IS INTEGRATION AND EMPOWERMENT OF THE EXCLUDED NEEDED?
Saba Golchehr
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proposed planning system In a previous chapter I introduced the system answering to the goal of a progressive integration and an emancipation of the migrant community in the deprived neighbourhood. From the translation of a theoretical framework into the concept of an emancipation machine I have set some criterias that answer to the goal of integration. These criteria exist of goals for the level of social mix and the accessory program of these levels. Furthermore the criteria sets goals for the planning system. These goals need to be achieved in order to facilitate a progressive integration of the real users (the ethnic minorities) and in order to pursue a long term transformation of the neighbourhood, the city and the region. The goal of the planning system, answering to the principles, is that each intervention needs to recognise the urban structure (connectivity, program, public space, etc.). At the same time each intervention needs to recognise the active stakeholders, in order to be able to keep a flexibility in the neighbourhoods transformation and in order to answer to the concept of the emancipation machine. So the planning process is the progressive integration of the real users and the local drivers in order to keep a long term transformation. The current planning process is challenged under the aforementioned long term transformation. In the introduction of the thesis I explained why the planning process in challenged at the moment. The planning system does not consider the migrant in a long term transformation of the urban environment. As I proved before, the migration is a fixed factor in the future of the Netherlands. Therefore in the long term planning for the Randstad region this factor needs to be considered. If this is not considered the gap between the ethnic minorities and the indigenous population will become larger and the decay of existing and new neighbourhoods of concentration will increase (see paragraph 1.6). So the hypothesis is that the future potentials of the neighbourhoods of ethnic concentration are more positive, if these are integrated in the neighbourhood renewal planning. In order to investigate if this consideration of the integration of these groups is a more flexible way of planning, the UN-habitat toolkit for participatory urban decision making is used (United Nations Centre for Human Settlements, 2001). The tools of this toolkit are translated into a participatory planning system for the urban renewal of the neighbourhood of Afrikaanderwijk. This new participatory planning system and the UN-Habitat toolkit will be elaborated on the following pages. This chapter will conclude with a review on this proposed participatory planning system for the neighbourhood of Afrikaanderwijk, in order to terminate if this new system answers to the consideration of the weaker residents in the urban renewal
planning and whether it is a flexible system of transformation for the long term development of the neighbourhood.
UN-habitat toolkit Urban governance is a process which is highly dynamic. Responsibilities and competencies are constantly transformed, as well as the tasks of the local authorities and their partners in urban management. Due to this dynamicity there is a constant demand for new “management tools� to support the processes of improved urban governance. In order to meet this demand there have been several institutions developing tools and guidelines for urban governance. The United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat) has also made a contribution to this. In their participatory urban decision making toolkit four phases are described. Phase one is the preparation and stakeholder mobilization. Phase two is issue prioritisation and stakeholder commitment. The third phase consists of a strategy formulation and implementation. The last phase is the follow-up and consolidation (United Nations Centre for Human Settlements, 2001). The image on the right illustrates these phases and the used tools within these phases.
Fig. 10.8 UNhabitat participatory decision making toolkit scheme showing the four phases and their stages (United Nations Centre for Human Settlements, 2001)