Twin Cities in Amazonian Transnational Borders: The Case Study of Leticia and Tabatinga - By Erik...

“Twin Cities in Amazonian Transnational Borders,

an Appropriate Cross Border Approach for

Squatter Settlements on flood prone lands located

on border’s fringe:

The Case Study of Leticia and Tabatinga ”.

Satelital View - Leticia and Tabatinga. Source: Elizabeth Riaño

SEPTEMBER 2006 - ROTTERDAM – THE NETHERLANDS

INSTITUTE FOR HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT STUDIES – IHS

LUND UNIVERSITY - HDM

UMD 2

RACHELLE NAVARRO ÅSTRAND, PhD

ERIK VERGEL TOVAR - COLOMBIA

Author

Supervisor

HOUSING SPECIALIZATION

1.The research

2.Theoretical Framework

3.Case Studies

4.Comparative Studies and Reviews

5.Conclusions and Recommendations

OUTLINE

GEAUR - IMANI



SEPTEMBER 2006 - ROTTERDAM – THE NETHERLANDS THESIS - ERIK VERGEL TOVAR – UMD 2

2/24

Leticia

Tabatinga


LUND UNIVERSITY - HDM THESIS - ERIK VERGEL TOVAR – UMD 2

“the housing shortage in twin cities of Leticia and Tabatinga


3/24

THE RESEARCH

THE PROBLEM



combine with inadequate planning and responsive policy


4/24

THE RESEARCH

THE PROBLEM



has lead to a chronic occupation of flood prone lands by low income groups


5/24

THE RESEARCH

THE PROBLEM



resulting in the large scale development of squatter settlements”


6/24

Where is Colombia?

Where is Brazil?

THE RESEARCH

THE PROBLEM



The level of knowledge about urbanizing phenomena in the Amazon is low

THE RATIONALE


7/24

THE RESEARCH

Urban policies have not had an apropriate approach which means to take into

account local needs, culture, traditions and the environment

GEAUR - IMANI



To determine the appropriate cross border

approach to manage the shared problem of

squatter settlements on flood prone lands on

the border’s fringe between Leticia and

Tabatinga twin cities

MAIN AIM OF THE RESEARCH


8/24

THE RESEARCH



RESEARCH QUESTIONS

What is the appropriate cross border approach to manage

the shared problem of squatter settlements on flood prone

lands on the border’s fringe between Leticia and

Tabatinga?


9/24

THE RESEARCH

•Socioeconomic and physical characteristics

•Reasons to settle

•Perception of risk

Research sub questions – housing comparative study

•Elements from current urban and frontiers policies

•Perception of borders

Research sub questions – urban and frontiers policies



DESK STUDY FIELDWORK


10/24

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

CONCLUSIONS

RECOMMENDATIONS

Law 388

National

Urban

Policy

PBOT

Leticia Implementation

process

CITY

STATUE

National

Urban

Policy

PLANO

DIRETOR Formulation

process

Unit of Analysis 2

Guadalupe

Neighborhood

VARIABLES

Unit of Analysis 1

La Unión

Neighborhood

VARIABLES

COMPARATIVE

STUDY REVIEW STUDY

July 2006 – Twin Cities

BORDER’S

POLICY

BRAZIL

BORDER’S

POLICIES

COLOMBIA

BORDER FRINGE

BORDER FRINGE

APPROPRIATE

CROSS

BORDER

APPROACH

SHORT - LONG TERM

SHORT - LONG TERM



PHENOMENA CREATING COMPLEXITY

Squatter settlements

Flood prone lands

Located close to international borders

In twin cities

the Amazon region


11/24

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK 1

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK 2



SQUATTER SETTLEMENTS

ILEGAL CITY INFORMAL CITY

laws and juridical

instruments does not reflect

the social reality

social production of “illegality”

slum upgrading - regularization -

security of tenure - provision of

basic services - infrastructure

unplanned areas of cities

growing “outside” of the legal

system


12/24


TWO SIDES OF THE SAME COIN………………….



RISK AND FLOOD PRONE LANDS

The risk is created by people when are ocuppying flood prone lands

traditional occupation of flood prone lands by indigenous

human settlements in the Amazon


13/24

LOCAL REALITY AND CULTURE

NORMS AND LEGAL FRAMEWORK

TWO SIDES OF THE SAME COIN………………….


A M A Z O N C O N T E X T



T E R R I T O R Y

Integration

region

Sub-region

City

Sub-region

City

Border

fringe

Border

fringe

TWIN CITIES

NATION 1 NATION 2

Inte

rnational

bord

er

Symmetric and

Asymmetric issues


14/24

TWIN CITIES THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK



City

Border

fringe

The border is a social space (Machado)

City

Border

fringe


15/24

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK CONCEPT OF BORDER



International Border

Amazon River

TWIN CITIES OF LETICIA AND TABATINGA


16/24

CASE STUDIES

COLOMBIA

BRAZIL

PERU

The triple border between Colombia, Brazil and Peru



Urban growth 1950 - 1970 Urban growth 1980 decade

Urban growth 1990 decade Urban growth 2000


17/24

CASE STUDIES Twin cities urban growth



STUDY AREA


18/24

CASE STUDIES

•101 Housing

Units

•87 Visited During

Fieldwork

•37 Houses built

on Brazil

•42 Housing Units

•37 Visited During

Fieldwork

The “informality” is integrating the Twin Cities by providing services such

as health care, education and jobs for squatter settlements inhabitants.





19/24

CASE STUDIES

Most consolidated area

Wood Bridges

Recent occupation in Brazil

La Unión neighborhood





20/24

CASE STUDIES

Occupation on the hill Boat Houses - Amazon River

Guadalupe neighborhood



Socioeconomic and physical characteristics of the households


21/24

COMPARATIVE STUDIES

Colombian; 4,65%Colombian; 1,16%

Colombian;

81,40%

Brazilian;

2,33%

Peruvian;

10,47%

0,00%

10,00%

20,00%

30,00%

40,00%

50,00%

60,00%

70,00%

80,00%

90,00%

Colombia Brazil Peru

Place of birth - nationality






22/24

COMPARATIVE STUDIES

Colombian; 8,11%

Brazilian; 81,08%

Peruvian; 10,81%

0,00%

10,00%

20,00%

30,00%

40,00%

50,00%

60,00%

70,00%

80,00%

90,00%

Colombia Brazil Peru

Place of birth - nationality





25/24

COMPARATIVE STUDIES

No Answered; 3,45%

No Answered;

6,90%

Brazil;

18,39%

Colombia;

13,79%

Has not lived

on neighbor

countries

52,87%

Peru; 4,60%

0,00%

10,00%

20,00%

30,00%

40,00%

50,00%

60,00%

Yes No

Have you lived in one of the neighbouring countries?






26/24

COMPARATIVE STUDIES

Colombia;

21,62%

Has not lived

in neighbor

countries;

67,57%Peru; 8,11%

Peru; 2,70%

0,00%

10,00%

20,00%

30,00%

40,00%

50,00%

60,00%

70,00%

80,00%

Yes No

Have you lived in one of the neighbouring countries?






27/24

COMPARATIVE STUDIES

Total

U$210 - U$420

5%

U$420 - U$840

1%

U$840 - U$1680

3%

does not apply

3%

nothing

1%

U$84 - U$210

20%

no answered

15%

0 - U$84

52%

Income






28/24

COMPARATIVE STUDIES

Total

D/A

3%

U$234 - U$ 468

5%

U$93 - U$234

24%

0 - U$93

68%

Income






29/24

COMPARATIVE STUDIES

0,00%

5,00%

10,00%

15,00%

20,00%

25,00%

30,00%

Colombia Brazil Colombia/Brazil Peru

2

construction sector

agriculture

other

housewife

commerce

domestic service

restaurant

customer service

Occupation and Countries






31/24

COMPARATIVE STUDIES

flooding prone

lands; 82,76%

flooding prone

lands; 1,15%

flooding prone

lands; 14,94% not flooding

prone lands;

1,15%

0,00%

10,00%

20,00%

30,00%

40,00%

50,00%

60,00%

70,00%

80,00%

90,00%

temporal semipermanent permanent

Location and Type of Housing

Physical characteristics of the households





32/24

COMPARATIVE STUDIES

flooding prone

lands; 10,81%

flooding prone

lands; 89,19%

0,00%

10,00%

20,00%

30,00%

40,00%

50,00%

60,00%

70,00%

80,00%

90,00%

100,00%

temporal permanent

Location and Type of Housing

Physical characteristics of the households





35/24

COMPARATIVE STUDIES

SelfBuilt

Housing

8,24%

SelfBuilt

Housing

5,88%

SelfBuilt

Housing

20,00%

SelfBuilt

Housing

17,65%

SelfBuilt

Housing

23,53%

NOT Self Built

Housing 8,24%

NOT Self Built

Housing

4,71%

Not Self Built

Housing

2,35%

NOT Self Built

Housing

9,41%

0,00%

5,00%

10,00%

15,00%

20,00%

25,00%

30,00%

35,00%

To not live paying

rent any more

we did not have a

place to live in

Buy or received

the plot

children or job

opportunities

Familiar ties or

close connection

with neighborhood

Reasons to settle in the neighborhoods





36/24

COMPARATIVE STUDIES

SelfBuilt

Housing 2,70%

SelfBuilt

Housing

18,92%

SelfBuilt

Housing

16,22%

SelfBuilt

Housing

24,32%

SelfBuilt

Housing

24,32%

Not SelfBuilt

Housing 2,70%

NOT SelfBuilt

Housing 2,70%

NOT SelfBuilt

Housing 2,70%

NOTSelfBuilt

Housing 5,41%

0,00%

5,00%

10,00%

15,00%

20,00%

25,00%

30,00%

we did not have a

place to live in

children or job

opportunities

Familiar ties or

close connection

with neighborhood

better life

conditions

other

Reasons to settle in the neighborhoods





37/46

COMPARATIVE STUDIES

Housing typology 1 Housing typology 2 Housing typology 3


Housing typologies




38/46

COMPARATIVE STUDIES

Housing typology 1 Housing typology 2


Housing typologies




39/46

REVIEW - POLICIES

• The social function of the property

Urban Policies

• Social, economical and territorial dimensions in urban management

• City planning units (partial plans) POT

• Plano Diretor has the special interest zones ZIE (risk areas – favelas)

Review of Colombian and Brazilian Policies

Symmetric and common planning instruments

FINDINGS




40/46

REVIEW - POLICIES

•Vicinity Commission Colombia – Brazil

•Guidelines “Integration and Frontiers Development Policy” - Colombia

•Re-structured Proposal for Development Program of Border’s Fringe

(Twin Cities Strategy) - Brazil

•Frontiers Integration Zone – ZIF (Both countries)

Review of Colombian and Brazilian Policies

Frontiers Policies

Instruments for local urban policies

FINDINGS



1. There is a correlation between income and squatter

settlements location

2. Both squatter settlements are immigrant’s clusters in different

stages of consolidation have cross border occupation and

activities, mainly in the informal economy

3. The major range of income in both neighborhoods is U$84 –

93$ per month. Colombian Minimum Legal Salary is U$171

per month and the Brazilian Minimum Legal Salary is U$162

SOCIOECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS


41/46

CONCLUSIONS



PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS


42/46

CONCLUSIONS

1. Self built process of permanent housing structures, with high

growth index in the 90’s. Both squatter settlements present an

informal housing and land market

2. The inhabitants do not pay property tax, but the majority pays

for at least one public service (water supply).

3. The San Antonio’s ravine is final disposal for residues an

unhealthy and polluted environment causing illnesses among

children

4. Reasons to settle in the neighborhood has been: job

opportunities, children studies, access to a house and to the

city.




43/46

CONCLUSIONS

RISK ISSUE

1. The resettlement process is a political decision already taken by

Leticia Municipality, and it will be the same decision by Tabatinga

Municipality

2. In both squatter settlements during flooding periods there are

collective actions in order to build bridges

3. La Unión inhabitants are evacuated and provided by temporally

shelter by the Municipality of Leticia

4. Guadalupe inhabitants do not evacuate the settlement during

flooded periods



Short term appropriatte approach

Informality integrating the

twin cities

Symmetric

issues

Thesis Output

SHORT TERM


44/46

RECOMMENDATIONS

Vicinity

Comission

Colombia -

Brazil

Proposal for a bi-

national Mitigation-

Prevention and

Resettlement

Operation (ZEI-Partial

Plan)

Cross border

appropriatte

approach

BOTTOM UP APPROACH INPUT FOR LOCAL POLICIES

RISK

STUDY

Risk Mitigation-

Prevention

Resettlement

process

PBOT Leticia

Local Urban

Policy

Partial Plan

Slum upgrading

Resettlement

Plano Diretor

Tabatinga

Local Urban

Policy

ZEI

Slum upgrading

Resettlement

•Income-location

•Immigrants

•Informal economy

•Adaptation

•Cooperation

•Self built houses

•Informal market

•Unhealthy

environment

•Resettlement



AMAZON COOPERATION TREATY - OTCA Human Settlements

Social and

physical

characteristics

Amazon

Further urban and border studies on Amazon human settlements


RECOMMENDATIONS LONG TERM

LETICIA - COLOMBIA

TABATINGA - BRAZIL

PBOT

Plano

Diretor

Integration

Frontiers

Zone ZIF

Amazon

human

settlements

Amazon Urban

Policy

Vicinity Comission Colombia -

Brazil

Proposal for an Integration Urban Border

Regime Managed by syncronizing the PBOT

and Plano Diretor

TWIN

CITIES Program

CONPES 3155

ZIF

Border Fringe

Twin Cities-ZIF

45/46




UMD 2

This thesis is dedicated to the people of La Unión and

Guadalupe neighborhoods in the twin cities of Leticia and

Tabatinga……………………………

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Twin Cities in Amazonian Transnational Borders: The Case Study of Leticia and Tabatinga - By Erik...

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