Twin Cities in Amazonian Transnational Borders: The Case Study of Leticia and Tabatinga - By Erik Vergel-Tovar

“Twin Cities in Amazonian Transnational Borders,
an Appropriate Cross Border Approach for
Squatter Settlements on flood prone lands located
on border’s fringe:
The Case Study of Leticia and Tabatinga ”.
Satelital View - Leticia and Tabatinga. Source: Elizabeth Riaño
SEPTEMBER 2006 - ROTTERDAM – THE NETHERLANDS
INSTITUTE FOR HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT STUDIES – IHS
LUND UNIVERSITY - HDM
UMD 2
RACHELLE NAVARRO ÅSTRAND, PhD
ERIK VERGEL TOVAR - COLOMBIA
Author
Supervisor
HOUSING SPECIALIZATION

1.The research
2.Theoretical Framework
3.Case Studies
4.Comparative Studies and Reviews
5.Conclusions and Recommendations
OUTLINE
GEAUR - IMANI
THESIS - ERIK VERGEL TOVAR – UMD 2
2/24
Leticia
Tabatinga

“the housing shortage in twin cities of Leticia and Tabatinga
3/24
THE RESEARCH
THE PROBLEM

combine with inadequate planning and responsive policy
4/24
THE RESEARCH
THE PROBLEM

has lead to a chronic occupation of flood prone lands by low income groups
5/24
THE RESEARCH
THE PROBLEM

resulting in the large scale development of squatter settlements”
6/24
Where is Colombia?
Where is Brazil?
THE RESEARCH
THE PROBLEM

The level of knowledge about urbanizing phenomena in the Amazon is low
THE RATIONALE
7/24
THE RESEARCH
Urban policies have not had an apropriate approach which means to take into
account local needs, culture, traditions and the environment
GEAUR - IMANI

To determine the appropriate cross border
approach to manage the shared problem of
squatter settlements on flood prone lands on
the border’s fringe between Leticia and
Tabatinga twin cities
MAIN AIM OF THE RESEARCH
8/24
THE RESEARCH

RESEARCH QUESTIONS
What is the appropriate cross border approach to manage
the shared problem of squatter settlements on flood prone
lands on the border’s fringe between Leticia and
Tabatinga?
9/24
THE RESEARCH
•Socioeconomic and physical characteristics
•Reasons to settle
•Perception of risk
Research sub questions – housing comparative study
•Elements from current urban and frontiers policies
•Perception of borders
Research sub questions – urban and frontiers policies

DESK STUDYFIELDWORK
10/24
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
CONCLUSIONS
RECOMMENDATIONS
Law 388
National
Urban
Policy
PBOT
Leticia
Implementation
process
CITY
STATUE
National
Urban
Policy
PLANO
DIRETOR
Formulation
process
Unit of Analysis 2
Guadalupe
Neighborhood
VARIABLES
Unit of Analysis 1
La Unión
Neighborhood
VARIABLES
COMPARATIVE
STUDY
REVIEW STUDY
July 2006 – Twin Cities
BORDER’S
POLICY
BRAZIL
BORDER’S
POLICIES
COLOMBIA
BORDER FRINGE
BORDER FRINGE
APPROPRIATE
CROSS
BORDER
APPROACH
SHORT - LONG TERM
SHORT - LONG TERM

PHENOMENA CREATING COMPLEXITY
Squatter settlements
Flood prone lands
Located close to international borders
In twin cities
the Amazon region
11/24
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK 1
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK 2

SQUATTER SETTLEMENTS
ILEGAL CITY INFORMAL CITY
laws and juridical
instruments does not reflect
the social reality
social production of “illegality”
slum upgrading - regularization -
security of tenure - provision of
basic services - infrastructure
unplanned areas of cities
growing “outside” of the legal
system
12/24
TWO SIDES OF THE SAME COIN………………….

RISK AND FLOOD PRONE LANDS
The risk is created by people when are ocuppying flood prone lands
traditional occupation of flood prone lands by indigenous
human settlements in the Amazon
13/24
LOCAL REALITY AND CULTURE
NORMS AND LEGAL FRAMEWORK
TWO SIDES OF THE SAME COIN………………….
A M A Z O N C O N T E X T

T E R R I T O R Y
Integration
region
Sub-region
City
Sub-region
City
Border
fringe
Border
fringe
TWIN CITIES
NATION 1 NATION 2
International
border
Symmetric and
Asymmetric issues
14/24
TWIN CITIESTHEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

City
Border
fringe
The border is a social space (Machado)
City
Border
fringe
15/24
CONCEPT OF BORDER

International Border
Amazon River
TWIN CITIES OF LETICIA AND TABATINGA
16/24
CASE STUDIES
COLOMBIA
BRAZIL
PERU
The triple border between Colombia, Brazil and Peru

Urban growth 1950 - 1970 Urban growth 1980 decade
Urban growth 1990 decade Urban growth 2000
17/24
CASE STUDIES
Twin cities urban growth

STUDY AREA
18/24
CASE STUDIES
•101 Housing
Units
•87 Visited During
Fieldwork
•37 Houses built
on Brazil
•42 Housing Units
•37 Visited During
Fieldwork
The “informality” is integrating the Twin Cities by providing services such
as health care, education and jobs for squatter settlements inhabitants.

19/24
CASE STUDIES
Most consolidated area
Wood Bridges
Recent occupation in Brazil
La Unión neighborhood

20/24
CASE STUDIES
Occupation on the hill
Boat Houses - Amazon River
Guadalupe neighborhood

Socioeconomic and physical characteristics of the households
21/24
COMPARATIVE STUDIES
Colombian; 4,65%Colombian; 1,16%
Colombian;
81,40%
Brazilian;
2,33%
Peruvian;
10,47%
0,00%
10,00%
20,00%
30,00%
40,00%
50,00%
60,00%
70,00%
80,00%
90,00%
Colombia Brazil Peru
Place of birth - nationality

22/24
COMPARATIVE STUDIES
Colombian; 8,11%
Brazilian; 81,08%
Peruvian; 10,81%
0,00%
10,00%
20,00%
30,00%
40,00%
50,00%
60,00%
70,00%
80,00%
90,00%
Colombia Brazil Peru
Place of birth - nationality

25/24
COMPARATIVE STUDIES
No Answered; 3,45%
No Answered;
6,90%
Brazil;
18,39%
Colombia;
13,79%
Has not lived
on neighbor
countries
52,87%
Peru; 4,60%
0,00%
10,00%
20,00%
30,00%
40,00%
50,00%
60,00%
Yes No
Have you lived in one of the neighbouring countries?

26/24
COMPARATIVE STUDIES
Colombia;
21,62%
Has not lived
in neighbor
countries;
67,57%
Peru; 8,11%
Peru; 2,70%
0,00%
10,00%
20,00%
30,00%
40,00%
50,00%
60,00%
70,00%
80,00%
Yes No
Have you lived in one of the neighbouring countries?

27/24
COMPARATIVE STUDIES
Total
U$210 - U$420
5%
U$420 - U$840
1%
U$840 - U$1680
3%
does not apply
3%
nothing
1%
U$84 - U$210
20%
no answered
15%
0 - U$84
52%
Income

28/24
COMPARATIVE STUDIES
Total
D/A
3%
U$234 - U$ 468
5%
U$93 - U$234
24%
0 - U$93
68%
Income

29/24
COMPARATIVE STUDIES
0,00%
5,00%
10,00%
15,00%
20,00%
25,00%
30,00%
Colombia Brazil Colombia/Brazil Peru
2
construction sector
agriculture
other
housewife
commerce
domestic service
restaurant
customer service
Occupation and Countries

31/24
COMPARATIVE STUDIES
flooding prone
lands; 82,76%
flooding prone
lands; 1,15%
flooding prone
lands; 14,94% not flooding
prone lands;
1,15%
0,00%
10,00%
20,00%
30,00%
40,00%
50,00%
60,00%
70,00%
80,00%
90,00%
temporal semipermanent permanent
Location and Type of Housing
Physical characteristics of the households

32/24
COMPARATIVE STUDIES
flooding prone
lands; 10,81%
flooding prone
lands; 89,19%
0,00%
10,00%
20,00%
30,00%
40,00%
50,00%
60,00%
70,00%
80,00%
90,00%
100,00%
temporal permanent
Location and Type of Housing
Physical characteristics of the households

35/24
COMPARATIVE STUDIES
SelfBuilt
Housing
8,24%
SelfBuilt
Housing
5,88%
SelfBuilt
Housing
20,00%
SelfBuilt
Housing
17,65%
SelfBuilt
Housing
23,53%
NOT Self Built
Housing 8,24%
NOT Self Built
Housing
4,71%
Not Self Built
Housing
2,35%
NOT Self Built
Housing
9,41%
0,00%
5,00%
10,00%
15,00%
20,00%
25,00%
30,00%
35,00%
To not live paying
rent any more
we did not have a
place to live in
Buy or received
the plot
children or job
opportunities
Familiar ties or
close connection
with neighborhood
Reasons to settle in the neighborhoods

36/24
COMPARATIVE STUDIES
SelfBuilt
Housing 2,70%
SelfBuilt
Housing
18,92%
SelfBuilt
Housing
16,22%
SelfBuilt
Housing
24,32%
SelfBuilt
Housing
24,32%
Not SelfBuilt
Housing 2,70%
NOT SelfBuilt
Housing 2,70%
NOT SelfBuilt
Housing 2,70%
NOTSelfBuilt
Housing 5,41%
0,00%
5,00%
10,00%
15,00%
20,00%
25,00%
30,00%
we did not have a
place to live in
children or job
opportunities
Familiar ties or
close connection
with neighborhood
better life
conditions
other
Reasons to settle in the neighborhoods

37/46
COMPARATIVE STUDIES
Housing typology 1 Housing typology 2 Housing typology 3
Housing typologies

38/46
COMPARATIVE STUDIES
Housing typology 1 Housing typology 2
Housing typologies

39/46
REVIEW - POLICIES
• The social function of the property
Urban Policies
• Social, economical and territorial dimensions in urban management
• City planning units (partial plans) POT
• Plano Diretor has the special interest zones ZIE (risk areas – favelas)
Review of Colombian and Brazilian Policies
Symmetric and common planning instruments
FINDINGS

40/46
REVIEW - POLICIES
•Vicinity Commission Colombia – Brazil
•Guidelines “Integration and Frontiers Development Policy” - Colombia
•Re-structured Proposal for Development Program of Border’s Fringe
(Twin Cities Strategy) - Brazil
•Frontiers Integration Zone – ZIF (Both countries)
Review of Colombian and Brazilian Policies
Frontiers Policies
Instruments for local urban policies
FINDINGS

1. There is a correlation between income and squatter
settlements location
2. Both squatter settlements are immigrant’s clusters in different
stages of consolidation have cross border occupation and
activities, mainly in the informal economy
3. The major range of income in both neighborhoods is U$84 –
93$ per month. Colombian Minimum Legal Salary is U$171
per month and the Brazilian Minimum Legal Salary is U$162
SOCIOECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS
41/46
CONCLUSIONS

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
42/46
CONCLUSIONS
1. Self built process of permanent housing structures, with high
growth index in the 90’s. Both squatter settlements present an
informal housing and land market
2. The inhabitants do not pay property tax, but the majority pays
for at least one public service (water supply).
3. The San Antonio’s ravine is final disposal for residues an
unhealthy and polluted environment causing illnesses among
children
4. Reasons to settle in the neighborhood has been: job
opportunities, children studies, access to a house and to the
city.

43/46
CONCLUSIONS
RISK ISSUE
1. The resettlement process is a political decision already taken by
Leticia Municipality, and it will be the same decision by Tabatinga
Municipality
2. In both squatter settlements during flooding periods there are
collective actions in order to build bridges
3. La Unión inhabitants are evacuated and provided by temporally
shelter by the Municipality of Leticia
4. Guadalupe inhabitants do not evacuate the settlement during
flooded periods

Short term appropriatte approach
Informality integrating the
twin cities
Symmetric
issues
Thesis Output
SHORT TERM
44/46
RECOMMENDATIONS
Vicinity
Comission
Colombia -
Brazil
Proposal for a bi-
national Mitigation-
Prevention and
Resettlement
Operation (ZEI-Partial
Plan)
Cross border
appropriatte
approach
BOTTOM UP APPROACH INPUT FOR LOCAL POLICIES
RISK
STUDY
Risk Mitigation-
Prevention
Resettlement
process
PBOT Leticia
Local Urban
Policy
Partial Plan
Slum upgrading
Resettlement
Plano Diretor
Tabatinga
Local Urban
Policy
ZEI
Slum upgrading
Resettlement
•Income-location
•Immigrants
•Informal economy
•Adaptation
•Cooperation
•Self built houses
•Informal market
•Unhealthy
environment
•Resettlement

AMAZON COOPERATION TREATY - OTCA
Human Settlements
Social and
physical
characteristics
Amazon
Further urban and border studies on Amazon human settlements
RECOMMENDATIONS LONG TERM
LETICIA - COLOMBIA
TABATINGA - BRAZIL
PBOT
Plano
Diretor
Integration
Frontiers
Zone ZIF
Amazon
human
settlements
Amazon Urban
Policy
Vicinity Comission Colombia -
Brazil
Proposal for an Integration Urban Border
Regime Managed by syncronizing the PBOT
and Plano Diretor
TWIN
CITIES
Program
CONPES 3155
ZIF
Border Fringe
Twin Cities-ZIF
45/46

UMD 2
This thesis is dedicated to the people of La Unión and
Guadalupe neighborhoods in the twin cities of Leticia and
Tabatinga……………………………

Twin Cities in Amazonian Transnational Borders: The Case Study of Leticia and Tabatinga - By Erik Vergel-Tovar

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