Preparing for Urban Expansion in Ecuadorian Intermediate Cities. Alexandra Ortiz (based on work by consultants Vitor Serra and Shlomo Angel)

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1 Preparing for Urban Expansion in Ecuadorian Intermediate Cities Alexandra Ortiz (based on work by consultants Vitor Serra and Shlomo Angel) Washington DC, March Outline 1. Project concept/components 2. Component 2 3. Urban land management tools 4. Dynamics of urban expansion in 5 cities 5. Preparation for urban expansion 1

2 Project Concept Name: Low-income Neighborhood Upgrading and Urban Land Management Project Objective: Improve the quality of life of urban Ecuadorians who live presently in marginal conditions and develop the capacity of cities to plan for growth and expansion. Amount: $30 million Project Concept Target cities: Intermediate cities (urban population > 20,000, excluding Quito and Guayaquil) that can borrow Instrument: Municipal loans to be channeled through the State Bank (= Municipal Development Fund) Eligibility criteria for municipalities and neighborhoods 2

3 Project components 1. Urban upgrading: curative Menu of investments: physical + property titling Strong community participation 2. Urban land management: preventive Ensure supply of serviced urban land affordable to the urban poor 3. Technical assistance - to municipalities - to communities Urban Land Management Preliminary ideas Titling as a key investment with multiplier effect (how to do it at larger scale and lower cost) Urban land management tools (GIS, aerial photographies, satellite imagery, land information systems) Facilitating scheme for sites and services with new twists (partnerships, existing community, iterative process) or regularization of informal developers 3

4 Urban land management tools Visited 5 cities in Ecuador: Santo Domingo Sangolqui Riobamba Eloy Alfaro Durán Milagro Urban land management tools All five cities have up to date GIS based mapping facilities (software and hardware) All five cities have complete urban cadastres All five municipalities have trained staff in their municipal planning offices BUT, 4

5 No planning for urban growth and expansion Population Population change in 25 years Population 800, , , ,000 0 Sangolqui Milagro Riobamba Eloy Alfaro Santo Domingo Population 2006 Population 2030 Cities Population estimates obtained by linear extrapolation of 2001 census data No planning for urban growth and expansion Urban area Urban area change in 25 years Sq Km Urban area (sq km), 2006 Sangolqui Milagro Riobamba Eloy Alfaro Durán Santo Domingo Urban area (sq km), 2030 Cities Urban area estimates from interviews in municipalities 5

6 No planning for urban growth and expansion Built-up area Built-up area change in 25 years Sq Km Sangolqui Milagro Riobamba Eloy Alfaro Durán Santo Domingo Built up area (sq Km) 2006 Built up area (sq Km) 2030 Cities Built-up area estimates from interviews in municipalities Preparation for urban expansion Premises Doubling and tripling built-up area in 25 years There is availability of land in these cities (rural to urban conversion) The arterial network is what guides where urban growth takes place Acquisition of land would be possible in Ecuador 6

7 Preparing for urban expansion Making minimal preparations Determine population forecasts for 2030 Determine existing built-area and forecasts for 2030 Establish preferred city growth patterns according to topography, amenities, soil characteristics Determine urban growth boundary Design of secondary arterial system Establish needed rights of way Acquire land correspondingly Preparing for urban expansion Urban grid and superblocks Width of rights of way= meters Urban grid with road spacing of 800-1,000 meters Superblocks of hectares 7

8 Preparing for urban expansion The urban grid Arterial grid of Detroit showing interior arrangement of super blocks Preparing for urban expansion Risks Signal to real estate market that city will grow might lead to land speculation inside urban growth boundary Increase in the availability of urban land on the periphery might lower land prices and lower densities Expropriation of lands for rights of way might be longer and more costly than expected City planning efforts not geared especially to the urban poor/ Need to complement with other activities 8

9 The savings of planning ahead The cost of not planning now is: - Increased congestion - Location of settlements in land subject to natural disasters and need to relocate later on - Location of settlements in land that should be protected from the environmental point of view and need to relocate later on - Location of settlements in areas that should be open space or public space and need to relocate later on - Creation of new marginal areas without access to trunk infrastructure and need to upgrade The cost of the minimal planning for expansion is $1-1.5 million per city 9