EUKN - European Urban Knowledge Network - Avilés for intercultural coexistence. Plan for the eradication of shanty towns

Avilés for intercultural coexistence. Plan for the eradication of shanty towns - Avilés (Asturias), ES

Introduction

The project is addressed to erradicate shanty towns in the municipality.

Problem

The shanty towns appeared in Avilés in the 1950s and 60s due to the immigration caused by the industrialisation of the area. The gypsy community (about 500 people) settled in certain impoverished areas with difficult access to the main resources (housing, training and employment, education, health) and lacking any kind of associationism. Since 1989 the eradication of shanty towns and the integration of their inhabitants in the city have been one of the main political and social concerns.

Description

From the 500 people who lived in six different shanty towns in 1989, by now there are only four with 125 inhabitants. 160 people more are living in the “ Promotional City”. The main goal of the project is to re-accommodate all of them (including the inhabitants of the Promotional City) in adequate conditions all over the city, in order to ensure not only their access to a decent housing but also to other services such as health, education or employment, thus enabling social integration and multicultural coexistence.

Approach

Among the factors that have allowed the proper development of the project are:

The importance of the work within the network.
An ample social participation, including the gypsy collective.
The achievement of consensus within the community.
The confluence in a single territory of several plans, programs and projects with complementary intervention objectives and strategies, involving diverse administrations and institutions.

Results

The most important results are:

Families from shanty towns have been re-accommodated in regular housings.
Eradication of two shanty towns.
Intercultural coexistence between the gypsy and non-gypsy communities.
Normalisation in the health, documents and education.
Creation of four associations of gypsy people.

Contact info

Centro Municipal de Servicios Sociales. Ayuntamiento de Avilés
C/ Galiana, 11
33400 Avilés
Spain
Phone: +34 985549225
Fax: +34 985540863
ssocial@ayto-aviles.es

Project start date

30/11/2006

Links

Library Cities for a More Sustainable Future (Spanish)Avilés City Council (Spanish)

Document type

case

Themes

Urban Policy > Social inclusion & integration > Quality of life

Keywords

Social services