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Redesigning Local Government in Manizales, Colombia
PROFILE
Municipality of Manizales, Colombia
Population: 387,000
Land Area: 442km2
Municipal Budget: US$75,500 (171,795,599 Colombian Pesos)
STRATEGY
Strengthen Local Government
CHALLENGE
To address the effects of globalization, history and local environmental factors that have lead to deforestation, soil erosion, water pollution, rapid population growth and poverty.
DESIRED OUTCOME/GOAL
To address sustainable development challenges to:
- incorporate Local Agenda 21 (LA21) measures into the city's planning processes;
- create a tool to enable the municipal government to engage the public;
- involve stakeholders in the process of planning and implementing measures to positively improve the environmental, social and economic state of the city;
- address specific environmental challenges: polluted waterways, traffic infrastructure and settlements vulnerable to landslides;
- improve the quality of life for residents.
Partner with local stakeholders and other levels of government, and embrace national-level changes that strengthen local government and its ability to respond to diverse challenges.
ABSTRACT
Manizales has faced many sustainability issues in recent history. During the mid 1990s, the city's economy was dramatically affected by a collapse in global coffee prices. At the same time, Manizales was grappling with issues of a rapidly growing population and illegal settlements (many perched precariously on steep surrounding hillsides). An increase in traffic volume strained an outdated transportation infrastructure and industrial development had the unintended side effect of polluting the city's waterways.
A change of national political context created an environment more conducive to local government management. Decentralization of power facilitated sustainable development planning and programming at the local level. In Manizales, these powers, together with public-private partnerships, the involvement of the National University's Institute of Environmental Development Studies (IDEA), international support, and the determination of the local citizenry contributed to the development of the BioPlan.
The BioPlan - Manizales's sustainable development plan - has addressed several immediate concerns including relocating citizens vulnerable to the potential of landslides to safer areas, creating green space within the urban core and developing more appropriate transportation infrastructure. Most importantly, sustainability has been inserted as a strategic direction for the city.
CASE
Sitting 2,150 meters above sea level, Manizales lies west of the Andes mountain range in the heart of the country's coffee-growing region. Characterized by a rich climatic and ecological diversity in a tropical forest environment, an average of 2.2 meters of precipitation annually frequents the slopes of the Manizales. The high precipitation and humidity levels have historically restricted expansion into the surrounding hillsides due to the significant risk of landslides.
The city's main economic activity has been coffee production, which gave rise to its prominence in the previous century. In the 1970s, an international coffee boom resulted in a rapid expansion of coffee growing areas that deforested large areas of woodland, subsequently causing soil erosion. In 1994, Manizales experienced the largest coffee crisis in its history when an international pricing agreement between producer and consumer countries was removed. An opening of markets resulted in a surplus of coffee that caused international prices to fall drastically leaving Manizales's economy in shambles.
The crisis deepened the city's already troubled economy. In 1985, a volcanic eruption in outlying area of the city devastated investor confidence and many businesses left the city. As a result, the national government encouraged economic development through the provision of tax-free measures. The city also responded by enacting a number of successful measures that stimulated industrial development. The initiative was successful and a number of businesses were established in the city. Unfortunately, the increased business activity also had the unintended effect of damaging the Chinchina River and the Manizales stream.
Manizales was also trying to address the issue of a rapidly growing population. Illegal settlements were growing in numbers, perched precariously on steep, landslide-prone hillsides. By the early 1990s, it was estimated that about 7% of the city's population lived in sub-standard areas (Velasquez, 1998). In the early 1990s, the municipality of Manizales responded by relocating many of the illegally settled residents to government constructed housing. EcoParks were established on the previously inhabited areas for recreation, environmental education and to discourage development.
The challenge of managing increased traffic flow also arose as the volume of traffic grew. The 1970s witnessed the construction of high-speed motorways and larger residential buildings. In 1979, a major earthquake destroyed many of the modern buildings and motorways.
(Since it is primarily an agrarian region, Colombia's ongoing drug trade problems and civil war have not affected this area as much as others.)
Strengthening Local Government-National Context
In 1991, a series of federal legislative steps created a culture of environmental consciousness that raised national awareness of the importance of sustainable development. These crucial steps included:
- an environmental profile of Colombia in 1990,
- the creation of the Ministry of Environment in 1993,
- an urban environmental profile of Manizales in 1993,
- the development of the National Development Plan in 1994-1995, which insured the inclusion of the environment as a factor of development of the state policies and programs,
- the establishment of a Colombian Urban Environment Policy in 1995-1996, where methods of creating better cities and towns were clearly expressed.
The constitutional reforms also increased the financial resources available for implementation of municipal government sustainable development measures. The Colombian decentralization process occurred within a framework of centralized taxation - 80% of all tax revenues were kept at a national level and the central government initiated a transfer payment system to local governments. In 1999, transfer payments amounted to 27% of total central government expenditures. A set of rigid rules were established on how local government could spend transfers received by the Central Government - 60% on education, 20% on health and the remaining 20% were determined to be discretionary.
Local government in Colombia was granted the ability to raise revenue through taxes on property, industry, commerce and vehicles. With this authority, the municipal government of Manizales was able to implement a tax surcharge on petrol that raised revenue to the amount of 21% of the municipal budget between 1993 and 1995. The proceeds went to support transportation projects. The funds created also allowed the local government to implement environmental education and community programs, provide tax incentives for those protecting important ecological areas in the city and construct housing for residents that were displaced by landslides.
Since 1994, the municipal government of Manizales has capitalized on these new authorities to include sustainable development principles into its planning processes. Manizales began addressing the issues comprehensively with the goal of implementing LA21 measures into the city's planning processes and engaging citizens in planning and implementing sustainable development measures. The national government's Urban Environmental Policy proposed developing local environmental action plans (LEAPs) as the means of implementing LA21. The LEAPs define the sustainable development policies, programs and projects (Marulanda, 2000). The LEAP in Manizales-the BioPlan-provides a base for the formulation of a long-term strategy to guide the city's environmental, economic and social development.
The BioPlan
The BioPlan evolved with strong partnerships between the municipal government and other agencies, a local university, the private sector, international agencies, and citizens. Multistakeholder involvement in the development of the BioPlan has been crucial in gaining credibility and legitimacy and the partnerships have provided the city with technical and financial support.
- PUBLIC-PRIVATE ENVIRONMENTAL INITIATIVES-Decentralization within Colombia obliged municipalities to transform public enterprises. Public-private enterprises in Manizales-solid waste management, administration of parks and green areas, water supply management, and sanitation services-are successfully addressing these environmental issues in a fiscally responsible way. BioServicios (cleaning services) and Ciudad Verde Ltd. (recycling plant) are two such enterprises owned partly by the recyclers associations and the city.
- UNIVERSITY INVOLVEMENT AND PARTNERSHIP BUILDING-The involvement of the Institute of Environmental Studies (IDEA), National University of Colombia, as the technical arm of the BioPlan, is crucial. The municipality supported the university to develop the urban environment profile of Manizales, a pilot case for the country. The research was used to implement the first environmental program in the area of transportation including improving transportation corridors and developing related environmental education materials. The institute has demonstrated strong leadership in moving the plan forward through the facilitation of stakeholder forums and maintaining communication between the various players.
- INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT-After gaining the respect and trust of the international community by creating an accountable, responsive and transparent government, several organizations supported the city technically and financially. These organizations have included the Italian, Spanish and Brazilian government and the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives. International support added the equivalent of 4% to the municipal environmental budget in 1996. The support permitted Manizales to build infrastructure for the protection of the city's hillsides, reforest, purchase land at risk of landslides for conversion into parks and initiate environmental education programs. Cooperation agreements with Latin American and European cities, such as the City of Curitiba, Brazil, have helped maintain local support for the BioPlan.
- LOCAL CITIZENS-Local Administrative Boards, composed of members elected by residents of each of the 11 comunas and legally representing the communities, were involved in developing the BioPlan. The capacity of these citizens and others was increased through involvement in open forums and roundtables and they now hold the local government more accountable for its decisions. For example, in 1999, when the second version of the BioPlan had no modifications or improvements to the municipal government environment policy, there was swift reaction from the universities, neighborhood associations and environmental non-governmental organizations, which resulted in substantial positive changes to the plan.
- the municipal council,
- the municipal secretary of planning (responsible for guiding the BioPlan planning components),
- the municipal secretary of public works (construction of works related to environmental issues),
- the territorial planning council (the legal representative body of the city's civil society in participatory planning processes),
- municipal administration (assumes the role of facilitator of some processes and projects),
- the environmental authority at the department (state) level,
- National Ministry of Environment and National Planning Department.
The tailboard bus, a transportation source for low-income residents.
(photo: Jorge Hernán Arango Vélez)
There have been a number of specific programs developed out of the BioPlan including:
- the encouragement of ecotourism,
- the development of a sustainable urban transportation system,
- environmental education and recreation in the urban EcoParks,
- the development of an integrated waste management system,
- the design and implementation of actions plans for the 11 comunas of Manizales, including one for the poorest neighborhood, Olivares.
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One of our biggest challenges is cultural; this area is predominately rural and people have a hard time believing that we have environmental problems- |
To improve the interface between sustainable development issues and the civil society, urban environmental observatories and environmental traffic lights are planned for the city. The urban observatories will be the physical places in which environmental information about the 11 comunas will be collected, while the environmental traffic lights will be the tools used to visually communicate the quality of the city's environment.
The first urban environmental observatory and environmental traffic light were established in February 2002, in one of the city's EcoParks. It is strategically located beside the park and a children's play area in order to maximize the number of people who will read the traffic light information. Manizales plans to install 11 observatories and 3 environmental quality signals in the city.
In late 2001, Manizales developed its Plan de Ordenamiento, or official community plan, as required for all municipalities by the national constitutional reforms of the early 1990s. The BioPlan, and moreover, its principles of sustainable development, are now a legislated priority within the city's strategic planning processes. The BioPlan is now embedded in the municipal governance framework of Manizales.
RESULTS
Since 1994, the BioPlan has provided a "blue-print" to guide the long-term development strategy of the city with environmental, economic and social considerations taken into account.
Under the BioPlan, action plans were designed and implemented for the 11 comunas of Manizales. Projects related to ecotourism, sustainable urban transportation, environmental education and recreation (360 hectares have been preserved as EcoParks with the city core) were developed. When coupled with the financial revenue raised through local taxes on gasoline, the city has been able to provide environmental education programs, community programming, tax incentives for those protecting areas of ecological importance and construct housing for residents displaced by landslides. As well, three mixed economy enterprises-a solid waste dump, a recycling plant and a center for supplies-were created, generating local employment opportunities.
Some additional outcomes:
- reduction of number of houses in areas vulnerable to earthquakes, which also improved housing conditions for a number of the city's poor;
- increased capacity for citizenry involvement in municipal politics as a result of the environmental quality traffic lights and urban observatories;
- international recognition for the city's work, including a profile at the UN Habitat II conference in 1996 (Istanbul, Turkey);
- international support from the UN Environment Programme, the Organization of American States, Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN, the UN Economic Council for Latin America, and the Italian, Spanish and Brazilian governments for environmental projects;
- ongoing research about the environmental context of the city;
- improved air and water quality monitoring;
- development of stronger regulations to control industrial pollution.
Although changing levels of commitment from local politicians and municipal administrators has been an ongoing issue, the municipal government's championing of the BioPlan has been crucial for its success. The strong support from Manizales's previous mayor was critical in getting the BioPlan started. The continuity of the staff at the state-level environmental authority and at the Institute of Environmental Studies at the university has played a crucial role in maintaining institutional memory and building upon momentum.
Inter-institutional and community participation is articulating the projects and programs in Manizales; this participation has varied among the different leaders in this process- |
Financing the implementation of programs from the BioPlan has been addressed by local taxation, extra funds from donor organizations and from national and local government programs. The state government-of which Manizales is the capital-has committed to providing technical and financial resources to the implementation of LEAPs in the 24 municipalities under its jurisdiction, which will include Manizales's BioPlan. Continued partnerships, like those with the private sector in the creation of the EcoParks, will also provide opportunities going forward.
Convincing the citizenry that there are environmental problems in the city, and achieving high levels of participation by institutions and community residents, have proven to be barriers. It is a continuing challenge to keep people informed, interested and involved. There is a need for training around participatory planning and urban environmental management to increase the capacity of the various stakeholders, particularly the city's citizens. Improved access to information for the citizens through the environmental traffic light system, a series of urban observation centers and workshops in the comunas will address some of these shortcomings.
KEY REPLICATION FACTORS
Partnerships with the university, the private sector and other levels of government, together with national-level legislative changes that empower local governments, have worked to strengthen the local government of Manizales. Taxation powers and access to international support for specific projects have increased the resources available. With these legislative and financial powers, and by working in a participatory and consensus-oriented manner, the city has been able to develop and implement a concrete strategy for a sustainable community.
BioPlan Budget and Staffing
There have been two versions of the BioPlan-1994 to 1997 and 1997 to 2002. The majority of the resources used for the development of the BioPlan have been people's time from various departments and providing cooperative technical support. The majority of the environment-related works that have come out of the BioPlan have come out of the budget of the Secretary of Public Works. Staff time has also been contributed from the regional environmental governing body and IDEA.
KEY CONTACTS
Senor German Cardona Gutierrez
Mayor of Manizales, Colombia
Tel: +57-6884-5661
Fax: +57-6884-2311
Email: alcmzles@emtelsa.multi.net.com
Lilia Millan
Manizales Secretary of Planning
Email: limigarre@starmedia.com
Luz Stella Velasquez
Associate Professor and Program Coordinator for Urban Environmental Studies
Institute of Environmental Studies (IDEA), National University of Colombia, Manizales
Tel: +57-8217-8810000 ext. 123
Fax: +57-8217-8863182
Email: bioluzve@hotmail.com
For more information about Manizales, visit www.alcaldiamanizales.gov.co.
REFERENCES
International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives. 2000. City of Manizales, Colombia - Development of the Biocomuna Olivares. Case Study 64: Local Agenda 21 Incentive Grants Project [www.iclei.org].
International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives. 1997. "Buga, Colombia," Model Communities Program: Case Studies - Volume Two. p. 1 - 20.
Marulanda M., Liliana. August 2000. SINPA Research Report - THE BIOMANIZALES: A Local Environmental Policy. Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies, p. 1 - 72.
Satterwaite, David. June 2000. "Local Agenda 21s: the cities of Ilo in Peru and Manizales in Colombia," UNEP Industry and Environment. p. 16.
University of Leeds - Department of Geography. 2002. Case Study of Manizales, Colombia [www.geog.leeds.ac.uk]. p. 1-5.
Velasquez B., Luz Stella. September 2001. "Environmental management and local action plans in Manizales, Colombia," Working Paper Series on Urban Environmental Action Plans and Local Agenda 21: Working Paper 4. p. 1 - 28.
Velasquez B., Luz Stella. October 1999. "The Local Environmental Action Plan for Olivares Commune in Manizales, Colombia," Environment & Urbanization, Vol. 11, No. 2, p. 41 - 50.
Velasquez B., Luz Stella. October 1998. "Agenda 21; a form of joint environmental management in Manizales, Colombia," Environment & Urbanization, Vol. 10, No. 2, p. 1 - 28.
Written and verbal interviews were conducted by the author with:
- Liliana Marulanda of Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies,
- Bernardo Meíja of the Manizales Secretary of Planning,
- Mauricio Arias Arango, the former mayor of Manizales,
- Kimberly Vilar of International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED),
- Luz Stella Velasquez and Jorqe Hurtado of IDEA.
Author and Researcher: Matt Strand
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This case study is part of
Local Strategies for Accelerating Sustainability: Case Studies of Local Government Success.
This series of case studies highlights the diverse ways in which local governments and their partners have instituted strategies for action that are accelerating the transition to sustainable, equitable and secure communities. The series was prepared as part of the local government contribution to the UN World Summit on Sustainable Development (Johannesburg, South Africa, 2002). The case studies were researched, written and produced with financial support from the Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment, The Netherlands. |
© May 2002, ICLEI-Canada. All Rights Reserved.
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Tel: +1-416-392-1462; Fax: +1-416-392-1478
Email: iclei@iclei.org
Web: www.iclei.org
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Bacolod, Philippines The City of Bacolod, Philippines, is using gender-conscious budgeting as a strategy to address gender and social inequities. The program was started with support from a prominent women's organization, DAWN (Development for Active Women Networking), after the national government passed an act requiring all governmental agencies to dedicate 5% of their financial budgets to gender and development activities. To ensure that gender concerns are addressed in all aspects of the city budget, each department is required to set aside 5% for gender activities. Similarly, the budgets of the smallest units of local government, the barangays, are not passed by council if they are missing this component. Gender-conscious budgeting has led to gender education throughout the municipal system, as well as increased funding for reproductive health education, community welfare, environmental protections and other key issues. (Source: Budlender, D., Buenaobra, M., Rood, S., Sadorra, M. 2001. Gender Budget Trail, Makati City, Philippines: Asia Foundation.) |
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Porto Alegre, Brazil In 1989, Porto Alegre, Brazil, adopted a participatory budgeting system. In this system, the city is broken into regions and all citizens are asked to assist in designing the municipal financial budget. Budget decisions are made by examining the infrastructure, population and priorities of each area. Over 30,000 people participate in the process annually which has led to improvements in the ability of the government to satisfy demands, improve local government transparency and the active engagement of the population in municipal issues. Over 50 cities in Brazil have started participatory budgeting processes.
(Sources: UN Centre for Human Settlement (Habitat), Department for International Development and the Development Planning |
