Implementing REPLAN initiative

 REPLAN is moving forward with the initiative to support reconstruction exercise in the context of humanitarian crisis. A memo of understanding has been signed between the Faculty of Engineering of the Islamic University of Gaza with the Post-graduate program of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Buenos Aires with the purpose to work together developing alternative schemes for reconstruction.   

This initiative seeks to contribute to the global audience suffering by disasters, and right now specifically to the palestinian people to respond to emergencies with a long term view. It happens frequently worldwide that social and environmental shocks created by disasters affect especially countries in the global south with weak governance structures whose low income populations suffer heavy burdens of damages and imposibility to recover. 

That´s imply the urgent need to find integral response to emergency not only providing the means to recover, but to really "build back better" utilizing emergency as an opportunity to capitalize international experience in pushing sustainable development process. Resilient urbanism is a why forward to fix urban and housing problems, taking advantage of the conditions created by disasters, for what municipalities needs to count with especial advises on how to chanelize resources in the right direction. Summarizing, the reason why RePlan is proposed are the following: 

• Because after a disaster it is hard for local administrations to get a continuo support of international expertise
• Because re-construction worldwide tends to focus in short term solution, frequently jeopardizing long term development opportunities
• Because technology nowaday allows to work remotely creating substantive dialogue and collective achievements through focussed coordination.
• Because public participation in such environments although being essential to warrantee sucess use to be neglected.
• Because municipalities need to learn from the process building new capacities and that requires mentorship.

In such context, the objective and business model of the initiative have been agreed with the Islamic University of Gaza to work with the University of Buenos Aires under the auspieces of the NGO Microenergia.  

 

The approach pursued look to build resilience in Palestinian cities in the Gaza Strip by supporting updating master urban plans and regional structures with a focus on creating redundancy, fexibility, capacity to re-organize and capacity to learn along the process.   

The exercise have been designed as a 3-month project initially structured in one-major conference per month in which it will be presented to mayors and major decision makers, including international donors the outputs of the work done collectively. Below it is presented a scheme summarizing the process. 

The team is integrated by a selected group of Palestinian and international experts covering the following  subjects:

1) Diplomacy and international relations

2) Urban and regional planning

3) Local economic development

4) Environment and sustainability

5) Infrastructure

6) Shelter and housing

Expected outputs includes a report on damage assessment, followed by a vision for long term solution supported by a capacity building program on resilience. 

At the moment the team has compile all available information  summarized in a brief diagnosis that will be shared in a publication once the whole exercise is done. The following graphics summarized some of the key inputs identified to work on: 

Supporting this works it has been collected from various sources including World Bank, the workd done by the Portland Trust Fund on "connected Gaza" done in 2015 and recent survey done by Palestinian Municipalities the following documents

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