The workshop Implementing The Right to the City – Building Just, Inclusive, Democratic and Sustainable Cities took place on October 19 and 20 at PUCE, the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador. It was aimed at developing a better understanding of the conceptual elements of the Right to the City and the legal, administrative and judicial tools that may be used for its implementation in cities. Facilitators explored initiatives and experiences in which the Right to the City could be used as a reference for policies, programs and projects of urban development in order to build inclusive, democratic and sustainable cities.
October 19th
Fifty people attended the event on the first day, many of them students from PUCE. Each participant was given the workbook “The Right to the City: Building Another Possible World” and “Right to the City – guideline for training events“.
The workshop started with an initial plenary session presented by Nelson Saule Jr (Pólis Institute) and a general introduction and background by Eva García Chueca (UCLG), providing an overview of the Right to the City:
- Its history and foundation on existing rights, as well as its unique emphasis on territorial aspects;
- Its particular reception in Latin America, with the Brazilian City Statute, the Ecuadorian Constitution, and Columbian Constitution and laws;
- Its bottom-up and collective nature;
- Its emphasis on inclusion, social production and participation;
- Two key aspects: social function and public space.
In the second session, three working groups discussed the following topics for 25 minutes, with the help of the facilitators Allison Brown (WIEGO) and Marie Huchzermeyer ( CUBES – Wits University):
- Political participation and non-discrimination;
- Gender and social economy ;
- Territory, social function of land and social space.
“The event was very well-attended by an enthusiastic and young audience comprised mostly by law students, but there were a few people from the Habitat 3 conference who had specific interests in the Right to the City” said Alison Brown.
In the third session, Brazilian urban lawyer and scholar Betania Alfonsin spoke about the paradigm change that is needed to give meaning to constitutional principles that have long existed, for instance the definition of the term “socio-ecological functions of urban land”. Appropriate planning instruments and their potential for the intervention in the urban land market play a key role in elevating these rights. Betania engaged the participants in a discussion about key instruments that were developed and adopted in Brazil to this end, such as compulsory subdivision, progressive land taxation, zoning instruments such as the Special Zones of Social Interest, and adverse possession.
20 de octubre 2016
After a welcome statement by Guillermo Edgar (HIC) and a background introduction on the Right to the City by Eva Garcia Chueca (UCLG), a single group facilitated by Magali Fricaudet (UCLG) addressed different sub topics.
“We had a quite diverse group of attendants, but most of them had already some knowledge on the Right to the City issue. The discussion flowed really well and debates regarding the concept, the links with women rights, among other points were quite rich” affirmed Marcelo Montenegro (ActionAid).
Among the facilitators of the Training Event were Nelson Saule Júnior (Pólis Institute), Eva Garcia (UCLG), Marie Huchzermeyer (Wits University), Alison Brown (WIEGO), Daniela Campos Libório (IBDU),Rodrigo Faria (Pólis Institute), Magali Fricaudet (UCLG), Henrique Frota (IBDU), Sonia Maria Dias (WIEGO), Marcelo Montenegro (ActionAid).
THE GLOBAL PLATFORM FOR THE RIGHT TO THE CITY
The Global Platform for the Right to the City (GPR2C) emerged from the initiative of several organizations working from around the world to mobilize national and local governments, and international and regional organizations for a new development paradigm aiming at more inclusive and democratic cities. The GPR2C advocates for the recognition and adoption of the Right to the City in the implementation of public policies; therefore it participated, through its members, in different forums and events related to the Habitat III process to promote the Right to the City and to advocate for its adoption as the cornerstone of the New Urban Agenda.
