Localizing the Habitat Agenda

4 Brazilian Cases Studies

Dr Circe Monteiro Tony Lloyd Jones

Universidade Federal de University of Westminster
Pernambuco
Case studies to explore application of Habitat
Agenda principles to urban poverty reduction
in Brazil
Method for selecting the case studies:

Analysis of Best Practice data base

Focus on neighbourhood development and long term

improvements in living conditions

Exploration of different models of partnership

Many innovative approaches to urban poverty
reduction at the local level in Brazil

92 submissions to the 2004 Dubai Award for Best

Practices, and received Best Practice Awards in
2002 and 2004.
Caixa Economica Federal – National Housing
Bank promotes and coordinates a National Awards
for Best Practices.
4 Case studies
Provide different contexts for urban poverty reduction:
• A middle size city in an industrial region aiming to
erradicate poverty and poor settlements in its
periphery
• State capital in a poor region tackling poverty in the
whole city
• State capital in the country poorest region dealing
with poverty and environmental protection
• Developed metropolitan centre in a poor region
Brazilian Context
• Largest country in Latin América = 8.5 million km2
• Population in 2004 = 182 million inhabitants
• Gross Domestic Product GDP = US$ 395 billion
(2000)
Economically is the 8th country in the
world
• Human Development index- IDH = 0,757
Human development is 73rd country
• Inequality - GINI index = 0,6
4th place among countries with uneven
distribution
• GINI per capita = 2,710
95th place together with Namibia (2003)
Brazil is a rich country with a
large number of poor people

• Recent economic growth

• The country consistently presents advances
in social indicators

But the benefits of economic growth are not

shared and level of poverty remains
unacceptable high
Income inequality
Policies to improve income distribution did not
succeed in the last decades to reduce
inequality

1% wealthiest - 17% of income

5% wealthiest - 39% of income
10% wealthiest - 53% of income
Political Context
• New Government of 2002 with strong popular and
civil society support
• Long awaited social and political reforms are still
under construction.
• The Ministry of Cities was created in order to
promote an integrated national policy of urban
development with the collaboration of State and
Municipal Governments.
• Conference of Cities and Cities Council –
democratic forums to propose, endorse and
evaluate urban policies.
Local Government Context:
• Three levels of government: Federal, State and
Local

• Local authorities have gained power at the cost of

state governments but state governments have a
larger share of expenditure

• Local Municipalities have powers to propose local

legislation and experiment with urban policies

• but are financially constrained by the external

public debt
National Poverty Reduction
Programs
• Health Care programs:
• Nutrition Programs:
• Fome Zero (Zero Hunger)
• Minimum Income
• Bolsa Escola – School Scholarship Program
aiming to guarantee children at school
• Micro credit
• Small entrepreneurs
Nation-wide social and economic policies are
generally not well-targetted
Governance – laws and tools for
empowerment and participation
• Participatory Budgeting
• City Statute
• Social Housing Policies:
– PSH-PAR
– Habitar Brasil
– Pro-Moradia
– Morar Melhor
Case Study 1: Santo Andre

• Industrial city in the

most prosperous
metropolitan areas of
Brazil: the São
Paulo’s ABC region
• Population: 650,000
Economy:
• in transition between modernizing heavy
industry and growing Business and Service
Sectors.

Poverty:
• 138 slums numbering roughly 120,500
inhabitants - about 18.56% of the city
population
• Increasing number of poor people living in
shanty towns at the city periphery
SANTO ANDRÉ MAIS IGUAL PROGRAM
Best practices 2002 – Gender and Citizenship Program

“All together, at the same time and everywhere”

• Programme aimed at social inclusion of segments
of the population currently suffering social and
economic exclusion
• Covers 4 slums in the Municipality
• Urban infrastructure, social and economic
dimensions
SANTO ANDRÉ MORE EQUAL
US$ 15.200 000,00 Funds: EU + BID +
PGU-UN +Federal and
State funds
Iniciative:
Local Government

econ soc urb Social Inclusion

Coordination
333 professionals
involved
Main features:
Matrix Mode for
Flexible administration

Improved
Communication Flow

Complex partnership

Strong Participative
practice

All together at the same

place and time
 Case Study 2:
Teresina
• Capital of Piauí, poorest
state of Brazil

• 751,000 inhabitants
• Economy; Commerce and
Services
CAPTION:
INTERVAL OF IMUP

- 0,00 – 0,50 – LOW DOWN

- 0,51 – 0,75 - MIDDLE
- 0,76 – 1,00 -
EXPECTED
 VILA BAIRRO PROGRAM
“From shantytowns to neighbourhoods”
155 Shanty towns in Teresina and 116,000
inhabitants
• Minimum standard for all inhabitants
• Integrated multi-sector approach
• Community participation
• partnerships between city government and few
civil society, organisations
 Water Supply Community Day-Care
Centers
Electricity Multi-Functional Sports
Land regularization Courts
Health Units
Housing improvement
Schools
Popular Sanitary Units Soccer Fields
Integral Attention to
Children and Adolescents

Pavement
Polyedric
Distribution of Water Filters Community Vegetable
Gardens
Community Laundries
Planting trees Urban Backyards of
Production
Community Centers
Environmental Education of Training and Production
Monitoring and evaluation
Monitoring system provides constant evaluation of
poverty alleviation in the city.

• IPMU Index of minimum urbanization

patterns for poor settlements
• Evaluation of urban standards indicators:
streets pavement and urban service,
housing conditions and sewage system.
IPMU low 0,00 – 0,50
IPMU regular 0,51 – 0,75
IPMU expected 0,76 – 1,00
Case Study 3: Belem

• Capital of Pará -
gateway to the
Amazon and one of the
poorest states of Brazil
• Population: 1,279,861
TUCUNDUBA OXBOW
PROGRAM
100 Best Practices 2002

• This program was conceived to promote:

– Sustainability (economic, cultural,
environmental);
– Gender and social inclusion;
– Leadership;
– Community strengthening
 • Community Equipment
• Nurseries
• Urban programs • Community Centre
• Housing relocations • Public Squares
• Housing improvements • Playgrounds
• Basic hydraulic Unit • Market places

• Social Programs
• Infrastructure
• Leadership formation
• Water supply system
• Clothes makers cooperative
• Drainage
• Market trade cooperative
• Sewage – primary and
secondary • Wood trades cooperative
• People’s bank
• Theatre groups
• Environment Committees
 TUCUNDUBA RIVER BAY PROJECT
US$ 3.200.000,00 Funds:
BID + Federal Bank
+ State Funds
Local Government
iniciative
Municipal Executive
Unit - UEM
4 municipal secretaries
and metropolitan agency
Main features:
Urban environmental
management
Few partrneships but
strong community
involvement and
participation
UAS UAS
social urban Operational Unit located
in the area
12 professionals involved
decision making in
assemblies and formal
agreement to projects
urbanisation and housing
flood control and sanitary
education
leadership formation
community organization
7.600 beneficiaries income generation
trade organization
Case Study 4: Recife

• Capital of State of Pernambuco in the

Northeast of Brazil
• Population: 1,422,905
• 40% of the city inhabitants are
considered poor, shanty
towns are localized all over
the city mainly in hill areas
and flood prone ones.
• As many favelas are near
well-established, wealthy
neighbourhoods they
constantly faced removal
pressures.
PREZEIS – Regularization Program of
ZEIS
ZEIS - Zones of Special Social Interest
Submitted to Best Practices 2002

• Being a program based on the communities

organisation it was basically oriented for citizens
rights and the strengthening of community
organisation and leadership formation.
• There are 66 ZEIS instituted by law, which
occupy 12% of total area of the Municipality
• Beneficiaries: 298,000 inhabitants
• Promote land tenure and urbanisation in
poor areas of the city
• Protect poor areas in order to avoid land
speculation
• Implement tools and management
channels for dwellers participation
• Implementation and improvement of
urban infrastructure
• Co-ordinate urbanisation plans to define
use of land and urban parameters for
informal areas
THE PREZEIS - Zones of Special Social Interest

US$ 1.200.000,00 Funds: Municipal Budget

per year
Iniciative:
Social Movement headed
by community organizations
and NGOs
COMUL
Main features:
Law enacted to secure land
tenure in poor settlements

governmental civil
sphere society
Partnerships of NGOs
and local communities

FORUM PREZEIS
A formal framework of
community participation

Urbanization
Land tenure
Employment and
Income generation
Environmental actions
in risky areas

66 settlements and Prezeis law was

298.000 beneficiaries replicated in several cities
• Based on a formal framework for democratic
participation of neighbourhood associations, NGOs
through a Forum Zeis
• Faces complex conflicts between partners
• Leaders tend to professionalize their actions and to
scatter resources in all the ZEIS with little impact on
poverty.
• Few urbanization plans were implemented
• The program was successful in promoting
perceived security but no regularization of tenure
• Over 17 years the program did not manage to
capture other investment.
• Participation is key aspect but alone did not
guarantee good governance
Conclusions
Poverty has many different faces as
well as solutions
Participative practices empower and
can take various forms:
Direct Consultation
Leadership representation
Operational involvement
Conclusions
• Partnerships often difficult to establish
• Difficulties in co-ordination between different levels
of government
• Partnerships strong at the local level but difficult
between local and state level.
• Partnerships of local and national agencies are
mainly for finace
• Partnerships with NGOs happen more in state
capitals.
• Local government culture creates difficulties in
establishing new partnerships with civil society
Localizing The Habitat Agenda
in Brazil: Recommendations
• Habitat Agenda has an important role in the
dissemination of the local experiences in poverty
reduction that could be expanded.
• It could provide a framework for better co-ordination
between different levels of government and
between government and other Habitat Agenda
Partners
• A culture of partnership needs capacity building