Our CUI project team has been working in Bahir Dar for over a month now to collaborate with the City Administration & Regional Urban Planning Institute (RUPI) on a 10 Year Sustainable Vision & Waterfront Plan.
RUPI has provided us with guidance and background information and data, while our team has been managing the planning process. We have reviewed and prepared background research, identified issues and developed supporting goals, principles and design strategies to frame the project vision. It has been a multi-stage, stakeholder-driven, and design-based initiative marked by a number of public consultation meetings. Guided by the City’s previous Local Development Plan (LDP) and recent Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) targets, the project approaches development through the lens of sustainability – balancing the socio-economic needs of the waterfront community with that of the environment.
A successful planning process is grounded in a strong and reasonable set of goals and principles. In this plan the City of Bahir Dar & public stakeholders helped us establish a clear VISION: “to create a vibrant, livable and sustainable waterfront that provides for the social and economic needs of its people”. Through publicly approved municipal policy, consultation meetings and design charrettes, we then developed 5 fundamental principles to provide the logic for sustainable development. These principles represent simple but informative rules for the design of Bahir Dar’s waterfront, including but not limited to: (1) public access to the waterfront and its natural areas; (2) green, beautified and sanitary infrastructure & design; (3) mixed-use corridors; (4) appropriate housing and jobs for all; and, (5) access to urban-rural linkages.
A healthy Lakeshore & Riverfront ecosystem provides vital goods and services to the City of Bahir Dar. Given the growing ethic of sustainability, our CUI team is focusing on creating a Plan that looks at the greater City Waterfront Boundary and areas sensitive to development pressure. Through meetings with the Mayor & Cabinet, Government Officials, Experts, University Students and the general public, we are just in the midst of establishing clear strategies for the western, central & eastern edges of the Lake Tana & Blue Nile River Waterfront. The eastern wetland area, on the one hand, consists mostly of informal settlement, agricultural activity and fringes of development. The central Downtown Core, on the other, has high population density, continued investment opportunities and a threatened natural environment. The far western shore (surrounding the Abagerina Peninsula) shows yet another reality, one that is under-utilized and soon to experience development pressures from the expansion of the downtown core and fishing docks.
Once our team finalizes the 10 Year Vision & Waterfront Plan, it will only be useful if it assists the City to achieve the project’s goals and principles. The intent of the Vision is to serve as a useful, illustrative image of what the future might look like. It is also meant to guide planning by informing government policy and decision-making.
The question then remains in my mind – will the plan in fact guide government decision-making? I can’t wait to see.
Ciao from Bahir Dar!
Krystie
Monday, February 28, 2011
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Journeying North to Bahir Dar and Lake Tana
Bahir Dar is the largest City and tourist centre in the Tana Region, lying on the Southern shore of Lake Tana and at the mouth of the Blue Nile River. Lake Tana is seen by many as a jewel and reflects the changing face of Ethiopia - a land of extreme juxtaposition where urban modernity meets ancient orthodoxy.
Meandering through the downtown core of Bahir Dar, you can get a taste of the bustling market and the underlying poverty. It is a crowded downtown filled with shoe shiners, street children playing with garbage, disabled people begging and reverent people resting at the gates of the St. Gyorgis Church. The market, rebuilt a few years ago by the Municipal government after an unfortunate fire, is full of life. Women, children, teenagers try to sell everything from fruits and vegetables to goatskin injera-holders and traditional shama cloth. Further down the main thoroughfare is an open piazza leading to the Lake Tana waterfront. Hundreds of people, young and old, rest by the water. They sit on the terraced patio and along the cobbled waterfront pathway. Young men bathe in the lake while papyrus tankwa’s sail passed in pursue of fish. Dotted island monasteries rise from the lake lines revealing the importance of Christianity in this area.
The Lake Tana waterfront and its landscaped corridors contrast sharply with the images of poverty, unemployment and squatting settlements. This is where a little service can go a long way to improve the lives of the vulnerable. For the next two months, our Canadian Urban Institute team has embarked on a journey away from Addis Ababa to support the city of Bahir Dar with an integrated Waterfront Development Plan.
We are working in partnership with Bahir Dar’s Mayor & the Urban Planning Institute to create a Waterfront Plan that balances the socio-economic needs of the people with that of the environment. This is an exciting project that requires a great deal of collaboration. We have already made inroads into the Bahir Dar University and its Department of Wetlands, Fisheries & Biology. We have also met people everywhere truly vested in the future of Bahir Dar’s waterfront development. While walking along the illegal farming and grazing settlements on the lakefront wetlands, we met so many children eager to be apart of our work.
This week we are (1) delineating the Physical boundary of our Plan and Special Focus Areas and (2) collaborating with the Mayor’s Office to lead consultation meetings with Sub-Sectoral Offices, Kebele Officials and (cross our fingers) key community members. With the Mayor’s guidance, many doors previously shut have been opened. As usual, though, timelines & deadlines are an ephemeral concept here in Ethiopia, constantly changing and evolving at a whim. We will just have to see how it goes. One thing I have learnt is this planning process must be owned by the City & its people for it to be successful… and this is my goal for the next few weeks.
Talk to you soon.
Ciao!
Krystie
Journeying North to Bahir Dar and Lake Tana
Bahir Dar is the largest City and tourist centre in the Tana Region, lying on the Southern shore of Lake Tana and at the mouth of the Blue Nile River. Lake Tana is seen by many as a jewel and reflects the changing face of Ethiopia - a land of extreme juxtaposition where urban modernity meets ancient orthodoxy.
Meandering through the downtown core of Bahir Dar, you can get a taste of the bustling market and the underlying poverty. It is a crowded downtown filled with shoe shiners, street children playing with garbage, disabled people begging and reverent people resting at the gates of the St. Gyorgis Church. The market, rebuilt a few years ago by the Municipal government after an unfortunate fire, is full of life. Women, children, teenagers try to sell everything from fruits and vegetables to goatskin injera-holders and traditional shama cloth. Further down the main thoroughfare is an open piazza leading to the Lake Tana waterfront. Hundreds of people, young and old, rest by the water. They sit on the terraced patio and along the cobbled waterfront pathway. Young men bathe in the lake while papyrus tankwa’s sail passed in pursue of fish. Dotted island monasteries rise from the lake lines revealing the importance of Christianity in this area.
The Lake Tana waterfront and its landscaped corridors contrast sharply with the images of poverty, unemployment and squatting settlements. This is where a little service can go a long way to improve the lives of the vulnerable. For the next two months, our Canadian Urban Institute team has embarked on a journey away from Addis Ababa to support the city of Bahir Dar with an integrated Waterfront Development Plan.
We are working in partnership with Bahir Dar’s Mayor & the Urban Planning Institute to create a Waterfront Plan that balances the socio-economic needs of the people with that of the environment. This is an exciting project that requires a great deal of collaboration. We have already made inroads into the Bahir Dar University and its Department of Wetlands, Fisheries & Biology. We have also met people everywhere truly vested in the future of Bahir Dar’s waterfront development. While walking along the illegal farming and grazing settlements on the lakefront wetlands, we met so many children eager to be apart of our work.
This week we are (1) delineating the Physical boundary of our Plan and Special Focus Areas and (2) collaborating with the Mayor’s Office to lead consultation meetings with Sub-Sectoral Offices, Kebele Officials and (cross our fingers) key community members. With the Mayor’s guidance, many doors previously shut have been opened. As usual, though, timelines & deadlines are an ephemeral concept here in Ethiopia, constantly changing and evolving at a whim. We will just have to see how it goes. One thing I have learnt is this planning process must be owned by the City & its people for it to be successful… and this is my goal for the next few weeks.
Talk to you soon.
Ciao!
Krystie
Ethiopian culture is beginning to present itself as a distinct contrast between the communal and the private. While so many things in Ethiopian life are approached with a shared mentality, others aspects are closely guarded secrets. Eating and meals are notably a communal experience. When sitting down for traditional food, you will be served on a single round plate, injera on the bottom and small portions of meat and vegetable dishes lumped around the side. Everyone eats from the central dish and traditionally use only their right hand. People have told us that they get more pleasure from this experience of sharing than from the food itself.
The idea of sharing is also applied to money in day to day life. As a foreigner, the begging and being constantly approached for money can be a touchy subject. In many countries I have visited, these advances are almost solely directed at those seen as visitors and as a result as extremely wealthy. In Ethiopia however, locals are approached and share their wealth often more freely than those of us not native to the country. As there are few support systems in place for the elderly for example, many individuals see it as their responsibility to share when they can with those in need. I have been told that it comes down to religion. In the west we are not obligated to share our wealth by the strong presence of the church. Here in Addis however, where so much of the population is Orthodox Christian, the concept of sharing what you have with those less fortunate than yourself is standard.
In contrast, the idea of sharing knowledge and information appears to exist at the opposite end of the spectrum. Having requested several forms of GIS data from several sources, I received almost none of it. None of the data was highly sensitive; in fact, none was data that I didn’t already possess. I only requested a newer version. In one case, I was given the information, but only on paper (entirely useless) and in another instance, I was flat out denied. Perhaps it is because guidelines for data sharing are so hazy; no one wants to break a rule that they are unsure exists. All in all though, it seems to be opposite the core cultural value of sharing what you have if you have more than others.
The idea of sharing is also applied to money in day to day life. As a foreigner, the begging and being constantly approached for money can be a touchy subject. In many countries I have visited, these advances are almost solely directed at those seen as visitors and as a result as extremely wealthy. In Ethiopia however, locals are approached and share their wealth often more freely than those of us not native to the country. As there are few support systems in place for the elderly for example, many individuals see it as their responsibility to share when they can with those in need. I have been told that it comes down to religion. In the west we are not obligated to share our wealth by the strong presence of the church. Here in Addis however, where so much of the population is Orthodox Christian, the concept of sharing what you have with those less fortunate than yourself is standard.
In contrast, the idea of sharing knowledge and information appears to exist at the opposite end of the spectrum. Having requested several forms of GIS data from several sources, I received almost none of it. None of the data was highly sensitive; in fact, none was data that I didn’t already possess. I only requested a newer version. In one case, I was given the information, but only on paper (entirely useless) and in another instance, I was flat out denied. Perhaps it is because guidelines for data sharing are so hazy; no one wants to break a rule that they are unsure exists. All in all though, it seems to be opposite the core cultural value of sharing what you have if you have more than others.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Necessities
A few weeks ago the government capped the price of beer, soft drinks, gas, bananas and other necessity items. (Yes, beer is a necessity item. Wine apparently is not because, “only ferenjis drink wine”.) Beers which used to cost up to 20 birr in restaurants has been set at 7, soft drinks have reduced from 12 to 4.50 and bananas have gone from 7 a kilo to 5. Not huge differences, but brought about partially we are told, by restaurants stock piling bottled drinks and other necessity items and holding on to them through inflation. Surprisingly, because of this new law, the police presence has sky rocked beyond any other country I have ever visited. The rule is being actively enforced and businesses that refuse to conform are being shut down at a rapid pace. On Wednesday, I was at a restaurant taking advantage of the free internet over dinner as we so often do. When we received our bill, we noticed Ambo (part of the crackdown) was still 14 birr. We paid, but shortly after were approached by a police officer and informed that we must leave immediately due to unrest in the restaurant. It wasn’t until later that we put two and two together. On my walk home today, police lined the streets (more than usual) and as we passed the main corner near our office, we saw crowds of people and police surrounding a store as the windows were boarded up with metal siding. The rule makes sense to me. In a country where so many people struggle for the means to feed themselves and inflation is causing prices to rise fast, I am glad to see the government actively combating the stocking piling of goods. For restaurants to purchase items at lower prices and then hold on to them through inflation means they can gouge the consumer even more. Keeping the prices down keeps the consumption up which keep jobs and economy going. As a friend stated the other day, keep the beer cheap and he will drink at the bar all night, raise the price and he will drink at home first for free.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Abromenor
“Abromenor” (living together) is an Addis-wide expression that reflects the Culture of sharing… and the undertones of struggle.
As a Community Development Planner in Addis, I have seen some of the highs and lows of “abromenor” and the challenges of participatory slum upgrading. At CUI we have been working with Addis Ketema Woreda 09 & Yeka Woreda 04. What many of the residents there love most about their slum is the generosity of their neighbors. What many hate, however, is the struggle to not just “live” but work together.
In November 2010, the City of Addis Ababa called for local Woreda Governments to mobilize citizens into Neighborhood Development Councils. This was an exciting time. Hundreds of community members from Addis Ketema Woreda 09 & Yeka Woreda 04 organized themselves into Councils, electing local leaders from each zone.
Since then, the neighborhood Councils have mobilized people to identify key problem areas, pool resources together and to draw upon consultants (such as CUI). While the Councils plan and debate development projects, the Woreda Government has been sitting on the sidelines. Local Officials have remained an overseeing eye, distant from the citizens and shaping Council leaders while dangling the carrot of 30-35% seed financing for successful projects.
In Yeka Woreda 04, our team has had a huge presence throughout this process - laying the framework for household surveys and leading focus group discussions, community planning consultations and Capacity building workshops. Mainly though, our team is in charge of pulling together the Community leaders ideas and visions into a cohesive plan… But throughout the process, there have been a few stumbling blocks in bringing people together.
For example, this past week we participated in a “Community Transit Walk”. Council leaders from each zone of Yeka Woreda 04 led us through the winding streets and dilapidated homes of their slum. We saw the insides of mud huts; sewer drains contaminating water pipes; overcrowded government housing; and families sharing 1 pit latrine with no bathing facility. Stigma was present everywhere; wealthy neighbors building barbed wire gates around their mansions to separate themselves from the poor.
The Transit Walk was an important step in engaging the Community and creating an interface between the Woreda, Council and people. Everyone came out to see what we were doing. Woreda Government Officials welcomed us into the Community. Council leaders led us through their homes. Families invited us into the far reaches of their kitchens, latrines and showers. We were sparking dialogues everywhere… But, when it came time for the Leaders to present their findings and vision to us afterwards, no one was to be found. The Neighborhood Council Chair did not even show up for the meeting. In that moment, the sense of “living together” was overshadowed by a lack of “working together”.
The meeting has since been rescheduled. I wonder though what gaps in collective engagement will emerge as we move forward. Will the community look to us to develop foreign-born Plans, ideas and resources? Will they fully collaborate with all sectors of society, from the government and private to the public and marginalized?
Planning by itself will not ensure Neighborhood Councils are successful in participatory upgrading. Therefore, the challenge of these slums will be to deal with, among other things, the capacity of the people to envision a better community, and to commit to working and communicating together. Only time will tell..
Krystie
As a Community Development Planner in Addis, I have seen some of the highs and lows of “abromenor” and the challenges of participatory slum upgrading. At CUI we have been working with Addis Ketema Woreda 09 & Yeka Woreda 04. What many of the residents there love most about their slum is the generosity of their neighbors. What many hate, however, is the struggle to not just “live” but work together.
In November 2010, the City of Addis Ababa called for local Woreda Governments to mobilize citizens into Neighborhood Development Councils. This was an exciting time. Hundreds of community members from Addis Ketema Woreda 09 & Yeka Woreda 04 organized themselves into Councils, electing local leaders from each zone.
Since then, the neighborhood Councils have mobilized people to identify key problem areas, pool resources together and to draw upon consultants (such as CUI). While the Councils plan and debate development projects, the Woreda Government has been sitting on the sidelines. Local Officials have remained an overseeing eye, distant from the citizens and shaping Council leaders while dangling the carrot of 30-35% seed financing for successful projects.
In Yeka Woreda 04, our team has had a huge presence throughout this process - laying the framework for household surveys and leading focus group discussions, community planning consultations and Capacity building workshops. Mainly though, our team is in charge of pulling together the Community leaders ideas and visions into a cohesive plan… But throughout the process, there have been a few stumbling blocks in bringing people together.
For example, this past week we participated in a “Community Transit Walk”. Council leaders from each zone of Yeka Woreda 04 led us through the winding streets and dilapidated homes of their slum. We saw the insides of mud huts; sewer drains contaminating water pipes; overcrowded government housing; and families sharing 1 pit latrine with no bathing facility. Stigma was present everywhere; wealthy neighbors building barbed wire gates around their mansions to separate themselves from the poor.
The Transit Walk was an important step in engaging the Community and creating an interface between the Woreda, Council and people. Everyone came out to see what we were doing. Woreda Government Officials welcomed us into the Community. Council leaders led us through their homes. Families invited us into the far reaches of their kitchens, latrines and showers. We were sparking dialogues everywhere… But, when it came time for the Leaders to present their findings and vision to us afterwards, no one was to be found. The Neighborhood Council Chair did not even show up for the meeting. In that moment, the sense of “living together” was overshadowed by a lack of “working together”.
The meeting has since been rescheduled. I wonder though what gaps in collective engagement will emerge as we move forward. Will the community look to us to develop foreign-born Plans, ideas and resources? Will they fully collaborate with all sectors of society, from the government and private to the public and marginalized?
Planning by itself will not ensure Neighborhood Councils are successful in participatory upgrading. Therefore, the challenge of these slums will be to deal with, among other things, the capacity of the people to envision a better community, and to commit to working and communicating together. Only time will tell..
Krystie
Sunday, December 5, 2010
The Challenge of Local Democratic Governance
The Ethiopian Government has undergone massive change over the last few decades, transforming from a centralized Dictatorship to a decentralized “Democracy” (keep in mind, it’s a work in progress). Grassroots empowerment has become Ethiopia’s revolution and the terms “citizens voice” and “local governance” have become its slogan.
My work with the Canadian Urban Institute (CUI) has thus far taken me into the slums, low corridors and high towers of Institutional Governance in Addis Ababa. I have rummaged through hundreds of reports, City proclamations and governance manuals. I have meandered through the display cases and best practice tents of Ethiopia’s Great Cities Competition. I have even interviewed Officials and Woreda Council Managers on local urban governance. Throughout it all, one reality resonates – Woredas have increased in scale and capacity, they have more discretionary funds and interaction with the people than ever before.. yet there exists a glass ceiling of unclear vision, uncoordinated dissolution of responsibility and, most of all, a need for manpower. The Municipality is prescribing more powers to the local Woreda Authorities and they are faced with a severe shortage of capacity to exercise this power.
Good local governance is not just about creating the right legal and political frameworks, it’s also about long-term transformations and investment in people. It’s about the overarching themes (Effectiveness, Accountability, Participation and Equity) and the everyday tasks of listening to people, surveying their needs, and developing long term plans that meet the challenges of today and the values of tomorrow. If there is a shortage of skilled and knowledgeable manpower, however, the system can only fumble forward.
While the physical and infrastructural landscape here never stops changing, it is an opportune time to teach people and their systems to evolve with this change. Local leaders with the vision, foresight and guts to plan 100 years down the road and start building a culture of innovators and visionaries is what is needed. At the rate Addis is developing and re-developing, investing in human capital seems like one of the better long-term solutions with the potential to ripple down the generations.
Part of CUI’s mandate in Ethiopia is to do just that – build capacity. Typically, there are three main areas of capacity building: (1) Strengthening Governance and its ability to perform functions (i.e. provision of basic services), (2) Building Sub-sector capacity to plan and implement programming, and (3) Investing in civil society to help people identify their own needs and carry out development.
While these are general areas of development, there are real pitfalls and gaps in capacity building that need to be addressed before diving in. Some of these I have learnt here in Addis and wish to impart:
(1) Avoid Generic Training. To be effective, it must be clear in purpose, targets and development from the outset. It’s not just about imparting knowledge, but also instilling independent ways of thinking, working and problem solving.. a.k.a. the West is not always best.
(2) Start small - build small teams of experts that can mentor their greater office and have peer to peer training
(3) Organizational change takes time; therefore, capacity building must give it time and incorporate long term initiatives
(4) Make sure to avoid training that meets funders criteria and not that of the people being trained.
(5) Experts are way more beneficial if they incorporate the local context and the needs of beneficiaries
(6) Capacity building is NOT just training – it’s action planning, small discussion groups, deliverables in the work place and real life, and performance management. It’s making sure people learn by seeing, doing, hearing, discussing and creating.
(7) Think outside the box – institutional support comes in many shapes and sizes, such as through resources, centers, mentorship programs, partnerships, networking, transferring knowledge and the list goes on.
(8) Take it step by step – deal with the immediate demands of the people then build upon this foundation… For example, if people want greater access to employment opportunities, work on it..
(9) Look for opportunities to bring the local government together with community members. Bridge the gap.
I hope this information is helpful to anyone investing in capacity building. It’s opened my eyes to societal change.
Till next time…
Krystie Babalos
My work with the Canadian Urban Institute (CUI) has thus far taken me into the slums, low corridors and high towers of Institutional Governance in Addis Ababa. I have rummaged through hundreds of reports, City proclamations and governance manuals. I have meandered through the display cases and best practice tents of Ethiopia’s Great Cities Competition. I have even interviewed Officials and Woreda Council Managers on local urban governance. Throughout it all, one reality resonates – Woredas have increased in scale and capacity, they have more discretionary funds and interaction with the people than ever before.. yet there exists a glass ceiling of unclear vision, uncoordinated dissolution of responsibility and, most of all, a need for manpower. The Municipality is prescribing more powers to the local Woreda Authorities and they are faced with a severe shortage of capacity to exercise this power.
Good local governance is not just about creating the right legal and political frameworks, it’s also about long-term transformations and investment in people. It’s about the overarching themes (Effectiveness, Accountability, Participation and Equity) and the everyday tasks of listening to people, surveying their needs, and developing long term plans that meet the challenges of today and the values of tomorrow. If there is a shortage of skilled and knowledgeable manpower, however, the system can only fumble forward.
While the physical and infrastructural landscape here never stops changing, it is an opportune time to teach people and their systems to evolve with this change. Local leaders with the vision, foresight and guts to plan 100 years down the road and start building a culture of innovators and visionaries is what is needed. At the rate Addis is developing and re-developing, investing in human capital seems like one of the better long-term solutions with the potential to ripple down the generations.
Part of CUI’s mandate in Ethiopia is to do just that – build capacity. Typically, there are three main areas of capacity building: (1) Strengthening Governance and its ability to perform functions (i.e. provision of basic services), (2) Building Sub-sector capacity to plan and implement programming, and (3) Investing in civil society to help people identify their own needs and carry out development.
While these are general areas of development, there are real pitfalls and gaps in capacity building that need to be addressed before diving in. Some of these I have learnt here in Addis and wish to impart:
(1) Avoid Generic Training. To be effective, it must be clear in purpose, targets and development from the outset. It’s not just about imparting knowledge, but also instilling independent ways of thinking, working and problem solving.. a.k.a. the West is not always best.
(2) Start small - build small teams of experts that can mentor their greater office and have peer to peer training
(3) Organizational change takes time; therefore, capacity building must give it time and incorporate long term initiatives
(4) Make sure to avoid training that meets funders criteria and not that of the people being trained.
(5) Experts are way more beneficial if they incorporate the local context and the needs of beneficiaries
(6) Capacity building is NOT just training – it’s action planning, small discussion groups, deliverables in the work place and real life, and performance management. It’s making sure people learn by seeing, doing, hearing, discussing and creating.
(7) Think outside the box – institutional support comes in many shapes and sizes, such as through resources, centers, mentorship programs, partnerships, networking, transferring knowledge and the list goes on.
(8) Take it step by step – deal with the immediate demands of the people then build upon this foundation… For example, if people want greater access to employment opportunities, work on it..
(9) Look for opportunities to bring the local government together with community members. Bridge the gap.
I hope this information is helpful to anyone investing in capacity building. It’s opened my eyes to societal change.
Till next time…
Krystie Babalos
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