Desarrollo urbano participativo y planificación estratégica, promoviendo justicia social en los asentamientos informales (SLUMS), Cairo, Egipto.

Throughout the last decades, many states which were governing underdeveloped countries of the South Global resigned the effort tackling the slums (Davis, 2006). Nevertheless, between the seventies and nineties, international agencies backed financial and technical assistance to set up slum-upgrading programs in almost 55 nations working in partnership whit many stakeholders (Davis, 2006). In that scenario, arise the new schemes to address these informal areas, those which are related to adopting the notion that states should facilitate rather than deliver shelter and urban infrastructure (McCarney & Stren, 2003). Hence, this scheme opens the framework for Strategic Urban planning as a positive response to the rapidly urbanising of squatter settlements. In that setting emerge the case of the upgrading programme in the communities of located in Cairo, Egypt, which seeks alleviate poverty, performing physical improvements within the informal city, as well as, working with dwellers in order to enhance their capacities and their villages in a way to set out social justice (Hegazy, 2015).

According to the above, this essay endeavour to analyses the participatory upgrading program through the framework of Strategic planning, unpacking the scheme and depicting the principles of it over the process. Moreover, it will describe and understand the multiple actors and their roles involved during the implementation, as well as, understanding the link between good governance and Strategic planning in the process to implement participatory approach into the communities of Ezbet Bekhit. In that sense and according to those mentioned above, finally, this paper aims to validate the assumption if the programme opened a space of negotiation to promote good governance and correctly empower the communities.

Ezbet Bekhit is a squatter settlement established in the nineties. This slum was considered to design and operate The PUU (Participatory Urban Upgrading), which was backed, technical and financial, by the national entity of Deutschland (GTZ). The GTZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Technische Zusammenarbeit) in partnership with the state of Egypt, trough the GOPP (General Organization for Physical Planning), started the PUU in order to tackle poverty and the deteriorated informal areas in the district of Ezbet Brkhit (Abdelhalim, 2010). The plan required an association among many stakeholders, regarding grassroots organisations, local entities and NGOs. Therefore, both governments in association placed the framework to afford partnership among the actors. In that sense, this project operated beneath the umbrella of Strategic Planning, aiming to meet its principles, such as implementing synergies among the actors, creates a cumulative multiplier effect and opens the possibility to create a space of participation.

Likewise, according to Steinberg (2005), the framework of Strategic planning operates under  the non-rigid methodology; namely, it allows flexibility to make improvements during the implementations of the plan; besides, this mechanism promotes progressive forms of governance, where democracy plays an essential role in real collaboration between public and private urban stakeholders. Therefore, PUU engages among the characteristics above, since the project, Led by GTZ and GOPP, established a space to work side by side with the community leaders from Ezbet Bekhit district, aiming for cooperation over the decision-making. Moreover, according to McCarney (1996), the manner to avoid bureaucratic arrangements is the practice of good governance, which allows the possibility to reframe the power relations making more democratic the role of the stakeholders. In other words, this scheme of PUU permits the opportunity to give equal accountability to all actors. Hence, PUU managing by the GOPP and GTZ, established mutual responsibility, due to all members had to perform actions within the communities through the participatory approach, allowing changing the plan over the process ( Abdelhalim, 2010).

Furthermore, McCarney (1996) pointed out that during the development of a country many actors could perform power when are managing the social and economic resources, consequently, the term governance is related to the action of the governments as a political decision over the city. Thus, the Strategic Planning relay over the process of governance and the possibility to restructure the government framework to enable instead to deliver. Besides, as pointed out by McCartney (1996), Governance finds a differentiation from the government, due to the first refers to the relationship among the state and civil society, in other words, between rulers and ruled. In that sense, this relationship makes it possible to explore the notion of what constitutes good governance, first being accountable for the actions executed and then setting out democratic tools to address informality and poverty into the communities (Ibid).

Following the above, Strategic planning structures afford the administration and management of the policies in a way to get the chance of being modified, namely creates the means of governance which allows changes over the process of development (Albrechts & Balducci, 2013). Thus, these have deployed into the PUU, due to its operation tends to change, since it depends on the participation of the main actors, such as GOOP, GTZ and the active support of dwellers. The two governments conducted an essential work at two stages, the plan and implementation levels since operated over this method, modifications and improvements in because they created the programme for scaling-up at different levels (Hegazy, 2015). Moreover, the success of the upgrading approach based on physical, economic and social development found a pillar in the method Learning-by-doing, which permits to expand over the execution, effectiveness and community engagement (Ibid). Hence, it could argue that PUU was a successful scheme, due to works through the concept of participatory planning and the recognition of the roles at different levels.

On the other hand, Ahmed Soliman (2018), pointed out that preparing these frameworks of participation is considered a challenge, because it interrelates the various dimensions of social and environmental change in an urban region, seeking for physical development. Besides, it draws an articulation among the conceptions of organisations and the policies government, in which exists the capacity to change the previous structures and approaches. However, this is not set out into the plan or strategy itself; it is embedded within the social processes of articulation; the plan-making is in the capacity of interrelation (Albrechts, Healey & Kunzmann, 2003). Therefore, the strategic planning in this programme it is neither about a physical planning nor an extraordinary intervention; instead, it is about redesigning the institutions and roles to make possible negotiate in favour of development, generating spaces of meetings to formulate visions of the city. Furthermore, it has a multiplier effect in improving the conditions of the impoverished people, empowering them to exercise their rights, through the reframing of the system of governance, making it democratic and accountable (Albrechts & Balducci, 2013).

Following the statements above, the state of Egypt opened the space to make possible the alliance to work in development planning among the governments of Egypt and Germany, which began in the 1950s. Indeed, in 1994, both States agreed to generate a plan for urban development in squatter settlements, establishing the administrative framework for designing and developing projects and programs (Abdelhalim, 2010). Both republics and their teams worked to set out the PUU, which found a base on four core policies. First of all, promoting the partnership among the civil society, private sector and public sector by using tools to strengthen organisational capacities of the local villages to set out a space for participation through dialogue among the recipients and the operators (Ibid). Second, encouraging learning by doing in the process of tackle poverty, namely changing or improving over the process. Then, assuring the engagement and participation of local communities over the planning process and implementation. Finally, striving to enhance the quality of life among the dwellers characterised as lower-class (Ibid).

In fact, based on those principles before, German’s institutions formed by KfW (the financial support) and GTZ (German Technical Cooperation) provided technical assistance focusing on improving necessary infrastructure, such as sewerage, paving roads and supply water. Moreover, the Egyptian government assembled capabilities to start the upgrading programme in Ezbet Bekhit in 1998 (Ahmed Soliman, 2018). Likewise, it is essential to highlight that the organisational body responsible for executing the project was the GOPP (General Organization for Physical Planning). Indeed, since that period GOPP had set into action initiatives to strategically transform urban planning in Egypt, implementing the new Urban Planning Development Law, which replaces the old master plans as legal development documents, this law was approved by the presidential decree 119 during the year 2008 (Ibid). Therefore, the principal purpose of the strategic plan is focusing on sustainable development and enhancing urban management; this method aspires to the participatory approach that empowers the community to participate in identifying their priority projects, namely this new structure permits consultative processes (Ibid).

Consequently, this program works beneath the umbrella of social justice, since its core is to promote the participatory process, empowering the community. Additionally, according to Fraser (1998), to operate through social justice, the framework requires a «participatory parity», namely, it needs social arrangements that allow all community members interact each other performing equal rights. Certainly, participatory parity must meet two conditions; the first one is related to the distribution of material resources; it must ensure the participant’s voice and autonomy. Then, the recognition of cultural difference, aiming equal respect for all members, providing the same opportunities to achieve social esteem. Both conditions are essential to practice participatory parity, since the first-mentioned above, draws concepts to practice distributive justice, basically open the access of the economic structure to reach to all economically differential classes.  The second one takes the idea of recognition as the status order into the community, especially concerning the predetermined cultural hierarchies into society (Ibid). Therefore, the conception of social justice relay on the framework of redistribution and recognition, without diminishing each other in between.

Regarding these concepts, in the arena of participatory planning, it could find diverse methods. Indeed, the World Bank identified four principals in the community of Urban Upgrading; Hamdi & Geothert developed the first one, the Community Action Planning or Micro-planning, the second one, elaborated by Tony Gibson, the Planning for Real. Then, the American Institute of Architecture designed the UCAT (Urban Community Assistance Team). Finally, the fourth which operates into the PUU, the ZOPP (or GOPP in English: Goal Oriented Project Planning), carried out by GTZ in the communities of Ezbet Bekhit (Noureddine Tag-Eldeen, 2003).

Nevertheless, according to Hamdi and Goethert (1997), the ZOPP methodology does not show effectiveness to empower the communities itself, namely this scheme works to implement objectives determined and designed before. Moreover, ZOOP runs selecting for the work teams more professional staff and high-level officials to lead the workshops over the communities, than representatives of the communities. Aforementioned is due to the knowledgeable staff have the information of the previous plan and not make the plan in the process of participation. Consequently, GTZ implements during the process of high qualified professional working with a high level of professionalism in order to assure the results of the programme. In that sense, this methodology using by the organisation from Germany does not permit the communities to develop, design and implement their projects and plans, since they become dependants on external organisations. Finally, this scheme does not permit to develop leaders into the communities, since they only work with the representatives of the communities and not to all members (Hamdi & Goethert, 1997).

Otherwise, as Fraser (1998) pointed out, in political theory, the task of social justice is to formulate a set of institutional arrangements to permits design and implement several policy reforms that can contribute to tackling both misrecognition and maldistribution. In practical politics, subsequently, the assignment is to promote democratic engagement along with the civil society, private and public sector seeking to integrate politics of redistribution whit politics of recognition. In that scenario, the PUU operated the upgrading strategy in Ezbeth Bekhit to guarantee the participation of the dwellers through designing and creating a space to develop policies which allow the planning and implementation means.  Regarding this strategy, the upgrading programme team carried out several workshops held initially over 1998 between GTZ, community members and government officers. These meetings based on identifying the roles and responsibilities of the main actors, setting out hierarchy relations to create a model to replicate in other scales and other communities. Indeed, the conclusion of these agreements was the Ezbet Bekhit Declaration, which defined the main responsibility of the local neighbourhoods over the process of PUU, in which the representatives declared the duties and obligations of the dwellers. Finally, also happened the creation of committees by the leaders aimed to find delegates among the residents of each neighbourhood to explain the programme components and to stimulate the participation (Noureddine Tag-Eldeen, 2003).

In that condition, is precise recognise that the PUU applies the notion of good governance since McCarney (2003) depicts that it works when all actors, ranging from public organisations to community grassroots perform activities in collaboration to make an impact on urban development. It means that good governance displays a new relationship between civil society and government, which seeks to tackle the essential features of urban poverty. In this situation arise the participatory process in two fields, the arena of consensus and the arena of inclusion. Both working together in an inter-linked and inter-dependent way, in that setting, they perform two levels of participation, the sphere of inclusion operating on the field of the participatory process, the second one establishing the framework to allow the function of the first (McCarney & Stren, 2003). Therefore, this understanding of community participation is essential if the notion of good governance will be practice over the ground. Indeed, good governance only can work where the state is open as the authority to permit the engagement of the community (Ibid).

Continuing unpacking the structure of social justice and good governance related to the programme carried out in Egypt, Young (2006) argues that social justice is rooted in the effort for social recognition of diversity. Therefore, the upgrading programme taking into account the voices of women and young people aiming to strengthen their positions into the communities and not being suppressed by others (Abdelhalim, 2010). Moreover, the PUU worked to set out equal opportunities in men and women, striving to remove old preconception rooted in the villages, this aiming to generate equal responsibilities among them. However, the staff working into the communities of Ezbet Bekhit defined as a homogeneous the identity of villages, yet it does not certainly show homogeneity in the conditions of socio-economic status (Ibid).

Furthermore, when the process of recognising the identity of the community is accurate, it gives the knowledge and the tools to work efficiency addressing the issues within the communities (Hamdi & Goethert,1997). In fact, the residents in Ezbet Bekhit have different socio-economic status, some of the belongs to the low, middle-income groups, but, there are some investors as well, they rent their houses and perform business activities over the area. That shows that the dwellers have diverse types of expectations and interests for their communities and themselves, and if it is not understood accurately, it could trigger conflicts among them and the government. Hence, the PUU fail at the moment to identify the complexity of the communities, and therefore the project cannot empower the community as whole instead only have been empowering the community members (Hegazy, 2015).

To sum up, Structural Injustice happens when many institutions and individuals work pursuing their singular objectives and concerns, within predetermined institutional laws and accept models (Fraser, 1998). However, the PUU operated beneath the umbrella of Strategic Planning prepared the field to reframe the structure of the governmental institution in order to permit create dialogue and consensus over the stakeholders. Therefore, the upgrading programme embraces some principles of Strategic Planning, such as recognising the concerns and priorities among the citizens, moreover, worked to reinforce synergies between different organisations establishing common objectives and performed a relationship based on mutual accountability and trust among the governments and civil society. Finally, PUU was seeking to develop scaling up of the project, since was working from small villages to implement it in the future in other parts of the country. Finally, attempting to address social justice into the multidimensionality, involving fields of physical, economic, socio-cultural and environmental dimensions. Conclusively, the PUU opened a space of co-operation to promote good governance and undertake the empowerment of the communities.

CARLOS ANTONY MUÑIZ VELASQUEZ

MSC. URBAN DEVELOPMENT PLANNING

UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON

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