The housing units built by the Program may be individual or collective ones and the clusters cannot exceed a 300 unit figure. In all cases, they are housing units with all services included, in a minimum surface of 44 m2. Pluriannual Federal Program for Housing construction The Program finances, via national budgetary resources, the construction of 300,000 housing units in all the jurisdictions of the country. The housing units built by the program can be individual or collective and clusters cannot exceed a total figure of 300 units. In all cases, they are housing units with all services included, in a minimum surface of 55 m2. Middle High Definition of actions that, through the application Subprogram housing program for middle sectors aimed at financing housing of public resources, may facilitate middle sector to for middle sectors that due to their income level may not access loans granted by access housing options. the financial area. The financing scheme for the subprogram is the following: Those who benefit from the program will contribute with their piece of land, which shall be registered through notarial deed under their name and the housing unit to be built shall be the only one and shall be permanent. The Under-secretarys office for Urban Development and Housing contributes , per housing unit, up to the maximum amounts per unit that are in force, pursuant to the Pluriannual Housing Program. Jurisdictional Housing Entities shall contribute with their own funds as needed, up until the cost of the housing units is covered. High Promote the incorporation of resources to the For this segment, the intervention of the State shall focus on the stipulation of market of mortgage loans for housing construction standards that will facilitate the functioning of the real estate market. through the formulation of standards that will facilitate their development.

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Social housing programs and urban inclusion Document from Argentina for reference and debate

Some examples of Projects developed in Argentina: Next , there is description of some of the projects that are being carried out in Argentina, from an integrative point of view, which aim at giving answers to the problem of precariousness in urban dwellings , in all of its aspects: Villa Carlos Gardel (shanty town) Villa Tranquila (shanty town) Villa La Cava (shanty town) Peri-urban area from the District of Jos C. Paz All four cases are located in the Metropolitan Region of Buenos Aires and have been chosen because they feature very distinctive characteristics. Carlos Gardel shanty town originated in a transient neighborhood built at the end of the 60s as part of the Plan to Eradicate Shanty towns (PEVE); Villa Tranquila is a shanty town located very close to the central area of the city of Buenos Aires, in an area with high urban density; La Cava, in turn, is located in one of the most residential districts of Greater Buenos Aires; and, finally, Jos C. Paz is one of the districts in the suburbs of the city which has greater housing shortages and large peri-urban areas which lack all services.

Project for the Urban Development of Villa Carlos Gardel: Background As it has been pointed out above, Carlos Gardel shanty town originated as a transient neighborhood built as part of the Plan to Eradicate Shanty towns (PEVE). This program had been conceived with the idea of having the inhabitants of the shanty town go through a transition stage before, so as to adequately insert in the housing complexes that would be built in order to shelter them in a definite manner. In the case of Carlos Gardel shanty town, their relocation in Presidente Sarmiento housing complex built to shelter them- never took place, and transient housing became their permanent housing. Urban Development Project for Villa Carlos Gardel The Social and Urban Promotion Plan for Carlos Gardel Neighborhood, rolled out by the Municipality of Morn and counting with funding from the National State, stands as an opportunity for a substantial improvement in the quality of living of the inhabitants of the shanty town. The Plan attempts at expanding the margins of the formal city with social inclusion and citizenship participation. The construction of the complete new neighborhood implied the construction of 482 single-family housing units, thus interpreting the real need of families regarding comfort and quantity of rooms, complementing this with the opening and paving of streets, water service networks, sewage system, natural gas, electrical installations, public lighting, external sidewalks, fences and tree-planting, a Municipal health center and a community center. On the other hand, this program also begins to contribute with significant changes to the situation of Presidente Sarmiento Housing complex since, to a certain extent, it begins to break apart from the concept of urban islands by opening up the perimeter of its external bordering lines and providing it with minimal permeability, while streets which did not exist earlier- are being opened in its sides; and , to another extent, this allows to positively impact on a certain 15

Social housing programs and urban inclusion Document from Argentina for reference and debate

level of lawlessness which had been let to sink in over the years within the housing complex, by visualizing the actions taken by a State that shows signs of beginning to protect them through their remedial initiatives. Together with the construction of the new Urban Development there is a project to carry out works for the water system network and sewage system for the Housing Complex, something that also implies a substantial improvement in the quality of living for neighbors and helps to lay down a bridge of communication with them, by recreating a feeling of trust in the State which had been lost after years of abandonment. The latter stands as a priority since the access to the neighborhood provides an answer to an ancient and essential claim coming from the community, as a whole, which will make it possible to share participation spaces with neighbors within an atmosphere of more trust with respect to them. The issue of sanitary services in the housing complex has become so critical that its solution implies the status of a quasi new foundation. Regarding the New Urban Development for the inhabitants of Carlos Gardel shanty town, specifically, the whole technical team from the municipality has redefined the scope of the Program for Urban Development for Shanty towns and Precarious Settlements of the National State, thus expanding the known limitations of public works, so that the passage from being a shanty town to becoming a neighborhood may mean , essentially, a strong process of social inclusion and citizenship generation. To this end, a Management Desk has been created, as an environment where to debate, where to raise different views and where to settle any differences, with participation from neighbors, municipal teams, NGO Madre Tierra and representatives from the Provincial Government. Far from being a process that automatically occurs in an ideal manner, all members are subjected to a nourishing and progressive learning experience, by participating, jointly and responsibly, in the development of the program. The proposal for urban intervention in the shanty town was founded on two principles: continuity of existing streets in the environment so as to accomplish true physical inclusion in the rest of the city; and the setting up of new housing units on individual pieces of land, all of them facing on to a public street similar in its width to that of the surrounding neighborhood. In this way, the new neighborhood, featuring all services, avoids repeating the collective housing model out of a scale that can be managed , like the case of neighboring single-block apartment buildings, and , in turn, defining the limits of each future neighbor clearly 6 .

Obtained from material prepared by the Team on Management for a Social Production of Dwelling Places from the Municipality of Morn.

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Social housing programs and urban inclusion Document from Argentina for reference and debate

Urban Development Project for Villa Tranquila 7: Background Avellaneda has a key territorial position at the Riachuelo outlet, featuring a natural port, with two coastal shores than can feasibly be identified as gateways into the territory, thus increasing their potential. It is also the most appropriate crossing point to enter from, or towards the south of the province 8 . Historically, it was the location of the port which defined the existence of the city and its dynamic growth. The City of Avellaneda is formed by neighborhoods and shanty towns that were created as a result of the arrival of internal and external immigrant workers, attracted by the demand of labor which mainly came from cold storage plants, warehouses, factories and workshops. Its creation goes all the way back to the early 19th century, as a result of the concentration of fruit warehouses and salting houses. Major infrastructure works carried out by the State after the industrialization process (port, railways, road systems) today, paradoxically, seriously restrict the urban development of the City. Its current lay-out, in space, is the result of the development of all major infrastructure works for networks and services which caused a discontinued layout of the city and a split installation system. Likewise, the de-industrialization process showed , as a consequence, an abandonment of plants and industrial warehouses, thus consolidating an exclusion model. Villa Tranquila , a shanty town, is located in the District of Avellaneda. In its origins, they were all large pieces of solitary and mud-covered land, which at the beginning of the 20th century became slowly populated by workers from nearby factories , located on the shores of the Riachuelo. Many of them were also dock workers. In 1838, the district had 419 inhabitants. In 2001, according to data supplied by INDEC, Villa Tranquila, alone, had approximately 1621 households, with a total of 6337 persons. Currently, the neighborhood has increased its demographic population to 7039 persons who make up 1917 households in 1700 housing units. Villa Tranquila is divided into areas. These divisions had not been planned, but were rather the result of the urban social development of the local society and of its practices throughout the history of the unfolding of the neighborhood (there is no arrangement of lands that can account for this division). The settlement showed a compact mass, featuring an internal structure of corridors through which water and electricity are distributed in an unsafe manner. The land was below the flood-prone level; drainages were channeled in a precarious manner towards internal marshlands or paved streets. There was only pavement along Estvez street , which crosses the shanty town, and in the streets that make up the edges of the shanty town. The main problem here is the deterioration of the neighborhood, the way families are stacked up, land occupancy due to the construction of ranchos (or hovels), a lack of infrastructure and the problem of public transportation.

Social Report prepared by the Department for Social Promotion and Community Projects from the Municipality of Avellaneda. 8 Document prepared by architects, Mr. Gerardo Lpez Arrojo and Mr.. Eduardo Lpez, with the participation of Mara Marta Prez, Felipe Miranda and Walter Romero, professionals from the Municipality of Avellaneda.

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Social housing programs and urban inclusion Document from Argentina for reference and debate

Urban Development Project in Villa Tranquila9 Within this scenario, the Municipality of Avellaneda defined strategic intervention guidelines , setting up priorities that will contribute to consolidate a territorial model planned for the short, mid and long terms, by recommending: Connectivity and accessibility, understanding that Avellaneda is the head area in the growth axis within the Southern Metropolitan Region.. Recovery of a productive and port-related profile, under new parameters Surmounting urban poverty Managing the river basin : recovery and integration of costal shores Converting vacant areas into areas for opportunity -New centrality Reappraisal of public space The Urban Development Program for Villa Tranquila stands as a case of urban policies which aim at surmounting poverty, within the framework of a Strategic Plan for the Municipality 10 . The Plan, featuring a 15-year projection, is put forward within the current scenario of global economy and metropolitan restructuring, by articulating local programs with regional projects and it falls within the Strategic Guidelines for the Metropolitan Area of Buenos Aires (AMBA) 11 . The Urban Development Program for Villa Tranquila includes integrative intervention in the neighborhood, from urban, ownership-related, environmental, social and local development areas, articulating two financing lines for its execution: on the one hand, for the construction of 730 housing units of the Federal Sub Program for the Urban Development of Shanty towns and Precarious Settlements, and , on the other hand, with the funding of PROMEBA (Program for the improvement of neighborhoods) in the construction of infrastructure works and the supply of basic services. The main objective consists in improving the quality of living of the population, by driving its economic reactivation, its social and urban integration with the rest of the community, and by optimizing the quality of the environment. The consolidation of its urban structure with a subsequent expansion of the network of services and community equipment- and the regularization of ownership rights in favor of current occupants, is added to a proposal for productive development which fosters the generation of genuine employment and work-related training. The urban project includes the opening of streets and the execution of infrastructure works (pavements, rainwater drainage, public lighting, water systems, sewage, gas, electricity,
Document prepared by the Executive Unit for the Sub Program for Urban Development of Shanty towns and Precarious Developments in Villa Tranquila, Municipality of Avellaneda.
Within the framework of the Study funded by the Department of Economic Policy from the National Economy Ministry, with funds from the Multisectorial program for Preinvestment II,, BID 925 0C-AR, Code Study: 1.EE.147, under agreement with the Municipality of Avellaneda and with the participation of local consultants, a Strategic Plan for Avellaneda 2020 was worked out. 11 Project called Strategic Guidelines for the Metropolitan Region, it is conducted via an agreement between the Department for Housing and Urban Planning of the Province of Buenos Aires and the Inter American Development Bank, with the participation of the Department of Planning for the City of Buenos Aires, the municipalities of the region and international consultants.
10
9

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sidewalks, green spaces and bins for residential garbage); the construction of housing units to relocate families that live on the lay-out of future streets, the railway area and a sponging of blocks to be generated; the reactivation of the site donated to the Municipality by the company UNILEVER Argentina S.A. for the construction of housing units and for the installation of community places (kindergarten, day care centers, center for municipal educational assistance, physical education center, municipal institute for art, municipal offices and security offices and a place where to promote mini-entrepreneurial projects) as well as the regularization of ownership rights for the families that receive the benefit. An intervention in the territory, oriented to the improvement of dwelling places for the 1917 families that live in Villa Tranquila, includes the following actions: Lay-out and opening of streets which will arrange the existing design and integrate it to its environment. This intervention will introduce changes in the way families are arranged so that it will become necessary to carry out all the needed measures in order to relocate all affected families. Liberation of railway area the liberation of the areas close to the railways is oriented to preserving security for families and guaranteeing the continuity of railway operations. Supply of urban services so that the quality of living for the inhabitants of Villa Tranquila may improve, by guaranteeing at the same time environmental sustainability in the neighborhood. This will include, as an optimal threshold: - Laying of water network (in order to supply all units). Given the characteristics of the urban development it will be possible to think of an extension of a master pipeline that will have the possibility of admitting further and subsequent incorporations of connections, together with the consolidation of the opening of streets that will determine the definite arrangement of the territory. - Sanitation: the extension of the drainage network for the sewage system will make it possible to evacuate sewage water and organic solid waste. This improvement is essential if we consider that the evacuation of water to pit latrines increases the current level of contamination in underground water. - Electric network: the regularization of the electric service by carrying out connections pursuant to the safety standards that had been planned, in replacement of the ones conducted in an informal way, reduce current risks. - Gas supply: (currently supplied through bottled gas) the construction of a gas network makes it possible to access a safer and more economical service. - Hydraulic Works: the works for rainwater drainage will prevent the continuous floods that inhabitants from Villa Tranquila have to endure at present. Construction of new housing units: devoted to families that due to the design of the urban project may need to be relocated and which will meet housing deficit needs by giving a solution to the huts and hovels that are the most precarious constructions and , therefore, present the greatest risk conditions for persons. At the same time, it plans to finish with stacking conditions for people, taking into consideration each family as the target to receive the benefit of a housing unit.

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Improvement of existing housing units : it aims at housing units which show risk factors regarding safety and health of families; thus, the recommendation is to consolidate ,in the first place, all damp areas (kitchen and bathroom) of housing units that do not count with them or that may not have completed them. Over 800 units do not have any bathrooms inside, a quantity which exceeds constructions which correspond to hovel or hut like constructions, for which reason a considerable part of the stock built corresponding to the housing category shall be checked and improved with respect to this. The social proposal is oriented to the development of strategies and working actions with the people that are to receive the benefit, in order to allow them to leverage their participation in all stages of the project- and their organization capacity by strengthening existing social organizations-, transferring administrative skills and resource management and facilitating the solution of eventual social and/or institutional conflicts that may arise during Project execution, with the ultimate purpose of guaranteeing its sustainability. Likewise, it attempts at promoting ownership and maintenance by the community of all improvements made and to walk hand in hand with the relocation process of families throughout all its stages. Urban Development Project for La Cava Shanty town: Background La Cava shanty town is the largest and oldest settlement in the northern area of the province of Buenos Aires, located in the district of San Isidro. The quantity of inhabitants as pursuant to the census of the year 2001 is 8553, in a total number of 1854 housing units , with an average of 4.6 inhabitants per unit 12 . It was selected for the construction of housing units and infrastructure works (a continuation of the urban layout), within the framework of the Federal Subprogram for Urban Development of Shanty towns and Precarious Settlements, with the purpose of fostering the development in the area and social integration of the neighbors of this place with the rest of the community. In 1950, the pieces of land in the neighborhood were owned by the water service stateowned company, at that moment, called Obras Sanitarias de la Nacin (OSN) and they were used to extract earth and rocks devoted to other constructions, something which originated a very large hole (cava in Spanish) . In turn, the area that the neighborhood occupies, originally washed by the a natural lake made from rainwater, was partially filled up, with the construction of drainage ducts of the area. The rest of the area , which was not covered up, was unevenly occupied by workers from the Supply Market in Beccar, from former Obras Sanitarias de la Nacin and from other factories in the area. The settlement started to grow, until it made up the large surface which it occupies today (15.693 m2 , approx.). In the year 1984, the Department for Housing and Environmental Order, entered into an agreement with the Housing Institute of Buenos Aires, in order to carry out a study for the implementation of a housing plan for La Cava, which ended up becoming the Urban Renewal Program of the Neighborhood. In the year 1989, the first housing units were awarded, without there being any regularization with respect to ownership rights of the pieces of land, without any participation from the population, and ignoring their real needs. The project was halted because it was
12

Source: Association for community support (APAC), based on the 2001 National Census of Population and Housing .

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necessary to solve two eviction claims that the Government of the Province of Buenos Aires had filed back in 1991. In the year 2001, a real-estate sales contract and a deed were signed between the National Fiscal Land Commission called Plan Arraigo and the Municipality of San Isidro, through which it was stated that it is an essential condition that the property be devoted to the construction of housing units for the people to whom they were to be awarded. Nonetheless, after the Municipality became the owner of the lands, they did not adopt any measures tending to regularize the neighborhood. Infrastructure works and the maintenance of basic services were dropped, so as to discourage neighbors from continuing to live there. From 2003 up until the end of 2004, the situation became aggravated because, in open contradiction to the legal obligations they had committed to, the Municipality of San Isidro announced on various occasions that they were going to eradicate the shanty town by offering to its inhabitants individual housing units in other locations or in other provinces in Argentina. This led to a series of claims before the Commission of Neighborhood Lands and before Community Center called Pro-Vivienda La Cava, together with the association for community support (APAC) and the Center for Legal and Social Studies (CELS): Urban Development Project in Villa La Cava In the year 2005, an agreement was signed between the federal government and the Province of Buenos Aires, which created the Federal Sub Program for Urban Development of Shanty towns and precarious Settlements and which included the construction of 3246 housing units in La Cava shanty town and in other settlements in San Isidro. At the moment the project began, the neighborhood had not been developed , it hardly counted with two open streets and had very restricted public utilities networks for drinking water and electricity; it did not have any sewage system or rainwater drainage systems, thus affecting health, a healthy environment and safety (impossibility for ambulances or fire brigades to get in). The land had been unevenly divided into lots with non regulatory measures. The objective of the Municipality within the framework of this program is not to build a neighborhood, but rather to generate a change model where integration will become the driving force , both in relation to urban development aspects, as well as to social, educational, employment, sport and health areas. A true cultural change should thus take place, where each family may have the chance of starting up again their lives, driving their social reinsertion. Due to the initial characteristics of the site, the prior preparation of the land called for major land-filling , compacting and leveling operations (the existing hole was over four meters deep): The legal ownership situation of the land stands as one of the issues to sort out before the works included in the Subprogram are finished. The Municipality is making all the necessary inquiries via consultants, since the objective of the program is for each family to manage to arrange their ownership situation pursuant to legal requirements. The project included building municipal sidewalks and a network of public lighting. As far as urban facilities are concerned, La Cava Health Center is under construction. This Center will count with medical offices for several specializations as well as a clinical laboratory and a emergency unit.

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Social housing programs and urban inclusion Document from Argentina for reference and debate

Urban Development Project Jos C. Paz: Background Jos C. Paz originated over 100 years ago as an urban area in former district of General Sarmiento. At the beginning, it was characterized because it was an area devoted to grazing and to dairy farm activities, and later it changed into a workersneighborhood dependent on the industries from other urban areas. In 1995, General Sarmiento was divided into three districts: San Miguel kept the historical core of the district, the main commercial area and the largest part of the basic infrastructure; Malvinas Argentinas, kept the industrial park and a combination of gated neighborhoods and poverty pockets; and Jos C. Paz, kept the poorest neighborhoods, a weak commercial center and a few factories. The deficit in services and infrastructure is alarming. Over the 50 square kilometers that make up the district, there is no water service or sewage system network, and the natural gas service covers a reduced space. Most of the streets are dirt roads; connectivity among neighborhoods is reduced and housing is precarious. The deterioration of the poorest areas is mirrored in the price of real estate. Urban Development Project for Jos C. Paz Within the framework of the Federal Housing Emergency, Housing Construction, Better Living and Pluriannual Programs, the urban development project from the district included not only the construction of housing units, but also the expansion of various urban services as a sine qua non condition to guarantee urban inclusion for the population. The Federal Program for Housing Emergency aims at building 1704 housing units, through 592 co-ops formed by a total of 9472 neighbors. In turn, the Program called Better Living (Mejor Vivir , in Spanish) fosters 1514 housing improvements, the Federal Housing Construction program, a total of 1294, and the Pluriannual program, a total of 1340 housing units. These projects include an internal network of sewage system for the neighborhood and the construction of a treatment plant to receive drainage water from new and surrounding neighborhoods. On the other hand, for the supply of water, three drilling procedures have been performed with their corresponding rotary pumps in order to supply all of the housing units. With respect to the electrical network, the project included the expansion of the existing one and works to install public lighting. Likewise, works for the installation of a gas network were made, with the supply being made through tubes. It should be pointed out that the future connection for natural gas has been planned in the installation since there is a gas pipeline close to the neighborhood. In turn, there is a project for the preservation of forests, as well as three green spaces included and to be made available, pursuant to the project, to be used as community gardens or spaces. The project includes as well, the opening of internal streets in neighborhoods as well as the execution of curb and gutter works and 843.732 m2 of pavement. Finally, hydraulic works have been executed, which include the straightening of streams and the construction of bridges to favor the integration of urban areas.

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Social housing programs and urban inclusion Document from Argentina for reference and debate

Final Considerations Finally, it is important to point out that even if urban inclusion is a necessary condition to reach social inclusion, per se it does not guarantee that a more integrated society will be created. Urban segregation is the expression in space of the social segregation which characterizes our cities. From the areas of Urban Development and Housing, we can contribute to reduce some asymmetries, yet it is a task of society , as a whole, to accomplish greater social inclusion of the urban poor. To this respect, in the implementation of the test cases described above, we can get a glimpse into the possibility of executing local projects that may intervene in critical areas that are not integrated into urban dynamics, thus facilitating their inclusion. With the purpose of facilitating urban inclusion, it is essential to go more deeply into the tasks mentioned in the introduction of this document: expanding the possibilities to access urban land; supplying urban services, providing and improving housing units. All of this , bearing in mind the importance of having the whole community participate, as well as the various actors within society that are affected by the setting up of housing complexes, as a first step towards knowing their needs and proposals. The latter stands as a priority if we intend to set up programs that will integrate State policies based on real demands of the population. To this respect, a crucial condition for urban management to contribute to the relief of poverty is for the community to identify and become committed to this task, for which purpose the participation of excluded and affected groups needs to be guaranteed, during the agreement and prioritization of initiatives and interests which relate to housing conditions. Within the context of Latin America and the Caribbean, characterized as excluding societies, where social segmentations are deeply rooted and, typically, rest on ethnic divisions, we cannot expect any breaking apart from segmentation in services and in the employment market to be accomplished easily. To sum up, there are no easy how-to-do-it recommendations ; neither are there any short cuts for creating citizenship and social integration among all the areas of society. Both objectives must be pursued through linked strategies or via integrative actions , depending on historical scenarios and current and future conditions in their local contexts 13 . On the other hand, there are not valid housing policies, if they do not fall within a national project, within the framework of an equitable ,democratic and participative society that may put forward social and integrated policies with respect to housing, labor, social development, environment , health and education.

13

Kaztman, Rubn: La dimensin espacial en las polticas de superacin de la pobreza urbana. http://www.cepal.org.ar/publicaciones/xml/7/12537/lcl1790e.pdf , Santiago de Chile, May , 2003.

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