Policy-making of Promotion the Local Management Status in Informal Settlements

Subject Areas : Urban policy

Nima Bayramzadeh ¹ , Amin Shahsavar ² , Morteza Baghban Novini ³

1 - M.A in Urban planning, Young Researchers and Elite Club, Tabriz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tabriz, Iran.
2 - M.Sc in Geography and Urban Planning - Urban Spatial Planning, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran.
3 - M.Sc in Geography and Urban Planning - Urban Betterment and Renovation, Payam Noor University, Hashtrood Center, Hashtrood, Iran.

Received: 2021-09-11 Accepted : 2021-10-15 Published : 2021-07-23

Keywords: Informal settlements, neighborhood management, Assistant Council, Community-Based Approach,

Abstract :

      The main purpose of this study is policy is policy-making of promotion the local management status in informal settlements with community-based approach. The method of the present research is descriptive-analytical and the method of data collection and information is survey. Two library and field methods have been used in order to study and formulate theoretical foundations related to the research topic. The SWOT model has also been used to analyze the data. Whereas the mechanism of the council's internal relations must move from "secretary-centered" to "council-centered"; The council and the municipality should have an efficient and transparent model, maintaining the independence of the supervisory body (council and council) from the executive body (municipality) in the type of neighborhood administration, considering the existence of three sides; The district municipality, the neighborhood house and the council in each neighborhood. Therefore, it seems that the project, due to its goal of empowering neighborhoods, can be effective in empowering and creating a communication channel between government organizations and neighborhoods. The results show that in order to improve the current situation of local management, certain combined strategies should be used, which are: Low-top planning with a combination of collective votes, Existence of a valid database in line with the requirements for neighborhood management, Increasing the participation of neighborhood residents with awareness in the field of neighborhood management and housing, Legal and constructive interaction of the urban management complex with the citizens and residents of the neighborhood.Extended AbstractIntroduction:    In recent decades, with dramatic changes in the spatial structure of urban neighborhoods, their political, social and economic role has diminished and deficiencies such as environmental pollution, unemployment, poverty, marginalization, housing, socio-psychological and cultural damage, especially the loss of material and spiritual capital. In today's local society, citizen participation in the management of urban affairs has decreased and the level of local community participation in the design of urban neighborhoods has decreased, which has made the urban management system inefficient and so, it requires structural reform and maximum use of partnership management. The main purpose of local community development is to help the local community to build capacity and participation of residents for development, to solve economic, social, environmental and cultural problems and on the other hand, the purpose of local community planning is to improve the effectiveness of public services to meet people's needs. Local communities and improving the quality of life for all. In this regard, a people's aid-council was established with the aim of facilitating local problem-solving mechanisms with a participatory approach. Aid-Councilors at the neighborhood level through direct communication with local residents and through non-governmental organizations should identify the needs, shortcomings and limitations of the neighborhood, and since aid-councilors do not have executive guarantees, problems should be solved by interacting with executive bodies. Informal settlements are one of the main challenges of urban management and knowing the patterns in these settlements will help to manage this type of housing. Empowerment of local communities is a new approach to solving the problem of urban poverty, which no longer considers building engineering and injection of mere financial resources as the solution, but social engineering with the support and facilitation of the public sector and local and non-governmental organizations and active participation. The main purpose of this study is to present a proposed strategy to launch neighborhood management in informal settlements with a community-based approach that has sub-objectives; Assigning local decision-making to the local community, increasing the participation of local people, improving the conditions for effective communication with interventionist organizations, and empowering the mentioned neighborhoods. Given the importance of the issue, it seems that the existence of local management and neighborhood housing in informal settlements is effective in improving the current situation of the neighborhood economically, socially, physically and creating a channel of communication with city managers.Materials and Methods:     The method of the present research is descriptive-analytical and the method of data collection and information is survey. In order to study and formulate theoretical foundations related to the research topic, both library and field methods have been used. To achieve the objectives of this research will be done in two parts: documentary and field studies. Documentary study technique is based on taking notes from books and written works and will be used to know the opinions of experts in the field of concepts and based on content for theoretical issues related to the field of research. The SWOT model was also used to analyze the data, which ultimately provided strategies to improve neighborhood management. This model, provided fully implemented, will be an appropriate basis for policy-making.Results and Discsussion:     The aid-council has been established in order to carry out the actions of the councils and the neighborhood management in order to carry out the interactions and instructions of the municipality.Also, the goal of both projects is to empower the neighborhoods and follow the bottom-up planning. Differences in the degree of solidarity and belonging of citizens to the place of residence as well as the diversity of socio-cultural context in traditional and modern societies should be considered more in participatory planning. Given that aid-councils and local management as a model of participatory management of cities, to facilitate citizen participation at lower levels, especially neighborhoods, should be paid attention in the stages of establishment and how to determine its members to issues such as socio-cultural context and citizenship and the internal structure of the neighborhood in every city. After finding the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the current management of the neighborhood, an evaluation matrix of external and internal factors of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities has been formed in order to obtain their weighted points. The obtained combined strategies from offensive, change direction, diversity and defensive strategies are as follows:Availability of physical site for neighborhood management and equipped with a valid database;Optimal interaction between neighborhood management and neighborhood residents with a trust building approach;Ability to use ICT for standard monitoring and regular reporting;Decentralized neighborhood management system and organic service process.Conclusions:      The need for citizen participation to improve the physical and socio-economic situation of urban neighborhoods is tangible and sensible. One of the strengths of settlements is the existence of social capital, regardless of its degree, so that the sustainable local management can be formed by valuing the connecting social capital and seeking participation. On the other hand, production in a city requires resources, interest and actors. In a situation of economic-financial deficit, even revenues with specific purposes (limited funds) as well as other revenues are increasingly important in the relevant budgets for efficiency and effectiveness in the management of informal settlements. It should be noted that the physical structure of the neighborhood reflects its strengths and weaknesses and issues. According to the research of this work, informal settlements generally have heterogeneity and conflict in their socio-cultural and physical contexts, and therefore, the issue of unsociability and lack of interaction among residents is rippling and this, makes the management of such residential areas doubly difficult, in other words, special bed and tools are needed for the dynamic presence of residents in the local community and to establish constructive interaction. Whereas the mechanism of the aid-council's internal relations must move from "secretary-centered" to "aid-councilor-centered"; and the council and the municipality should be in an efficient, transparent, clean model and maintaining the independence of the supervisory body (council and aid-council) from the executive body (municipality) in the type of neighborhood administration, considering the existence of three sides; District municipalities, neighborhood halls and aid-councils in each neighborhood, therefore, it seems that the plan, due to the purpose of empowering neighborhoods, can be effective in empowering and creating a communication channel between government agencies and neighborhoods.

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