Cordaid, The Hague

Dieuwer Duijf - Wouter Pocornie

UE in El Salvador

22/10/2009

preface:Evolutionairy Map

Risk

_preface _ _ _ _

20092008200720062005200420032002200120001999199819971996199519941993199219911990198519801975197019601950194019301920191019001875185018251800175017001650160015501500800 b.C.

20092008200720062005200420032002200120001999199819971996199519941993199219911990198519801975197019601950194019301920191019001875185018251800175017001650160015501500800 b.C.

1931

Max

imili

ano

Her

nand

ez M

artin

ez

Civil war start1980

Civil war end1992

1994

Arm

ando

Cal

deró

n S

ol

1999

Fra

ncis

co F

lore

s

2004

Ton

y S

aca

2009

Mau

ricio

Fun

es

Political polarization:2009 First time left-wing government is in power

DICHOTOMY

1984

Jos

é N

apol

eón

Dua

rte

1982

Álv

aro

Mag

aña

1977

Car

los

Hum

berto

Rom

ero

1972

Artu

ro A

rman

do M

olin

a

1967

Fid

el S

ánch

ez H

erná

ndez

1956

Jos

é M

aría

Lem

us19

50 Ó

scar

Oso

rio

1945

Sal

vado

r Cas

tane

da C

astro

1944

Osm

ín A

guirr

e y

Sal

inas

1944

And

rés

Igna

cio

Men

énde

z19

35 A

ndré

s Ig

naci

o M

enén

dez

1962

Jul

io A

dalb

erto

Riv

era

Car

-19

62 E

useb

io R

odol

fo C

ordó

n C

ea

Rev

olut

iona

ry G

over

nmen

t Jun

ta

1979

1961

-196

2 C

ivic

-Mili

tary

19

60-1

961

Junt

a of

Gov

ernm

ent D

irec-

1948

-195

0 R

evol

utio

nary

Cou

ncil

of G

over

nmen

t

1989

Alfr

edo

Cris

tiani

“Football War” with Honduras (4 days)1969

Independent republic: 14 families1840Part of United Provences of Central America

(General Manuel Jose Arce)1823 Gains independence, part of Mexico

(Agustin de Iturbide)1821

El Salvador becomes Spanish colony

1525FMLN activities intensify

1977

PCN comes to power after military coup 1961

USA

star

ts to

dep

ort (

USA)

Sal

vado

rians

USA

star

ts to

dep

ort (

USA)

Sal

vado

rians

with

crim

inal

reco

rds

with

crim

inal

reco

rds

1993

USA

star

ts e

xten

ded

volu

ntar

y de

partu

re1987

Mor

e th

an 2

0% o

f Sal

vado

rans

live

abro

ad (9

0% in

USA

)

2009

Peas

ant u

prisi

ng: "

La M

atan

za" (

The

Slau

ghte

r)

estim

ated

30

000

deat

hs

1932

Civil

war

estim

ated

75

000

deat

hs

1980-1992

1,9 mil

1950

3,5 mil

1971

4,7 mil

1984

6,1 mil

2000

6,7 mil

2005

4,5 mil

1980

7,2 mil

2009

+2,5 mil

estimated:2,5 Salvadorans

living abroad

El Salvador Population7,185,218 (July 2009 est.)population growth rate: 1,656% (2009 est.)

Population below poverty line: 30,7& (2006 est.)

510 367402 448

199350 000

1903

San Salvador has 3500 habitants

1594

San Salvador

209 70854 916 Mejicanos121 908

116 57573 00020 0005 463

Santa Tecla

mil

808

4,5

19

4,7

19

mil

848

2001

1992

19877

1982

1980

2004

90%

ESTIMATED OF MIGRATIONS IN AMERICA817 00 to 2,7 mil (13 to 40% of national pop)

2008

USA: 90%Canada: 6%Mexico & rest:

2,3 mil

2009

1,6 mil

20071,5 mil1990

0,98 mil

1980

0,13 mil1900

Metropolitan Area of San Salvador

POLITIC

AL EVE

NTS/GO

VERNM

ENT

+/- 1854 +/- 1859 +/- 1894 - 1940 +/- 1975 +/- 1986 - 1995 +/- 2007-2009

TECLASANTA

2009

2000197019651932

18901877connection with Santa Tecla

1792indigo capitol

17171526-17171542-1546

SALVADORSAN

San

Salva

dor:

foun

ded,

152

6 re

loca

ted

1525

San

Salva

dor:

curre

nt lo

catio

n:

villa

ge b

ecam

e cit

y

1542-1546

Sant

a Te

cla:

foun

ded,

afte

r ear

thqu

ake

Nuev

a Sa

n Sa

lvado

r

1854

San

Salva

dor-S

anta

Tecla

:

railr

oad

star

ted

to o

pera

te

1879

Sant

a Te

cla:

road

s to

Wes

t fin

ished

1870

Sant

a Te

cla:

first

soc

ial o

rient

ated

hous

ing

proj

ects

1870

San

Salva

dor:

San

Jacit

o to

wn w

as a

nnex

ed

1903

San

Salva

dor:

infra

stru

ctur

e (ro

ads)

opt

imize

d

1903DIALOGUE

[RE]DEVELOPMENT?

DIALOGUE[RE]DEVELOPMENT

?

DIALOGUE[RE]DEVELOPMENT

?

DIALOGUE[RE]DEVELOPMENT

?

DIALOGUE[RE]DEVELOPMENT

?

<2003<1995<1977<1955<1935

AREA SAN SALVADORMETROPOLITAINA

MS

S

SPATIA

L AREA

DEVEL

OPMENT

¢

¢¢¢¢¢¢

¢¢¢¢

¢¢

¢

¢

¢¢

¢¢

¢¢

$$

$$

$

$

$

$

$

Change of currency from colon to dollar01/01/2001

During war 4 billion dollars received from USA

1980-1992

GDP

Remittances are the single most important source of income16% as a percentage of GNP20% of households receive655% as a percentage of foreign direct investment

64%

25%

11%

LABOR FORCE

2008

agriculture: 11.2%industry: 24.7%services: 64.1%

412

259

451396 400

513

EMPLOYMENT IN RURAL AREAS Agricultural Non-agricultural

URBANIZATIONurban population: 61% of total population (2008)rate of urbanization: 1.9% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)

MIGRATION INFLUX IN & OUTinflux coming IN around 1993-1995

influx OUT 1980-1992major influx OUT 1998-2004

+-

21 bil

24 bil

18 bil

15 bil

12 bil

9 bil

6 bil

3 bil

official exchange rate: $22,28 billionreal growth rate: 3,2% (2008 est.)

1,33

4,52

9

77,0

00

1 100

475

33

0505

m

155

304315

844

500

$1 500 000

$388 100

$355 700

$22 400

$1 500 000

13/02/2001

13/01/2001

10/10/1986

1982

03/05/1965

06/05/1951

1919

1917

1873

1854

1815

1806

1776

1730

1717

1671

1581

1575

25/10/1998

26/07/1996

1982

1988

06/1993

09/1993

05/10/2005

05/2005

06/2003

09/2000

01/1995

06/1991

24/06/2005

03/07/2008

10/09/1999

28/09/1992

1982

22/06/1922

1988

09/1995

15/06/1993

10/2003

05/10/2005

CIVIL WARCivil war startCivil war start198019C Civil war Civil war enen

19919

USA

star

ts

US

exte

nde

exte

nd

volu

ntar

y de

partu

r

ary

depa

rtur

1990990

NATURA

L DISA

STERS/

HAZARD

S

05/2001

07/1994

05/1998

affected people

General country info:Area: total: 21,040 km2land: 20,720 km2water: 320 km2

Climate: tropical; rainy season (May-Oct); dry season (Nov-April); tropical on coast; temperate in uplands

Etnicity:90% mestizo9% white1% Amerindian

Religion (2003 est.):57,1% Roman Catholic21,2% Prostentant1,9% Jehovah's Witnesses0,7% Mormon2,3% other16,8 none

Country name: conventional/local short form: El Salvadorconventional/local long form: Republic(a) of El Salvador

Continent: Central-AmericaBorders: Guatemala, Honduras and the North Pacific OceanCapital: San SalvadorNationality: SalvadoranLanguage: Spanish

Climate: tropical; rainy season (May-Oct); dry season (Nov-April); tropical on coast; temperate in uplands

Natural hazards:'Land of Volcanoes'; frequent and sometimes destructive earthquakes and volcanic activity; extremely susceptible to hurricanes

EVOLUTIONARY MAP

_preface _ _ _ _

earthquake1986

flasflood2008

earthquake2001

EVOLUTIONARY MAP

_preface _ _ _ _

livelihoodrisk

risk

risk

RISK

“Valley of Hammocks”San Salvador,

_preface _ _ _ _

Mejicanos Centro Historico San Salvador

flashflood

soil erosion

landslide

formal settlement

informal settlement

intensification

flashflood

ready-to-collapse

RISK

_preface _ _ _ _

Repetetive smaller scale disastersRISK

methodology:Case studies locations

Communication

_ _methodology _ _ _

MejicanosSector MontrealCuscatancingo

Centro HistoricoSan Salvador

Santa TeclaPequena Inglaterra

San GertrudisCobonal

Chanmico

from informal to formalplace of attention/avoidance

culture, history and policies disaster/urban planninglarge scale disaster and displacementproblems/necessities

aid & self-organization

CASE STUDIES

_ _methodology _ _ _ COMMUNICATION

FUNDASALMUNICIPALITY OF MEJICANOSUCA: Universidad Centroamericana "José Simeón Cañas" OPAMMSPROCOMESPLAN INTERNATIONAL

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

mailinterview

observations

blog

survey space syntax

gps/gis

observations:Typology

Aid & Migration

_ _ _observations _ _

modules

TYPOLOGY

_ _ _observations _ _

materials

TYPOLOGY

_ _ _observations _ _ TYPOLOGY

fence off

_ _ _observations _ _ TYPOLOGY

fence off

_ _ _observations _ _ TYPOLOGY

identification/adornment

_ _ _observations _ _ TYPOLOGY

remittance

_ _ _observations _ _ TYPOLOGY

How to deal with risk in precarious sites?- alarm system- community houses

_ _ _observations _ _

0,0

10,0

20,0

30,0

40,0

50,0

60,0

70,0

80,0

90,0

100,0

San Juan Aquino Finca Argen na San Simon Vera Cruz Ar ga Buenos Aires Iberia

Yes

No

AID & MIGRATION

_ _ _observations _ _ AID & MIGRATION

_ _ _observations _ _ AID & MIGRATION

ChanmicoSan GertrudisPequeña Inglaterra

Cobonal

discourse:Management

Planning

_ _ _ _discourse _

Bendición de Dios, Cuscatancingo

MANAGEMENT

_ _ _ _discourse _

materials

identification/adornmentfence off

modules

MANAGEMENT

_ _ _ _discourse _ MANAGEMENT

intermediair: social promoter

handover

capacity building

_ _ _ _discourse _ MANAGEMENT

intermediair OPAMMS

network capacity

time capacity

tiechnical capacity

political capacity

disaster responseresearch/prevention

_ _ _ _discourse _ PLANNING

19351955197719952003

volcano

San Salvador

Santa Tecla

_ _ _ _discourse _ PLANNING

sisylana ralugnA5R noitergetnI

MejicanosSector Montreal

_ _ _ _discourse _ PLANNINGMejicanos

Sector Montreal

Public space:

_ _ _ _discourse _ PLANNING

dense living

network capacity:invest in research/establishing strong social structure/leadership

capacity building:long term developmentfinancial resources/labour/rights etc.

_ _ _observations _ _

continuation:Role

Post-production

_ _ _ _ _continuation

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Student & professionals - workshops

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ROLE

_ _ _ _ _continuation

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1312 13

RISKIn a disaster prone El Salvador, contextualized with many issues complicating urban spatial planning, urbanization and lack of ca-pacity in multiple fields is causing the unaffordable increase in vulnerability.

with coping mechanisms. But other cultural

issues distract the importance of also being aware

of the increasing vulnerability and exposure to

natural disasters that are waiting and are likely

to happen.

The civil conflict and the rural-urban migration

made the Metropolitan area of San Salvador

significantly grow in the last 50 years. This

rapid urbanization created a group of urban

poor which are exposed to very high risks

(#Wisner, 2001). Numbers indicate an

annually decline in rural population

of -1,08% and an increase of urban

population of 3,18% (2000-2010) plus

the level of urbanization in El Salvador

is 60.3% (2000), with an estimated

growth to 69.9% (2010) and 75.6%

(2020). (#UN HABITAT P254)

Rapid urbanization is a

San Salvador is known as the Valley of

Hammocks, consciously avoided by the

indigenous inhabitants of El Salvador but for

the Spanish colonists very suitable to found a

settlement which would evolve in the capitol it

is today. (#SOURCE) To our mind it describes

the geographical layout; scenery of mountain

and volcano hills and steep valleys, while at

the same time continuously being dynamic

and susceptible to risk. All stakeholders are

well aware of the repetitiveness of hazards.

This presence of insecurity could be

interpreted as cultural since many

typologies of dwelling and

neighborhoods are

a d a p t e d

13

fact. The city sprawls, so squatter settlements,

shantytowns and outskirt cities emerge and the

issues causing the increase in vulnerability in

these areas as well as neighboring settlements

demand attention. These issues are directly

related to economic decline, increasing

inequality, loss of formal-sector jobs, rapid

immigration, poor governance and exclusionary

actions. (UN HABITAT P3). At the same time

these issues are not solely the direct consequences

of cultural setbacks. Lack of technical expertise

and documenting-evaluating-implementing

lessons from experience add to the complexity

of preparedness. Described as cultural

perception, Salvadorans seem not to learn from

past events.(MEETING PROCOMES/PRO-

CIVIL OTHERS) A local NGO Procomes

explains that their raising awareness programs

have a very low turn out during the summer, the

dry season, but an almost complete attendance

during rainy season when people are losing

their homes.(MEETING PROCOMES) Wisner

criticizes the missed opportunity of ‘Learning

from Mitch’ most important aspect to be found

is the lack of governance. The governmental

plans make sense on paper but in the actual

practice it fails. The problem is not that they

didn’t learn, but that they don’t have the ability

to learn or put the lessons learned into practice.

(WISNER) Research that could magnificently

compliment urban planning is being done by

local NGOs such as Fundasal and universities

in collaboration with international NGOs, such

as the UCA and GTZ. Research that provides

results for technical knowledge, construction

methods and soil characteristics for example.

(SOURCE) These efforts are immobilized

since they are not reaching the developers.

Mejicanos, which to our mind represents the

general increase in vulnerability for El Salvador,

originated in the 1980’s/70’s as an informal

settlement and is now partially formal with

residents that diver from urban poor to lower-

middle class. (interview Victor Perez, date,

Mercedes Fundasal) The erosion of soil caused

by new formal and informal settlements which

benefit from the enhancement in infrastructure

in Mejicanos increase the vulnerability both for

the new as well as the old residents. Landslides

and flashfloods are a direct consequence of

heavy rainfall. Since most squatters

occupy no-rent land that has

so little worth that no

one bothers to

have or

16

TYPOLOGYObservations shape conceptual assumptions which are analyzed towards macro scale urban tendencies. In this case study it becomes a search of interrelated cultural phenomena and compliments the framework of risk, urbanization, aid and migration. Cultural tradition, contextual preferences and necessities illustrate contemporary adaption and use of dwelling and settlement typology.

settlement initiated by local NGO Procomes

called ‘Bendición de Dios’ (Blessing of God) in

Cuscatancingo, the residents all used the spare

materials to create a foundation for expansion.

The great variation of materials used to expand

dramatically changed the appearance and

blocked out the original typology. To our mind

this phenomena occurs in urban life where the

foundation of a vital city center form the base

of expansion. Decentralized planning with

the focus on satellite cities become excluded

settlements with low urban vitality because it

lacks the opportunity to feed of a traditional

base and expand.

The vast majority of plots are closed off:

fenced. To our mind the dichotomy stimulates

individual mobilization. Salvadorans realize

their responsibilities to themselves, “they have to

work everyday to eat” and understand that in

this context of hazards, social tension, economic

inequality and lack of political support, they have

to protect what is theirs. The fences that border

plots between neighbours could indicate the

Traditional Salvadorans live in one level houses,

with materials such as ‘adobe’ (mudbricks)

for walls, sometimes reinforced with bamboo

or wood and ‘teja’ (ceramic pans) or ‘lamina’

(tin/aluminum sheets) for roofing. Although

the materials currently differ the construction

typology remains relatively the same. In our

observations the need to expand the dwelling

exceeds aesthetic parameters and in some cases

climate comfort provided by specific materials.

Traditionally families that own a plot, expand

their homes by building modules. These one

level modules intertwine and form a (family

based) synergy of dwelling. In an incentive

“Cities, again like the life sciences, do

not exhibit one problem in organized

complexity, which if understood explains

all. They can be analyzed into many such

problems or segments which, as in the case

of life sciences, are also related with one

another. The variables are many, but they

are not helter-skelter; they are “interrelated

into an organic whole.” Jane Jacobs

Bridging micro scale observations towards macro scale urban tendencies

17

need for a resident to secure land and property

right, since this takes many unregulated forms.

While it’s a way to increase control and possibly

provide security it simultaneously results in lack

of social control in public space. The power of

social control is lost or at least undermined due to

the civil war and high criminality rates. Evident

of social tension and insecurity in dwelling and

spatial typology are the majority of dwellings

observed in every visit which are protected with

high fences, walls with broken class on top and

barb wire. In fact, the fences and walls are mostly

covered up, blinded with any kind of materials

available and most windows and entrances do

not face the streets. Community Finca Argetina

in sector Montreal, Mejicanos is considered

gang territory. Here public space in controlled by

utilizing the nodes of the blinded infrastructural

network. The fencing phenomena takes place on

a bigger scale, regardless of class: middle/upper-

class gated communities with high blind walls

and lower-class gang territory with controlled

accessibility. Fundamental cause for this fencing

is the context deriving from the civil conflict . To

improve the social control and security in public

space these issues should be properly addressed

by and for planners, residents and other affiliated

stakeholders in urban planning. The unfinished

task of social coexistence in El Salvador , the

process of coexistence after a civil war , demand

a culturally adapted strategic approach in urban

planning and collaboration.

More conceptual is the adaption

of dwellings with the

use of colors.

As soon as it’s affordable residents fence their

plots after which they color their homes; which

illustrates the search for identification. At the

scale of dwelling typology, the front façade is

painted while the other sides remain untouched.

The same accounts for the focus of architectural

direction in urban San Salvador, where slums are

forced and hid near developing projects such as

plazas and malls that portray a ‘colored-façade-

image’ to the rest of the world. In our search to

map the local perception of cultural identity we

used interviews and workshops to come across

some testimonies that summarized the current

state we perceive in dwelling and settlement

typologies: frequent illustrations of on the one

hand private company low-rises and on the other

hand crowded barrios and a hectic city center.

Typology is also adapted at a large extend

because of economic opportunity. During

lunchtime many houses that are normally

closed, open up to the street and reveal little

parttime-shops at the front. Often still fenced,

they accommodate the most public zone of the

dwelling while the most private zone is generally

in the back. In the most excluded parts of sector

Montreal, Mejicanos these kind of shops have

an important role in distributing necessary

products such as bread, milk, eggs and water.

Some shops or restaurant provide the resident

with profit which in Mejicanos results in vertical

on

he

s.

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