New City of Belen” and the Response of Its Residents
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“We are not a slum; we are a city”: Evaluation of the “New City of Belen” and the response of its residents Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/viviendaperu/26403381944/ Accessed: 31/01/2019 By: Diana Bernales Supervisor: Matthias Nohn, LF MPP Dipl.-Ing. Coordinator: Dr. Bettina Hamann Technische Universität Berlin M.sc Urban Management 2019 Page 1 “We are not a slum; we are a city”: Evaluation of the “New City of Belen” and the response of its residents Diana Bernales Wuan Supervisor: Matthias Nohn, LF MPP Dipl.-Ing. Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Urban Management at Technische Universität Berlin Lima, February 1st of 2019 Page 2 Statement of authenticity material I here with formally declare that I have written the submitted thesis independently, without assistance from external parties and without use of other resources than those indicated. The ideas taken directly or indirectly from external sources (including electronic sources) are duly acknowledge in my text. The material, either in full or in part, has not been previously submitted for grading at this or any other academic institution. I did not use any outside support except for the quoted literature and other sources mentioned in the paper. Diana Cristina Bernales Wuan Lima, February 1st, 2019 Page 3 Abstract Key Words: Relocation process, territorial cohesion, adequate housing, urban social movement, mobility, risk management. Relocation processes have occurred with higher frequency in the last 15 years: 68,5 million persons around the world have been displaced (UNHCR, 2018)1, affecting their livelihoods, properties, social networks, etc. This may partially be attributed to climate change and the effects of extractive industries. The new city of Belen is a recent example of relocation in the Amazonian. The Peruvian government decided to relocate the lower area of Belen´s neighborhood because it is being invaded by the Itaya river during rainy seasons. In this paper, I analyze the direct and indirect costs and benefits of relocation in the context of territorial cohesion, employment, mobility, access to adequate housing, using the approach of risk management. Further, the thesis aims to explain the urban social movements’ response to the new situation. The exploratory work uses a qualitative method research. 1 Information obtained: https://www.unhcr.org/figures-at-a-glance.html Page 4 Index 1) Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 9 1.1) Context ....................................................................................................................................... 9 The Department of Loreto ........................................................................................................................... 9 Iquitos…………………………………………………………………………………………………….10 Belen Neighborhood (BN) ......................................................................................................................... 13 The natural reserve Alpahuayo Mishana ................................................................................................... 15 Political actions before the relocation law: Sustainable Belen .................................................................. 16 Relocation as a solution? ........................................................................................................................... 16 The relocation law ..................................................................................................................................... 16 1.2) Actors ....................................................................................................................................... 17 Political actors ........................................................................................................................................... 17 Social actors ............................................................................................................................................... 18 Economic actors ......................................................................................................................................... 18 1.3) New City of Belen .................................................................................................................... 18 1.4) Research question / Goals ........................................................................................................ 19 1.5) Research aim and objectives .................................................................................................... 20 1.6) Research Bias ........................................................................................................................... 20 1.7) Methodology ............................................................................................................................ 21 1.8) Relevance ................................................................................................................................. 23 1.9) Limitations of the research ....................................................................................................... 23 2) Relocation experiences: A brief overview ..................................................................................... 24 3) The failure of territorial cohesion in NBC ..................................................................................... 28 3.1) Paradigm of social housing ............................................................................................................ 28 3.2) The economy of the relocation ....................................................................................................... 29 3.3) The vulnerability of inhabitants and the lack of adequate housing ................................................ 33 3.4) Territorial cohesion in NBC ........................................................................................................... 36 3.5) The mobility and accessibility in NBC........................................................................................... 38 3.6) Risk management: A mean to improve the territorial cohesion ..................................................... 40 4) The emergence of urban social movement ................................................................................ 42 4.1) The proposal of the inhabitants of NBC ................................................................................... 43 4.2) The resistance ........................................................................................................................... 45 4.3) About the relationship with other actors (political and ex neighbors) ..................................... 47 4.4) About housing aspirations ........................................................................................................ 48 5) Technical and infrastructural problems found in the NBC ............................................................ 50 5.1) Location .................................................................................................................................... 50 5.2) Site planning ............................................................................................................................. 51 5.3) Access to basic services ........................................................................................................... 51 Page 5 5.4) Housing .................................................................................................................................... 52 6) Conclusions and recommendations................................................................................................ 54 6.1) Location of the relocation ......................................................................................................... 54 6.2) Infrastructure access and urban inequality ............................................................................... 54 6.3) Housing and urban design ........................................................................................................ 55 6.4) Employment ............................................................................................................................. 56 6.5) Urban Social movement ........................................................................................................... 57 6.6) Decision-making process in relocation projects ....................................................................... 58 6.7) Forward-looking reflections on how to manage/avoid the observed risks in relocation projects ………………………………………………………………………………………………...60 6.8) Final reflexions .............................................................................................................................. 61 7) Suggested bibliography .................................................................................................................. 63 Annexes ..................................................................................................................................................... 69 Annex I: Interviews Matrix, interviews design.......................................................................................... 69 Annex II: Belen´s market description .......................................................................................................