Bolivia Sustainable Urban Development Project

Enabling a National Policy Framework

The central government is responsible for developing policies, regulations, and guidelines related to urban development. Within the context of transforming local governments from implementing to 'enabling' organizations, a number of policy and regulatory instruments need to be put in place. UTUI's emphasis has been on addressing policy areas with direct implications for urban development and poverty reduction, providing both short-term and long-term technical assistance to selected government departments and agencies to work on specific areas of regulatory reform. This is done through technical assistance, workshops, policy-oriented studies, and short courses for government staff. The central government has also benefited from the practical knowledge acquired by their counterparts in the Planning Departments in Tarija and Cochabamba in the development of the most progressive participatory planning processes in the country.

Opening ceremony for the Strategic Planning training course conducted by the Institute of Cultural Affairs (ICA) for Bolivian central government officials in La Paz. (1999)

One of the major challenges for the Government of Bolivia is helping municipalities reach a consensus regarding the most pressing urban development issues. The project has assisted the Government with this challenge through the development of two major national workshops:

Both events were considered extremely successful by Bolivian and Canadian participants, including experienced politicians such as former Toronto mayors Barbara Hall and David Crombie.

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" I think in a forum like this, we have a real opportunity to increase participation in all of our communities. I know as I go back to Toronto as a citizen, not the Mayor, that I'll take your experience in legislative citizen participation and, I hope, use that to preserve participation in my city. "

- Barbara Hall, Former Mayor of the City of Toronto, speaking at the National Conference on Sustainable Urban Development in Bolivia in May 1998

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Reports

Analysis of Decentralisation and Popular Participation Policies in Bolivia
Authors: Max F. Bade, Mauricio Casanovas Sainz
Date: April 1999
Description: This report presents the findings of two institutional development experts that reviewed and analyzed new Bolivian government policies affecting administrative Decentralisation, urban development and the popular participatory process.
Language: English

The Implementation of Participación Popular in Bolivia: Decentralisation of Public Services in Cochabamba
Authors: Amrita Daniere, Claudia Marcondes
Date: 1997
Description: The research for this paper was made possible by UTUI, and it was presented at ACSP 1997 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It examines how the implementation of the Ley de Participación Popular is proceeding in Cochabamba, one of larger and more progressive cities in Bolivia, with the objective of identifying hurdles impeding implementation as well as illuminating successful aspects of the process.
Language: English

Links

National Government

National Congress

Vice Ministry of Strategic Planning and Popular Participation

Law of Municipalities