Bolivia Country Study on Urban Development Opportunities Client: Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation – SDC, Bolivia Consultant: Roberto Tejada Ponce April 2017 Contents Executive Summary i 1. Country Context and Urbanization Process 1.1 Characteristics of urbanization, urban growth and poverty in Bolivia 1 1.2 Trends of urban development in Bolivia 4 1.3 National legal and institutional influence on urban development 7 1.4 Rural-urban linkages in poverty reduction 9 1.5 Poverty related challenges related to urbanization processes in Bolivia 11 2. Other Donors, main actors, and SDC’s Activities on Urban Development 2.1. Other donors and main actors’ interventions in urban development 13 2.2. Rate of success in other donor and main actors’ interventions 14 2.3. Unaddressed issues and challenges 15 2.4. SDC’s strategy reach on urban issues 15 2.5. Assessment of SDC’s interventions 18 2.6. Opportunities in urban development for SDC 19 3. Recommendations 3.1. Recommended areas of action for SDC 20 3.2 Recommended fields of action related to SECO’s main areas of expertise 20 3.3. Recommendations to integrate urban dev. in the new cooperation strategy 21 References 27 Annexes 28
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Bolivia Country Study on Urban Development Opportunities
Client: Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation – SDC, Bolivia
Consultant: Roberto Tejada Ponce
April 2017
Contents
Executive Summary i
1. Country Context and Urbanization Process
1.1 Characteristics of urbanization, urban growth and poverty in Bolivia 1
1.2 Trends of urban development in Bolivia 4
1.3 National legal and institutional influence on urban development 7
1.4 Rural-urban linkages in poverty reduction 9
1.5 Poverty related challenges related to urbanization processes in Bolivia 11
2. Other Donors, main actors, and SDC’s Activities on Urban Development
2.1. Other donors and main actors’ interventions in urban development 13
2.2. Rate of success in other donor and main actors’ interventions 14
2.3. Unaddressed issues and challenges 15
2.4. SDC’s strategy reach on urban issues 15
2.5. Assessment of SDC’s interventions 18
2.6. Opportunities in urban development for SDC 19
3. Recommendations
3.1. Recommended areas of action for SDC 20
3.2 Recommended fields of action related to SECO’s main areas of expertise 20
3.3. Recommendations to integrate urban dev. in the new cooperation strategy 21
References 27
Annexes 28
2
List of Tables
1 - Systems of Cities in Bolivia
2 - Labor Income and Informality
3 - Stages in Urban Development
4 - Prioritization of Urban Topics
5 - Main Programs with Urban Relevance Implemented by Donors
6 - Urban Relevance of Programs under SDC Bolivia Cooperation Strategy
7 - Urban Assessment of Programs under SDC Bolivia Cooperation Strategy
8 - Prioritized Areas per New Dispatch
List of Graphs
1 - Urbanization and Growth
2 - Change in Age Composition in Urban and Rural Areas
3 - Population Gains and Losses
4 - Poverty Projection
5 - Evolution of Urban and Rural Poverty
6 - Poverty by Age Group
7 - Urban and Rural Population - Projections
8 - From Rural to Urban in the Central Axis
9 - The Population-based Urban Process
10 - Urban Growth vs. Geographical Density: Case of Riberalta
11 - Rates of Participation in the Labor Market
12 - Stages in Urban Development
13 - Quality Gaps Within Served Population
14 - Opportunity Framework for Youth
15 - SDC’s Stock in Urban Development
16 - Suggested Adjustment to SDC’s Strategic Approach
17 - Suggested Approach to Implement an Urban Strategy
i
Executive Summary
According to the 2012 Census, more than 67% of Bolivia’s population lives in urban areas. At the same
time, the three metropolitan areas in the country are home to almost 50% of the country’s people and
are experiencing high growth and becoming cornerstones of the social and economic development sce-
ne. With the great majority of its citizens now living in urban areas and given continued elevated levels
of migration, important repercussions are occurring with regard to planning processes, administrative
reforms, and ultimately public policy implementation at the national, central, and, primarily, at the local
levels of government.
Access to Services and Income. As is common in all
urbanization processes, individuals residing in cities
seek higher incomes and better access to basic ser-
vices. The generalized increase in real per capita in-
come between 2005 and 2011 (World Bank, 2014),
especially among the urban poor, suggests the exist-
ence of a social inclusion growth process that has fa-
vored the poorest groups. In addition, the provision of
basic services in urban areas has improved, in part
thanks to the densification processes which make it
more efficient for local governments.
The Urban delivery and quality gaps. It must be understood that new inhabitants of urban areas,
whether due to migration or birth, do not automatically fall into the “served” category in terms of ac-
cess to public services. In the case of migrants, they are likely to fall within the underserved or those
served but at the lowest levels of quality. The delivery time-frame of domestic basic services is still with-
in the range of several years for migrant families in urban areas and access to services such as health
and legal/justice services face both quality issues and crash costs. Amid the efficiency of geographical
concentration, most of these services are generally collapsed, and, without external help (beyond the
local level), there are no expectations to improve them in the short-term.
Donor Activities in urban issues. Most donors have a portfolio of projects with a sectoral focus which
are poorly integrated and lack an effective urban approach. Donors have programs in a diverse range of
sectors and wide range of urban settings. Nevertheless, the urban landscape of Bolivia is ample and
there is a high probability that there are plenty of urban areas left to cover unaddressed development
issues and challenges. However, the intent of this document is to move away from a sectoral and fill-
the-gap approach to an integrated and geographically centered focus in order to sustainably address
urban issues.
SDC Portfolio. SDC’s programs have, for the most part, an urban presence and urban relevance, either
by directly implementing projects within urban areas or by undertaking urban issues. However, SDC’s
current portfolio also has programs with an urban approach that either have a direct relationship with
an urban area and/or are building knowledge on a subject or topic with urban relevance.
The value added of SDC relies on the institutional experience built by SDC which uniquely positions it to
tackle urban challenges and to determine how best to go about them. Moreover, SDC has built close
relationships with local governments and established coordination mechanisms with departmental and
national entities that create a robust foundation for future engagements.
ii
Recommendations. The assistance landscape of urban projects is wide open, both geographically and
thematically, providing SDC the opportunity to focus on the most relevant topics: Governance in the
provision of public services, Decent work, and Vulnerabilities as a result of climate change, including Risk
Mitigation.
To successfully implement a portfolio with an urban approach, SDC must shift approaches and reach out
to build new alliances to generate impact in urban, peri urban and rural areas. Therefore, a change in
paradigm is required to evolve from the current sectoral approach to an integrated one that responds to
the nature of urban issues.
SDC’s Upcoming Strategy. To adopt an urban approach, SDC must opt for a progressive and differenti-
ated approach that will identify partners and stakeholders in the prioritized urban areas. The Strategy
should establish a specific subset of objectives and indicators for the urban approach, as the current and
future domains coincide with urban priorities.
Selection of Urban Areas. The general criteria and approach in selecting where SDC should direct its
assistance must be based on a set of criteria that includes poverty levels (both in urban and connected
peri-urban and rural areas), opportunities for rural-urban linkages, population size, the overall availabil-
ity and magnitude of financial resources, and its areas of cooperation strength. Given that SDC has ongo-
ing operations in Bolivia and that the new Strategy will provide continuity to its programs, it is advisable
to maintain the current geographical presence.
An Initial Approach. A qualitative analysis1 of SDC’s thematic expertise and geographical presence aims
to maximize the implementation of current programs with urban relevance in urban areas, plus other
variables identifying opportunities to work, primarily in Oruro, Sucre and Potosí. Tarija and Trinidad
could also be considered as strategic options. Additionally, a set of small2 urban areas3 with a combina-
tion of high population growth and high levels of poverty where SDC already has programs under im-
plementation may be considered for a regional intervention focusing on those with geographical prox-
imity.
Operational Recommendations. In addition to establishing a Strategic Plan and Monitoring and Evalua-
tion tools for an urban approach, SDC must establish an organizational framework for the coordination
of activities and the definition of impact chains to minimize risks and maximize results.
Portfolio and project objectives. SDC’s urban approach must be integrated and focus on Access to Pub-
lic Services4 and on Employment and Income Generation. Climate Change and Resilience should be
mandatory crosscutting themes in every urban program, with a special focus on Environmental Impact
Mitigation and Urban Risk Reduction. Additionally, mainstreaming food supply into the thematic area of
employment and income generation is recommended, as is mainstreaming sustainable access to safe
drinking water into the provision of public services.
Partnerships. Alliances with local stakeholders, grassroots organizations, national sectoral entities, and
local governments are imperative to build constructive relationships over time.
1 The qualitative analysis has been prepared for discussion purposes, as a more detailed quantitative analysis with
more variables and exact criteria should be used for actual design and implementation of an urban approach 2 With population between 20 to 100 thousand
3 Yapacaní, San Julián, Ascensión de Guarayos, Entre Ríos and Puerto Villarroel
4 with an emphasis on justice, gender and youth, human rights, equal opportunities and citizenship
1
1. Country Context and Urbanization Process
1.1 Characteristics of urbanization, urban growth and poverty in Bolivia
Following an urbanization trend that began in European countries in the late 1800s and continued in the
1900s, cities in Latin America have experienced major growth during the second half of the previous
century. Today they have
become the fastest region to
urbanize worldwide, with
over 80% of Latin America's
population living in cities.
This highly complex process,
involving migration, economic
cycles, conflicts, change in
climate conditions and other
important developments at
the global, country and local
levels, has generated differ-
ent interpretations. First and
foremost, it presents a mes-
sage of opportunity as, his-
torically, urbanization has
been accompanied by income
growth.
A late follower of the urbanization trend is Bolivia, trailing the region in terms of absolute urbanization,
but with a high growth rate now catching up with neighboring countries.
Table No. 1 Systems of Cities in Bolivia5
Category Count Population
2012
Population
Growth
Urban Popu-
lation in mu-
nicipality
Main Cities (over 500,000) 4 3.671.555 1,6% 99,4%
Large Cities (100,000 to 500,000) 8 1.345,409 2,7% 91,6%
Medium Cities (50,000 to 100,000) 6 418.230 5,0% 83,9%
Small Cities (10,000 to 50,000) 41 863.049 3,6% 63,3%
Total 59 6.298,243 2,3% 89,7% Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística
The type of urbanization that Bolivia has experienced is a result of several factors. To name a few, these
include the diverse and difficult geography, large territorial size, population density, small economy and
others that have shaped its urban context with smaller cities that have taken time to take off. Neverthe-
less, the urban landscape of Bolivia has rapidly evolved since 1992, when it became more urban than
rural in terms of population, and it did not take long until it some urban areas grew to over one million
inhabitants.
5 A full list of the cities can be found in Annex No. 6
2
While there is not a definite consensus on how cities should be grouped, Table No. 1 above proposes a
scale to differentiate cities by population size. At first glance, it would be reasonable to conclude that
the larger cities are growing more slowly and have reached their rate of urbanization has probably
yielded. More interestingly, cities with populations under 100,000 are growing faster and still have
room for further urbanization. The table does not show, however, that many of these smaller cities are
in fact part of larger metropolitan areas of over a million.
Metropolitan areas in Bolivia now account for almost 50% of the population in the country, experiencing
high growth in the periphery primarily due to internal migration and progressively becoming corner-
stones of the development process of the country. The characteristics of most other cities in Bolivia,
such as border and capital cities, are determined primarily by the geographical and political conditions
that affect their growth (or lack thereof), by the economy, and by living conditions.
Demography
A useful data set to provide perspec-
tive on migration and urban growth
is the change in age composition
over time. Graph No. 2 illustrates
the significant population growth in
urban areas, and also shows that a
large portion of the population is
grouped from 15 to 30 years old,
most of whom have migrated from
rural areas.
Migration
With population growth in Bolivia on
the order of two to three percent,
the explanation of the elevated ur-
ban growth rates of some cities, as is
the case in most urban areas around
the world, is migration. Bolivia is no exception. Citizens leave their home towns seeking better living
conditions and improved livelihoods for themselves and their families. As mentioned earlier, population
growth and urban growth are taking place primarily in the periphery of urban areas. Therefore it can be
easily inferred that migration is directed to suburban areas. Map No. 1 below illustrates population
gains around the country, with significant increases due to migration in selected municipalities, making
it possible to observe the following:
a. The periphery of the metropolitan areas of La Paz-El Alto, Cochabamba and Santa Cruz are gain-
ing population
b. The Eastern lowlands are gaining population more than the rest of the country
c. Capital municipalities are experiencing a net loss of population
3
Graph No. 3
Population Gains and Loses
Source: World Bank compiled with 2006-2011 INE Household survey data
While the map shows municipalities, it
should be noted that the population
gains are taking place within the foot-
prints of the urban areas. A brief
analysis of migration can be found in
Annex No. 3.
Poverty
While important gains in poverty re-
duction have been achieved during
the last decade in Bolivia, much re-
mains to be done. It is known that
extreme poverty hits the hardest in
rural areas. Nevertheless, approxi-
mately 10% of the urban population is
still trapped in extreme poverty with a
yielding or reversal tendency6.
6 Official reports show a reversal in the downward reduction of extreme urban poverty from 8.3 in 2014 to 9.3 in
2015.
4
Moreover, the expectations of better ser-
vices and employment opportunities in
urban areas are on hold, having yet to de-
liver the benefits to almost 20% of the ur-
ban population, a poverty level almost
comparable to that of rural areas. A mod-
est reduction in 6% of moderate poverty
over 7 years during an era of economic
bonanza puts into question the efficiency
and delivery capacities of urban areas in
Bolivia.
Similarly, moderate poverty among new-
borns and children under 12 remain stub-
bornly high, at 25% in urban areas and with
extreme poverty steady at 12%. The population aged 13-24, most of whom are economically active by
necessity, show levels of poverty at over 22%.
Graph. No. 6
Poverty by Age Group
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística
1.2 Tendencies of urban development in Bolivia
The Urbanization Process
With the great majority of the population living in cities, their elevated growth and mobility has gener-
ated important repercussions for planning, state reform, public policy design and implementation at the
national, central, and primarily, local levels of government.
5
Population growth in Bolivia has occurred
mainly in urban areas. According to the 1976
census, more than 58% resided in rural are-
as, whereas in 1992 the census showed a
reversal . Since then, the population in ur-
ban areas has not stopped growing. In the
2012 census, 67.5% of the population re-
ported living in urban areas. Conservative
projections show that, by the middle of the
century, it is expected that at least 75% of
the population will be settled in urban cen-
ters (Graph No. 7).
The urbanization process has a defined ori-
entation in which the three large cities along the central East-West axis of the county, including the city
of El Alto, have constituted poles of attraction. This process has been gradual and differentiated. In
1976, census data showed that Santa Cruz was the first to have a predominance of urban population
(53%) over rural (47%) with other departments reaching this point only a decade later. Additionally, the
information from the last census reveals that Santa Cruz is the department with the highest urban popu-
lation (81.3%), higher than the national average. It is followed by Cochabamba (68.2%) and La Paz
(66.5%). Graph No. 8 shows the transition process from rural to urban areas in the three departments of
the central axis of the country: La Paz, Cochabamba and Santa Cruz.
Initially, the urban population of
these departments was concen-
trated in capital cities, but due to
the prevalent low-density growth,
the population has expanded to
adjacent intermediate cities or
into open (non-urbanized) areas
of neighboring municipalities.
Metropolitan areas
In Bolivia, metropolitan regions
emerge with the potential to gen-
erate a dynamic in economic, so-
cial and political innovation, tak-
ing advantage of economies of
scale in the provision of services.
According to the National Human
Development Report in Bolivia
(UNDP, 2015), "urbanization and
metropolitanization processes have important consequences for human development and should there-
fore be thought of as a particular agenda with its own characteristics."
6
The first experience in conforming a metropolitan region, by law, in Bolivia is the Kanata Region, com-
prised by the municipalities around, and including, the city of Cochabamba7. The coordination entity is
directed by the representatives of each of the municipalities, including those of the National Govern-
ment and the Governor of Cochabamba. Although their conformation generated expectations among
the general public and identified programs associated with the provision of services on associative
schemes, political relationships and technical institutional weakness have prevented the expected levels
of governance and effectiveness.
As a result of the difficulties in the provision of water that the cities of La Paz and El Alto are experienc-
ing, municipal and sectoral authorities are discussing institutional models for the constitution of a met-
ropolitan water service provider that, if successful, could be a model of associative service-provision
schemes in sectors such as health, public transportation, solid and liquid waste, and others.
Other types of cities in the urban landscape
In addition to the main cities and in metropolitan areas, there are large, medium and small cities8 scat-
tered across the nation that progressively gain their own relative weight as their population grows.
Some of them benefit from the externalities generated by larger cities nearby (potentially the metropol-
itan regions in La Paz, Cochabamba and Santa Cruz), and in other cases they grow based on their own
economic and social dynamics. Medium and small cities play an important role in connecting main and
capital cities with each other with many becoming centers of trade and specialized production, particu-
larly those located at the borders with neighboring countries.
As migration flows also reach some these cities, it is important to note that they are growing in a low-
density pattern, generating, as mentioned earlier, greater challenges in the provision of basic services
and urban infrastructure. On the
other hand, the central areas of
the main cities (Santa Cruz, La Paz,
El Alto and Cochabamba) are, as is
desirable, densifying.
Major Trends based on Projec-
tions to 2050
Graph No. 9 shows how popula-
tion growth in Bolivia generates
demographically "dynamic urban
areas and static rural areas"
(World Bank, 2014) indicating the
preference of the population ei-
ther to reside in capital cities or
their adjacent cities. According to
the 2012 census, the three cities
along the central axis account for
36.6% of the country's population.
7 Cercado (Cochambamba), Sacaba, Colcapirhua, Quillacollo, Tiquipaya and Vinto
8 Per definitions of Table No. 1, Page 1 above
7
If the adjacent cities that conform the metropolitan areas are included, the urban footprint reaches
43.9%. When adding the remaining capital cities, this percentage rises to 53.9%, and to 67.5% when the
rest of the urban population is included.
As is common in all urbanization processes, individuals residing in cities seek higher incomes and better
access to basic services. The generalized increase in real per capita income between 2005 and 2011
(World Bank, 2014), especially among the urban poor, suggests the existence of a social inclusion growth
process that has favored the poorest groups. In addition, the provision of basic services in urban areas
has improved, in part, due to the densification processes which make it more efficient for local govern-
ments to provide services.
In this context, the growing process of urban expansion and/or densification generates challenges and
opportunities for national and local governments in the implementation of policies to achieve govern-
ance and institutional capacities for better basic services, promotion and job creation, and environmen-
tal protection. Furthermore, the prevalent poverty rates and the high vulnerability to natural disasters
due to climate change must be considered transversally in the design and implementation of public poli-
cies.
Graph. No. 10
Urban Growth vs. Geographical Density: the Case of Riberalta
Source: World Bank. 2014
The most important urban development is the type of growth some cities are currently experiencing. For
example, Riberalta (shown above) is expanding outward in a low-density pattern, providing further chal-
lenges to local government to plan and provide basic services, contrary to the desired densification that
reduces the cost of service delivery, urban mobility costs, and environmental impact, among others.
1.3 National legal and institutional influence on urban development
The Political Constitution of the State (CPE in Spanish) approved in 2008 created a compounded State, in
which several levels of government with legislative authority are recognized. Furthermore, constitution-
al text and the Law of Autonomies and Decentralization (2010) defined the competences and scope for
national, departmental, municipal and native indigenous autonomies.
In the realm of urban development, the Law establishes the Central Level exclusive competences includ-
ing the design of national planning policy and territorial organization, tax transfer systems and the terri-
torial tax domains. For the departmental, municipal and native indigenous autonomies, it establishes
exclusive competences in territorial planning and its implementation within its jurisdiction, and the pro-
vision of public services to its citizens. There are also several shared and concurrent competencies, such
8
as social housing, urban electrification, environmental protection, health system management and edu-
cation, water and sanitation services, treatment of solid waste, and citizen security. The Law also pro-
motes municipal association and the conformation of metropolitan areas. According to the Law, munici-
pal autonomies are meant "to promote local economic development, human development and urban
development through the provision of public services to the population, as well as to contribute to rural
development". Refer to Annex 1 for more details.
Although most responsibilities for urban planning and service provision have been granted at the munic-
ipal level, it is the national authorities that have been given an important role in the development of
policy frameworks for the urban sector and in the coordination of the corresponding autonomous levels,
per their competences.
At the central level of the State, the institutional framework for Urban Planning is as follows:
The Ministry of Development Planning must develop policies of planning and territorial organization,
establish and administer the national system of territorial information and design policies of land use
planning and land use planning through Law 777. The Ministry of the Presidency, through the Vice Min-
istry of Autonomy, develops policies for territorial organization and management and strengthens the
process of political and administrative decentralization.
The Ministry of Public Works, Services and Housing must develop policies and standards of urban and
rural improvement in housing and services, transportation and telecommunications. It also implements
policies and norms on cadaster, sanitation of housing, metropolitanization, conurbation, urban planning,
and integration of urban and rural areas. The Ministry of Environment and Water develops strategic
planning policies for the sustainable use of natural resources and conservation of the environment. It
formulates and implements policies, plans, programs and projects and standards for the development,
provision of and improvement of water and sanitation services such as sanitary sewage, solid waste and
drainage, among others.
In sum, the legal framework distributes the responsibilities related to urban development among differ-
ent levels and branches of the government. Notably, the delegation of several competencies to the Cen-
tral Government shows that the autonomous process is still in its basic stages of development. In prac-
tice, the provision of services at the local level remains centralized, and is overlapping and fragmented
with some of the same responsibilities being shared among different levels of government.
1.4 Rural-urban linkages in poverty reduction
The supply of the potential labor force in major cities has grown at a faster annual pace than the total
population since 1992. The urban population grew at an annual rate of 3% between 1992 and 2012,
while the potential workforce grew at an annual rate of 3.4%. The difference is explained by the migra-
tory flow of working age people who are looking for employment opportunities in these cities. Graph
No. 11 shows that the labor force in major cities exceeded job generation capacity, while cities offer
ample job opportunities in the informal sector.
9
The elevated levels of informali-
ty (see Table No. 2) limit the
potential of economies of scale
resulting from the agglomera-
tion of cities (World Bank, 2016).
As the work in the informal sec-
tor often takes place in small
productive units of only a few
workers, it is difficult to take
advantage of economies of scale
given that employment they
provide is of low productivity.
Table No. 2
Labor Income and Informality
Description % of informal employment
Income from Formal Income (Bs./month)
Income from informal employment (Bs./month)
Capital cities 63% 3.777 3.000
Other cities 66% 3.583 2.809
Rural areas 90% 3.863 1.660
National 74% 3.741 2.496
Source: World Bank, with data from the 2014 Household Survey
According to a study by the World Bank9, the populations in cities work mainly for the services sector.
Services activities account for 70% of the employed population, while only 16% work in the manufactur-
ing industry which is the one that generates positive externalities to surrounding rural areas.
The metropolitan areas of Santa Cruz and Cochabamba have in place economic structures that favor the
maximum use of agglomeration economies. Although the levels of specialization are relatively low, dif-
ferent manufacturing and service activities have experienced an accelerated growth in the number of
jobs generated, which is a manifestation of the use of urbanization economies resulting from access to
large markets.
Additionally, medium-sized cities (50,000 – 100,000) show structures of high concentration of employ-
ment in emerging activities, which indicate a high level of employment growth consistent with the trend
towards specialization. Given the high rate of growth of these activities, it can be expected that em-
ployment will increase in the future and become an engine of growth.
Finally, other topics of urban-rural integration that should be explored include initiatives like urban agri-culture as well as the improvement of agricultural production standards to provide food security to ur-ban areas, and the governance of water to address rural and urban needs.
9 Determinación del coeficiente de localización de áreas urbanas de Bolivia, 2016
10
In sum, the metropolitan regions of Santa Cruz and Cochabamba10 and medium-sized cities have eco-
nomic activities in industry and services with positive externalities in surrounding rural areas, a win-win
situation that have the potential to be enhanced in order to better incorporate greater migration levels.
1.5 Poverty related challenges related to urbanization
processes in Bolivia
Urbanization is a highly complex process where several
sectors and factors blend and determine the living and
livelihood conditions of urban dwellers. Generally, the size
of these urban areas is directly proportional to the level of
complexity of the interaction, therefore interpretations
and conclusions should be understood in context.
While poverty is found at all stages of urban development,
it is reasonable to assert that it is most predominant in the
early and middle stages of urbanization, coinciding with
some urban areas found in Bolivia. See Graph No. 12.
Table No. 3
Prioritization of Urban Topics
Topic Severity11 Sustainable Develop-
ment Domains
Priority Social Econ. Env. Gov. I & E CC
Access to basic urban infrastructure services
12
+++ + + + + + 7
Basic administrative services
+ + + 3
Access to public ser-vices
13
+++ + + + + 7
Housing + + + + 4
Decent work +++ + + + 6
Security ++ + + + + 5
Land tenure + + + + + 5
Vulnerabilities as a result of climate change
+++ + + + + + 8
Urban community or-ganization
+ + + 3
10
In the case of La Paz, it seems clear that economic activities are causing an evident transfer of migrant popula-tion and local inhabitants to the informal sector, beyond the opportunities that the service sector can generate. In any case, it will be important to study the special behavior of the rural migrant of the highland and its impacts on the rural economy, since it is an itinerant migrant, who on working days develops his activities in the informal sec-tor and on non-working days moves to Their rural areas of origin to develop agricultural activities. 11
The level of severity was assigned based on a qualitative assessment of the demand of new dwellers to an urban area, thus High = 3, Mid = 2, Low = 1 12
Basic urban infrastructure public services such as electricity, water, sanitation, accessibility, transportation, edu-cation and health facilities 13
Citizenship services such as legal services, quality health and education, voting, etc.
11
Urbanization processes bring along poverty-related issues that can be best addressed by prioritizing
them through a sustainable development lens and SDC’s strategic domains.
Prioritization
From table No. 3 above, the topics likely to have the greatest impact on citizens in poverty conditions
are, initially, access to basic services, access to public services, decent work and support to climate
change. There are also other factors that must be considered to understand the urban dynamics in de-
livering better living conditions and livelihood to citizens, outlined as follows.
The Urban delivery and quality gaps. It must be understood that a new inhabitant of urban areas, either
by migration or birth, does not automatically fall into the served category in any of the topics listed be-
low. In the case of migrants, they are extremely likely
to fall within the underserved, at the lowest catego-
ries. The delivery time-frame of basic domestic ser-
vices is still within the range of several years and ac-
cess to soft services such as health and legal/justice
services face both quality issues and crash costs.
These are just a few examples that put in context the
expectations of urbanization, that amid the efficiency
of geographical concentration, services, both soft and
hard, are generally collapsed and require years to
keep up with the demand and, without external help,
there are no expectations to improve in the quality of
the services.
Vulnerability. Additionally, it must be noted that underserved populations are often trapped in a state
of vulnerability and minimum opportunity, not only suffering from the lack of a set of services, but of-
ten exposed to risks related to health, unemployment, climate change, and lack of security, among oth-
ers. This bring a new dimension to prioritization that moves one step further from a sector or topic, and
focuses on those that most need them. For example, a
migrating woman with minimal schooling migrating to
an urban area with family in the outskirts of a city lacks
the basic means to seek fair employment, knowledge to
access health services, financial independence, and her
rights, and is additionally in physical danger in the
streets, including probable exposure to health risks due
to climate change.
Opportunities for youth. Graph No. 14 showed the
growing pattern among youth urban dwellers. Addition-
ally, a study by INSEAD14 on migration showed over 50%
prevalence of migration of siblings of families with ages
14
Lyke Andersen, 2002
12
likely to be around those in the 15-25 bracket, a group both economically active and highly vulnerable,
and therefore in need of public services to unlock its economic potential.
Ability and capacity to change. Another factor for prioritization is the ability to generate change in ur-
ban areas through external support and the willingness of stakeholders to change, which requires spe-
cial conditions to overcome the momentum generated by the sheer mass of urban dynamics.
Therefore, the prioritized topics and the presented factors for consideration should provide the initial
grounds for formulating a strategy that is directed to the greatest opportunities to improve living condi-
tions of urban dwellers.
2. Other Donors and SDC’s Activities in Urban Development
2.1. Other donors’ interventions and main actors in urban development
Table No. 5 includes a synthesis of Programs and Projects that donors implemented in sectors corre-
sponding to urban development. For greater detail please refer to Annex 2.
Table. No. 5 Main Programs with Urban Relevance Implemented by Donors
Sector
Donor Type and size of
city15
AECID
EU
IADB
PNUD
UNICEF
CAF
KOICA
DANIDA
ASDI
JICA
GIZ
KfW
Word
Bank
Main L M S
Urban Infrastructure + +
Water and Sanitation + + + +
Health + + +
Education + + + +
Risk Reduction + +
Energy + +
Justice + + +
Productive Development + +
Social Assistance + +
Public Management + +
Water Resources + + + +
Health +
15
Main, Large, Medium and Small
13
The main actors in urban development are municipal governments with urban areas within their juris-
dictions16 which, by constitutional and legal mandate, are responsible for the social and economic de-
velopment of their territories. This responsibility is, for the most part, assumed only partially due to the
lack of technical, human, and financial resources at this level. Nevertheless, it is at the local level where
urban issues and opportunities can be addressed best with, when necessary, the support of National
and departmental governments, and donor support.
The Central Government, through its sectoral ministries with a variety of policies and objectives17, im-
plements several programs directed towards the provision of basic services and the construction of in-
frastructure and social housing. While many of them address public service delivery gaps, it is important
to note that the programs have a sectoral approach often directed also to rural areas, and not designed
to resolve real urban issues.
Other actors in urban development include Departmental Governments that consistently lack sufficient
resources to implement programs or projects in urban areas, but at least have the power to convene
actors and coordinate development actions, particularly on issues and challenges that involve more than
one municipality.
2.2. Rate of success in other donors and main actors’ interventions
Most donors have a portfolio of projects with a sectoral focus that are poorly integrated and do not
have an effective urban approach. A general assessment of the urban effectiveness of these programs
follows.
No donor has a comprehensive program to support urban development. All of them intervene
with a strictly sectoral vision or limited geographical scope, and in several cases through isolated
interventions, which puts into question their results and impacts.
Noteworthy is that most interventions are done through the ministries at the central level,
which have defined strictly sectoral policies and therefore do not perceive the need for articula-
tion of interventions for urban development.
Only one program has been identified under the responsibility of the Ministry of Public Works,
responsible for issuing guidelines for urban development. The Municipal Management Im-
provement Program - Support to the cadastral management and its interconnection with the na-
tional tax administration is financed by the IADB, whose execution is carried out with municipal
governments of capital cities has yet to generate the desired outcomes.
The contribution to urban development of the Neighborhood Improvement Programs imple-
mented by the World Bank and the IADB, has been widely recognized. The most significant con-
tribution has been the integrality of the interventions. Additionally, this approach has evolved
into the development of urban policies based on urban centralities, which several municipal
governments of the most important urban centers of the country intend to replicate.
16
As reported by INE, there are more than one hundred municipalities with urban areas with populations over two-thousand 17
As set by the Plan Nacional de Desarrollo Económico y Social (PDES) and the Agenda Patriótica 2025
14
Municipal governments have been successful only in proportion to their technical capacity and the
availability of financial resources, and are often unable to spend even their reduced budgets in programs
and projects addressing citizens’ demands.
The Central Government has been marginally successful in addressing urban issues. Even though it has
invested boldly in the provision of infrastructure, from basic services, health, and education to transpor-
tation and housing, it has a poor record of coordination with municipalities. Through this limited ap-
proach, local governments not only end up with the responsibility of the sustainability of any physical
asset, but also remain accountable for its social and economic value.
Finally, Departmental Governments have had no success in coordinating efforts among actors in, for
example, metropolitan areas, where results are limited to meetings with almost no relationship to con-
crete actions outside the discussions.
2.3. Unaddressed issues and challenges
Table No. 5 above confirms that donors have programs in diverse sectors and urban settings. However,
the urban landscape of Bolivia is ample and there is a high likelihood that there are plenty of urban are-
as in which unaddressed issues and challenges remain. It is the intent of this document to move away
from a sectoral and fill-the-gap approach to an integrated and geographically centered focus in order to
sustainably address urban issues. This will be further developed in the upcoming sections.
2.4. SDC’s strategy reach on urban issues
The rich cooperation portfolio of SDC Bolivia, reaching up to 183 municipalities, is comprised of three
areas of cooperation, namely: Decentralization and Human Rights, Reduction of the Impact from Climate
Change and Employment and Income Generation. Just by inspection, the “urban” angle of these three
areas could coincide completely with urban issues or topics, limited, in principle, only by their geograph-
ical targeting and/or population reach. Nevertheless, there are yet different perspectives in assessing
the urban relevance of a cooperation program or activity that go beyond, as they should, the geograph-
ical scope of the intervention. Therefore, the urban relevance considers two factors:
Type of city, as per Table No.5, above
Level of thematic link to priority urban topics
The assessment also includes a qualification of “Rural Approach” indicating that the activity may be
aimed at rural areas and/or beneficiaries, which does not necessarily negatively affect its urban rele-
vance. The relevance is therefore assigned given the geographical interdependence18 and connection
between rural and urban areas and the relevance of the subject to urban topics, independent of wheth-
er the activity is rural or urban19.
The area of Decentralization and Human Rights shows high relevance over urban topics and issues. This
is because it highly correlates to the governance of high priority topics, such as access to basic social and
18
A good example for this is Climate-Change related work in water basins, that, while geographically outside an urban area, it may benefit the reservoirs of one downstream. 19
Even if a project is completely focused on rural areas, there is potentially significant knowledge accumulated by the project that could later be applied to focus upon or solve urban issues. Additionally, there could also be a clear urban benefit from the activity such as improving or protecting agricultural production.
15
legal services. It should be noted that the delivery of basic services falls both into the category of infra-
structure services such as water, sanitation and transportation, and also a variety of public services, like
justice, legal ownership, etc. Yet others may be a combination of two, like health20 and education. While
it may not be appropriate to state that urban infrastructure or public services is a priority if not done on
a case by case basis, it would be fair to affirm that municipalities, departmental governments and the
central government have already prioritized the delivery of infrastructure with significant public spend-
ing. On the other hand, the delivery of the other public services maintains mediocre standards and
there are no clear indications that any of the levels, regarding competencies21, is planning to do much in
the short run. As mentioned earlier, the delivery of both soft and hard services is one of the reasons
citizens migrate. It is precisely the “delivery gap” they encounter that prevents them from assuming full
citizenship (per the constitution) and instead forces them to face lack of access to basic services, justice,
security and other soft services.
Table No. 6
Urban Relevance of Programs Under SDC Bolivia Cooperation Strategy
Thematic area Program Urban
Topic or sector
Type and size of city22
Rural approach
Urban Rel-evance23
Metro L M S
Decentralization and Human
Rights
Programa de Mejo-ra de Servicios
24
Governance + + + + +++
Vida sin violencia Public Ser-vices
+ + + + ++
Acceso a Justicia Public Ser-vices
+ + + + +++
Reduction of the Impact from
Climate Change
Gestión Integrada del Agua - GIA
CC Services
+ + + ++
Biocultura (CON PROMETA)
CC + + +
Aire Limpio CC + + ++
Gestión ambiental municipal - GAM
Services CC
+ + +++
Investigación sobre el CC
CC + ++
Reducción del Ries-go de Desastres - RRD
CC Governance
+ + + +++
Employment and Income genera-
tion
Mercados Rurales Decent work + + + + + ++
PROBOLIVIA Fortal-ecimento de micro-empresas
Decent work + + +++
Formación Técnica Decent work + + + ++
20
The delivery of quality health services generally requires good doctors, equipment and infrastructure 21
This is not to say that regardless of competencies all levels have the responsibility of the service, but rather that one takes leadership on the related issues and pulls the rest, if not just the local level. 22
Metropolitan, Large, Medium and Small 23
Level of influence for better service delivery or income generation High=3, Med=2, Low=1 24
The referenced Program finalized in 2016, but it is included in the analysis because its relevance in urban issues such as access to health and education as well as work in urban districts of large municipalities
16
Thematic area Program Urban
Topic or sector
Type and size of city22
Rural approach
Urban Rel-evance23
Profesional Microseguro Agríco-la
Rural + +
The fact that some of the activities in Decentralization and Human Rights have targeted youth using
health, education and employment criteria makes its relevance even higher, as this is the age group that
has shown the greatest increase in population in urban areas. The inclusion of social programs such as
violence against women also aims to establish social services currently absent from any government
level or branch. Finally, the ample urban reach, in terms of the number of municipalities, raises the
question of whether the several relatively small projects or interventions really have the potential for
sustainable urban impact.
The area of Reduction of the Impact of Climate Change is comprised of a large portfolio in very large
geographical regions with programs that encompass the complex relationship of climate change effects
with everything from livelihoods in rural areas to governance and services in urban realms. While pro-
grams like Integrated Water Management and Disaster Risk Reduction are primarily focused on rural
areas, their effects lie positively in small urban areas, but also in large metropolitan areas, making it,
from an urban perspective, relevant not only for addressing climate, environmental and public services
issues, but also for gathering important knowledge to tackle similar issues in other places. Furthermore,
the Municipal Environmental management program goes a step further and supports local governments
to fix solid waste deficiencies, addressing both an environmental issue and a public service concern.
Rural-focused programs like Biocultura appear to be focused on improving farmers’ livelihoods , but also
provide important links to markets in urban areas as well as metropolitan regions, making them urban
relevant. Likewise, the Climate Change Research activity has a rural focus, but the relevance of its find-
ings could very well indirectly benefit urban areas or, at the very least, generate knowledge that could
be applied to solve urban issues related to vulnerabilities to Climate Change. Last but not least in the
group, the Clean Air Initiative has a direct focus on monitoring air quality in urban areas, generating
awareness among citizens and working with local governments to implement and support initiatives
directly aimed at reducing urban pollution, such as their support of public transportation and efforts to
limit/control vehicle emissions, among other initiatives.
The second reason for migration to urban areas is employment and income generation. Therefore, pro-
grams like Professional Technical Training and Micro and Small Business Support (PROBOLIVIA) have
high urban relevance, as they directly bridge the labor gap between supply and demand for labor in
urban areas. Moreover, these programs also attempt to improve the quality of employment by em-
powering local and newly arrived citizens. Noteworthy are the programs of Rural Markets and the agri-
cultural micro-insurance. While they are directly focused on rural areas, the markets they support are
predominantly in urban realms.
In sum, SDC’s programs have, for
the most part, an urban presence
and urban relevance, either by di-
rectly implementing projects within
urban areas or by undertaking urban
issues. However, SDC’s current
17
portfolio also has programs with an urban approach that either have a direct relationship with an urban
area and/or are building knowledge on a subject or topic with urban relevance. This means that the
stock built by SDC uniquely positions it to tackle urban challenges. This position is further strengthened
by the great stock of knowledge SDC possesses to help it determine how best to go about addressing
these challenges.
2.5. Assessment of SDC’s interventions
Overall, a rapid assessment provides that most of SDC’s programs are poised to generate an impact rela-
tive to the objectives that have been established for them. However, to assess their relevance for an
urban approach, the criteria must assess the fitness of each of the programs and their strengths and
weaknesses in order to attain specific and sustainable urban development results.
Without a proper evaluation, SDC´s rich and complex portfolio would be difficult and potentially inaccu-
rate to assess in terms of how successful it has been. Nevertheless, it is possible to provide an indication
of how well positioned SDC Bolivia is to tackle urban challenges. The general premise is that to generate
impact on urban projects you need the capacity to generate critical mass.
An overall assessment of the positioning of SDC Bolivia’s programs is rather positive, as they have either:
Worked in urban areas
Generated capacities in local governments and supported policy-making in departmental
and national entities
Generated know-how or urban relevance
The horizontal reading of Table No. 7 shows relative success in this mix of interventions and provides a
reference of how deeply each of the programs has worked with urban approaches, which is not to say
that they have, or have not, been successful programs on their own. Nor does it mean that any given
program intended to work on urban issues or approaches specifically when it was conceived. As stated
before, this is an assessment of the level of positioning to gauge each program’s potential to tackle ur-
ban issues with a more focused approach.
The vertical reading of Table No. 7 provides a perhaps more interesting assessment of the particular
strengths of each of the programs and a first glimpse of what an urban focus would mean.
Urban Focus. For the most part, activities have either been conceived to work within urban areas or not.
Nevertheless, it is remarkable that some have been drawn to spend time and resources in urban areas
to link and assure the success of their interventions.
Critical Mass. The sheer mass of population, economics and social culture in Urban areas generate a
single and significant momentum, like a vector that is not to be changed unless our intervention reaches
a critical mass both in volume and time to generate sustainable change. Overall, SDC’s interventions
have been timid and are unlikely to attain impacts that are either of significance or sustainable.
Urban Know-how. SDC’s activities have worked on urban issues and in urban areas, so have proportion-
ally gained important knowledge on how best to address some of them. Important stock has been built
that could be treated as an externality, rather than as a product or, much less, as an objective. This
helps SDC to better position itself to work with an urban lens.
18
Integration with Local Governments. Urban issues are local in nature. Effective and sustainable solu-
tions will only work with the full local involvement of municipal governments. As seen before, the legal
framework calls for coordination with more levels of the State. It is imperative that the need and man-
agement comes from the local level. In that regard, SDC’s activities have successfully involved local au-
thorities.
Coordination with Departmental and National Governments. If the solutions and their management
are to come from local governments, the participation of higher levels of governments is necessary to
align policies consistently. SDC’s programs have been generally successful in this regard and the ap-
proach and relationship built with the departmental and national governments will be an asset to ad-
dress urban challenges.
Table No. 7
Urban Assessment of Programs under SDC Bolivia Cooperation Strategy
Thematic area Program
Dimension (high=3, mid=2, low=1)
Assessment Urban focus
25
Critical mass
Urban Know- how
Integration with local
government
Coord. with Dep and Nat. Governments
Decentralization and Human
Rights
Programa de Mejora de Ser-vicios
2 1 3
3 2 12
Vida sin violen-cia
3 1 3
2 3 10
Acceso a Justi-cia
3 2 3
1 3 12
Reduction of the Impact from Climate Change
Gestión Inte-grada del Agua - GIA
2 1 2
3 3 11
Biocultura 1 1 2 3 2 9
Aire Limpio 3 1 3 3 3 13
Gestión ambi-ental municipal - GAM
3 1 3
3 2 12
Investigación sobre el CC
1 1 1
2 3 8
Reducción del Riesgo de Desastres - RRD
2 1 1
3 3 10
Employment and Income generation
Mercados Ru-rales
1 1 1
2 2 7
Fortalecimento de microem-presas
3 1 3
2 3 12
Formación Técnica Profe-sional
3 1 3
2 3 11
Microseguro Agrícola
1 1 1
1 3 7
25
Program is designed to work within urban areas
19
2.6. Opportunities on urban development for SDC
SDC’s advantages are integration and the opportunity to change the approach of how to sustainably
work with urban areas. This will be developed further in the upcoming sections.
20
3. Recommendations
3.1. Recommended fields of action for SDC
While Table No. 3 identified the priority fields of action for potential SCD intervention, it is important to
assess the relevance of the intervention of donors and other actors. Table No. 5 provides a summary of
sectors covered by donor; however, the geographical dimension (all urban areas in the country, not
shown for practical purposes) related to each of those interventions, briefly summarized on the right
side of the table, indicates that there are plenty of unattended regions, cities and sectors that SDC could
support. Therefore, the assistance landscape is wide open, both geographically and thematically,
providing SDC with the opportunity to focus on the most relevant topics. Thus, the recommended urban
priority topics are:
Governance in the provision of public services
Decent work
Vulnerabilities as a result from climate change, including Risk Mitigation
Strategically, SDC’s may opt for a development approach to provide assistance through pilot projects
that not only seek to generate sustainable impact at the local level, but also lessons that could potential-
ly be replicated in other urban areas. The overarching objective being to generate the greatest possible
learning in urban development to formulate public policy at the central level to support the implemen-
tation of programs and investments in urban areas.
3.2. Recommended fields of action related to SECO’s main fields of expertise
Almost without exception, cities of all types and those within metropolitan areas have been surpassed in
on or both management capacity and financing capabilities of the demands for services, which have
increased significantly specially over the past decade.
Municipal governments in Bolivia, have progressively learned to address the issues around the provision
of infrastructure for services such as water, sanitation, transportation and other of the kind, yet they
struggle with three main hurdles:
Financing (from increasing revenue to the provision of sustainable services)
Quality of the services provided (much of the served population may count as served, but with
poor continuity, low quality of services, etc.) in areas such as
o Urban Planning and management
o Sanitation
✓ Solid waste management
✓ Urban mobility
Urban resilience to Climate Change
These may be potential areas for SECO to step in and support local governments to improve the reach
and quality of the services they provide. In order to make this support effective and sustainable it would
be highly desirable to work in partnership with SDC and other donors (such as the World Bank, IADB
and/or CAF), to use this type of support as an incentive to implement improvements of the provision of
soft services which tend to follow outside the local government lens and are often beyond the reach of
national entities.
2
3.3. Recommended areas of action for SDC focusing on poverty reduction and sustainable
development
To successfully implement a portfolio with an urban approach, SDC must shift approaches, and reach
out to form new alliances to generate impact in urban, peri urban and rural areas. Therefore, a change
in paradigm is required to evolve from the current sectoral approach to an integrated one that responds
to the nature of the urban issues.
Nevertheless, the current strategic scenario indicates that SDC faces a programmatic reduction on the
order of 25% and is expected to reduce to only 10 programs. As most existing projects will continue until
2019 and the strategy is not expected to change significantly, the proposed urban approach focuses
geographically on medium to large poor cities in the same thematic areas in the current strategy.
The Upcoming Strategy – An urban approach
a. Urban approach must be Progressive. Acknowledging that under the current strategy SDC has
already an important relevance both in geographical and thematic senses, it is timely to capital-
ize and formalize the geographical presence and knowledge to progressively implement an ur-
ban approach through the synergies of the activities under the three thematic areas of the
Strategy with integrated objectives, potentially one urban area at a time.
b. A differentiated operational approach. The pursuit of urban goal demands changes on the way
SDC works, potentially having many projects, partners and beneficiaries coinciding in the same
geographical area, requiring greater internal coordination and effective external interaction to
maintain a constructive environment for project implementation26.
c. Identify partners and stakeholders. Effectively working in urban environments demands not on-
ly internal coordination, but working and complementing the efforts of several other actors,
from local governments to national
sectors, to donors and beneficiaries.
The strategy should mandate active
coordination with external actors and
establish goals for synergies in com-
mon areas.
d. The Strategy lays the roadmap. As
the ultimate reference, the Strategy
must define indicators, objectives,
milestones, responsibilities, integra-
tion criteria, coordination, and opera-
tional modalities on how to imple-
ment the urban approach.
e. The domains. As was presented earlier, the domains of the current strategy coincide with urban
priorities; therefore, it is advisable to allow for continuity. However, it is noted that an urban
focus requires SDC to work with an integrated approach and crosscutting Climate Change issues.
26
For example, succession of activities, points of contact, prioritization of themes and interventions, etc.
3
Implementation of SDC’s Urban Approach
With the mandate of the strategy laid out, SDC must begin a process to select where, what and with
whom to work. SDC must also make some operational adjustments of how to carry out the assistance.
Selection of Urban Areas
The general criteria and approach in selecting where SDC should direct its assistance must be based on
poverty levels (both in urban and in closed-by, connected peri-urban and rural areas), opportunities for
rural-urban linkages, the size of the urban area, the availability of resources, and its areas of strength.
Given that SDC has ongoing operations in Bolivia and that the new Strategy will provide continuity to the
current programs, it is advisable to maintain the current geographical focus. Furthermore, a progressive
implementation and the limited funding available indicate that its geographical focus may initially lie
with medium to large cities and selected smaller cities. The focus on poverty is generally located in sub-
urban areas, which frequently have commercial links with rural areas, and which can generate potential
externalities27.
The selection criteria for intervention should also consider the diversification of risks to achieve impacts,
given the level of uncertainty when implementing technical assistance programs in weak public entities.
Risk diversification can be achieved by working in several territorial entities over the period of the Strat-
egy. Initially, if the budget is limited and/or SDC deems it necessary to work only in a few urban areas, it
is advisable to select those where SDC has presence and has developed technical capacity. This is inher-
ently an iterative process that involves at least the variables mentioned above, which includes an as-
sessment of the capacities, demand and will of local governments and of other local and national stake-
holders. It is advisable that SDC initiate this process after approval of its new Strategy.
An Initial Approach
A qualitative analysis28 of SDC’s thematic expertise and geographical presence aims to include the most
relevant factors of its current programs with urban relevance in urban areas and other variables, from
poverty to the potential synergies between programs, existence of markets for rural production and the
presence of other donors and the scale of urban areas to SDC’s assistance capacity. Please refer to An-
nex 7 for more details.
The result of this exercise identifies opportunities for working in Oruro, Sucre and Potosí. While Tarija
does not show a significant level of poverty, it should be included in the recommendations as poverty
data for the study comes from the 2012 census and the urban dynamics and migration since then have
likely raised the figure to or beyond the 20% threshold. While Trinidad falls out of the formal geograph-
ical scope of SDC in Bolivia, there are SDC programs currently being implemented and it could be con-
27
Migrants to urban areas are mostly young citizens in search of better incomes and services which generates pressure in the labor market and an increased demand for services to municipal budgets. However, at the same time, the growing population in cities generate larger markets for rural products and therefore there is a potential for improvement of income. In the long term, these urban-rural relations also lead to the transfer of knowledge and technology that will facilitate greater productivity, better rural incomes and the provision of public services. 28
The qualitative analysis has been prepared for discussion purposes, as a more detailed quantitative analysis with more variables and exact criteria should be used for actual design and implementation of an urban program or approach.
4
sidered an additional alternative. Finally, it is worth noting some small29 urban areas30 with the difficult
combination of high population growth and high levels of poverty where SDC already has programs un-
der implementation and in which it may consider a regional intervention in a set of these smaller cities
with geographical proximity.
A gradual approach supporting urban areas will allow SDC to capitalize on the geographical integration
and knowledge gathered through its programs, including the close links with local government and na-
tional entities. The benefits of an urban approach are largely proportional to size and scale, that is, larg-
er urban areas, such as metropolitan areas, offer greater opportunities but also higher risks. Thus, the
most reasonable approach for SDC to take is in smaller urban areas, which are in as much need and simi-
lar potential amid proportionally smaller cities, such as the ones recommended. The size of SDC’s budg-
et, presence, knowledge, and integrated approach will progressively provide the confidence to later
expand to more urban areas, including larger ones, as well as the satisfaction of achieving sustainable
changes in the medium term.
Operational Recommendations for the Implementation of the Urban Approach
The implementation process of any project typically requires three stages, as is the case of urban pro-
jects, but there are important aspects in each of them that should be considered.
Graph NO. 17
Suggested Approach to Implement an Urban Strategy
1. Strategic Planning. Once potential urban areas of intervention have been identified and the local
demand for assistance has been verified and negotiated, the selected SDC programs coinciding within
the same geographical area must coordinate activities and share objectives. Officers and implementers
may not carry out isolated interventions. It is important that SDC establish an organizational scheme
that assigns internal leaders or managers (within SDC) by local entity in a geographic-sectoral matrix to
organize interventions.
On an exceptional basis or under special circumstances, SDC may implement sectoral interventions
when financial constraints limit the capacity to use an integrated approach, but only in areas where it
has worked previously and with proven partnerships (implementers and local counterparts) and in sec-
tors in which it has proven intervention capacity.
29
With population between 20 to 100 thousand 30
Yapacaní, San Julián, Ascensión de Guarayos, Entre Ríos and Puerto Villarroel
5
2. Intervention, Monitoring and Evaluation. SDC must establish an organizational framework for the
definition of impact chains and monitoring systems to minimize risks and maximize results. Additionally,
an integrated approach and intervention requires generating multi-sectoral and multi-territorial spaces
for M&E for the allocation and control of resources. Additionally, local governments must be engaged
and supported to implement monitoring systems for measuring progress in levels of governance, service
delivery and ownership. This may also require generating open discussion mechanisms to evaluate insti-
tutional performance and decision making to achieve results.
3. Achievement of Impacts and Sustainability. The achievement of impact and sustainability with inte-
grated and joint interventions requires the evaluation of the initial chain of impacts. This implies devel-
oping processes of evaluation of results, effects and impacts, and the identification and systematization
of good practices and practices to be improved31. While this is standard practice in project implementa-
tion, when working in urban areas, it is an objective in itself, due to the high complexity of urban sys-
tems, multiple stakeholders and scale of services.
The evolution of the portfolio and project objectives
SDC must be Integrated and focused. A portfolio in which the most prevalent urban issues addressed
through several atomized projects faces the risks of not solving all them and just settling for temporary
improvements. Therefore, SDC’s portfolio may evolve primarily on:
Access to public services32
Employment and income generation
It may be tempting to wish for more detail on, for example, which services should be focused on, or
even which sectors or industries to focus on employment, but the change in a territorial approach man-
dates that SDC must first focus on where and then identify the issues that need to be addressed within
the two recommended areas.
Climate Change and Resilience should be mandatory crosscutting themes on every urban program. No
urban area is to be spared from the effects from climate change, big or small. Moreover, urban areas in
developing countries are especially vulnerable facing shortages to the supply of basic services, risks to
families and properties, food supply and environmental degradation. Therefore, a special focus is rec-
ommended for:
• Environmental impact mitigation
• Urban risk reduction
Additionally, it is ideal to mainstream food supply into the thematic area of employment and income
generation, and to mainstream sustainable access to safe drinking water into the provision of public
services. Finally, of great relevance in urban areas because of the elevated number of citizens in situa-
tion of vulnerability and within the “urban delivery gap” mentioned earlier, are gender and governance,
which should be mandatory crosscutting themes.
31
Must be complemented with closure strategies, based on actions aimed at the sustainability of the achieved changes, including transferring to counterparts’ processes, good practices, and tools. 32
With emphasis to justice, gender and youth, human rights, equal opportunities and citizenship
6
Potential for Partnerships
Making alliances is not new to SDC, as most of its activities are implemented by third parties in collabo-
ration with local governments, grassroots organizations, national sectoral entities, etc. Nevertheless, as
it aims to generate impact in urban environments, it is all about scale, as challenges tend to require time
and enormous resources to overcome negative tendencies with big momentum associated with thou-
sands of citizens.
This document maintains that to achieve sustainable impacts, the assistance must be focused on local
governments, must be integrated or multi-sectoral, and need to reach sufficient critical mass to gener-
ate sustainable change. If SDC is not in a position to orchestrate this scenario, it must seek partnerships
with other actors who are. The urban development landscape is rather sparse in Bolivia as the Central
Government does not have specific development policies for these geographical areas. Therefore SDC
may have to piece together available local and national actors to reach the necessary critical mass. Be-
cause of their size, the World Bank, IADB, and CAF are among those that approach urban development
from an integrated perspective, but their programs have limited reach and will not always have the
same geographical priorities as SDC. Nevertheless, they are a rich source of knowledge open to all.
While other donors tend to act on a sectoral basis and others are may even have high urban relevance,
SDC will have to act as the champion to create urban synergies with their programs.
The single most important partners are therefore local governments, with whom it is possible to build
constructive relationships over time, finding common ground and generating sustainability in areas of
common interest. By providing feedback and working with the Central Government on specific urban
issues, SDC will progressively gain the know-how to focus more of its attention on these geographical
areas and to find them as both object and vehicle to implement its development objectives.
7
References
1. Informe de Desarrollo Humano de Bolivia, El Rostro de Bolivia - Transformación Social y
Metropolización, PNUD, 2016
2. Pobreza y movilidad social en la última década, BID, 2015
3. Ciudad sin frontera – La multilocalidad urbana-rural en Bolivia, Cielo y Antequera, 2012
4. Bolivia Seguridad Alimentaria y pobreza urbana, Fundación Alternativas, 2015
5. Tendencias urbanas en Bolivia: oportunidades y Desafíos, Banco Mundial, 2014
6. Efectos de la migración (rural-urbana). Caso: educación trabajo, Eduardo Valencia Flores, sin fecha
7. Migración Rural-Urbana en Bolivia: Ventajas y Desventajas, Lykke E. Andersen, 2002
8. Urbanization & Migration in the Developing World, University of Minnesota, 2015
9. World Cities Report 2016, Urbanization and Development: Emerging Futures, UN Habitat, 2016
10. Integrating the three dimensions of sustainable development, United Nations, 2015
8
Annexes
Annex 1 – Urban Competencies of Territorial Entities
Annex 2 – Donor Mapping in Urban Topics
Annex 3 – Migration
Annex 4 – Views on the Draft Issue Paper’s Recommendation to SDC to Intervene in Urban Contexts
Annex 5 – Urban Population, Migration and Access to Services
Annex 6 – Urban and SDC’s Municipalities
Annex 7 – Prioritization of Urban Areas
Annex 8 – Map of Bolivia Showing Main Urban Areas
Annex 9 – Presentation for discussion: Bolivia Country Study on Urban Development Opportunities
Annex 10 – TORs Bolivia Country Study on Urban Development Opportunities
Annex 1 – Urban Competencies of Territorial Entities
EXCLUSIVAS CONCURRENTES
Desarrollo urbano y asentamientos humanos urbanos. Servicio de alumbrado público de su jurisdicción. Plan de Ordenamiento Territorial Municipal, de acuerdo a los lineamientos establecidos Plan de Uso de Suelos del municipio de acuerdo a lineamientos establecidos Políticas de asentamientos urbanos Desarrollo del catastro urbano, conforme a las reglas y parámetros técnicos establecidos. Servicios de alcantarillado y establecimiento de las tasas por servicios Transporte urbano, registro de propiedad automotor, ordenamiento y educación vial, administración y control del tránsito urbano, conforme a los parámetros técnicos determinados Y en coordinación con la Policía Boliviana, cuando corresponda. Regulación des tarifas de transporte en su área de jurisdicción conforme a reglas y parámetros técnicos establecidos. Aseo urbano, manejo y tratamiento de residuos sólidos en el marco de la política del Estado. Protección del medio ambiente y recursos naturales, fauna silvestre y animales domésticos Areas protegidas municipales en coordinación con los pueblos indígena originario campesinos cuando corresponda. Manejo de áridos y agregados en coordinación con los pueblos indígena originario campesinos
Políticas municipales de financiamiento de la vivienda. Programas y proyectos de construcción de viviendas, conforme a las políticas y normas técnicas aprobadas por el nivel central del Estado. Servicios de agua potable de manera concurrente y coordinada con el nivel central del Estado y los otros niveles autonómicos Dotar de la infraestructura, equipamiento, mobiliario, insumos y servicios básicos a los establecimientos de salud de primer y segundo nivel de atención Dotar de la infraestructura, equipamiento, mobiliario, insumos y servicios básicos a los establecimientos de salud de primer y segundo nivel de atención
Dotar de la infraestructura, equipamiento, mobiliario, insumos y servicios básicos a los establecimientos de educación. Administrar y dotar de la infraestructura, equipamiento, mobiliario, insumos y servicios básicos a los establecimientos de de gestión social. Servicios de asistencia técnica y planificación en agua y saneamiento. Aprobación de tasas de servicios públicos de agua potable y alcantarillado, cuando estos presten el servicio de forma directa. Régimen y políticas de residuos sólidos, industriales y tóxicos, en su jurisdicción. Protección del medio ambiente y fauna silvestre, manteniendo el equilibrio ecológico y el control de la contaminación ambiental en su jurisdicción.
Annex 2 – Donor Mapping in Urban Topics
Sector Programa o Proyecto Resumen
Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo BID
Infraestructura Urbana
Reordenamiento Urbano en la Ceja de El Alto
Apoyo a las capacidades de planificación y gestión urbana territorial; Mejoramiento de la infraestructura urbana; Mejora de la prestación de servicios al ciudadano.
Programa Multifase de Mejoramiento de Barrios
Inversión en el Municipio de La Paz; inversión en otros municipios del país; fortalecimiento institucional de las unidades ejecutoras.
Drenaje en los Municipios de La Paz y El Alto
Disminución de los daños humanos y materiales causados por eventos geo hidro meteorológicos extremos a través de la implementación de obras y acciones complementarias para mejorar el sistema de drenaje pluvial de La Paz y de El Alto, y su gestión
Programa de Mejora a la Gestión Municipal - Apoyo a la gestión
catastral y su interconexión con la administración tributaria
Apoyo a la gestión catastral y su interconexión con la administración tributaria; actualización de los registros de catastro, desarrollo de los sistemas de gestión catastral; capacitación, asistencia técnica y difusión
Agua y Saneamiento
Programa de reformas de los sectores de agua, saneamiento y de
recursos hídricos
Reformas en sistemas de planificación, normativo, y de monitoreo y control para mejorar los niveles de eficiencia de los prestadores de los servicios
Proyecto de recursos hídricos multipropósito para El Alto y La Paz
Mejorar los sistemas existentes y desarrollar otros nuevos para la recolección y distribución del agua; incrementar la resiliencia del sistema de abastecimiento de agua de La Paz y El Alto.
Programa de Agua y Alcantarillado Peri urbano Multifase
Mejorar las condiciones de vida en las áreas periurbanas. El objetivo especifico es expandir los servicios de agua y saneamiento en esas áreas.
Programa para la Implementación de la Gestión Integral de Resíduos
Sólidos en Bolivia
Desarrollo e implementación de sistemas de recolección, manejo y disposición final de residuos sólidos en dos ciudades de Bolivia (un municipio mayor y otro menor) y el fortalecimiento Institucional del MMAyA.
Salud
Mejoramiento al Acceso a Servicios de Salud El Alto
Construcción y equipamiento de hospitales en la ciudad de El Alto y prácticas modernas de gestión hospitalaria en Bolivia
Mejoramiento al acceso a servicios de salud
Mejorar el acceso a servicios de salud con capacidad resolutiva para la población de El Alto y Potosí
Fortalecimiento de las Redes Integrales de Salud en el Departamento de Potosí
Construir y/o rehabilitar hospitales que cuenten con los servicios especializados con un enfoque particular en el tema materno-infantil de la Red Departamental de Potosí y fortalecimiento de la gestión de hospitales y/o la previsión para la sostenibilidad financiera.
Educación Educación Secundaria Comunitaria
Productiva (ESCP)
Diseñar e implementar en forma participativa una propuesta de gestión institucional y pedagógica para la ESCP en unidades educativas de 286 municipios conforme a los lineamientos establecidos en la nueva Ley de Educación
Banco Mundial (BM)
Gestión de Riesgos
Gestión de Riesgos y Desastres
Fortalecer el marco legal e institucional para una gestión integral de riesgos de desastres y el clima. Incluye fortalecimiento de la reducción de desastres y adaptación al cambio climático; fortalecimiento de la coordinación institucional para la gestión y respuesta de emergencia; reducción del impacto fiscal por los desastres asociados a fenómenos naturales adversos.
Energía Sustentable
Access and Renewable Energy Project
ampliar el acceso a la electricidad en áreas ó de Bolivia bajo un modelo de expansión de acceso a electricidad que apoya la implementación del marco nacional descentralizada.
Infraestructura Urbana
Proyecto de Infraestructura urbana Inversiones aisladas de infraestructura en el Alto y Programa de mejoramiento de Barrios
Unión Europea (UE)
Agua y Saneamiento
Programa de apoyo presupuestario para el manejo integral del agua.
La gestión integrada del agua, basada en: a) la mejora del acceso al agua y a servicios de saneamiento, b) garantizar la disponibilidad de agua segura, teniendo en cuenta el cambio climático, la deforestación y la erosión del suelo, y c) la gestión de los espacios naturales protegidos.
Sector Programa o Proyecto Resumen
Justicia Programa de apoyo presupuestario
para las reformas de justicia Apoyo a una estrategia concertada entre todas las instituciones bolivianas para reformar la justicia a favor de la población
Naciones Unidas PNUD
Desarrollo Productivo
Estrategia de desarrollo productivo y generación de empleo en Tarija
Fortalecimiento de las capacidades productivas y el diseño de políticas de fomento a la producción y generación de empleo en el departamento de Tarija
Desarrollo y preparación de dos proyectos en desarrollo productivo de la pequeña y mediana industria
Crear patrimonio productivo y ciudadanía que apoye a grupos vulnerables a la extrema pobreza, y dar apoyo al Ministerio de Desarrollo Productivo y Economía Plural en la elaboración de políticas públicas de desarrollo productivo para promoción de micro y pequeñas empresas.
Desarrollo y preparación de cuatro proyectos de apoyo a la mediana, pequeña y microempresa rural y
urbana de Bolivia
Crear una Unidad que pueda preparar y desarrollar cuatro proyectos orientados de inversión y desarrollo productivo de las medianas, pequeñas y microempresas rurales y urbanas en Bolivia.
Programa de Fortalecimiento Institucional para la
Desconcentración de los Sistemas de Planificación e Inversión
Apoyo a los procesos de planificación económica y social, desarrollar políticas de planificación y ordenamiento territorial, implementar los sistemas de planificación integral estatal, y de inversión y financiamiento para el desarrollo (SEIF-D y SPIE), diseñar las políticas y estrategias de desarrollo del país, entre otras atribuciones.
Fomento al emprendimiento juvenil en el municipio de El Alto
Contribuir a la formulación e implementación de políticas que promuevan, faciliten y potencien la creación de empresas exitosas, sostenibles e innovadoras que favorezcan la inserción de los jóvenes al mercado laboral.
Naciones Unidas UNICEF
Agua y Saneamiento
El programa de Agua, Higiene y Ambientes Saludables
Población excluida y marginada cuenta con capacidades individuales y comunales desarrolladas que promueven su inclusión social, el ejercicio pleno de sus derechos y el mejoramiento de su calidad de vida
Gestión social
Protección de Derechos de la Niñez
Consolidar el sistema nacional de protección, fortaleciendo las instancias gubernamentales responsables de la protección y defensa de los derechos de la niñez y adolescencia y promoviendo la activa participación de las organizaciones sociales y comunitarias en difundir una cultura de respeto de los derechos de la niñez y adolescencia;
Protección de Derechos de la Niñez
Prevenir y reducir el maltrato, la violencia, el abuso sexual, la explotación sexual comercial y el trabajo infantil, especialmente en las peores formas para aportar a la erradicación del trabajo infantil en la región, incrementando la cobertura y calidad de programas institucionales de reinserción y rehabilitación para niños, niñas y adolescentes que se encuentran en situaciones de riesgo y vulnerabilidad, y
Supervivencia, salud y desarrollo de niños, niñas y adolescentes
Garantizar el derecho a la identidad a los niños, niñas y adolescentes indocumentados.
Cooperación Técnica de Alemania (GIZ)
Agua y Saneamiento
Servicios sostenibles del agua y del saneamiento en áreas periurbanas
Asistencia técnica para que más personas – especialmente los que viven en áreas urbanas económicamente vulnerables, tengan mejor acceso a la infraestructura de aguas residuales y agua potable. Las instituciones y servicios públicos toman medidas para proteger los recursos hídricos teniendo en cuenta los efectos del cambio climático.
Energía Sustentable
Desarrollo energético EnDev
Mejores condiciones en el sector de la energía de Bolivia. Hogares de bajos ingresos, las instituciones sociales como las empresas pequeñas y medianas empresas tienen acceso a tecnologías energéticas modernas y prestación de servicios.
Gestión Pública Decentralisation programme in
Bolivia (AIRAD)
Las autoridades sub nacionales han creado mejores condiciones para la prestación coordinada y descentralizada de los servicios en las áreas de salud y desarrollo económico.
Cooperación Financiera de Alemania (KfW)
Energía Sustentable
Desarrollo energético acceso a energía y desarrollo de energías renovables
Sector Programa o Proyecto Resumen
Agua y Saneamiento
Servicios sostenibles del agua y del saneamiento en áreas periurbanas
Mejorar las condiciones de vida en las áreas periurbanas. El objetivo especifico es expandir los servicios de agua y saneamiento en esas áreas
Corporación Andina de Fomento (CAF)
Recursos Hídricos
PROGRAMA DE AGUA, SANEAMIENTO, RESIDUOS SOLIDOS Y
DRENAJE PLUVIAL - PROASRED En estudio
Agua y Saneamiento
Programas Mas Inversión para Agua MIAGUA
Sistemas de agua segura en poblaciones rurales y ciudades intermedias
Cooperación Española (AECID)
Agua y Saneamiento
Fondo Español - Agua y Saneamiento Zonas Periféricas
Inversión para el tratamiento y distribución de agua potable, como también la recolección y el tratamiento de los residuos de agua en la áreas peri urbanas. Asistencia técnica para los operadores para el conocimiento del criterio financiero y operacional.
Gestión Pública Programa de Apoyo a Autonomías Apoyo al Plan Nacional de Descentralización con Autonomía del Ministerio de Autonomía boliviano
Gestión Pública Programa de Apoyo al sistema
Asociativo Municipal
Apoyo a la participación y propuesta del modelo autonómico descentralizado por parte de los municipios del país, asociados en la Federación de Asociaciones Municipales de Bolivia, FAM.
Educación Apoyo presupuestario al sector
educación
La subvención al gobierno en función del plan sectorial buscando en todo momento que los recursos financieros, respondan a una política, un plan de actuación y un plan de gasto único, bajo el liderazgo del gobierno.
Salud Programa de atención móvil sanitaria
en Bolivia (Fase II)
Respuesta a las emergencias pre hospitalarias y sistema de referencias de pacientes críticos en el medio urbano priorizado. Gestión local descentralizada para la planificación e implementación del sistema de atención móvil, con la participación de organizaciones comunitarias locales (sector salud, sector social y gobierno municipal)
Cooperación del Japón (JICA)
Agua y Saneamiento
Ampliación sistema de agua Mejoramiento de sistemas de agua potable en Cochabamba, Beni y Pando
Gestión de Riesgos
Gestión de Riesgos y Desastres Sistema de Asistencia de Emergencia para Alivio de Desastres
Educación Mejoras Infraestructura en
Educación Proyecto de Construcción de Infraestructuras Educativas de los Municipios de Potosí y Sucre
Cooperación de Suecia (ASDI)
Educación Apoyo presupuestario al sector
educación
Apoyo presupuestario al plan sectorial buscando en todo momento que los recursos financieros, respondan a una política, un plan de actuación y un plan de gasto único, bajo el liderazgo del gobierno.
Recursos Hídricos
Recursos naturales, medio ambiente y cambio climático
Plan Nacional de Cuencas y sistemas descentralizados de saneamiento
Agua y Saneamiento
Servicios sostenibles del agua y del saneamiento en áreas periurbanas
Apoyo presupuestarios para el incremento del acceso sostenible al agua segura y a la disposición adecuada de excretas.
Cooperación de Dinamarca (DANIDA)
Justicia Ejercicio de los derechos y el acceso
a la justicia
Transformar su sistema judicial, modernizarlo, procurar sea accesible, y democrático y transparente, y, lograr la confianza de sus ciudadanos en el sistema.
Desarrollo Productivo y Empleo
Crecimiento económico inclusivo y sostenible
Programa se llama JIWASA* (*vocablo aymara que en español significa “todos nosotros”) asistirá con el 70% del financiamiento a las Pymes en los rubros de alimentos, textiles, metal mecánica, carpintería y cuero, con una contraparte local del 30%, focalizando su accionar en superar obstáculos comunes como la estandarización de los productos y la productividad de las Pymes.
Energía Sustentable
La gestión sostenible de los recursos naturales y el cambio climático
Planta de energía solar para la ciudad de Cobija
Cooperación de Bélgica
Recursos Hídricos
Asistencia técnica a programas de recursos hídricos y agua
Plan Nacional de Cuencas y asistencia técnica al sector agua y saneamiento
Sector Programa o Proyecto Resumen
Cooperación Coreana (KOICA)
Salud Infraestructura en salud
Construcción de dos hospitales de tercer nivel en las ciudades de Oruro y El Alto
Agua y saneamiento
Servicios sostenibles del agua y del saneamiento
Sistema de agua potable en el municipio cruceño de Ascensión de Guarayos
Annex 3 – Migration The country's migratory patterns have varied significantly over the last 40 years, and are having a notable
impact on the demographic distribution between rural and urban areas. Various factors have changed the
population composition of the country, generating very dynamic urban areas and demographically static
rural areas. Population size and composition in urban and rural areas make it possible to appreciate a
broad-based pyramidal structure, with a gradual increase in the young population as characteristic
features of a process of moderate demographic transition (UNFPA, 2010). In rural areas, between 1976
and 2012, the volume and composition of the population has remained stable and there is even a slight
reduction in the population under 15 years of age during the last decade. In urban areas, on the contrary,
from 2001 to 2012, the urban population under 15 years of age continued to grow, while the population
between 20 and 40 years in urban areas increased by more than 25% (or 35,000 people more for each
age).
About 65% of internal migrants in Bolivia have moved from the countryside to the city or between capital
cities. According to the 2012 census, between seven and eight out of every one hundred homes in Bolivia
changed their place of residence during the last five years; 57 per cent of migrant households reside in
departmental capital cities and 9 per cent in intermediate cities with more than 20,000 inhabitants. The
two most frequent types of migration are: households that originate in rural areas and are destined for
capital cities (29%) and households that move from one capital city to another capital city (22%).
The sustained decline of the rural population in relative terms is due to several factors of expulsion that
have been present. First, rural areas have a historical legacy of inequality in land distribution and access,
as two types of production are present: one is associated with the agrarian exploitation of large tracts of
land, which today Is related to development models based on the productive and export potential of the
large agricultural properties, and the other linked to small rural property, usually in the hands of peasants,
with a productive and technological backwardness. In this context, small rural property is dedicated to
subsistence activities, in a scenario of difficult and expensive access to basic, educational, health services
and information and communication technologies, reasons for which, particularly the young and old
population To work, she feels obliged to migrate to mainly urban areas.
This phenomenon may lead to an advance in the process of demographic aging in rural areas, a
phenomenon not yet clearly perceived in Bolivia. Migration from the countryside to the city has a
significant impact on rural areas, both in moderating their growth and in the aging of the population. As
the population that migrates from rural to urban areas is mostly of working age, the expected result is
premature aging of the countryside (ECLAC, 2012)
From an economic perspective, rural settlements close to cities would benefit from positive externalities
that may promote greater agricultural development, given the direct integration with growing consumer
markets. This integration approach aims to generate linkages from the urban centers to the rural
environment through the growing demand for agricultural goods, with urban and rural counterparts in the
provision of services and infrastructure and the transfer of remittances generated by the migrant
population. As an indirect benefit, agriculture, in regions with profitable agricultural exploitation, can
improve its productivity, achieving better prices for its products and better remuneration for work.
However, it is necessary to study in detail and collect information to verify if the pattern of urban
development in Bolivia, differentiated regions, effectively contributes to promote this rural development
and evaluate that it is necessary to promote, so that the potential benefits materialize.
Another relevant finding is related to the same study by the World Bank in which it is found first that
migrating individuals increase their income as they move to urban areas and, that income is comparable
to that of other residents. While this is relevant on absolute terms, the assertion falls short on the source
of the income and the quality of life that it can afford, often being the case that migrants fall within the
informal sector or low-quality employment.
Graph. No. A3.1
Comparison between rural and migrant incomes
Source: World Bank
A final note on migration, which is commonly understood as a definitive event of individual or family
mobilization from one place to another, or from rural to urban areas in this case. In Bolivia, individuals
tend to move to urban areas on a temporary or seasonal basis, not completely leaving behind their lives of
their original location, often leaving back family (parents, sons/daughters, agricultural livelihood and social
activities) to which frequent returns for planting, harvesting, festivities and other important occasions are
part of what is beginning to be known as “multilocation”, which in this case would be an urban and rural
part time citizen. It is not until the second or third generation that the rural and urban migration
consolidates, as siblings no longer keep strong ties with their parent’s home towns.
Annex 4 – Comments on Issue Paper
General appreciation:
Views on draft Issue Paper’s recommendation to
SDC to intervene in urban contexts
Client: Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation – SDC
Consultant: Roberto Tejada Ponce
February 2017
1. Context – “The urban delivery gap”
Whereas it is true that urbanization facilitates access to basic services and makes its delivery more
efficiently, there is a timeframe or gap on how fast this takes place. Rural-urban migration often outpaces
local government’s capacities in cities to even plan for the geographical growth of new settlements, much
less to make provisions for the delivery of basic services. Moreover, the advantages of urbanization are
dependent on how urban growth has taken place, either though both through expansion and/or
densification, which are determinants for the efficiency and cost of services in cities.
Urban areas are hubs for job creation and have great labor absorption capacity, nevertheless, the types of
jobs that are created are generally of low quality and within the informal sector. While there is an
opportunity to improve this context through policies and programs, the time and effort, read gap, to
improve this shall not be underestimated, including the tendency for conditions not to change.
While it is more efficient to address vulnerability issues of migrant families in settlements around urban
areas, the implications to do this often represents a huge technical and financial challenges to local
governments that frequently have not considered these areas for urban expansion, nor have prepared
measures of risk prevention and mitigation.
2. Critical view on intervening in urban contexts with projects that integrate and coordinate activities
across fields
The nature or urban development is multi-sectorial, thus it is sensible to approach the challenges faced by
urban areas in development countries from this perspective. Nevertheless, there are advantages and
disadvantages:
a) Urban Governance
Pros Cons
Allows the design of urban development plans that facilitate orderly growth, control environmental impact as well and risk mitigation
Promotes the efficient implementation of investment projects addressing citizen’s demands
Promotes governance on service providers, maximizing continuity quality and affordability
Well positioned to take advantage of the economies of scale of the implementation of services with associative schemes among local, regional and departmental governments.
Requires significant resources (financial and technical) to position practices that promote urban governance, especially in week local governments
Often requires important coordination efforts with national governments and other donors both in technical assistance and investment support, which depend on many external (non-controllable) factors
Technical assistance alone does not maximize the chance of success, frequently requiring financial
Can optimize customer service with decentralized schemes through sub-municipal services
support incentives
b) Economic development and decent employment
Pros Cons
Generates high interest from local governments to undertake this type of activities, but the rate of success has been varied so far
1
Availability of several successful practices that could be applied on north-south and south-south schemes
Generates awareness and support on local authorities who recognize that the evolution from a production economy to that of services requires better planned and orderly growth of cities, by densification and not by expansion
Facilitates the application of gender and inclusion policies, among other crosscutting themes
Requires significant efforts (technical and financial) to position successful programs
Faces absence of a minimal technical and even administrative capacity of local actors and decision makers which undermine the potential pace of implementation and results
Requires a set of incentives, being access to financing the most effective, to improve the chance of success, leaving technical assistance with limited capacity to change views and behavior
c) Environmentally sustainable and resilient urban development
Pros Cons
Allows for crosscutting approaches on environmental sustainability, climate change and risk management
Generates impact at the local level through the implementation of existing laws and regulations that often only apply on the national level
Complements governance and economic development (fields) through the implementation of sustainable development and resilient approaches in subnational governments
Requires significant efforts (technical and financial) to position successful programs,
Requires financial incentives to improve the chance of success
The overall assessment indicates that the advantages for a sectorial approach merit for SDC to opt for
such alternative. It must be bared that the coordination and integration in the fields of governance2,
employment3 and sustainable urban growth implicitly requires s significant effort for implementation
having an impact on the required financially and institutional resources will be greater to achieve results.
In addition, such approach also requires geographical focus to achieve economies of scales to support the
implementation services like solid waste management, water and/or transport. Furthermore, given that
the key to success is concentration and not dispersion4 of efforts, the available resources, including those
coordinated with other donors, must be must be proportional to the size of the urban areas to be
supported5 to have some level of effectiveness.
1 This is, in general terms. SDC’s own (and extensive) experience in the field may have yield different results
2 Governance should focus on improving service provision, regulation, planning and investment management
3 Economic development should focus on incentives to promote the supply and demand for employment.
4 When supporting urban areas, the gains and externalities are in the sum of lines of actions (such as the suggested
three areas) rather than isolated sectorial support. 5 Which may include rural areas
Finally, support to urban areas must be applied in all three areas6, given the high level of complementarity,
and perhaps most importantly, the interdependency, that they have. The contrary could diminish the
chance of any success given that a critical mass of support must be reached for change to take place.
Overall comments to the draft issue Paper
A.1 On exclusive urbanization. It is worthwhile noting that, some municipalities, are comprised of urban
and rural areas, the first covering a small area, but with the bulk of the population and the second large
land areas but sparsely populated. Nevertheless, local authorities tend to focus more on the needs of
citizens in urban areas without linking economic and social growth in surrounding rural areas.
A.2 On the role of secondary cities (non-primary) or intermediate cities. The relevance of this category
of cities should be carefully analyzed before considering its relevance within an urban development
strategy. For example, from a migration perspective, are these cities receiving or generating migrants?
Are citizens using them as a mid-point before moving to the big metropolitan areas? The answer to these
and other related questions will define if an urban growth strategy (or support to) needs to include them,
or just focus where the real growth and issues take place.
A.3 On making urbanization and cities more inclusive. The proposed actions are all highly desirable and
strategic, but the core of the challenge is the resources to make them happen. Local governments are
trapped in non-action given their limited resources and the size of the challenges, having to prioritize
investing fractions of what is needed to move towards the suggested direction. It should be
complemented with the means to do this, streamlined access to finance protected from political bias and
focused on specific sectors/actions.
A.4 On making economic growth more equitable. It should be carefully analyzed if job creation and
income improvement is part of an urban development strategy o, instead, the result of a healthy urban
development that facilitates business creation, entrepreneurship, and growth within a livable space that
generates opportunities for all.
A.5 On the need for substantive action. Interventions, in all institutional, technical, programmatic and
financial resources, must be pertinent to the scale of the issues they are planning to influence, change or
solve.
6 Including planning, investment management, and other crosscutting areas.
Annex 5 – Urban Population, Migration and Access to Services
POBLACION, ÍNDICE DE MASCULINIDAD Y TASA DE URBANIZACIÓN MUNICIPAL, 2012
ÁREA URBANA
ÁREA RURAL
TOTAL
ÍNDICE DE MASCULINIDAD
TASA DE
URBANIZACIÓN Código Municipio Mujer Hombre Total Mujer Hombre Total Mujer Hombre Total Urbano Rural Total 010101 Sucre 124,764 112,716 237,480 10,958 10,950 21,908 135,722 123,666 259,388 90.3 99.9 91.1 91.6%
Viacha La Paz 62,516 10.4 Colcapirhua Cochabamba 51,896 2.2 Cities 50,000 to 100,000 418,230 6.4% Tiquipaya Cochabamba 49,237 7.7 Cobija Pando 42,849 9.6 Vinto Cochabamba 40,786 17.1 Guayaramerín Beni 35,764 0.7 Villazón Potosí 35,167 2.3 Llallagua Potosí 34,834 1.7 Yapacaní Santa Cruz 33,264 11.6 El Torno Santa Cruz 30,928 5.8
Villamontes Tarija 30,228 8.0 Bermejo Tarija 29,459 1.2 Camiri Santa Cruz 28,855 0.8 Tupiza Potosí 27,302 2.3 Cotoca Santa Cruz 24,287 3.5 San Ignacio de Velasco Santa Cruz 23,126 1.7 San Borja Beni 22,213 1.3
San Julián Santa Cruz 20,687 19.5 Huanuni Oruro 20,336 3.1
Cities 20,000 to 50,000 529,322 4.5% Punata Cochabamba 19,559 3.0 Asención de Guarayos Santa Cruz 19,254 5.2
Achocalla La Paz 18,442 7.1 Mineros Santa Cruz 18,340 3.5 Uyuni Potosí 18,068 6.5 Puerto Suarez Santa Cruz 16,643 4.0 Puerto Quijarro Santa Cruz 16,373 2.8 Sipe Sipe Cochabamba 14,260 32.3
Portachuelo Santa Cruz 14,091 2.2
Entre Rios Cochabamba 13,736 11.1
Caranavi La Paz 13,569 1.1 Rurrenabaque Beni 13,446 5.4 San Carlos Santa Cruz 13,074 3.1
Puerto Villarroel Cochabamba 13,031 9.5 Challapata Oruro 12,684 5.9 Santa Ana de Yacuma Beni 12,178 -0.5 San José de Chiquitos Santa Cruz 11,874 2.6 Monteagudo Chuquisaca 11,443 5.2 Patacamaya La Paz 11,197 3.0 Cliza Cochabamba 11,108 2.3 Sica Sica La Paz 11,047 5.6
Vallegrande Santa Cruz 10,158 2.7 Roboré Santa Cruz 10,098 0.2 San Ignacio Beni 10,054 1.2
Cities 10,000 to 20,000 333,727 4.1% Total 6,535,723 4.8%
Annex 7 - Prioritization of Urban Areas
Municipio
Depto.
Población
Urbana
Crecimiento%
Descentralización y
DDHH
Empleo y
generación de
Ingreso
Reducción del
Impacto del CC
Pobreza
NBI (%)
1
Sinergia
2
Donantes
Transver-
3 salidad
Sinergia
urbano- 4
rural
Población
<500 mil >100 5
mil hab.
Santa Cruz de la Sierra Santa Cruz 1,441,406 2.7 45% 3 1 1 1 0
Ciudades mayores a 1,000,000 1,441,406 2.7% El Alto
La Paz
Cochabamba
La Paz
La Paz
Cochabamba
842,378
757,184
630,587
2.7
-0.4
2.0
36% 3
3
3
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
0
0
0 14%
28%
Ciudades enre 500,000 a 1,000,000 2,230,149 1.3% Oruro
Sucre Tarija
Potosí
Sacaba
Quillacollo
Montero
Trinidad
Oruro
Chuquisaca
Tarija Potosí
Cochabamba
Cochabamba
Santa Cruz
Beni
264,683
237,480
179,528
174,973
149,563
130,434
107,294
101,454
2.9
2.0
2.9
2.9
5.6
6.0
3.4
3.1
25%
22%
3
3
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
17% 3 1 1 1 1
21%
30%
25%
30%
37%
3 1 1 1 1
2
2
2
1
1
1
0
0
0
1
1
1
1
1
1
3 1 1 1 1
Ciudades entre 100,000 a 500,000 1,345,409 3.1% Warnes La Guardia
Riberalta
Yacuiba
Viacha
Colcapirhua
Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz
Beni
Tarija
La Paz
Cochabamba
80,559
80,415
78,754
64,090
62,516
51,896
26.9
19.6
2.0
-0.1
10.4
2.2
39%
32%
2
2
2
2
3
0
1
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
1
1
0
0
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
54%
22%
45%
17%
Ciudades entre 50,000 a 100,000 418,230 6.4% Tiquipaya
Cobija
Vinto
Guayaramerín
Villazón
Llallagua
Yapacaní
El Torno
Villamontes
Bermejo
Camiri Tupiza
Cotoca
San Ignacio de Velasco San
Borja
San Julián
Huanuni
Cochabamba
Pando
Cochabamba
Beni
Potosí
Potosí Santa
Cruz Santa
Cruz Tarija
Tarija Santa
Cruz Potosí
Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz
Beni
Santa Cruz
Oruro
49,237
42,849
40,786
35,764
35,167
34,834
33,264
30,928
30,228
29,459
28,855
27,302
24,287
23,126
22,213
20,687
20,336
7.7
9.6
17.1
0.7
2.3
1.7
29%
30%
38%
31%
34%
31%
2
2
2
2
3
2
2
2
3
2
1
3
2
1
1
2
2
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
11.6 56%
5.8
8.0
1.2
0.8
2.3
3.5
1.7
1.3
39%
35%
23%
22%
20%
27%
41%
50%
19.5 62%
3.1 14%
Ciudades entre 20,000 a 50,000 529,322 4.5% Punata Asención de Guarayos
Achocalla
Mineros
Uyuni
Puerto Suarez
Puerto Quijarro
Sipe Sipe
Portachuelo Entre
Rios Caranavi
Rurrenabaque San
Carlos Puerto
Villarroel
Challapata
Santa Ana de Yacuma San
José de Chiquitos
Monteagudo Patacamaya
Cliza Sica
Sica
Vallegrande
Roboré
San Ignacio
Cochabamba
Santa Cruz La
Paz Santa Cruz
Potosí
Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz
Cochabamba
Santa Cruz
Cochabamba
La Paz
Beni Santa Cruz
Cochabamba
Oruro
Beni Santa Cruz
Chuquisaca La
Paz
Cochabamba
La Paz Santa
Cruz Santa
Cruz Beni
19,559
19,254
18,442
18,340
18,068
16,643
16,373
14,260
14,091
13,736
13,569
13,446
13,074
13,031
12,684
12,178
11,874
11,443
11,197
11,108
11,047
10,158
10,098
10,054
3.0 28% 1
1
1
1
2
2
1
1
1
1
2
1
1
2
2
0
1
3
1
1
1
3
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
5.2 73%
7.1
3.5
6.5
4.0
2.8
32.3
2.2
69%
43%
31%
32%
34%
53%
23%
11.1 53%
1.1
5.4
3.1
40%
43%
50%
50%
50% 9.5 5.9
-0.5
2.6
5.2
3.0
2.3
5.6
2.7
0.2
1.2
41%
33%
19%
51%
28%
62%
22%
30%
60%
Cuidades entre 10,000 a 20,000 333,727 4.1%
Total 6,535,723 4.8%
1 Índice de sinergia. En una escala de 0 a 3, el índice de sinergia mide la coincidencia de los componentes de SDC en una misma zona urbana. Se asigna puntos de forma proporcional al número de componentes.
2 Donantes. En una escala de 0 a 1, el índice de donantes mide la coincidencia geográfica con proyectos de otros donantes. La ausencia de donantes recibe cero, uno o más, uno. 3 Transversalidad. En una escala de 0 a 1, el índice mide la existencia de transversalidad temática de los ámbitos priorizados para una intervención urbana. La inexistencia de
transversalidad recibe cero, un punto cuando intervienen tres ámbitos. 4 Sinergia urbano-rural. En una escala de 0 a 1, el índice mide el potencial de promover cadenas de valor urbano rurales actualmente apoyadas por SDC. La ausencia de
intervenciones rurales recibe cero, una o más recibe un punto. 5 Población <500 mil >100 mil hab. En una escala de 0 a 1, el índice mide si el área urbana en cuestión cae dentro de un rango poblacional donde SCD pueda lograr impactos
sostenibles a escala de su apoyo. La coincidencia poblacional dentro del rango recibe un punto, cero si ca
Annex 8 – Map of Bolivia showing principal urban areas
Annex 9 – Presentation for discussion: Bolivia Country Study on Urban Development Opportunities
Bolivia Country Study on
Urban Development
Opportunities
Presentation for internal discussion
March 31, 2017
Contents
✓ Introduction
✓ Urban development in Bolivia
✓ Stocktaking of activities in urban development
✓ Other donors
✓ Actors
✓ SDC Bolivia
✓ Recommendations
✓ Q&A
3
Urban development and Growth
4
5
Systems of Cities in Bolivia
Metropolitan areas
La Paz, El Alto, Cochabamba
and Santa Cruz
Category Count
Population
2012
Populatio
n Growth
Urban
Population in
municipality Main Cities (over de 500 mil) 4 3.671.555 1,6% 99,4%
Large Cities (100,000 to 500,000) 9 1.582.889 2,7% 91,6%
Medium Cities (50,000 to 100,000) 6 418.230 5,0% 83,9%
Small Cities (10,000 to 50,000) 41 863.049 3,6% 63,3%
Total 60 6.535.723 2,3% 89,7%
67% of the population lives in an urban context, 2012
Regional Urban Expansion Patterns
6
Even large cities in Bolivia are expanding, not densifying, well above the regional average
Urban expansion pattern: Case of Riberalta
7
Demographic Growth and Migration
Growth is
concentrating in
the north-east Some main and large cities are loosing population
8
Urban Poverty Trend in Bolivia
9
Recommended Fields of Action for SCD Bolivia
Topics measured against:
✓ Severity ✓ Sustainable development
✓ Domains of SDC current strategy
Priority Topics
✓ Access to basic urban infrastructure services
✓ Access to public services ✓ Decent Work ✓ Vulnerabilities as a result of Climate
Change
10
Developmen
Domains Priorit
y
Topic
Severity1
Access to basic urban infrastructure services2
+++
Basic administrative
services +
Access to public
services 3
+++
Housing +
Decent work +++
Security ++
Land tenure +
Vulnerabilities as a result of climate change
+++
Urban community organization
+
Social Econ. Env. Gov. I & E CC
+ + + + + 7
+ + 3
+ + + + 7
+ + + 4
+ + + 6
+ + + + 5
+ + + + 5
+ + + + + 8
+ + 3
Stocktaking of Donors, Main Actors and SDC’s
activities
11
Effectiveness of Service Delivery and the Urban Delivery Gap
Urban delivery gap
12
Access to only a few services
Arrival to
city
Tim
e
Full citizenship
Urban-Related Work by Other Donors
Ample coincidence of sectors and topics, but not integrated
13
What? Who? Where?
✓ Many donors have programs in most y1
sectors
➢ But not with an integrated approach
✓ Most cities/urban areas are covered ➢ But not with an integrated
assistance
There is plenty of room for an:
✓ Integrated urban program or approach
✓ In several urban areas of the Country
Sector
A
E C I
D
E U
I
A D
B
P
N U
D
U
N I C
E F
Donor
K D
C O A
A I N
F C
I
A D A
A
S D
I
J
I C
A
G I
Z
K f
W
W o r
d
B a n
k
Type and size of cit
Main L M
Urban Infrastructure + + Water and Sanitation + + +
Health + +
Education + + +
Risk Reduction + + Energy +
Justice + + +
Productive Development + + Social Assistance +
Public Management + +
Water Resources + + +
Thematic area Program
Urban Topic
or
Type and size of
city1
Rura
l
Urban 2
Programa de Mejora sector
Metro L M S
approach Relevance
Decentralizatio
n and Human Rights
de Servicios3 Governance + + + + + +++
Vida sin violencia Public + + + + + ++
Services
Acceso a Justicia Public
Services + + + + + +++
Gestión Integrada
del Agua - GIA
CC Services + + + ++
Urban Relevance
Biocultura CC + + + Aire Limpio CC + + ++
of SDC Bolivia
Programs
Reduction of
the Impact
from
Gestión ambiental
municipal - GAM
Services
CC
+ + +++
But, from an
urban
development
perspective,
Climate Change
Investigación sobre
el CC
Reducción del
Riesgo de Desastres
- RRD
CC + ++
CC
+ + + +++ Governance
programs are atomized
Mercados Rurales Decent work + + + + + ++
PROBOLIVIA
Most SDC
Programs have direct or indirect,
but often high
urban relevance
14
thematically and
geographically
Employment
and Income
Fortalecimento de
microempresas
Formación
Técnica
Decent work + + +++
generation
Profesional Decent work + + + ++
Microseguro
Agrícola Rural + +
Justicia
mass Kno
w
with
local
Dep and
Nat. Most SDC Programs are do well from an
urban approach even though it was
NOT their objective
municipal
-
Urban Performance of SDC
Bolivia Programs
SDC Programs have gained
important practices and knowledge to
work with an urban approach
Dimension (high=3, mid=2, low=1)
Thematic area Program Urban focus1
Critical
Urban Integration Coord. with Assessmt
how government Governments Programa de
Decentralization Mejora de 2
Servicios 1 3 3 2 11
and Human
Rights
Vida sin
violencia 3
1 3 2 3 12
Acceso a 3
2 3 1 3 12
Gestión Integrada del 2
Agua - GIA
1
2
3
3
11
Biocultura 1 1 2 3 2 9
Aire Limpio 3 1 3 3 3 13
Reduction of
the Impact from
Climate Change
Gestión ambiental
3
GAM
1
3
3
2
12
Investigación
sobre el CC 1
1 1 2 3 8
Reducción del Riesgo de 2
Desastres - RRD
1
1
3
3
10
Mercados
Rurales 1
1 1 2 2 7
Employment
and Income
Fortalecimento de 3
microempresas
1
3
2
3
12
generation Formación
Técnica 3 Profesional
1
3
2
3
12
Microseguro
Agrícola 1
1 1 1 3 7
Recommendations
16
Recommended Fields of Action Related to SECO
o Solid waste management
o Urban mobility 17
• Great potential for synergies with SDC • SECO project financing could be an important incentive for
municipalities to change management practices • Opportunity to be complementary to SDC in supporting the
quality of the services provided in:
o Public service management o Urban resilience to Climate Change
• Other potential areas o Sanitation
Recommendations for the implementation of and urban approach
18
Urban issues are best addressed from the local level
➢ Must work with municipal governments
➢ Provide feedback and engage national and central levels of government for the design of (urban) policies
Change in geographical approach
➢ Focus geographically to achieve sustainable impact ➢ One metropolitan area (La Paz-El Alto)
➢ One large and one medium cities (Tarija and Yacuiba)
Recommendations for the implementation of and urban approach (2)
RISKS
issues depend on the
magnitude of the intervention 19
Suggested Urban Approach for
the Upcoming SDC Strategy
Change from sectorial to
integrated approach
o Areas for urban approach: • Provision of public services • Employment and Income
o Resilience to Climate Change must be crosscutting
• Operational challenge o Reduce portfolio size, urban
20
Discussion / Q&A
21
Thank you
Annex 10 – TORs Bolivia Country Study on Urban Development Opportunities
Country study Bolivia: Urban Development Opportunities
Terms of Reference
General background information on the study
By 2050, the world’s population will increase by 2.3 billion people. Growth will take place exclusively in urban areas, mostly in Asia and Africa. While urbanization offers opportunities to reduce poverty, especially rapid urban growth means as well big challenges for the cities in terms of accommodating the additional, especially the poor, marginalized people. The number of people living in informal settlements is expected to increase a lot, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa and some Asian regions. By 2040, more poor people will be living in urban than in rural areas.
Today, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) is mainly active in rural areas, only a modest part going into urban contexts and development (cf. light-mapping of SDC / SECO activities done in 2016). In contrast to this, from the 80ies till the early years of 2000, SDC still had a specialist department on “Industry, Vocational Skills Development and Urbanization” and country programs with strong urban development components like in Vietnam or in Western Africa (with the concept of the “villes moyennes”). This focus got lost due to internal reforms in the years 2000. But in view of the above mentioned global trends, it is evident that urban and peri-urban development becomes increasingly important for development cooperation (including humanitarian aid). On the other hand, the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) as the second Swiss public entity implementing cooperation projects, has already nowadays a clear focus on urban contexts, e.g. with the financing of cities’ infrastructure.
In 2015, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were adopted, including SDG 11 on inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable cities. And last autumn, the new Urban Agenda was determined during the Habitat III conference in Quito. In this context, SDC is reflecting on its long-term positioning to contribute to this agenda, to face the new challenges and to work increasingly in (peri-)urban contexts. In 2016, an SDC working group elaborated a draft issue paper (in consultation) with recommendations on SDC’s positioning in urban contexts. The preliminary recommendations (cf. chapter 3 of the draft issue paper) propose that SDC engages more actively and more systematically in peri-urban and urban contexts, thus contributing to an inclusive and sustainable urbanization process. It is proposed to connect to existing SDC experiences and to build on the potential of dynamic rural-urban linkages to fight national poverty, putting individuals at the center. It is as well recommended to focus on functional territorial areas covering connected urban, peri-urban and rural areas, with a specific focus on smaller and medium sized cities. The recommended thematic focus areas of work are a) urban governance, b) economic inclusion and c) environmentally sustainable and resilient urban development.
The case studies are a next step to validate and deepen these reflections on a concrete country level, implying several thematic SDC networks. The studies will provide inputs for several purposes: For the elaboration of SDC country strategies and the development of country portfolios, for strategic SDC management decisions and for learning at SDC and beyond.
Bolivia: The strategic orientation of the country program (2013 – 2017) in Bolivia has three priority domains: Decentralization and Human Rights (D&HH.RR), Climate Change (CC) and Employment & Income (E&I). There are two mainstreaming topics: gender and governance. The SDC projects are working with different levels of governments and municipalities (rural, peri-urban, urban) and addressing poverty from different points of view in each domain.
In the first trimester or 2017 it is expected to have an internal discussion about the country priorities that will be considered in the next Country Strategy (2018 -2021). So far, the mentioned domains will probably remain7, but the project portfolio will be prioritized regarding the country budget constraints and the problems that Bolivia is now facing in peri-urban and urban areas.
Objective of the country study: The country study shall deliver answers to the following leading questions (which are further specified in the questions and report outline just below):
a) What are major issues and challenges in urban and peri-urban development where Development Cooperation in general and SDC specifically can make a difference?
b) How to connect best to existing SDC experiences in Bolivia when working increasingly in urban and peri-urban contexts, how to work on functional rural-(peri)-urban areas?
c) How to integrate the peri urban and urban lens into the upcoming cooperation strategy, how to adapt the existing project portfolio?
Specific questions of the country study / outline of the report
1. Country context / Urbanization process
1.1. What are main characteristics of urbanization, urban growth and poverty? (urbanization rate over time, demography, reasons of migration, poverty rates rural/urban, inequalities)
1.2. What are the tendencies of urban development in Bolivia until 2030 and 2050?
1.3. What national framework has a major influence on urban development? E.g. urban / peri-urban development strategies; national economic policies; public management mechanisms on metropolitan / regional level; migration strategies; decentralization processes with legal / administrative competencies and financial resources attributed to local authorities.
1.4. What role do cities / rural-urban linkages have in poverty reduction in the country? E.g. with regard to the potential of value chains for agricultural products, high-growth economic sectors that utilize inputs and/or labor from rural areas What are some relevant opportunities to reduce national poverty with regard to cities and rural-urban linkages? Where information is available, identify potential high-growth industries that utilize inputs and/or labor from rural areas), migration and changes in employment generation.
1.5. What are the main poverty-related challenges of the urbanization process (with a focus on the three most important challenges, describing linkages to other topics and to the priority domains of the upcoming cooperation strategy)? E.g. land tenure, housing, access to basic social services, basic administrative services, access to legal services and alternatives, decent work, security, protection, vulnerabilities as a result of climate change, urban community organization, etc. Consider the three dimensions of sustainable development as a “reading grid” / tool for this analysis.
7 The E&I domain will probably go deeper on the economic development.
2. Stocktaking of other donors’, main actors’ and SDC’s activities
2.1. What are other donors’ and main actors (i.e. municipalities, Ministry of Autonomy etc.) engagements to address the above mentioned biggest challenges of (peri-)urban development? Description of thematic and geographical areas of work and of targeted type / size of cities.
2.2. What areas of other donors’ and main actors’ interventions were for what reasons generally successful, what areas of interventions were less successful?
2.3. What are unaddressed issues and challenges?
2.4. Where do SDC’s activities reach out to (peri-) urban contexts within the three domains of the Country Cooperation Strategy? Description of thematic and geographical areas of work and of targeted type / size of cities.
2.5. What areas of SDC’s interventions were for what reasons generally successful, what areas of interventions were less successful?
2.6. Does SDC address some of the issues and challenges not yet covered by other donors / actors – and which are still left out?
3. Reflections / recommendations
3.1. What are recommended fields of action for SDC, in view of poverty reduction leverage and overall sustainable development in the country? Proposal of thematic priorities (with reference to the new dispatch
8 but focused on the three domains
of the Country Strategy, geographical areas, city categories, functional areas, with a clear indication of value added of SDC (gaps, experiences).
Sub-question: Which of the identified recommended fields of action could be linked with SECO’s main fields of expertise?
3.2. What are the three main recommendations to integrate the topic in the domains of the upcoming cooperation strategy and / or to adapt / develop the project portfolio?
3.3. General appreciation: What are your views on the draft Issue Paper’s recommendation to SDC to intervene in urban contexts with projects that integrate or coordinate activities in the three fields of a) urban governance, b) economic development / decent employment as well as c) environmentally sustainable and resilient urban development? --> the answer to this point is to be covered in an annex to the report, with a maximum 2 pages (deadline for this annex to be shared with SDC: 24 February) (SDC’s draft Issue Paper, to be shared with the expert, recommends on pages 8 – 10 working in urban areas in an integrated / coordinated way encompassing the three mentioned fields. The feasibility needs to be checked, indicating pros and cons)
Geographical scope of study: The study is done on a country level, and should put a focus on Metropolitan regions (La Paz, Cochabamba, Santa Cruz), the capital cities and main cities from 10.000 inhabitants and up. The report shall contain a city categorization (e.g. small, intermediate, big cities, with indication of the respective population sizes). The study is to be done on a country level, considering this city categorization as an analytical grid / tool for the three mentioned chapters of the study.
Basic documentation to be shared with consultant
Draft Issue Paper “SDC’s future engagement in urban contexts” (version 16/12/2016)
8 The thematic priorities of the new dispatch to parliament are: climate change and environment; food security and
nutrition; water; migration; health; basic education and vocational skills development; employment and economic development; peace promotion, conflict prevention and human rights; gender equality; governance.
Preliminary results of the lightmapping SDC / SECO (version 22/07/2016)
Country Strategy Bolivia 2013 – 2017
Report on the Mid-Term-Review Country Strategy Bolivia.
Portfolio information: Credit proposal and / or project documentation of each SDC, Humanitarian Aid and SECO project in Bolivia and of relevant regional SDC / HA initiatives.
Basic documentation to be considered by the consultant (links to the respective documents to be annexed in the report)
Comunidades Urbanas, Ministerio de Obras Públicas, 2016
Plan Nacional de Desarrollo 2016 – 2020
Informe Nacional Sobre Desarrollo Humano en Bolivia: El nuevo rostro de Bolivia – Transformación Social y Metropolización, UNDP, 2016
Tendencias Urbanas en Bolivia: Oportunidades y desafíos, World Bank, 2014
Plan de Acción Área Metropolitana de Cochabamba Sostenible, IADB, 2013
Ley 777 del Sistema de Planificación Integral Estatal - SPIE
Lineamientos para la elaboración de Planes Territoriales de Desarrollo Integral – PTDI, Ministerio de Planificación del Desarrollo, 2016
INE: Official Statistics and reports (census 2012).
Supporting Sustainable Urbanization in Bolivia, World Bank, 201
Other official reports from multilateral and bilateral donors related to the topic of urbanization in Bolivia.
Methodology
TOR chapter 1 (context): Mainly desk studies of existing documents and statistical information; interviews with main stakeholders, e.g. government representatives of ministries, municipalities and “gobernaciones”, private sector, etc. TOR chapter 2 (stocktaking): Desk studies; interviews with SDC personnel (i.e. National Program Officers) and main donors active in urban areas; targeted field visits to SDC projects and interviews with their project coordinators and other local authorities.
TOR chapter 3 (recommendations): Analytical work, interviews with relevant stakeholders to be coordinated with the National Program Officer in Bolivia.
Time frame: February - March 2017
Activities / deliverables
Language of deliverables (documents, presentations): English
By 7th February 2017: Delivery of work-plan with proposal of detailed report outline (on the basis of the TOR / outline indicated above, with indication of pages),
From 13 to 24 February 2017: Desk study work, interviews and field trips, By 10 March 2017: Delivery of analytical draft report (maximum 15 pages, evenly distributed on the three main chapters context, stocktaking and recommendations; explaining tables and graphics are highly appreciated, the most important ones to be included in the main text, the rest in the annexes),
By 17 March 2017: Presentation of results at the Swiss Cooperation Office / Embassy (in form of a concise PPT presentation with hard data, main charts and recommendations), with discussion of the results and a feedback on the report,
By 24 March 2017: Adaptation / finalization of the report.
Skype presentation / exchange with accompanying “urbanization” group in Switzerland in April and October (exact dates to be confirmed).