CITIES 80942 CITIES ALLIANCE ALLIANCE IN ACTION IN ACTION A Policy to Recover Chile’s Urban Neighbourhoods Since the 1990s, Chile’s housing policy has promoted robust subsidy programmes to provide shelter and basic Project: Support the Implementation of the Programme to Recover 200 Neighbourhoods services to the poorest segments of its urban population. through Capacity Building and Strengthening To overcome housing deficits, the government provided Among Local Actors (Municipality and Community) over two million houses for the most vulnerable families in and Public Services cities aross the country. To date, Chile’s level of housing subsidies are among the highest in the world. Partners: Cities Alliance, GIZ, Ministry of Housing and Urban Development (MINVU) The government’s success in providing decent housing to Duration: 2007 – 2011 its low-income population, however, has unexpectedly contributed to other social problems. Also, rising Financing: USD 498,200 economic inequality in the prosperous Latin American country has made people living in low-income improvement projects were designed based on the specific neighbourhoods victims of social segregation. Over the needs of each community. Over a four-year period, the years, housing conditions in these neighbourhoods have Programme was expected to benefit over 450,000 people. deterioratated, crime and violence is on the rise, distrust toward authorities has grown and the absence of Working through G1Z, the Cities Alliance worked with community networks has created fissures among residents. municipal teams as well as the national team leading and managing the implementation of the Neighbourhood Sensing a need to prevent its cities’ social fabric from Recovery Programme. The focus was on three eroding further, the Chilean government announced the neighbourhoods, and assistance was provided through New Quality Housing and Social Inclusion Policy in 2006. capacity building in order to enable them to plan, For the first time, the country spelt out an explicit policy to implement and manage the Programme in a participatory promote social integration while improving living manner. Technical handbooks and other planning conditions of the urban poor. instruments were also developed and disseminated, seminars and workshops organised and a constant Neighbourhoods on the Road to Recovery dialogue process held with community leaders. The In 2007, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development purpose of these activities was to exchange and (MINVU) approached the Cities Alliance for assistance disseminate lessons learned from the Programme and with the Neighbourhood Recovery Programme, popularly develop proposals to improve public policy making. known as “I Love My Neighbourhood.� The Programme focussed on 200 neighbourhoods across the country that demonstrated high levels of physical deterioration and “We want a society that is more just, social vulnerability. more integrated; we want to defeat exclusions that still persist in our The Programme’s specific objectives were to recover country.� deteriorating public spaces in cities across Chile, improve environmental conditions, strengthen social relations and Chilean President Michelle Bachelet’s announcement regarding the country’s new housing and urban development create socially integrated neighbourhoods. A multi- policy; Santiago, 18 July 2006 sectoral approach was adopted and neighbourhood www.citiesalliance.org Social networks are stronger and neighbourhoods are more socially integrated than before. Lessons Learned from Chile’s Success Story The success of the Neighbourhood Recovery Programme demonstrates that it is possible to contain – and, in some cases, reverse – urban deterioration and exclusion through timely intervention. For this to occur, governments should be flexible and open to adopting changes in their approach to policy making. After all, there is no standardised approach to neighbourhood recovery since each As part of the Neighbourhood Recovery Programme, MINVU designed neighbourhood is unique and has its own set of challenges public spaces in neighbourhoods to promote community interaction and solutions. Further, Programme modalities often Addressing the Social Aspect of Upgrading change as execution unfolds. The Chilean government’s ability to adapt to these changing scenarios has helped it in The Neighbourhood Recovery Programme marked a its mission to contain urban degeneration. turning point in Chile’s approach to urban policy making. The government’s earlier focus on physical upgrading of The sustainability of the neighbourhood recovery process neighbourhoods has evolved into an integrated approach is related to the extent to which local communities that confronts deeper issues of social segregation, appropriate its objectives and are involved in defining its vulnerability, stigmatisation and the breakdown of social scope and implementation strategy. Promoting such active relations in vulnerable neighbourhoods. As a policy, the participation is not an easy or smooth process – especially people’s right to their city and equality in access to quality when induced externally by the State, as in the case of the public goods, public spaces and other infrastructure is now Neighbourhood Recovery Programme. The diversity of actively promoted. communities and organisations also adds to difficulties in consensus building. In her remarks at the second International Neighbourhood Recovery Forum in 2008, Patricia Poblete Bennett, the For genuine participation to occur, residents must be then Minister of Housing and Urban Development, said, empowered to define for themselves which parts of their “The Programme challenged us to innovate a different neighbourhood they want to recover and how it should be form of making public policy. For the first time, along with done. This entails constant communication with residents, investing in physical works, MINVU dared to work on motivational activities and sharing the results of their strengthening the social fabric.� efforts. Values that foster relations of harmony, respect and solidarity become integral to this process. The Neighbourhood Recovery Programme breaks away from Chile’s traditional approach of State-led action to Over the course of the Programme, local actors themselves joint action by local communities and other city became propagating agents for the initiative by exchanging stakeholders. By empowering local residents and experiences and knowledge with other municipalities and community organisations through ‘Neighbourhood neighbourhood communities. This has significantly Development Councils’ that help channel the ‘recovery’ of contributed to the Programme’s success at a national level. each neighbourhood, the government is moving towards replacing feelings of dependency fostered by its earlier social policies with active citizenship. Mechanisms to promote debate and feedback between neighbourhoods and municipal governments have also helped reduce the distrust between the people and local authorities. It has also led to an integration of efforts at the municipal level. www.citiesalliance.org