2014 ACUNS Annual Meeting
Global Governance: Engaging New Norms and Emerging Challenges Kadir Has University
The road to liberating citizens while governing the urban areas, The tale of two cities: Cairo and Buenos Aires
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Prof. Azza Sirry Prof. Sandra Bustamante azzasirry@yahoo.com Sabustamante@gmail.com
The objective of the paper
The paper aims at presenting the potentials of democratic government and the threats that face countries during the first steps from dictatorship to democracy . How can the balance be met between complete freedom(chaos) in urban areas and complete control( dictatorship) Main questions: • What is the role of urbanization in all these turmoil that we see around the world? • Citizens are gaining collective empowerment and the possibility to shape cities more and more towards their desires and hopes so what is the role of the local government
The importance of such research The question of what kind of city we want cannot be divorced from that of what kind of social ties, relationship to nature, lifestyles, technologies and aesthetic values we desire. The right to the city is far more than the individual liberty to access urban resources: it is the right to change ourselves by changing the city.
Urban Planning and decision making is highly political
Paper content
total area is 1 million km²
total area is 2.7 million km²
1-Introduction -New Global Geographies Globalization negative / positive local effects Three minimal conditions of democratic consolidation. The comparison between two cities: Egypt/Cairo and Argentine /Buenos Aires 2-Egyptian background;(85.29 million 2013) Cairo pop. 12.2 million (Greater Cairo region 16.1 m. in 2006 now 18m) Africa’s largest city • The building up of the revolutionary wave: • Waves of revolution: • Demographics background • The city /the physical environment 3-Argantina background: (42.61 million 2013) authentic citizen participation -Buenos Aires pop 2,776,138 (including Greater Buenos Aires 13,473,670) The Symbolism of public spaces in cities in Argentina • Waves of revolution :1966-1969 • The return of democracy • Demographics background in Argentina • The city /the physical environment 4-Conclusions:
The paper investigates the relation between the political agenda, the social and economic policies, and urban planning and fabric of cities as a product In two cities during different eras Cairo – Egypt & Buenos AiresArgentina 2-Egyptian background Waves of revolution: 1952-1970 only once 1970-1981 only once 1977 1981-2011 several times 1986 and in the 2000’s many stands Demographics background -Two-thirds of Egyptians are under 30years -2010 around 40% of Egypt's population lives below poverty line and relying on subsidized goods. The city /the physical environment -Cairo political & urban changes -The paths or streets and sidewalks dominated by cars, tok tok, and minibuses and sidewalks occupied by informal uses and activities. -Physical expansion changing patterns of neighbourhoods. -No clear edge to the city. -Great squares and land marks of past eras &new landmarks of different group of citizens - shopping malls and high rise commercial building
City of
contrasts
3-Argantina Background:
Authentic citizen participation The Symbolism of public spaces in cities in Argentina Waves of revolution :complicated political history A-Military Coups • Unrests and coups 1966-1969 • 1973 Juan Perón elected • 1974 -1976 Isabel Perón • 1976 coup by officers under Jorge Videla • 1976-1983 “Dirty War” about 13000 died or disappeared B- The return of democracy • Raul Alfonsin elected 1983-1989 • After a period of political turmoil and several provisional presidents, 1992-2002 In 2001 a financial collapse • In 2003-2007 Nestor Kirchner won the elections and focused Transitional on consolidating his political strength and alleviating social problems • 2007 Christina Kirchner elected – re- elected 2011 Demographics background in Argentina Argentina is a magnet for the rest of Latin American countries 41% of population of Argentine is below 24 years
Shared challenges The metropolitan area of Buenos Aires is home for 1/3 of the national pop. 40 municipalities in middle ring and suburban areas http://www.planning.org.au/documents/ite m/5812
http://www.sgsep.com.au/insights/urbecon/urbanmanagement-challenges-facing-buenos-aires/
The metropolitan area of Cairo GCR is 1/4 of the national pop 3 governorate Highest density: in Cairo, 2136.1(pers./km2), against 63.7 (pers./km2) in all Egypt
Source GTZ, Cairo’s Informal Areas: Between Urban Challenges and Hidden Potentials, Facts, Voices, Visions, Page 6
Dictatorship/ non-democratic political agenda is correlated in both countries with
School Av Balcarce and San Juan.
. Plaza San Miguel de Garicoïts, Serra and James Studio.
Construction of a huge amount of parks and plazas& construction of large facilities: Municipal schools specially in Capital City • Who provides what with regard to housing and infrastructure and where is the public housing projects • Top down planning -No participation in planning • The growth of informal areas /informal economies and parallel markets • Dispartities between urban areas/ gated communities • Buenos Aires there are 390,000 empty homes. And the housing deficit is 130 thousand households • Cairo has 4-5 million empty housing units and the deficit is 500000 units
The city /the physical – environment – new public spaces – traditional & new – In Buenos Aires there are 390,000 empty homes. And the housing deficit is 130 thousand households – Inequality between central locations and fringes – Informal areas / gated communities – Gentrification / relocation projectsdockland
Gentrificacion in Buenos Aires Fuente: http://arq.clarin.com/urbano/seminarioContested-Cities-BuenosAires_0_927507563.html
“villas� in the center of Buenos Aires
The city of Buenos Aires has at least three issues that are improve each day: -Political jurisdictions of the City of Buenos Aires and in the Metropolitan Area -Central Policy -Political headquarters - New Civic centrality given to the south of the city The impact is the ability to have partnership between gov. And developers away from political influence And to transfer dockside area of Puetro Madero instead of single developer /single Architect to diverse developers and the development is integrated with the city Cairo has similar issues Prim locations and the poor Still the political elite and the land development Even when the disparities exist how can city management reduce them Shots of Villa Hidaelgo Patrick Fensham , SCG ecomonics and planning ,Argentina and Uruguay urban planning study tour reflections , Dec. 2013
New strategic urban plan for the two cities The Buenos Aires strategic plan proposed Agglomeration zones of economic activities, characterized by complexity, density and diversity of products that is important for employment, and attraction and urban activities.It emphasizes a more efficient model that responds sustainability guidelines on economic and social need for increased territorial link and transport and mobility.
Cairo new vision 2050 also proposes physical changes and promotes accessibility but to a less extent social and economic activities are taken into consideration
2- Transition /turbulence period “Egypt for all Egyptians” Growth of informal urban areas with very high pace /difficult and fragmented urban governance Unclear roles and responsibilities 3- Democratic National central gov change of role The system of local gov. and elected councils bureaucracy and technical capacity ……….. ……..
Conclusions: The city a text that is continuously being rewritten and reconstructed physical expansion changing patterns of neighborhoods – rural/ urban continuum- dilemma of survival and solidarity – relocation practices – urban growth are all challenges that face cities . a-Who's city is it -domination and succession - whose judgment of taste The definition of social accepted behavior or urban accepted norms is now shaken or unclear- accepted by whom or where and when (the time dimension b-Open space Tahrir Square /Plaza de Mayo square, A symbol of freedom and democracy, But are new democratic governments in both cities willing to still make the access to public open space possible Planning and decision making is highly political c-Urbanization and Globalization A critique about modernity- two cities – city divided- disparities compounds/informal areas d-Urban Management and Local Government: spheres of authority /out of administrative sphere of influence As democracy returns to Argentine or being born in Egypt, and from the study of the two cities we can conclude that social policies and inclusion of all urban citizens, integration of urban planning strategies with social and economic programs is the backbone for any stable and democratic state.
e-Citizen participation: avenues of participation – building up participation- forces at work Following Tarrow (1994: 6), we believe that while changes in political opportunities create the incentives that may trigger episodes of popular collective action, the sustainability, magnitude, and duration of these actions depend on organizing people through social networks and discursively mobilizing them around symbols drawn from repertoires of contention and cultural frames of meaning. Buenos Aires has set a target ,implement policies designed to achieve a modern city with a according to the same public administration , involving citizen participation and bringing the government to the citizens of the City , provided a framework longterm action. Cairo is still struggling to do so until then there will be Ciaos in the street and urban areas
Castells (1977) deliberately offers us little assistance in answering the question of whether we can make the cities we want: this means coming to grips with globalization, increased spatial and economic inequality, identity politics, and the contested role of the state as agent of reform. It particularly means that arguments concerning planning and policy processes should not be made in isolation from analysis of the urban and regional system. Anyway, the only solution appears to be listen the voice of the own actors:
the citizens.
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