URBsociAL 2011 JOURNAL. 22 SEP

SECOND MEETING

Journal

Rosario, 22nd September 2011

SEGUNDO ENCUENTRO

URBsocial promotes the role of local governments Yesterday, the Province of Santa Fe received the legacy from Sitges to host the second edition of URBsociAL. Around 500 people from 150 countries attended the Opening Ceremony, which took place at the events and convention centre Metropolitano and included the presence of different authorities and six government ministers. The Governor of the Province of Santa Fe, Hermes Binner, expressed his gratefulness for being part of the project and remembered the way in which his institution has incorporated social inclusion into the preparation of the Strategic Plan: “More than 10,000 people worked in the wording of the political program of the Province of Santa Fe, jointly discussing public policies.” In his turn, the Minister of Government and State Reform of the Province of Santa Fe, Antonio Bonfatti, thanked “the confidence deposited in the project of institutional innovation in intermediate governments,” and emphasized the commitment of the Province of Santa Fe to “creating a collective dream” based on dialogue among the different actors.The need to continue working under the same commitment

Alfonso Diez Torres, Hermes Binner, Miguel Lifschitz, and Joan Carles García Cañizares, before the Opening Ceremony started

The second edition of URBsociAL started with the welcome to the meeting by the General Coordinator of the Coordination and Orientation Office of the URB-AL III Programme, and the Director of International Relations of the Diputació de Barcelona, Agustí Fernández de Losada. They were followed by the gratitude words of the Minister of Government and State Reform of the Province of Santa Fe, Antonio Bonfatti. The Opening Ceremony included the presence of Hermes Binner, Governor of the Province of Santa Fe; Joan Carles García Cañizares, Councillor Adjoint to the Presidency, Diputació de Barcelona; Alfonso Diez Torres, Head of the European Commission Delegation in Argentina, and Miguel Lifschitz, Mayor of the city of Rosario. •

URBsociAL Newsletter // News

September 22nd

The forum upholds the model of decentralized cooperation The speakers at the opening ceremony are committed to promote dialogue between local governments in order to foster development.

From left to right: Alfonso Diez Torres, Hermes Binner, Miguel Lifschitz and Joan Carles García Cañizares.

and to a model of decentralized cooperation was the common content of all the speeches. The Councillor Adjoint to the Presidency, Diputació de Barcelona, Joan Carles García Cañizares, highlighted the slogan for this second edition "Innovate to Govern the Local" as a "pertinent statement at these times of crisis in which local governments are closest to their citizens." Cañizares also expressed his hope that "governments will be more proactive and less reactive."

On the other hand, the Mayor of Rosario, Miguel Lifschitz, emphasised the significance of dialogue, both for Europe and Latin America. In the case of Europe, Lifschitz stated that the current political challenge is to face the crisis "without hindering the high levels of cohesion we have achieved in the last decades, in spite of economic turmoil."

Similarly, the head of the European Union Delegation in Argentina, Alfonso Diez Torres, focused on the role of social cohesion "as the main factor in the development of the European Union."

Diez Torres also addressed "financial cohesion and the need to create common budget policies."

Closure of the opening ceremony was carried out by the Governor of the Province of Santa Fe, Hermes Binner.

In his speech, he expressed that "the territories in the region have incorporated dialogue between institutions

and citizens." Binner concluded that "it is a decision largely based on social considerations and aimed at creating an integrated society, free of distinctions." In conclusion, this project will constitute a milestone in municipal experiences, and its purpose will be to work on public policies at different government levels.•

Strong commitment to social cohesion The General Coordinator of the Coordination and Orientation Office of the URB-AL III Programme and Director of International Relations of the Diputació de Barcelona, Agustí Fernández de Losada, was responsible for reminding us of the journey we began in Sitges with the aim to put together a network of local governments committed to fostering social cohesion. Losada highlighted the significance of working towards the same purpose: “At Sitges, we agreed on an agenda of commitments considering the world crisis situation. Today, we are here to reinforce the role of local governments in the steps towards a more just and cohesive society.” •

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URBsociAL Newsletter // News

September 22nd

Local challenges in a global world during a crisis Tarso Genro, Governor of RĂ­o Grande do Sul, analysed the international crisis and its effects on local management policies.

Tarso Genro, Governor and former minister of the Lula administration, during his conference at the Metropolitano conference room.

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he opening conference during the second URBsocIAL meeting at Rosario was carried out by the Governor of RĂ­o Grande do Sul, Brazilian Tarso Genro, who analysed the concept of globalization from the perspective of new technologies. From his point of view, the global process was introduced initially as an opportunity that would result in innovation and a better life for all. However, initial advocates of a global economy and policy had not considered that, during the second stage of this phenomenon, there would be a socialization of loss that, in a cyclic fashion, results in recurrent capitalist crises.

"We should address economy from the point of view of ethical values that are different to financial logic."

"Public participation is the starting point of cooperation relations to govern the local."

These economic failures impair -according to the former Brazilian minister- the opinion voters have of democracy in general, and they start feeling democracy does not fulfil their needs. This gives rise to opportunistic campaigns that concentrate only in corruption as the core of the crisis, thus obscuring the relation between economic imbalance and the neoliberal model.

According to Genro, there are two macro-problems in global society: the first of them is a failure in the war against drugs and the fact that Europe and the United States consume 300 tons of cocaine every year. The second problem is the social turmoil caused by economic crises.

When faced with the question "Where is the centre of the world?", Genro replied that the myth of unification of global and local aspects hides the opposition of Latin American local interests with those of countries that are controlled by the most influential international financing organizations.

Therefore, the challenge is to innovate to govern local affairs, largely supporting the efforts of public participation on political decisions. This entails the need to build a new regional historical segment, with cooperation agreements to oppose to recessive policies and considering economy from the point of view of ethical values that are different to financial logic. •

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URBsociAL Newsletter // Report

September 22nd

This first dialogue table brought together politicians and experts from different countries to analyse the concept of social cohesion.

Innovation in cooperation

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he first day of the URBsociAL meeting opened the debate with the dialogue table titled ‘Innovate to Gover n the Local,’ and among the participants there were five major political representatives who were prompted to reflect on three themes: social cohesion, local political innovation and, in the third place, interregional cooperation; three main aspects of the second meeting on European-Latin American Dialogue on Social Cohesion and Local Public Policies.

"Innovation also mean incorporating social actors into public dialogue."

Eduardo Zegarra Deputy Mayor of Lima, Peru

The starting point was set by the moderator, Eduard Miralles, of the

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Diputació de Barcelona, and it referred to the slogan of the meeting and the forum: the importance of innovating to govern the local, considering municipal policies not as “seawalls” for global problems, but as a topclass laboratory where solutions can be found.

Social cohesion The first debate round revolved around the concept of social cohesion as a tool for fighting against social exclusion. First to talk was Eduardo Zegarra, Deputy Mayor of Lima (Peru), who

URBsociAL Newsletter // Report stated that when he was invited for the first time to participate in the forum, he thought that a city like Lima, where fifty percent of students receive education in poor-quality public schools and the other fifty percent of students go to private schools, the idea of discussing social cohesion in a fragmented society made him very suspicion to begin with.

Next was María Sara Ribero, Deputy Mayor of Montevideo, who expressed that Latin American societies became fractured during the neoliberal decade in the 90's, resulting in societies virtually divided by a gap between rich and poor. And here is where the idea of social cohesion comes into play, as an "adhesive" trying to restore the social fabric.

Massimo Toschi, International Cooperation Adviser for the Tuscany Region in Italy, made a warning that in a society like Europe -where the middle class constitutes the majority of society-, the current crisis is absolutely traumatic and will have consequences that will change everyone's lifestyle. This reinforces the need for state policies that consider social cohesion as part of the development. According to Claudia Serrano, the Director of RIMISP (Latin American Centre for Rural Development), social fragmentation in Latin America should be addressed trying to establish a logic of belonging to a community.

innovation

September 22nd do no harm nor good”, maintaining a form of government that may warrant their re-election and avoiding getting into trouble. The other option is, out of need and interest, to innovate.

"Education plays a fundamental role in favour of social cohesion."

María Sara Ribero Deputy Mayor of Montevideo

"Our only choice is to work together.”

Massimo Toschi International Cooperation Adviser for the Tuscany Region, Italy

"Local governments have now a broader mandate, and they are forced to innovate."

The second dialogue round was a place for discussing the concept of innovation during the development of local policies. Mónica Fein, elected Mayor of Rosario, stated that the vast experience in management implemented by her party consisted of permanent innovation, aimed at modernising and decentralising the administration, by turning citizens into key actors. Specifically, this is achieved, for example, by replacing a window for receiving people with a table that allows people to talk face to face.

Claudia Serrano

In addition to her reflection, Ms. Serrano pointed out that at the local level, politicians may decide to “stay still and

Mónica Fein

Director of RIMISP

"Cooperation is a tool for moving towards in territorial development."

Elected Mayor of Rosario

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Eduardo Zegarra, however, refers to public policies in terms of management, where public officers would be managers, as if the municipality was a company. At the same time, he clarified that innovation does not necessarily lie on the use of new technologies, but on the way governments are run and on how social actors become part of the public dialogue.

interregional cooperation The third round focused on the possibilities offered by the interregional cooperation between Latin America and Europe, but also by other regions such as Sub-Saharan Africa.

Mónica Fein, Member of the National Argentine Congress, reminded participants that, during the 90's, neoliberalism became a dogma of faith around the world, but it was the sense of cooperation and dialogue among countries and continents that has allowed overcoming such ideology.

According to Fein, this forum is essential for governments to learn from different ways of management that are oriented to the social inclusion of unprivileged sectors. Massimo Toschi indicated that cooperation is the only alternative for our societies: “anything to the contrary would mean war, so we have no choice but to work together,” said the Italian Adviser.

María Sara Ribero closed the debate by telling the story of a former Mayor in her party who, at the beginning of the socialist administration in Montevideo, was criticised for travelling too much and was thus nicknamed Marco Polo.

To this he replied that “those travels worked as a window to the world... the Mother Country was precisely very supportive of our decentralisation policies, and then we taught the people in Rosario, who have outdone themselves and are now teaching us.”

In short, a sense of innovation in cooperation.

URBsociAL Newsletter // Report

September 22nd

The workshops conducted at URBsociAL allow participants to learn about the experiences and innovative political projects aimed at consolidating social cohesion in the communities where they take place.

Political innovation with a social mission

Rosario, Argentina

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first place, the potentialities of local development, which encompass the workshops on employment creation, territorial competitiveness, and the concept of innovative cities.

The themes that will be discussed will revolve around three aspects. In the

The second aspect will be land use planning, which will cover the workshops on integrative urban design and urban mobility. In the third place, the last aspect to be discussed will focus in the field of institutional innovation, which will comprise the development of a place for talking about the articulation of territorial actors, local pooling

he goal of the URBsociALÂ 2011 workshops is to share reflections and experiences, and also to agree on the recommendations for acting on strategies, public policy, and innovative tools.

The purpose of these decisions is to address the solutions of certain issues in the public agenda of local Latin American governments, and to contribute to generating social cohesion in their territories.

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and associativism, and cross-border cooperation.

Employment creation This first case study, which was conducted in Paraguay within the framework of the URB-ALÂ III PACEFÂ project, will highlight a series of tools adopted in the territory of the Central Government Department in order to move towards building a society based on gender equality. Particularly, this

URBsociAL Newsletter // Report

September 22nd 1.

Calacoto, Bolivia 2.

Curitiba, Brasil 3.

Medellín, Colombia 4.

Departamento Central, Pataguay 1

study analyses the tools that were created with two objectives in mind: providing training to women according to the profiles and skills required for the jobs, and to increase effective women’s employment.

Territorial competitiveness During the second workshop, we will debate on the experience that took place in the Province of San Juan (Argentina) as part of the COCAP project, coordinated by the Region of Veneto.

San Juan seeks to strengthen its territorial competitiveness based on an inclusive strategy. Firstly, this strategy is aimed at reinforcing productive chains. In the second place, the strategy plans to include microsmall businesses into these productive chains, and finally, it promotes the development of centres (usinas) as a place for discussing and expressing ideas with the participation of the main actors from the production sector. In these centres, the representatives of the public, private and social sectors share their particular strategies and look for the most adequate solutions to their common problems.

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Innovative cities The third workshop proposed will analyse the experience of the City of Medellín (Colombia) in relation to the implementation of the Regional Network of International Cooperation. The main purpose of this network is to move towards in matters of designing and implementing a Regional Public Policy of International Cooperation that, if developed according to plan, will become a reality in 2011. This Policy will seek to contribute to increasing the human development index by means of international cooperation tools and international agreements that support and accompany those initiatives that allow improving the quality of life of the citizens. Taking this concept into consideration, the network has planned a process involving the participation of a wide group of territorial, national, and international actors.

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URBsociAL Newsletter // Report

September 22nd

Rosario, Argentina

Integrative urban design In this workshop, which is part of the second aspect related to land use planning and sustainable development, we will discuss the process of putting comprehensive activities into practice in the neighbourhoods of Puertas del Sol, Puertas del Norte, and Santo Domingo de Carretas in the Metropolitan District of Quito.

T h i s i n i t i a t i v e , c o v e re d b y t h e INTEGRATION project of the URBAL III Programme, is based on two pillars: on the one hand, there is a process for inter-institutional articulation between different secretariats and areas of Quito’s Metropolitan Administration aimed at providing joint answers, as well as at setting up initiatives for a comprehensive approach to the different -and long term- social issues. The second foundation for this URB-AL III project, coordinated by Stuttgart, lies on the integration of the community into the design of the neighbourhood.

The potentialities of local development, land use planning, and institutional innovation will constitute the aspects of the debate.

Urban mobility

The starting point will be the analysis of the experiences put into practice.

The reason for this has been Curitiba’s urban mobility policy, which is a key part of the integrated urban planning system. In the case of Curitiba, the city has considerably aimed at creating a sustainable and integrated urban environment based on, among other factors, a public transportation system with a strong social impact.

Also as part of the same theme, the fifth workshop will be based on the case study of Curitiba, Brazil. This workshop will discuss the specific experience that took place in this Brazilian city, which has been showered with praises at the international level.

Articulation of territorial actors In the context of the third thematic aspect, related to institutional inno-

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URBsociAL Newsletter // Report

September 22nd 5.

Quito, Ecuador 6.

San Juan, Argentina 7.

San Salvador, El Salvador 8.

Santa Fe, Argentina

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vation, the first case study, also part of the URB-AL III Programme, will focus on the process of articulating territorial actors around a transversal public policy titled “Regionalisation, decentralisation, strategic planning, and public participation.”

This policy, based on the practical case study of the Province of Santa Fe in Argentina, is clearly targeted at institutional innovation. It seeks to implement a new level of proximity in the relationship between the Government of Santa Fe and the citizens, and also to better integrate the provincial territory.

Local pooling and associativism The seventh workshop will analyse a case study related to the local associativism process conducted in the San Salvador Metropolitan Area (AMSS).

The URB-AL III RESSOC project, coordinated by the Diputació de Barcelona, has two purposes: firstly, to improve the ability to manage solid waste in an integral manner, and secondly, to turn the marginal economic activity of waste-related survival into a stable economic activity, capable of warranting social inclusion of the sectors involved.

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Cross-border cooperation Finally, this case study will discuss an experience regarding the strengthening of territorial competitiveness by building a Quechua-Aymara ethnic eco-tourism corridor, which was developed by the Bolivian municipalities of Calacoto and San Pedro de Quemes.

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This corridor is part of the Tourist Borders project lead by the Province of Frosinone, and it stretches along several territories joined by a strong ethnic identity, but separated by national borders. Therefore, the integrated management of this project requires moving towards substantially in matters of cross-border cooperation.

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URBsociAL Newsletter // URB-AL III Projects

PROJECTS (II) REGIONAL OFFICE OF THE ANDES ZONE (BOGOTÁ, COLOMBIA)

September 22nd

Province of Frosinone Cross-border and sustainable tourism

Local governance, cross-border cooperation, migrations, waste management, citizens’ safety, women’s employment, urban development, and territorial management are the themes of the projects coordinated by the Andes Regional Office.

Economy of cultural tourism. Social cohesion, inclusion and development through sustainable tourism is the slogan of this project, which is coordinated by Frosinone and that aims at improving competitiveness through tourism in two border areas: Argentina-Bolivia and Bolivia-Peru, emphasizing the Quechua-Aymara tourist and cultural patrimony of the region. • Leader: Frosinone. Partners: Municipality of Purmamarca, ADESO (Argentina), San Pedro de Quemes, Calacoto (Bolivia), Municipality of Tarata (Peru), Autonomous Province of Bolzano (Italy).

Municipality of L’Hospitalet Entrepreneurial capacity for local development

Municipality of Stuttgart Social integration through urban planning

Local entrepreneurship. From the European experience in this field, the Emidel project, coordinated by L’Hospitalet, aims at providing the local governments of Santa Tecla (El Salvador), Canelones (Uruguay), and La Paz (Bolivia) with mechanisms and tools that boost local economic development and entrepreneurial initiatives in their zone.•

Urban and social regeneration. The Integration project, led by Stuttgart, focuses on the development of policies to rehabilitate abandoned urban areas for the construction of social housing which includes social and environmental elements in the urban planning.•

Leader: L’Hospitalet de Llobregat. Partners: Municipal Government of La Paz (Bolivia), Municipality of Canelones (Uruguay), Mayoral Office of Santa Tecla (Salvador), Diputació de Barcelona (Spain).

Leader: Municipality of Stuttgart. Partners: Municipalities of São Paulo, Río de Janeiro (Brazil), Quito (Ecuador), State of Chihuahua, Guadalajara (Mexico), Bogotá (Colombia), KATE (Germany) and ICLEI (Brazil)

Comune di Arezzo Municipality of Alcorcón Environmental recycling as an Productivity and efficiency instrument of cohesion in the use of resources Social recycling. The ambitious project La Basura Sirve (Rubbish can be Useful) seeks to improve urban waste management systems in six municipalities of Latin America.

The good practices of Cuenca and Surco constitute the benchmark models to establish environmental culture and the promotion of recycling as an instrument of cohesion.•

Promotion from the outside. Melgodepro, coordinated by Alcorcón (Spain), seeks to achieve economic development and culture promotion in the municipalities of Pimampiro (Ecuador), Paysandú (Uruguay), Curahuara de Carangas (Bolivia) and Valparaíso (Mexico) by accompanying micro-companies and making good use of the remittances sent by emigrants.•

Leader: Comune di Arezzo. Partners: Lille Métropole (France), Oxfam Italia (ONG, Italy), Municipalities of Arica (Chile), Cuenca, Lago Agrio (Ecuador), General Pico (Argentina), and Santiago de Surco (Peru).

Leader: Alcorcón Partners: São João da Madeira (Portugal), Valparaíso (Mexico), Pimampiro (Ecuador), Curahuara de Carangas (Bolivia), Paysandú (Uruguay), AMIBE, and Amas de Casa por el Desarrollo, Pimampiro (Ecuador).

Organization of URBsociAL: OCO-URB-AL III

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OCO Consortium: Diputació de Barcelona, International and Ibero-American Foundation of Government and Public Policy, FIIAPP (Spain); Province of Santa Fe (Argentina); Mayoral Office of Bogotá (Colombia); Municipality of San José (Costa Rica) and Region of Tuscany (Italy).

Diputació de Barcelona, September 2011. Coordination and supervision: Coordination and Orientation Office of the URB-AL III Programme. Edition and layout: Pauta Media S.L. Photography: Diputació de Barcelona (Òscar Ferrer, camaleó), Government of Santa Fe (Marcelo Beltrame), OCO and URB-AL III archives.

URBsociAL Newsletter // Agenda

September 22nd

PROGRAMME FOR TODAY URBsociAL in the media

The media of Rosario have covered the information on the opening of the second URBsociAL meeting. Reporters arrived yesterday at noon at the Metropolitano centre to follow on the gathering of authorities in matters social cohesion between Latin American and Europe. Special attention was paid to Argentina’s presidential candidate and Governor of the Province of Santa Fe, Hermes Binner.

09.30 - 10.30 h Presentation of the Workshop’s Methodology and Case Studies (mini plenary sessions in every workshop)

1. Potentialities of Local Development

1.1. Employment Creation: Case study:

Central Department, Paraguay. URB-AL III project:

PACEF

1.2. Territorial competitiveness: Case study:

Province of San Juan, Argentina. URB-AL III project:

COCAP

1.3. Innovative Cities: Case study: City of Medellín,

Colombia

2. Land Use Planning and Sustainable Development

2.1. Integrative Urban Design: Case study:

Municipality of Quito, Ecuador. URB-AL III project:

INTEGRATION

2.2. Urban Mobility: Case study: City of

Curitiba, Brazil.

3. Institutional Innovation

3.1. Articulation of Territorial Actors: Case study:

Province of Santa Fe, Argentina. URB-AL III

Project: Institutional Innovation in Intermediate

Governments.

3.2 Local Pooling and Associativism: Case study:

San Salvador Metropolitan Area, El Salvador.

URB-AL III project: RESSOC

3.3. Cross-Border Cooperation: Case study:

Municipalities of Calacoto and San Pedro de Quemes,

Bolivia. URB-AL III project: Tourist Borders.

10.30 - 14.00 h URBsociAL Workshops (World Café Groups)

14.00 - 16.00 h Lunch

16.00 - 19.00 h URBsociAL Workshops (continued)

21.00 h Welcome Dinner Party

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URBsociAL Newsletter // Back page

September 22nd

Local artists entertained the attendants during the opening of the first social cohesion fair celebrated at the URBsociAL meeting.

Sentences of the day

We have to build a single society, not many societies that move at different speeds.”

URB-AL has helped us to build a different society.”

Today’s context demands finding innovative government strategies.”

Social cohesion is a means and an end in itself.”

Local governments are excellent test laboratories.”

Hermes Binner

Antonio Bonfatti

J.C García Cañizares

Alfonso Díez Torres

Miguel Lifschitz

Governor of the province of Santa Fe, Argentina

Minister of Government and State Reform, province of Santa Fe, Argentina

Councillor Adjoint to the Presidency, Diputació de Barcelona, Spain.

Head, European Delegation in Argentina

Rosario Lord Mayor, Argentina

ALCALDÍA MAYOR DE BOGOTÁ D.C.