tes ix public spaces

Research Paper Simón Chávez � 1Written by: Eric Chávez | Ashley Machado | Fredy Rosales | Edgar Mejía Edited by: Adele Negro

Ciudad Romero advancing community

empowerment through public spaces

Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey Team El Salvador 9: Winter/Spring/Summer 2015

Ciudad Romero: Advancing Empowerment Through Public Spaces

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Acknowledgements IIIIntroduction 1

1 A Contextual History of Ciudad RomeroProject Objective 3

4 Ciudad Romero4 Puerto Parada5 COMPP Factors5 Communications5 Organization5 Maintenance6 Planing6 Promotion6 Focus Areas6 Youth7 Women7 Economic Development

Methodology 88 Document Studies9 Community Mapping9 Semi-Structured Interviews10 Random Survey Sampling11 Focus Group

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12 Case Studies12 Amando López13 Jiquilisco13 Puerto Parada

Results 1415 General17 Youth20 Women22 Economic Development

Recommendations 2424 Fostering Civic Engagement & Community25 Town Hall Meetings25 Model-ADESCO (mADESCO)27 Pop-Up Markets28 Women-Centered Focus29 Achieving Success in COMPP Factors29 Community Tax30 Waste Management System31 Public Pool Restoration32 Increasing General Support of Initiatives32 Extending Mangle’s Diversified Agriculture Program33 Support of Public Spaces Inititatives

Conclusion 33Appendix 37

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey

First and foremost, we would like to express our sincerest gratitude to our professor, program director, and exemplary leader Adele Negro, for her support and encouragement throughout this entire process. Without her vision and/or extensive network of Salvadoran change-facilitators, none of our work with public spaces would have been possible. We would also like to thank Dean and Professor Jeff Dayton-Johnson, whose classroom insights on Policy Analysis proved invaluable in the proper collection of data. Those in turn per-mitted us to make useful evaluations and thus recommendations for the better use of public spaces to promote empowerment through civic engagement. Finally, we would like to express our appreciation to the first Public Spaces team of TES 8: Brittany Lane, Axel Santana, Samantha Sidhu and Sarah Sterling, whose invaluable acumen and comprehensive research of five local Salvadoran communities laid the foun-dation for our own research, allowing us to dive deeper rather than broader.

Although not a formal member of the Middlebury family, we would be remiss not to acknowledge that the concept of a “public spaces project” would never have been possible without the initial conversations be-tween Adele and an Argentine colleague during a 2012 visit to Buenos Aires. Max Rohm, a practicing ur-ban landscape architect and adjunct professor for the University of Buenos Aires, has helped develop a model of urban public spaces that revisualizes and redesigns community spaces for their own benefit by taking better advantage of their own spaces. Along with Flavio Janches, he co-authored the book Urban Interrelations, where he proposes enhancing the integration of informal settlements into the urban main-stream through community participation in the development of public spaces and facilities. With his incites in a Skype call from Buenos Aires prior to us arriving in El Salvador, we were able to better understand the vision he and Adele shared in those initial meetings and do our best to help bring them to fruition.

The Communities of Ciudad Romero, Amando López & Puerto Parada

Our research team would like to extend our most heartfelt gratitude to the people of Ciudad Romero and La Coordinadora, who showed our team the sincerest of hospitality - opening their homes, minds and hearts to us. We are indebted to the families of Doña Isabel “Chavela” Fuentes, Doña Gloria Rosibel “Mari-bel” Perez and Doña Marcelina Alvarenga for their generosity and delicious Salvadoran cuisine. We would also like to acknowledge and thank Don Jesús “Chungo” Fuentes for taking the time to share with us the

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beautiful history of Ciudad Romero and offer us several guided tours of the community he, as one of its founding leaders, calls home. Our research could not have been completed nor this report compiled with-out the generosity of people who allowed us to interview and survey them. Our hearts are filled with appre-ciation for the time, opinions, ideas and qualms they shared with us. Never have we felt so warmly wel-comed into the homes of strangers than in Ciudad Romero.

Equally, our team would like to thank the communities of Amando López and its elected leaders: Osvaldo Ortíz and Douglas Marroquín, who gladly received us and not only showed us around their town but gra-ciously answered our many questions about their exemplary success in creating and effectively managing their community’s public spaces. We want to express our gratitude to the humble fishing communities of Puerto Parada and their Community Development Association’s (ADESCO) representatives, who were not just extraordinarily passionate about the development of their own public spaces but even more so in strengthening their sister organization, Cincahuite, to the Mangrove Association that could work to facilitate some of the same types of sustainable development as in the Bajo Lempa. Our research team sincerely hopes that the information found in this report will help Puerto Parada do so. Lastly, we’d like to acknowl-edge the red-carpet treatment we received during our guided tour of the impressive market being built in the urban center of Jiquilisco in record time. We are genuinely appreciative of the time we were fortunate enough to share with Mayor David Barahona Marroquín, who himself is an architect by trade, and grateful for his committed support as well as that of his newly re-elected municipal administration.

The Mangrove Association & EcoViva

Our work would also not have been possible without the support from the Mangrove Association and EcoViva. We’d like to express a big thank you to Nohé Reyes, Noé Argueta and David Marroquín for their guidance and opinions, which greatly helped to shape our project work. Without the coordination and ded-ication from our humble and droll liaison José Maria “Chema” Argueta we would not have been able to se-cure meetings with the community leaders who were essential to our research. We would also like to ex-press appreciation for both Jeannie Mueller, EcoViva’s International Programs Associate whose hard work and dedication have been recognized in her recent promotion as the new Communications & Outreach Manager, and Nathan Weller, EcoViva’s Program and Policy Director, who not only took the time to inform us of the communities and committees with which we worked but even accompanied us on site visits and sat in on interviews for continued guidance. Finally, we would like to convey our deepest gratitude to our drivers and dear friends, Víctor Manuel Maldonado, José Dolores “Lolo” Rojas, Jesús Elías Navarrete, and Sabino Chávez Cruz. Our lives were literally in their hands.

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INTRODUCTION

Each January for the past nine years, professor and professional translator/interpreter, Adele Negro, has taken a group of graduate students from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies (MIIS) at Mon-terey, accompanied occasionally by a few undergraduate students from Middlebury College in Vermont, to the Bajo Lempa and Jiquilisco Bay Region of the department of Usulután in southeastern El Salvador. 1

Team El Salvador (TES) has recently expanded its programmatic work by delving into the idea of public space design and utilization as a crucial means to develop rural communities in this area. The concept of public spaces as an avenue to empower communities was originally derived by Adele Negro from the in-novative work carried out by landscape architects in informal settlements surrounding Buenos Aires, Ar-gentina. After numerous annual stays in Ciudad Romero, Adele similarly envisioned TES facilitating the revi-talization of communal spaces to allow residents to reach their fullest social and economic potential, while also providing an outlet and distraction for youth from having to leave their communities or join gangs.

The first TES Public Spaces team was convened in January of 2014 and its members focused on assess-ing the concept, use and management of public spaces in five communities within the canton of Zamora-no, including Ciudad Romero. Team members created focus groups by gathering community leaders and 2

residents to facilitate activities that would encourage the sharing of information and perspectives about the spaces in each community and the different demographic groups that utilize them. From this research, the team then made recommendations for improvements, which could strengthen the potential of public spa-ces to serve the needs of their communities.

A Contextual History of Ciudad Romero With the assassination of Monseñor Oscar Romero on March 24th of 1980 came the beginning of the civil war that would divide El Salvador for the better part of thirteen years. Sympathizers with the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN) either stayed in the country to fight against the U.S.-backed Sal-vadoran Army or fled to other countries seeking refuge for themselves and their families. During this time, the current residents of Ciudad Romero, then living in the department of La Union, fled to Honduras before

For an more detailed visual of where in El Salvador TES works and what they and their partner organizations do in the field, 1

please reference Appendix A.

For an explanation of local government structure, please also reference Appendix A.2

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finally settling in Panama together and remaining there for the duration of the war. In 1991, they returned to their beloved El Salvador to begin reconstructing their lives and communities. This group of 80 to 90 fami-lies settled into the area now known as Ciudad Romero, named after the martyred Archbishop Romero who spoke against the increasing marginalization of the poor and the cruelty of the Salvadoran govern-ment against its own people.

Upon their return, in a small office outside the town of Jiquilisco, group leaders planned the layout of their future community to include more than 200 homes, a school, a church, two soccer fields, a basketball

court, a medical dispensary, a cemetery and even a des-ignated space for an outdoor market. Once allotted the parcels by the Salvadoran government, they began building their homes and community accordingly. Local leaders were then able to petition the government on behalf of their communities to provide running water and electricity to each home and establishment within its borders. Today, the community has grown to include a large clinic with a nationally recognized special division devoted to kidney disease and dialysis as well as a branch of the National Women’s Association, which op-erates a dining hall. Ciudad Romero also now serves as the physical headquarters for La Coordinadora which hosts community activities, provides lodging for visiting delegations and serves as the meeting space for the ADESCOs from all neighboring communities. The physi3 -

cal space itself is comprised of a dormitory and a radio station, which are both owned and operated by Mangle, as well as a seed and plant nursery.

Although small, Ciudad Romero is centrally located between a main road and Nueva Esperanza, a neigh-boring community of more or less the same size. When walking through Ciudad Romero one easily notices its streets and public spaces strewn with litter and increasingly more territorial graffiti from the infamous Mara Salvatrucha (MS13) gang and its rival, Calle 18 (18th Street gang). The only communal areas that are regularly utilized are the soccer fields, the church, the primary school and the local convenience stores. However, if one looks past the sometimes decaying façade of the community’s physical infrastructure, one

For an explanation of what an ADESCO is and how it fits within the greater framework of the Salvadoran governmental struc3 -ture, please reference Appendix A.


A mural of Monseñor Romero in Ciudad Romero’s primary school.


would find that this community is filled with industrious entrepreneurs operating small businesses out of their homes. These industrious people are most often strong-willed women and de facto heads of house-holds who generate supplemental income through these small ventures while their husbands are usually out working in the fields and/or caring for livestock - and while yet others work farther away in Panama or the U.S. in order to send home remittances.

Ciudad Romero, as a whole, is an agricultural community that relies heavily on subsistence farming through small plot cultivation (i.e. corn, bean, vegetables, etc.), sugar cane harvesting and livestock breed-ing/tending. However, there are not nearly enough job opportunities to support the increasingly aging pop-ulation. Due to dwindling economic opportunities, the youth are leaving their community in search of work, which only perpetuates the problem. Most children attend school, but rarely ever finish, as many of them may join the workforce by 10 years of age in order to help support their families. The lack of jobs, coupled with low education rates and even fewer youth programs, contributes to the escalating conscription rates of local adolescents into gangs and the diaspora of youth who flee as a result of threats. As its socioeconom-ic situation trends negatively, our team investigated ways in which the community could use its existing human resources to revitalize public spaces and promote youth programs to bring about increased eco-nomic opportunities and human security.

PROJECT OBJECTIVE

In order to build on the work of 2014’s inaugural Public Spaces team, our own research team decided to focus on areas of community weakness previously identified in our predecessors’ report (later described as COMPP factors). The purpose of our research was to further reveal how each weakness could be convert-ed into a strength so as to play a positive role in the successful utilization public spaces primarily in Ciudad Romero but which could also easily be replicated in other similar communities, like that of Puerto Parada.


Don Chungo giving us a guided tour of the community. Here he points at the main local church.


Ciudad Romero By electing to focus on our host community of Ciudad Romero, we envisioned the potential for our pro-posed initiatives, listed in the Recommendations section of this report, to be adopted by other communi-ties as useful models for their own subsequent similar efforts. We also chose this focus not only to dive deeper into the subject matter, but also to give back to the people who have supported the work of TES so generously over the past nine years.

Over time, public spaces in Ciudad Romero appear to have deteriorated while gang activity has increased, a situation creating a greater need for safer and more appealing communal spaces. In recognizing the im-portance of revitalizing the community and its civic engagement, our team decided to focus on three cru-cial areas, as alluded to above: youth, women and economic development. Our aim was to highlight the critical importance of these relatively neglected subgroups in the community and to recommend ways in which their human resources could be utilized to achieve community economic stability. In keeping with a recommendation of the previous Public Spaces team, we chose to concentrate our research primarily on the women of the community and their role as potential leaders capable of fostering economic growth and running youth programs that would engage more young people in healthier activities.

Puerto Parada While still in Monterey prior to our departure, our team learned of plans that had been drafted to develop the wharf and the surrounding area of Puerto Parada, a community where TES had already established ties the preceding year and with which we were eager to increase our engagement. Once in El Salvador,

however, our focus was modified at the re-quest of Mangle and the fishing coopera-tives of Puerto Parada: rather than concen-trating specifically on the wharf project and and its implications for the surrounding communities, we focused our study on the fishing communities of Puerto Parada and the public space concepts, utilization and needs of their inhabitants. This then allowed us to use our research to recommend initia-tives that would help promote an inclusive


Our research team is being given a guided tour while con-ducting our community mapping exercise.


form of development in the wharf and/or market area. Because this was the first time a Public Spaces team had worked with the Puerto Parada communities, we adopted the approach of the TES 8 Public Spaces team by working with community representatives to identify their public spaces, their current and potential uses (i.e. a centrally located structure that would provide a place to store and sell their inventory) as well as any existing programs for women and youth that might increase the functionality of their public spaces and support their economic development.

COMPP Factors Building upon the findings and the recommendations of our predecessor team, we identified a series of aspects that were repeatedly categorized as needing improvement and which we considered paramount to the successful utilization of public spaces, namely: communication, organization, maintenance, planning and promotion. These we later came to refer to as “COMPP” factors, issues, challenges, etc.

Communication

We understand that adequate communication, both within the community and among partner organiza-tions, is essential to the successful utilization of public spaces. Deficient communication between involved stakeholders constitutes a significant barrier to the success of public spaces, as it limits the community’s capacity to coordinate activities and address problems in a timely manner, designate roles and monitor the functioning and maintenance of its public spaces. Appropriate communication is also indispensable to the improvement of subsequent COMPP factors.

Organization

Community organization is absolutely essential to the advancement and successful implementation of any initiative, including those which aim to support the creation and preservation of public spaces. Adequate community organization increases the effectiveness of such initiatives because it provides a chance for dif-ferent groups within the community to collaborate. The study of five communities by the previous research team revealed that the lack of organization was detrimental to the successful use of public spaces. Con-versely, a well organized community will be able to have clearly defined roles and responsibilities regarding its public spaces, thus enhancing its ability to evaluate performance and implement necessary changes.

Maintenance

The maintenance of public spaces includes both the operational functioning of the facilities (i.e. running water, latrines, public lighting, cleanliness, security, etc.), as well as the leadership and funds that guaran-



tee their continued preservation. Based on the last research team’s findings, the underutilization and dete-rioration of public spaces in the community are largely due to the lack of organization among leadership to coordinate systems or implement initiatives that will support and/or contribute to the maintenance of communal spaces. The lack of funds to carry out such activities is also a significant determining factor. Our research team set about investigating possible alternatives to tackle this challenge.

Planning

Another essential element for the success of public spaces is effective planning. Inadequate communica-tion and organization result, at best, in poor planning, which in turn creates a lack of clearly defined goals. This then impedes the establishment of a course of action to follow. Thus, the community must clearly de-fine objectives in advance, so as to be able to evaluate the successful utilization of its public spaces. This not only requires community buy-in but also effective support and guidance from its leadership.

Promotion

Similarly, the promotion of public spaces is essential to their success. The community as a whole must not only effectively understand and articulate its concept of public space, but its members must also convey to one another the importance and benefits of their public spaces in order to develop a sense of community ownership and empowerment. It is essential that the members of the community know that their public spaces are available and accessible to them, which, in turn, can help ensure that they will not be underuti-lized and fall into a state of disrepair or disarray.

Focus Areas Early on in our project work, it became evident that our research would have to be narrowed in order to procure the most useful results and offer the most beneficial recommendations not only for Ciudad Romero but also for any other community seeking to take advantage of such initiatives. Therefore, we sought to identify the common areas of weakness demonstrated by Ciudad Romero and its neighboring communities. The areas we thought in need of attention were youth, women and economic development.

Youth

In our observations of spaces in Ciudad Romero like its soccer fields, basketball court and park, it became apparent that the youth were hardly using them. Our team sought to understand why. We were aware of the human security problems in the community and wanted to investigate whatever connection existed between gang presence and the lack of utilization of these physical areas. Because this subpopulation



could greatly benefit from the improvement of public spaces and, at the same time, contribute to their functionality and frequency of use, it was important to investigate their role and perspective on this topic. Our team also agreed that youth were key to focus on, because only through their participation can the community continue to sustain itself at all.

Women

Understanding that women could also benefit significantly from public space initiatives and following the recommendations of the previous Public Spaces team, we included in our study the relationship between women in the community and its public spaces as well as their interests and concerns. As a demographic traditionally excluded from leadership roles not only in El Salvador but historically around the globe, women could potentially play a key role in many aspects of public space, from organization to design to manage-ment to maintenance. As with youth, an understanding within the community of the current and potential role of women as community leaders will be essential to the success of public spaces. During a tour of Ciudad Romero, we were taken to the site where the local chapter of the National Women’s Association meets and prepares meals for community events. Interested in the Association’s potential to contribute to the town’s economic development, we believed it was important to know more about the role it occupied. For these reasons, we preferred to identify ways in which their leadership roles in the home could be trans-lated into leadership roles on a larger scale within their own community.

Economic Development

To encourage support and community buy-in of any potential public spaces initiatives, our research team defined a third area of focus: economic development, as fostered through the use of public spaces. Al-though it is true that recreational and educational benefits deriving from public spaces are needed, we un-derstand that in rural and still developing communities these might not be at the top of their list of priorities. Providing for the basic needs of their families is the primary concern of heads-of-households. Furthermore, as reported by the previous Public Spaces team, economic growth and community development are fac-tors that motivate community residents and could be leveraged to help solidify support for public spaces initiatives. This then informed our decision to emphasize in our investigation the economic benefits to the community that could be realized through the redesign and revitalization of public spaces.

In the particular hope of reviving a local farmers market (an initiative originally attempted in 2008-09 in four communities, including Ciudad Romero, but ultimately unsustainable because several COMPP factors were lacking), our team decided to discuss the initiative with randomly selected residents of Ciudad Romero. Our aim was to gauge their interest, potential participation and/or potential support of such an



initiative a second time. Our objective was also to help determine who in their opinion should be charged with managing and maintaining such a market, and where the required funds to do so would be obtained.

METHODOLOGY After reviewing the Public Spaces report produced by TES 8, our research team met to design a tentative plan of action that could be realized within the three weeks we would be on the ground in El Salvador to conduct our fieldwork. The plan was presented to Mangle’s Junta Directiva, whose insights and sugges-tions were then integrated into a modified version of our plan of action.

Document Review Upon being assigned to our Public Spaces project by our Program Director on the basis of our skills and interests, we conducted several document studies prior to departure in order to give ourselves a baseline to work from and educate ourselves on the research previously conducted on the subject and ways in which we might build on it. We first considered the report by the inaugural Public Spaces team of 2014. In it, they detailed their preliminary assessments of the public spaces in five local communities, including Ciudad Romero and Amando López. From these assessments we chose to focus our study on the community, which in our estimation had the most potential to become a template for other local communities or rather a model of public space utilization to be followed or adapted. We decided to consider two additional reports written by previous research teams (TES 2 and TES 4) detailing socioeconom- ic data specific to education and the creation of producer cooperatives. These two reports would in-form us on how public spaces could be better utilized. We then consulted two external sources. The first was El Salvador’s five year development and security plan published by the Salvadoran government in January of 2015, the very month we were conducting our fieldwork, which detailed the country's approach to gang crime and vio-lence. The second was a proposal and technical guide to the development of the Puerto Parada wharf. 4

For more detailed information, please reference the final report from the Corporation for Salvadoran Tourism (CORSATUR) 4

and its development proposal of Puerto Parada.



We opted to conduct our research more deeply, rather than broadly as the last team had. Of the five communities assessed by the previous research team, we believed that Ciudad Romero was the best po-sitioned, offering room for improvement and potential for success. With the information gleaned from our document review, we realized that during our time in Ciudad Romero, we would, at the very least, need to conduct an extensive mapping of the community as well as semi-structured interviews with community leaders in order to ascertain the location of their public spaces, the purpose(s) for which they were current-ly being used and the ways in which they could or would be used in the future.

Community Mapping In order to better understand the community which we were researching, our team coordinated with local leaders to guide us in tours of their neighborhoods. Both former and current community leaders showed us around, at the same time offering us the necessary historical context of each space. This allowed us to confirm with community members what spaces in their immediate areas they believed were public and to point out the spaces which had the most potential for revitalization and greater uti-lization. It was through these community mapping exercises that we were able to asses how many households we would need to sur-vey. The map we referenced for much of our data can be seen to the right.

Semi-Structured Interviews The guided tours provided our team with the opportunity to interview our community guides. We created a semi-structured interview to conduct with these local leaders and representatives of specific interest groups who were recommended by our program director and liaisons from both EcoViva and Mangle. The interviews were preceded by a brief introduction by our team members of the nature and purpose of our study. Most interviewees were either filmed or recorded for reference during the post-fieldwork compilation


Here is the original map created by the collaboration between community leaders and local government leaders, which hangs in the main hallway of La

Coordinadora in Ciudad Romero.


of our final report, unless they declined to be, which occurred only a handful of times. While conducting these interviews, however, we realized that our results might become biased or skewed if we were only to consider the opinions of community leaders and local interest groups. 56

Random Survey Sampling Our four-person team surveyed 35 house-holds of the documented 150 families (about 23.3% of the current population) residing in 80 to 90 physical households within Ciudad Romero. While going door-to-door, we were struck by the unusually large number of seemingly uninhabited or abandoned houses, but no one was able to tell us with certainty how many there were. We were concerned about the potential impact this might have on

the representative sample percentage of households we surveyed. Nevertheless, the stories and com-ments entrusted to us by the community members we interviewed were extremely useful for our research, while at the same time very personal and emotional.

As best as we could, we endeavored to speak directly to the community members who would be utilizing these spaces, eliminating any reliance on spokespersons, mediators or even translators. After all, it is the community residents who will decide if a redesigned public space will be useful or not in keeping with their needs and wishes. In an effort to understand the community's perspectives on our primary areas of focus (women, youth and economic development), we developed a 30 to 45-minute survey with questions de-signed to glean further information from the residents of Ciudad Romero. Our quartet of researchers divid-ed into two dyads. Each duo randomly selected houses by flipping a coin at each door to be surveyed. We prefaced our questions with an explanation of the purpose of our research, a brief description of the con-cept of public space and, to their disbelief, the extraordinary value of recording their opinions for our study. All surveys were conducted orally and we did our best to avoid compound or leading questions, a chal-lenge which proved difficult because an overwhelming majority of respondents, especially women, insisted they did not have the intelligence they thought necessary in order to answer our questions.

For a much more detailed list of interviewees and the leadership posts they filled, please reference Appendix D.5

For a list of the exact questions asked during our semi-structured interviews, please reference Appendix C.6


F.Rosales conducting a semi-structured interview with the current President of the local ADESCO.


Another challenge worth mentioning was our diction, as certain words or concepts in our survey were sometimes lost in translation. For example, when we asked whether respondents were paying taxes, we used the word’s Spanish translation, “impuestos.” 100% of those we used that word with responded either negatively or confusingly. So, we had to replace it with its definition. Using in-stead the phrase “una pequeña con-tribución” or “un pequeño aporte,” which just means “a small contribution.” We also had to specify that all residents would hypothetically contribute equally. Instances like this indicated that our questions needed to become even clearer, simpler and more concise then we had originally intended. In surveying almost a quarter of the community’s households, we were speaking mainly to women: wives and mothers. Few men seemed to be home, which ended up benefiting our study considering men were inordinately represented in our semi-structured interviews. Similarly, no young people old enough to comprehend and answer our questions seemed to be home either, a demographic whose perspective was nonetheless important to represent in our study. 7

Focus Group We determined that the best method of incorporating this demographic would be through a focus group with the Youth Group of Ciudad Romero’s Grupo Local. Although the youth group is comprised of young 8

men and women from all of the surrounding communities represented by their Grupo Local, we consid-ered the difficulties adolescents faced were shared regardless of their community of origin and thus deemed their feedback completely valid for the sake of our study. Because the youth group meets so ir-regularly and had been on hiatus for the year-end holidays, they had yet to reconvene in the new year. It was therefore difficult to coordinate contact with them and arrange for their attendance through our Man-gle liaison. Unfortunately, not one youth member came to our first attempt at arranging a meeting. After trying again, our liaison did successfully convince two members to join us in a focus group, one from Ciu-

Our original survey questions along with the responses recorded can be referenced in Appendix C.7

For a detailed explanation of a “Grupo Local” and to understand the framework in which it operates, please reference Ap8 -pendix A.


Our editor out in the field.


dad Romero and the other from the nearby town of Nuevo Amanecer. Our biggest challenge was ensuring that our liaison didn’t bias or lead the answers we received from the two young men as he sat in with us. 9

Case Studies To inform our work in Ciudad Romero, our team sought to study a selection of surrounding communities including that of rural Amando López and the larger urban town of Jiquilisco, which we believed would of-fer us insights into their successes and best practices regarding the utilization of public spaces. The rea-son for which was to possibly replicate those initiatives that proved successful into other identified com-munities of need, like that of the large Puerto Parada region for which we conducted a preliminary study.

Amando López

This rural community is only fifteen minutes away by vehicle from Ciudad Romero and was considered a highly functioning town by the TES 8 Public Spaces team. In our meeting with the leadership of Amando López, we sought to understand the relationship between the way they dealt with their COMPP factors

and their success in maintaining not only the cleanliness of their spa-ces but the communal pride in and ownership over them. Our aim was also to understand their tax collection process: how it was established, how they motivated so many people to con-tribute, how much their residents paid and how

the tax was enforced. Lastly, we believed a site visit and discussion with the community leaders would clarify how they are tackling the increasingly pervasive problem of gang conscription, violence and extor-tion. Any relevant observations from our findings are shared as our Recommendations. 10

For a list of the exact questions asked during our focus group interviews, please reference Appendix C.9

For a detailed list of our site visit interview questions for Amando López’s representatives, please reference Appendix E.10


Amando López’s public library built with donated resources from a German orga-nization but maintained by their community tax.


Jiquilisco

During our visit to Jiquilisco, the closest high-functioning urban center to Ciudad Romero, we were taken to the construction site of what would become the largest market in the greater municipality of which Ciu-dad Romero is a part. With stands or “puestos” for over one hundred vendors, over 90% of applicants have been women. This market will surely be the primary place to pur-chase anything and everything in or around Jiquilisco. A separate section was built, complete with a dining area, where patrons will be able to purchase prepared food. The scale of this market is significantly larger than anything that could be conceived for Ciudad Romero. However, our team was able to glean several design considerations for a market in Ciudad Romero and identify the types of resources and support from critical stakeholders necessary for launching a market of any size. During this visit, which was documented by media outlets, we gained the enthusiastic support of Mayor David Barahona Marroquín as well as other local officials within his municipal government, known as “la Alcaldía,” for proposed public space initiatives.

Puerto Parada

The communities of this coastal municipality were chosen as a case study upon the recommendation of Mangle’s Board of Directors and EcoViva staff. This decision stems from the collaborative work with La Coordinadora del Bajo Lempa and Mangle to strengthen their sister organizations: La Coordinadora de Puerto Parada and Fundación Cincahuite. During our first of two site visits, we conducted two focus groups with elected representatives of Puerto Parada’s ADESCO to further concretize the concept of pub-lic spaces. Our team was guided by these passionate representatives on a tour of their communities as they pointed out the spaces they considered public and/or communal. After having suggested to them a working definition of public space, we noted with encouragement that they pointed out schools, soccer fields, churches and other community meeting places where residents could engage with one another.

In our second visit, the leaders of the “Pesca Limpia” sustainable fishing cooperatives expressed their need for a place not only to store but also to sell their fish as a means of supporting their communities’ devel-


The Jiquilisco market in the middle of its incredibly fast construction.


opment. They were particularly concerned about their ability to sell their products, as the nearest market at the wharf is still quite far from their communities, and has been monopolized by fishermen and businesses already established on the wharf who it’s assumed will be given priority contracts as part of the planned reconstruction. For these reasons, Pesca Limpia's participant communities do not foresee any likely col11 -laborations with the wharf businesses in the near future and will thus likely need to establish a space of their own. It is hoped that the insights and recommendations contained in this report will serve to inform La Coordinadora de Puerto Parada and their Fundación Cincahuite on alternative and more accessible efforts that can prove beneficial to their own communities.

RESULTS Utilizing the various methods of data collection mentioned above, we asked questions relevant to Ciudad Romero’s public space design and utilization in four thematic categories in order to inform our results and recommendations: general background, the situation for youth, the role of women and the potential of public spaces to promote economic development. Our research team uncovered some highly insightful and, at times, contradictory information in the answers given by the interviewees.

General The information obtained about each public building, space, program and entity (or the lack thereof) within Ciudad Romero was provided by community leaders during our site visits as well as by community mem-

A more comprehensive study of market opportunities and challenges was performed by our TES 9 student colleagues on 11

the Pesca Limpia project team.


The bay of Puerto Parada where men are transporting fresh coconuts for sale in the local markets.


bers via surveys and personal conversations. It is important to note that Ciudad Romero has the only fully-functioning hospital and model clinic for the treatment of kidney disease in the greater Zamorano canton, which services citizens from all of the neighboring communities. It has become a huge draw to the town and the resulting foot traffic could potentially be leveraged for further economic development. Equally im-portant to mention is the use of unofficial or undesignated public space in Ciudad Romero. Even though there is a park, a basketball court and soccer fields, one particular street corner proved the most frequent-ed area of recreation in the entire community that we noted during our fieldwork. It is located near the en-trance to La Coordinadora’s facilities, on the opposite corner from a home with a convenience store in their living room. Situated under a street light on the second most traveled road in town, it serves as a space where boys and men of all ages gather regularly to play cards, dice and socialize. The use of this space has led our team to consider the importance of lighting and the location of public spaces in relation to the frequency and purpose for which they are utilized.

Some of our most interesting findings were noted when resi-dents were asked what public spaces exist in Ciudad Romero. Approximately 69% of the sur-veyed population listed the Red Cross shelter/community cen-ter, 54% stated the soccer fields, 49% identified the park in the center of town and 29% indicated the compound of La Coordinadora. A striking 74% of the surveyed population specified that recreational programs would be beneficial to the community, espe-cially as a means of preventing future gang conscriptions of young men; 31% of respondents indicated they’d like educational programs to be developed, particularly for young women to gain vocational/techni-cal skills that would contribute to their independence.

In addition, we noted that residents lack an organized, sustainable waste management system. Instead, residents generally burn their trash in the streets or their yards as a means of disposal. Because Ciudad Romero is located near the main thoroughfare and is centrally located among the surrounding communi-ties, it experiences more foot traffic than most others. Given the combination of activity, travelers and resi-dents, the streets tend to be littered and the air filled with the unhealthy fumes of burning plastics. The ma-


The frequently visited clinic across the street from the main park.


jority of residents surveyed believed it’s the ADESCO’s responsibility to create and maintain such social spaces and initiatives. When asked how Amando López was able to achieve such a state of self-reliance, its two leaders admitted to wanting to foster a sense of responsibility within their own community, rather than depending on often unreliable outside assistance. Their ADESCO also took the initiative in asking the local police to patrol their community more frequently, which helps to keep gang violence and threats at bay. Ciudad Romero would no doubt benefit from doing the same.

The most significant finding in our research was that the residents of Ciudad Romero do not pay taxes to their ADESCO or to any branch of the Salvadoran government. This directly reflected the concerns ex-pressed by community leaders and members during our semi-structured interviews with respect to the lack of adequate resources to initiate and maintain communal spaces and programs. Additionally, through our random survey sampling we learned that almost 99% of community members are willing to pay a

monthly tax of, at the very least, $1.00 USD, which is significant-ly more than most community leaders and ADESCO represen-tatives believed the residents of Ciudad Romero could afford or would be willing to contribute. Ciudad Romero’s ADESCO could allocate this potential rev-enue to the same types of ex-penditures that Amando López has: the maintenance of public

spaces, street lights, trash collection and other public services. As specified by the community members surveyed in Ciudad Romero, this would require that whoever is in charge of such funds be completely trustworthy, honest and democratically elected by the entire community. A system of checks-and-balances could be developed to ensure objective accountability for, and accounting of, such funds. As in Amando López, whose leadership we noted was very well organized and consultative, it would be important for the leaders of Ciudad Romero to hold regular and frequent town hall meetings to communicate with and ac-cept input from community members directly about where and how their taxes should be appropriated.

It is worth noting though that surveyed community members expressed a general lack of confidence in the leadership capability of their ADESCO. A perceived lack of initiative was a recurring theme that our team identified throughout our door-to-door research. Remarkably, community members expressed full past


The main thoroughfare along which one can find the clinic, convenience store, central park, pupusería, abandoned youth center, the primary school, the lot intended for a market as well as the soccer fields.


support of previous top-down initiatives from the ADESCO. However, their perception of local leadership’s progressively weaker ability to innovate new initiatives that address emerging challenges has left them 12

with serious doubts. An overall desire was expressed for more direction and clear vision on the part of community leaders, as well as the rekindling of the passion their leaders initially had about community ser-vice upon their return from Panama. It seems that residents notice a growing apathy that is slowing progress significantly. In this respect, our research revealed a gap between the ADESCO and its con-stituents due to a lack of communication, transparency and civic engagement initiatives. Residents appear to believe that the ADESCO is not putting forth the same degree of effort to include its residents in the de-cision-making process as it did in its beginning, thus alienating representatives from those they are sup-posed to represent. This gap not only perpetuates the lack of confidence that community members are increasingly feeling about their leaders, but it also undermines the sense of ownership residents could feel towards their community. It seemed evident that our questionnaires highlighted areas of concern requiring further community exploration of programs the local government could create in Ciudad Romero and ways in which its spaces could be better utilized, structured and preserved. It is our hope that these sur-veys have sparked a dialogue among neighbors that will continue.

Youth Among formal and informal conversations with host families and community leaders, as well as through surveys of community members, the physical absence of youth in Ciudad Romero was mentioned often. Therefore, our team decided it was imperative to understand what the community believed were the rea-sons for this growing trend. Gang presence and violence affect youth more than any other demographic in Ciudad Romero, because this sector is targeted and forcibly recruited into gang membership. If these young men do not want to participate in gang activities, their only option is to leave Ciudad Romero entire-ly to ensure not only their own safety but that of their families. Often, they flee from gang violence and end up searching for and finding work in other countries, like Panama or the United States. The two primary gangs of El Salvador, the 18th Street gang and the Mara Salvatrucha (MS13), are both increasingly present in the area. On the basis of graffiti taggings and conversations with local residents, it’s evident that Ciudad Romero is considered MS13 territory while its neighbor, Nueva Esperanza, is 18th Street territory.

An example of just how negatively this issue impacts residents can be seen in the simple fact that accord-ing to residents, seven young men from Ciudad Romero have been murdered in gang-related violence be-

Through our research, we have identified the previously mentioned COMPP factors as being Ciudad Romero’s most disrup12 -tive emerging challenges to the community’s further development.



tween the time our research team left El Salvador in January and the time this report was submitted to Mangle six months later. Toño Nuñez, puts a real face on these numbers. Resident of Ciudad Romero’s 13

neighboring community of Nueva Esperanza, Toño was newly married with an expectant bride when he was forced to flee his home this summer or risk death for no longer agreeing to hide arms for a gang on his small family farm. His extortioners gave him ten days to reconsider. So, after discussing it with his fami-ly, the 24-year-old made his third attempt to seek refuge in the U.S. He left with his cousin through Guatemala towards México to board “La Bestia,” the notoriously dangerous train migrants ride atop to-wards the U.S. border. Mexican officials caught and deported his cousin before he himself would later be kidnapped by a Mexican gang and held hostage until his family could wire his ransom. After paying off some “polleros” who got him to 14

Texas, he was caught by abusively rough U.S. officials, arrested and detained until transported to a larg-er and windowless detention center in Pennsylvania, where he devel-oped a serious bought of depres-sion. Luckily, the South Bay Sanc-tuary Covenant (SBSC), found out 15

and sponsored his application for asylum. Grateful for the sponsor-ship, he still misses his wife and the daughter he has yet to hold.

Dishearteningly enough, MS13 has even managed to infiltrate the local primary school Nueva Esperanza and Ciudad Romero share in order to recruit students as new members. This put teachers and administra-tors in the very difficult predicament of having to choose to either deny a child an education because of his gang-affiliation or force him to leave for the safety of the other children and risk possible future retaliatory violence. Luckily, the issue resolved itself when the gang-affiliated student in question left school on his own accord - but it can easily arise again if gangs begin taking more interest in the area. It isn’t difficult to

His name has been changed for the sake of this report to protect the safety of his family, who are still in El Salvador, as well 13

as his own here in the U.S., where Salvadoran gang networks easily stretch.

Human smugglers are known as on the U.S.-Mexican border as “polleros” or “coyotes” in Spanish.14

The SBSC is an interfaith, non-partisan organization of churches and individuals in the Bay Area from San Francisco to 15

Santa Cruz. The California-based group is concerned with peace, justice and liberation for the people of Central America and for the refugees who have fled from these areas, especially Salvadorans.


Here is a picture of the largest mural painted inside of the abandoned Youth Center. It could potentially be used to house a small pop-up

market until it can be scaled-up appropriately.


imagine the effect gang presence and pressure to join can have on the quality of education and the ability of students to focus on their studies.

Of those we surveyed in Ciudad Romero, 80% indicated that burgeoning gang violence had driven young people from their community and oftentimes out of the country in order to avoid being forced to join gangs or risk becoming victims of gang violence and/or extortion. The other related reason for the decline in the youth population was the lack of economic opportunities in Ciudad Romero. The youth, specifically young men, are leaving in search of work in larger cities in El Salvador, Panama or the United States. Of the sur-veyed representative sample, 83% indicated that the best method to retain youth was through vocational development programs which can provide job skills to help youth gain access to quality and sustainable employment. Our team was informed by several parents in the community that they normally do not allow

their children to play outside their immediate fenced properties because of these human security con-cerns. This is especially true for young girls, who are basically confined to their home or school unless they are accompanied by their parents or an older male sibling in public areas.

As previously mentioned, Mangle sponsors and La Coordinadora hosts the Youth Group, which meets on a regular basis and operates Radio Mangle, the only local, participatory radio station in the region to produce broadcasts to a younger demographic. During our focus group, they reported not being tak-en seriously enough by their ADESCOs. This ap-pears to be a point of frustration and slight resent-ment because, as equally contributing members of their communities, they want their voices and opin-ions to be heard and validated by their elected lead-

ers just as much as those of any adult. They expressed interest and motivation when the opportunity to be mentored by current and/or former leaders was brought up. They felt in this way they could learn valuable leadership skills as well as other important tools or vocational and/or technical skills that could help them find employment and not have to leave their respective communities.


One of the employees at the only daycare in Ciudad Romero, taking the kids for a stroll in a wagon.


It was communicated to our team that the founding members of the Youth Group, who came with their parents from Panama to establish what is now Ciudad Romero, had successfully built a youth center that housed activities and meetings for young people. This space still exists today and has some beautiful 16

murals painted on its walls, as well as functioning latrines, running water and electricity. Unfortunately, the original members of that Youth Group have almost all left in search of more sustainable income sources as they continued to age into adults. As interest in the group on the part of younger generations has dwin-dled, the structure itself has been locked up, abandoned and fallen into disrepair. In our random survey sampling, we discovered that when entrepreneurial young men tried to create their own jobs, they were for the most part either conscripted or extorted by the gangs. This is usually why most young entrepreneurs try really hard not to be too successful and garner unwanted attention from gangs. This undoubtedly con-tributes to the growing diaspora of young Salvadorans, drains their communities of their potentially positive contributions and highlights the negative impact gangs have on economic development as a whole.

Women In our surveys, we sought to gain information on the perceptions held by residents in Ciudad Romero about the role of women and their overall capacity to assume additional responsibilities and/or a more prominent leadership role within their own community. An overwhelming 100% of all respondents ex-pressed support of public space initiatives that would promote (specifically among women) a sense of community and civic engagement. The further purpose of such initiatives would be to leverage motivated residents as human resources and provide spaces which could be used by the resi-dents for social, professional and economic development. Of the surveyed sample pop-ulation, 97% indicated a desire to see specialized vocational and technical training programs implemented for young girls, which in turn would promote the community's overall economic and social development. Of the same sample population, 69% indicated that they would like to see their daughters, nieces, wives and mothers study to become “professionals”, suggesting that the Women’s Association could potentially assume the management of such public education initiatives.

We believe the Youth Center could be used to host the MADESCO program we suggest later in our Recommendations.16


“Que la mujer sea crítica para analizar en qué tiene que participar y en qué no. La mujer salvadoreña ha sido siempre una

mujer muy digna. Ojalá que haga honor a su tradición y no se deje manipular.”

- MONSEÑOR ÓSCAR ROMERO


Our research team learned that the Women’s Association in Ciudad Romero is in fact a registered chapter of El Salvador’s innovative National Women’s Association, which not only promotes a sense of community and empowerment among women but also provides paid work to its members as a means of promoting job opportunities for women. In the case of Ciudad Romero, a dining hall was built in partnership with the Association to accommodate large, income-generating parties and visiting delegations. It was intended that such paying opportunities alternate among members equally in a cyclical fashion. It was this point, however, that raised several concerns and even a bit of resentment among some survey respondents, be-cause they felt their local chapter had become too exclusive. They felt membership has been increasingly

limited to the chapter’s existing leadership and only extended to their female family members and friends. In order to investigate the underlying reasons for these sen-timents, we conducted another semi-structured interview with the current Chapter President and former-President of the local ADESCO, Cristina Reyes. She indicated that she understood the women’s concerns but explained

that their resentment stems from a misunderstanding. In her opinion, women in the community are un-aware of that fact that in order to continue being a registered local chapter and receive financial support for projects from the Association’s national headquarters, the chapter has to abide by one main rule: 50% of chapter members, plus one additional member, would need to be in attendance at each monthly general assembly. These meetings are hosted by La Coordinadora, only a few blocks away from the local chapter’s physical headquarters near the town’s main plaza. Cristina explained that in order to achieve those num-bers, membership needs to be limited to only those most responsible members. It was curious though that she felt omniscient enough to determine for herself who was responsible enough and who was not.

In contrast, it was interesting to note that many of the surveyed women expressed the impression that the general assemblies were primarily for men. In fact, most of them did not even believe that they themselves were intelligent enough to warrant answering our survey questions, let alone attend a general assembly, suggesting instead that we wait for their husbands or live-in boyfriends. Their lack of formal education seems to negatively affect their self-confidence, which in turn detracts from their participation. And yet, our


The entrance to the local Women’s Association chapter’s headquarters.


team was struck by the fact that so many women in the community, including some of our host mothers, were de facto heads-of-household because their husbands were working in the fields or in other countries. The majority of the small stores in the community are operated by women out of their front rooms. They keep their homes up and raise their children while their male counterparts are away. In answer to our question regarding a farmer’s market, women seemed excited and eager to get a lo-cal market up and running, as it would not only save them from having to pay the very high prices charged by travel-ing vendors, known locally as “pi-cacheros,” but it would also offer them the opportunity to sell their own goods to neighbors and visitors. Women thus seem perfectly positioned to make a market thrive; without their involvement and buy-in, another attempt to revive the local market initiative would undoubtedly fail. Given the opinions shared in our data collection, women also seem well-positioned to help revitalize the Youth Group and po-tentially collaborate on initiatives that could serve to pool both financial and human resources.

Economic Development To understand the economic realities of Ciudad Romero, our team’s survey research also included a set of questions aimed at illuminating the current economic situation of its residents. Approximately 40% of par-ticipants reported their livelihood as dependent almost completely on agriculture, with few other income generating opportunities outside this line of work. A stark 30% claimed there was no source of income at all in Ciudad Romero. This statistic can be interpreted from the standpoint that many families in the com-munity survive on subsistence farming, cultivating just enough to live on day-to-day but not enough to sell for a margin of any kind of profit. It is worth mentioning again that some homes double as convenience stores. These small markets usually occupy the living room area of the house, where everyday goods like soda, candy, toothpaste, shampoo, aspirin, telephone cards, etc. are sold by the owner of the home, who oftentimes procures her/his goods through “picacheros.” These small businesses are usually operated by the women in the community as a means of supplementing their family’s income.


Cristina, President of the local Women’s Association chapter and former President of the ADESCO during our semi-structured inter-

view in her home’s main room.


Ciudad Romero does not have any kind of larger general store where produce and prepared food can be purchased, but the community does have a small restaurant that sells “pupusas,” a typical Salvadoran dish. This establishment is independent from the Women’s Association Chapter’s restaurant, which is rarely, if ever, open or utilized. Nonetheless, 94% of the surveyed population expressed great interest and support for the creation of a local farmers’ market. Of this segment, 60% believed that the community’s ADESCO or the Junta Directiva of Asociación Mangle should be in charge of this endeavor, whereas 23% believed it should be a communal effort. Finally, a striking 97% indicated they would shop at the market, 71% stated they would sell their product(s) there and 49% indicated that agricultural products would be the main items of purchase and sale. Since the residents of Ciudad Romero are heavily reliant on agricul-ture for their livelihood, their productive capacity would be able to support a local market with the right management and organization.

More commonly as a source of income, families in Ciudad Romero often depend on remit-tances received from relatives who have left the community and found work elsewhere. In many cases, family members live apart for years at a time and the remittances sent by the ab-sent relative are the only form of income that the family may re-ceive. However, there are a few o t h e r, l e s s p o p u l a r e n-trepreneurial ways of generating

income, such as clothes tailoring or bicycle repair. To reiterate an earlier point, the community sees voca-tional training for youth as a crucial means to keep young people in the community, combat gang violence and bolster economic growth in Ciudad Romero. Survey participants stated they were in favor of programs that would give boys and girls practical skills to earn a living. Examples cited were agricultural programs, veterinary care, and sewing or food preparation classes. The economic benefits of such activities, as well as their potential to retain youth in the community would be all the more enhanced by the establishment of the proposed local market.


Female entrepreneurs abound in Ciudad Romero, like the owner of the only pupusería in town, across from the clinic.


RECOMMENDATIONS

Our team has created a series of recommendations we believe reflect the expressed needs of Ciudad Romero’s leaders and those of the residents they serve. We offer them in the hopes they may be em-ployed to strengthen community buy-in and foster increased civic engagement. We would like to suggest that these recommendations be made available to all stakeholders involved in the development of Ciudad Romero. Once public spaces initiatives, like those we recommend in this section, prove successful in this pilot community and any kinks in programming have been worked out, we foresee their proliferation into other developing communities like those of Puerto Parada.

As we only had enough time to hold two focus groups with Puerto Parada’s representatives during our three short weeks of fieldwork researching Ciudad Romero, we have sufficient information to speak from any place of definitive knowledge on Puerto Parada’s behalf. We can only say that we carefully considered them in every one of our recommendations and hope that they glean inspiration from our suggested initia-tives in this report and, ultimately, advocate for their own dedicated team of researchers and architects in the coming years to com-pile a report with them specifically in mind. Our recommendations for Ciudad Romero, and subsequently Puerto Parada, encom-pass three main themes: revitalizing an overall sense of community; strengthening leadership through communication, organization, management, planning, and promotion (COMPP), and; increasing general support for public spaces initiatives.

Fostering Civic Engagement & Community Buy-In We understand that the term “civic engagement” can often be interpreted ambiguously. For the sake of this study, therefore, we use the New York Times’ definition of “promoting the quality of life in a community,


Our teams planning fieldwork strategy at La Coordinadora de Puerto Parada and headquarters for Asociación Cincahuite.


through both political and non-political processes.” Civic engagement is thus the act or process of “work-ing to make a difference in the civic life of our communities and developing the combination of knowledge, skills, values and motivation to make that difference.” When we use the term “community buy-in,” we 17

mean more than merely “ownership,” as you can own something (whether tangible or not) and still neglect it. “Buy-in” instead implies residents’ collective desire to contribute to their collective good. A morally and civically responsible individual recognizes her/himself as a member of a larger social fabric and therefore considers social problems to be at least partly of her/his own doing. Such an individual is willing to see the moral/civic dimensions of issues, to make and justify informed moral and civic judgments, not to mention take action when appropriate.

Town Hall Meetings

It is our recommendation that Ciudad Romero increase its efforts to organize the community and improve communication between its residents and their ADESCO through regular town hall meetings where all resi-dents are encouraged not only to attend but participate. Emphasis should be placed on encouraging resi-dents to realize that despite their limited formal education, they have much to offer and contribute to their community. These proposed town hall meetings can happen on a biweekly, monthly or bimonthly basis depending on the need collaboratively established by all stakeholders. Whatever their frequency, it is es-sential that they be held on a regular basis, so that residents reliably know when the meetings will occur without the need for continual reminders or announcements. On the basis of the feedback received from residents, we believe these regular meetings will provide Ciudad Romero: (1) the necessary forum for resi-dents to share their concerns, air any grievances and/or ask any questions of their leadership without fear of reprisal and (2) a means to achieve a spirit of community ownership and participation. Once Ciudad Romero’s ADESCO regains the community’s buy-in, leadership can then pursue new initiatives such as those listed below. By first securing community buy-in, the ADESCO will be on much firmer ground to achieve the success of any future initiative(s). In order to stimulate participation and engagement, civic or otherwise, it is important to incentivize support as a means of regaining it. Furthermore, as human re-sources and support multiply, less time and effort will be required of each initiative’s participants.

A Model-ADESCO (mADESCO)

Our research team agreed that Ciudad Romero’s ADESCO, its older community members and Mangle’s Youth Group would all benefit greatly by collaborating on a program similar to the Model United Nations

Ehrlich, T. (2000). Preface and Introduction to “Civic Responsibility and Higher Education” in the New York Times. Oryx 17

Press. [http://www.nytimes.com/ref/college/collegespecial2/coll_aascu_defi.html]


http://www.nytimes.com/ref/college/collegespecial2/coll_aascu_defi.html


(MUN) program in schools across the globe. The UN defines MUN as “an authentic simulation of the UN General Assembly…, which introduces students to the world of diplomacy, negotiation, and decision mak-ing.” Students, better known as “delegates,” research particular global problems from today’s headlines and debate them together. “They step into the shoes of ambassadors… to prepare draft resolutions, plot strategy, resolve conflicts, negotiate with supporters and adversaries as well as navigate the UN’s rules of procedure – all in the interest of resolving problems that affect the world.” By designing and alpha-testing 18

a similar educational program for the ADESCO of Ciudad Romero, Mangle and La Coordinadora’s leader-ship can then collaborate to perfect a beta-version that may be shared and replicated among the other communities it supports. We believe that this initiative has the potential to counter the growing apathy among youth by training them in public service and fostering in them, individually and collectively, a pas-sion for grassroots community organizing. Through a localized MUN program, young delegates can learn how their communities act in response to concerns about their peace and security, their human rights, their environment, their food security and sovereignty, their economic development and their relationships with neighboring communities and local governments.

This could also benefit older members of the community by giving them more purpose and harnessing the wisdom and expe-rience they can offer to motivate the young. Members of the com-munity who were once in posi-tions of leadership within Ciudad Romero, whether informally or through the ADESCO or the Women’s Association, can be en-couraged to reengage with their

community and local government by serving as mentors for young delegates in a potential Model-Adesco (mADESCO) trial program. The ADESCO can convene its members to decide what small-scale but still real-world problem they can ask the mADESCO to solve, or what actual initiative they can oversee. By giv-ing these young “delegates” real assignments that offer a direct decision-making impact on their own communities, the ADESCO not only can secure the support of this voter demographic but it can give its

United Nations Association. Model UN: Bridging the Education Gap and Creating Global Citizens. [http://www.unausa.org/18

global-classrooms-model-un]


La Coordinadora del Bajo Lempa where the Youth Group meets and op-erates Radio Mangle under its guidance.

http://www.unausa.org/global-classrooms-model-un


youngest constituents the voice they feel they are lacking. More importantly still, such an opportunity trains the next generation of community leaders, encouraging the young to stay engaged with their communities, avoid being conscripted into gangs and develop a solid vocational training in public service that they can take into adulthood. They may perhaps even follow in the footsteps of a great role model like Estela Her-nandez, who went from serving on the Mangle board to becoming a democratically elected representative of the Usulután Department to the National Assembly of El Salvador, affecting positive change for the Bajo Lempa at higher and higher levels!

Pop-Up Markets

As mentioned in our Methodology and Results sections, Ciudad Romero's community members are eager to renew efforts to establish a market. In doing so, it is our belief that the ADESCO can greatly strengthen economic development for all those it represents. After studying the progression and eventual suspension of efforts to establish the local market in 2008-09 we strongly recommend that financial sustainability be put at the forefront of any planning initiative. By starting small and scaling up as circumstances allow, a market can be scaled appropriately in both size and frequency. At first, it should perhaps take place on a monthly or at most biweekly basis, on a day of the week in which the community can expect high foot traf-fic. It might also be best to organize the pop-up market in the main park instead of the space that was specifically designated for the market site on the outskirts of town. If the market is instead held in the park across the street from the health clinic, the only functioning restaurant, the most frequented convenience store in town and the only school in the area, it is likely to gain increasing popularity among residents and


The basketball court in the park could also be used to host pop-up markets once they become too large for the Youth Center but before they get big enough to move to the outskirts of town where it was originally imagined.


visitors alike. Once enough funds can be saved from a potential community tax (which we detail further down on our list of recommendations) as well as from charging small vendor rents for puestos, a more permanent construction for a market in the specific space originally allotted for it can begin to be planned. This, of course, would also be dependent on how much the pop-up markets have grown in both frequen-cy and in the number of vendors due to popularity.

Furthermore, the growth of the market could stimulate not only the community's economy but the sur-rounding economy, offering residents and visitors alike an alternative to the expensive goods brought into town and sold door-to-door by picacheros. A market could also serve to create a stronger sense of com-munity and pride among its participants. To establish any kind of market, however, Ciudad Romero would need a leader or committee of leaders to direct it. Responsibility could be assigned to an established group like the Women's Association, whereby the women would benefit from more leadership opportuni-ties while also having an incentive to expand and become more inclusive as an organization. Considering that over 90% of vendor applicants for puestos in the massive market we toured in Jiquilisco are women, we can expect the same disproportionate interest in Ciudad Romero - making women the most important demographic whose support must be secured for any kind of market to be successful. Another alternative to managing the market could be to establish a committee of residents completely separate from local leadership who are solely dedicated to the implementation, management and maintenance of the market. This committee could be comprised of representatives from the Women’s Association, the Youth Group and the ADESCO, as well as from the school, the clinic, small business owners and residents. The inclu-sive nature of the committee would engage stakeholders at all levels and allow residents to feel greater control over their market’s success, thus further garnering community buy-in. Revenue obtained from charging a small rent for puestos would be collected by the committee, whose members would be granted the discretion by the ADESCO’s monthly general assemblies of community members to decide collectively how and where these funds should be allocated for the maintenance and security of their market.

Women-Centered Focus

Our last for this group of recommendations is more of a general suggestion than a specific potential initia-tive, as were the previous three. The importance of including women in any and all initiatives cannot be sufficiently underscored. The ADESCO can take the lead by continuing to ensure gender parity in every committee, group and program it operates. Each one should be representative of the general population of the community it affects. This entire demographic is a hugely untapped resource that could be utilized to a far greater advantage for the general public good. It has been widely proven that when communities invest in women, they invest in their health, families, economies and even the sustainability of their physical envi-



ronments. We would recommend that the ADESCO come together with the specific objective of deter19 -mining how to increase the inclusion not only of women within its community activities, but its younger and older members alike. Our observations and recommendations for best practices, however, are based on a brief three weeks of fieldwork; only the residents of Ciudad Romero will know best what policies and public services will truly serve the needs of their community. While deferring to the ADESCO in these matters, we would like to suggest small measures that could go a long way, such as specifically extending an invitation to women when making reminder announcements on the town speaker system for attendance at general assemblies. This simple effort would prove a sign of good faith towards constituents in an attempt to re-gain lost trust. It would also support the Women’s Association’s potential efforts of becoming more inclu-sive, while also meeting its attendance quotas. This kind of reinforcement from the leadership is exactly what many residents agreed in our survey was lacking in Ciudad Romero.

Achieving Success in COMPP Factors Each of the proposed initiatives or general recommendations we offer in this section should serve as spe-cific projects for future TES delegations of research teams like ours, especially considering that further study will be needed in order to guarantee the success of such endeavors. Each proposed initiative would require its own due diligence by researchers to find the very best possible solution(s). The following set of recommendations addresses the way in which success can be achieved through the implementation of COMPP factors, that is, through communication, organization, maintenance, planning and promotion.

Community Tax

When our team learned through our first semi-structured interview with the local ADESCO’s current Presi-dent that community members did not pay any taxes, we sought to understand why. He explained that neither he nor his colleagues in the ADESCO believe Ciudad Romero’s residents are in any kind of financial condition to be able to afford a tax. Although it was a valid and even compassionate response from an es-teemed community leader, it became obvious this would be a question better left to his constituents to answer. As previously indicated, the sample population we surveyed led us to the statistics cited in the preceding Results section. Almost unanimously the community seemed to agree to a $1.00 USD commu-nity tax per family/household per month. With a total of 80 to 90 total households, that’s roughly a $75 monthly safety net and financial asset the community can create for itself. Residents explained, however,

Chernoff, A. (2012). Huffington Post: Impact, What’s Working. Six Reasons to Invest in Women. [http://www.huffingtonpost.19 -com/anya-cherneff/invest-in-women_b_1612911.html]


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that a potential community tax would only be accomplished successfully if every family contributed, even if that meant decreasing the amount due for their less fortunate neighbors - so long as they all contribute something. Furthermore, the person(s) who manage(s) these funds must be trusted completely and held accountable for audits through a system of checks-and-balances. The budget must also be shared with residents at every town hall meeting, as is done in Amando López for example, in order to regain the community’s trust through transparency.

The funds from a monthly community tax should go directly to finance public services. Considering that over 80% of the population is worried about the influence of gangs on their children, along with the ac-companying violence and crime, community leaders need to recognize that this situation must be a priority in their political agenda and platforms. Since almost one-third, or 31%, of residents don’t believe there is any source of income generation or sustainable livelihood in Ciudad Romero, its ADESCO would do well to make job creation and microeconomic sustainability serious priorities. Tax revenues could be used to ad-dress concerns over safety and strengthen efforts to keep public spaces well maintained on a bimonthly basis, rather than only a couple of times a year. Maintenance of the physical structures that serve as public spaces is also essential. Public latrines should be clean and functioning, and non-functioning light posts should be fixed in order to help residents feel safer at night. Taxes could also be allocated to the estab-lishment and maintenance of educational or vocational programs for the general public, with a specific tar-get recruitments of young people, women and the elderly. Such programs could include classes on finance

and marketing or support for the ex-pansion/extension of Mangle’s Diver-sified Agriculture Program. 20

Waste Management System

An effective community waste man-agement system would make the daily street burnings of often toxic refuse unnecessary. As a matter of public health, preventing the inhala-tion of dangerous fumes from burn-ing plastics and other inorganic ma-terial should be a community priority.

See our explanation of this program in the subsequent Increasing General Support of Initiatives section.20


The local primary school burning all of their trash in the playground before school starts up again after winter break.


The potential for house fires would also be diminished. When asked why a system of public garbage dis-posal had not been implemented, most community members admitted to never having given it much thought. It was “the way it’s always been done” and no one seemed to know how to secure regular pick-up by a municipal garbage truck. However, after interviewing the community leaders of Amando López, our research team discovered that the process was actually quite simple. All that was required was a phone call to the municipal government and the filling out of some paperwork. It must be noted, however, that stipulations also exist requiring the agreement of municipal authorities for the establishment of a trash collection service. First of all, the community would need to build a one-stop collection site for municipal garbage trucks to pick up all refuse. Unlike the practice in the US, trash collectors in El Salvador will not drive door-to-door to pick up garbage; they only have the resources to make one stop per community. Thus, it would be the community’s responsibility to incentivize residents to bring the trash from their homes to the trash collection pick-up site. A portion of the above proposed tax could perhaps be used to pay a community member with a truck to go door-to-door picking up household garbage on a regular, maybe weekly, basis. The responsibility for managing this initiative could perhaps be entrusted by the ADESCO to the Youth Group.

Public Pool Restoration

One of the most significant priorities for Ciudad Romero is tackling the dire lack of employment options for its residents. Therefore, we suggest that a portion of the collected taxes be used to repair the large pool, situated near the daycare center and the church. In view of the high heat and humidity year-round in the Bajo Lempa, residents and visitors alike would no doubt be willing to pay a small entrance fee to enjoy the refreshing pool that was once open to the public before falling into disrepair. According to one of our

guide’s during our tour of Ciu-dad Romero, the pool was built by a private resident who had to shut it down because it wasn’t built properly and cracked. We think the ADESCO could con-vince the private citizen to pay an agreed upon “business tax” per entrance ticket in perpetuity in exchange for the communi-ty’s financial support to help fix


The currently inoperable pool that could be fixed up to generate income.


the pool. This business tax could further supplement the community tax for even more public service initia-tives. The remainder of the profits from entrance fees could be allocated to the pool’s continued mainte-nance and cleanliness, as well as its security. Precautions should also be taken to properly secure the pool when not in use, so as to avoid accidents and to deter the spread of mosquito-borne diseases such as the 2014 outbreak of Chikungunya. In addition to the financial benefits for the community and its pool owner, this initiative would provide a public recreational space and a venue for numerous activities: life-saving classes in CPR and first-aid as well as swimming classes to prevent further drowning accidents in nearby rivers. The income generated could be used to hire more lifeguards, an additional source of employment for community residents.

Increasing General Support of Initiatives These recommended initiatives would not succeed without community support. As landscape architect Max Rohm has suggested, before giving their support, people will first need to understood what a public space is and how its development can benefit them. Max suggested a brochure but after considering liter-acy rates, we are now unsure whether a traditional brochure would prove successful. We instead recom-mend an effective visual learning pamphlet with little to no words as a tool to describe public spaces to everyone regardless of degree of literacy. In addition, we think a multi-viral marketing approach through various channels like radio, social media, SMS and word-of-mouth, where thoughts and opinions can spread organically through multiple networks simultaneously to promote an open dialogue among com-munity members and leaders.

Extend Mangle’s Diversified Agriculture School

Mangle’s Diversified Agriculture School is an innovative educational program that trains subsistence farm-ers in techniques like Japanese composting, diversification of crop yields and the transition to organic farming. The program has also convinced the federal government to drop their contract with the agro-chemical giant Monsanto in favor of distributing local compost and seeds that have not been genetically modified and awarding hybrid corn seed production to local producers. This is exactly the type of training and advocacy work that residents of Ciudad Romero are seeking. Classes that are open to the general public at low tuition or subsidized by taxes can also aid in fostering community empowerment. The local school principle and vice-principle could be consulted as to the school’s potential role in supporting pro-grams of adult education and/or vocational trainings. The abandoned Youth Center and the infrequently used Red Cross shelter at the parque, or even the facilities at La Coordinadora, could be made available or



refurbished to hold such classes. Visiting instructors could be hosted at La Coordinadora like other delega-tions, and public announcements could be made to inform all residents about course schedules. If this re-vitalized training program were to be successful in Ciudad Romero, similar efforts could be extended to other communities in need, like those being developed in Puerto Parada. This would be ideal considering that representatives of their fishing cooperatives affirmed that such programs would be greatly beneficial, both as a source of increased job opportunities and as a model to replicate in their communities

Support of Public Spaces Initiatives

Lastly, we recommend that synergies be sought and strengthened wherever possible, so as to bring to-gether existing and new initiatives in an integrated system for success. Community leaders should strongly encourage initiatives aimed at public space development and engage community members in ongoing dia-logue about public space needs or suggestions. Formal groups like the Women’s Association and the Youth Group can collaborate with one another on existing projects or proposed initiatives that could also serve, for example, to abate the human security threats that affect both demographics. Subsistence farm-ers can organize to collectively bargain their ADESCO for public vocational trainings to increase profits and overall benefits. Relationships can be further fostered and strengthened with the local police department, municipal authorities, other ADESCOs, as well as development organizations like the in-country Peace Corps, to benefit community members through more far-reaching collaborations

CONCLUSION Public space design and utilization are crucial means by which both economic development and social empowerment of rural communities in the Bajo Lempa can be achieved. Revitalizing communal spaces can afford community residents essential wherewithal and capacity to accomplish many of the objectives discussed throughout this study. The research conducted by our team reveals in significant ways how the residents and local leaders of Ciudad Romero view the current state of their community and what their vi-sion is for its future. It is hoped that examples of viable public spaces initiatives offered in this report can spark the imaginations of community members and leaders alike towards innovative as well as practical ways of (re)designing and (re)utilizing space to address the community’s specific COMPP weaknesses. Each of the potential initiatives or recommendations we outline could also become the focus of specific projects for future research teams. Further detailed investigation on their part would help to support sus-tainable resolutions of COMPP challenges and ensure that these endeavors achieve success.



We would encourage TES 10 and our specific project’s next group of researchers to continue working in Ciudad Romero as an exemplar community. We believe it important to expand the public space research carried out by Teams 8 and 9 and to deepen the engagement with the community that has served as the host for Team El Salvador for each of the past ten years this coming January of 2016. Future teams would do best to focus on addressing the needs of Ciudad Romero through capacity building of community as-sets like the Women’s Association and the Youth Group. As the community’s passion for and experience in advocating for social and economic empowerment at local and regional governmental levels grow, the un-

der-represented populations of women, youth and the elderly will increasingly assert their voices in key arenas. By recog-nizing COMPP challenges and spurring their resolution through improved communication, or-ganization, maintenance, plan-ning and promotion, Mangle would play an essential role in fostering greater economic op-portunity and social integration for the community.

We cannot overstate the importance of ensuring that the concept of public space design and revitalization as an integral part of sustainable development be promoted among all the community leaders and as many members of Ciudad Romero as possible. If their understanding and involvement are engaged in this regard, the interests, wishes and perspectives of their constituents, particularly the under-represented segments, can be more fully incorporated into their decision-making process(es). This would then better enable community leaders to encourage the use of existing and/or new public spaces in Ciudad Romero in order to address the community’s challenges, and, at the same time, foster its strengths. Furthermore, if this development concept of public space revitalization is to take root and be successful as a tool of com-munity empowerment, we recommend that this report and its findings reach beyond the community of Ciudad Romero to the larger cantonal, municipal, departmental and even national government administra-tions, such as those of Jiquilisco and San Salvador. Securing the support of public officials, who have the authority and resources to provide effective assistance, would further enable Ciudad Romero’s leaders to guide their community toward economic/financial independence and sociopolitical standing.


Our research team (right to left: Edgar, Freddie, Ashley & Adele) in the mid-dle of a focus group (far left: focus group participant) with some of Puerto

Parada’s representatives.


In addition, and equally important in the endeavor to support the realization of a community vision, this study is intended to serve as a platform for the projected collaborative effort between Team El Salvador and a inaugural team of graduate students in landscape architecture who, it is hoped, will start visiting the Bajo Lempa in 2016 to carry out a Design Studio. The aim of the Studio team in a first phase would be to complement the research carried out thus far by TES 8 and 9, particularly in Ciudad Romero and likely in Puerto Parada, so as to generate viable projects that could eventually be physically built with the support of governmental and institutional funding. The studio will explore how design alternatives can tackle the infrastructure, architecture, landscape and mapping related issues in such areas as ecological tourism, en-vironmental stewardship, waste management and sustainable food production. It will aim to determine how existing community infrastructure, both physical and social, might be adapted so as to better function spatially, ecologically, socially and econom-ically. An in-depth analysis of the sites would be performed and will draw upon the data produced by the MIIS teams, thus allowing for ap-propriate landscape responses informed by a more comprehensive understanding of survival community strategies. If this pilot initiative is found successful, Mangle and the Municipality of Jiquilisco could help to facilitate its replication and implementation in other communities within the Bajo Lempa. Mangle’s sister organization, Asociación Cincahuite, its communities and fishing cooperatives, would particularly benefit from public space initia-tives, as evidenced in their eloquent articulation of economic needs and development aspirations during their discussions with our research team.

There are several components involved in measuring the success of public spaces initiatives in order to understand whether or not they are fulfilling community needs. They should at the very least include a needs assessment. Special interest should be taken to be as inclusive as possible of marginalized demo-graphics, especially ones with leadership potential. With this baseline, the team(s) can then create a set of useful meta-questions that can be utilized to establish an effective mixed-methods evaluation methodolo-gy. This would afford the team(s) the opportunity to report relevant findings and suggest the highest quality recommendations to our clients, Mangle and possibly Cincahuite, once they return from their fieldwork in


The wharf of Puerto Parada, ripe for development.


El Salvador. Of course, this model can be tweaked to suit the needs of the client(s) as well as those of the research team(s) involved. Once the client has an opportunity to share the report with the relevant stake-holders, they can begin discussing how best to implement such initiatives and then actually do so with the support of subsequent teams. Subsequent teams should only have to work as facilitators, supplementing the work of local communities to take the lead in affecting change for themselves, instilling a sense of community empowerment and fostering civic engagement for their own development and that of their fam-ilies and communities.

It may even be beneficial to establish a research team to continue our work in Ciudad Romero and a sepa-rate team to begin working in Puerto Parada, as both communities require dedicated individualized re-search. With the development of a new wharf and the presence of existing restaurants, shops and other local businesses, Public Spaces initiatives in Puerto Parada can work to complement local efforts in order to achieve the safest and most productive communal areas as possible. A Puerto Parada-focused team could begin this process by replicating our own team’s research as well as that of our predecessors. By doing so, future teams can glean invaluable knowledge from local residents who offer the best understand-ings of their visions for their own futures. Only through such understanding can subsequent teams begin to create not only successful, but sustainable programs and public spaces in Ciudad Romero, Puerto Parada or any other Salvadoran community.


All three research teams comprising TES 9 along with a few of our Mangle liaisons, Mangle’s Junta Directive and community representatives from Puerto Parada.


Appendix A

Partnership Organizations As the program director of what has become known as Team El Salvador (TES), the first immersive and experiential learning program of its kind at MIIS that worked with real-world clients, she leads its collabora-tion with EcoViva, the Mangrove Association and the Coordinating Network of the Bajo Lempa and Jiquilisco Bay on environmental conservation and sustainable development projects.

La Coordinadora del Bajo Lempa y la Bahía de Jiquilisco

The Coordinating Network of the Bajo Lempa and Bay of Jiquilisco is TES’ primary on-the-ground partner organization and has functioned as their host in El Salvador for the past nine years and counting. La Coor-dinadora, as its more commonly known, provides a doorway for MIIS students to engage directly with local communities. It works hard to raise awareness of climate change, promote sustainable agricultural and fishing practices as well as implement basic infrastructure improvements and develop community leader-ship. It provides the Bajo Lempa’s population of fishermen and subsistence farmers with the means to support themselves, while guaranteeing the viability of their local ecosystems. La Coordinadora is gov-erned by a Board of Directors (la Junta Directiva) whose members were democratically elected from among the greater General Assembly (la Asamblea General) of La Coordinadora. La Asamblea is com-prised of elected representatives from among the Local Groups (Grupos Locales) of the Bajo Lempa and Jiquilisco Bay regions. Grupos Locales are groups of elected representatives from among anywhere be-tween three and five individual Community Development Associations (ADESCOs). An ADESCO is a group created by neighbors within a community who has been permitted by the Salvadoran government to en-sure the welfare of its community. La Coordinadora is officially comprised of la Asamblea and its Junta Di-rectiva, whereas the more local Grupos Locales and ADESCOs are au-tonomous. Their relationship with each other is illustrated in the graphic to the right.

In order to better understand the context in which these ADESCOs and Grupos Locales as well as la Asamblea and its Junta Directiva function, it is important to explain the geographic breakdown of the relevant Salvado-ran governmental structure. Each individual Salvadoran resident is a part of



a small community. A community, like that of Ciudad Romero, can be defined as a social group of any size whose members reside in a specific locality, share a local government and often have a common cultural and/or historical heritage. Several of these small communities will make up a canton. A canton, like that of Zamorano, is a small territorial district. Several of these cantons then make up a municipality. A municipality, like that of Jiquilisco, is a city, town or other district possessing corporate existence and usually its own regional government. Several of these mu-

nicipalities will then make up a department. A department, like that of Usulután, is a large district into which countries, like El Salvador, are divided for administrative purposes. Their relationships with one other is illustrated to the left.

Asociación Mangle

The Mangrove Association is TES’s secondary Salvadoran partner who provides support and direction for the project work that TES students design, evaluate and/or research. It’s governed by a democratically elected Board of Directors (la Junta Directiva), which closely collaborates with La Coordinadora’s Board of Directors. Their roles are different in that La Coordinadora is a representative board of all neighboring communities within the Bajo Lempa region in the state of Usulután, which founded Mangle and acts as its governing body. Mangle, as it’s more commonly known, serves as the body responsible for the actual im-plementation of development projects guided by La Coordinadora. To do this, they collaborate closely with a U.S.-based organization (EcoViva) to bring delegations of both university students and professional con-sultants down to La Coordinadora to offer their expertise and labor in the collection of data crucial to the progression of Mangle’s development work.

EcoViva

Based in Oakland, EcoViva supports environmental sustainability, social justice and peace for communities in Central America. They do so by supporting community-based organizations (CBOs) like Mangle through ongoing technical assistance in program planning and policy advocacy, as well as by connecting its part-ners with national policy initiatives and major international funding streams from which they would other-wise be typically excluded. For TES specifically, they are not only responsible for trip logistics, transporta-tion, room and board for participants, but they also provide policy support as consultants to Mangle, col-laborating closely with TES in the process. In fact, EcoViva currently employs two MIIS graduates who have both worked in a past iteration of TES.



Appendix B

Semi-Structured & Focus Group Interviewees

Marcos Alberto Bonilla President of the ADESCO in Ciudad Romero

Jesús “Don Chungo” Fuentes Co-Founder of Ciudad Romero

María Francisca Rodriguez Principal of El Centro Escolar

Santiago Flores Vice Principal of local School

Ronaldo Portillo Director of Community Clinic

Christina Reyes President of Women’s Association and former-President of the ADESCO

Noe Argueta Mangle’s Youth Group Liaison

Roberto Member of the Youth Group

Marvin Member of the Youth Group

Osvaldo Ortíz President of the ADESCO in Armando López

Douglas Marroquín Secretary of the ADESCO in Armando López

Isabel “Chavela” Fuentes Homestay Mother

Gloria Rosibel “Maribel” Perez Homestay Mother

Candida Reyes Granados Member of the Women’s Association

Jasinto Reyes Owner of Rosita’s Tienda



Appendix C

Semi-Structured & Focus Group Questionnaire Cuestionario para entrevistas semiestructuras y grupos focales COMPP: Comunicación, Organización, Mantenimiento, Planificación y Promoción

General 1. ¿Qué lugares en Ciudad Romero considera usted espacios “públicos” o “comunitarios”? 2. En su opinión, ¿cuáles son los usos que tienen esos espacios? ¿Qué otros usos podrían tener? 3. ¿Qué tipo de espacio(s) le gustaría ver en Ciudad Romero? Con qué propósito? 4. ¿De qué manera le gustaría que se mantuvieran esos espacios? [limpieza] 5. Según usted, ¿quién debería encargarse de mantener esos espacios? 6. Como residente de la comunidad ¿estaría dispuesta a hacer una pequeña contribución mone-

taria periódicamente para el mantenimiento de los espacios? 7. En su opinión, ¿cuál es el valor del centro de La Coordinadora para C. Romero

A. Qué otros usos podría tener? [same question for Parque]

Jóvenes 1. ¿Qué hace la organización de jóvenes? 2. Según ustedes, ¿cómo vean el papel/el rol de esa organización en la comunidad? 3. ¿Cómo es un día típico en la vida de un joven? 4. ¿Qué hacen los jóvenes de Ciudad Romero para divertirse? 5. ¿Qué espacios que ya existen en la comunidad le gustaría se mejoren para los jóvenes? 6. Se nos ha expresado el deseo de retener a los jóvenes en la comunidad. ¿Por qué se van los

jóvenes de la comunidad? 7. ¿Qué tipo de programas para jóvenes quisiera que se implementen en la comunidad? 8. Según usted, ¿quién debería administrar, asegurar el funcionamiento y la gestión de recursos

para esos programas?



El papel de la mujer y su influencia en la comunidad 1. ¿Qué papeles desempeñan las mujeres en la comunidad? 2. ¿Cuál cree usted que es la función de la Asociación de Mujeres en la comunidad? 3. ¿De qué otra forma podría contribuir la Asociación a la comunidad? 4. ¿Qué espacios que ya existen en la comunidad le gustaría se mejoren para las mujeres?

Desarrollo económico 1. ¿Qué espacios contribuyen a la vida económica de la comunidad? 2. ¿Qué opina usted de la posibilidad de tener un mercado local, tal vez seminalmente o cada

quince días, en Ciudad Romero? 3. ¿Quién podría organizarlo y asegurar su funcionamiento? 4. Si existiera un mercado local, ¿asistiría? ¿Vendería algo? [Si yes: ¿Qué?]



Appendix D

Random Sample Survey w/ Results Cuestionario para Residentes de Ciudad Romero: Resultas COMPP: Comunicación, Organización, Mantenimiento, Planificación, Promoción

General 1. Qué lugares en Ciudad Romero considera usted como espacios “públicos” o “comunitarios”?

69% El albergue 54% Las canchas 49% El parque 29% La Coordinadora >1% La clínica

>1% La escuela >1% Asoc. de Mujeres >1% Casa de jóvenes 0% La Pupuseria/El restaurante 0% El comedor

2. En su opinión, ¿Que tanto usa la comunidad esos espacios?37% Mucho 26% Siempre 26% A veces

14% Raramente 0% Nunca

3. En orden de importancia, ¿en cuál de las siguientes actividades participa en su comunidad?63% Asambleas 60% Misa 29% Festejos entre vecinos 17% Escuela

17% El ADESCO 17% Juegos/torneo de futbol 14% Asoc. de Mujeres

4. ¿Qué tipo de espacio(s) le gustaría ver en la comunidad? Con qué propósito?74% De recreación 31% De educación

>1% De desarrollo económico >1% No sé

5. Según usted, ¿quién debería encargarse de mantener esos espacios?60% El ADESCO/Junta directiva 37% Toda la comunidad junta

17% El grupo de jóvenes >1% La Asoc. Mujeres



>1% La Alcaldía >1% La iglesia >1% La policía

>1% PMA 0% El centro escolar 0% Mangle/Coordinadora

6. Como residente de la comunidad ¿estaría dispuesta/o a hacer una pequeña contribución monetaria periódicamente, para la seguridad de la comunidad y para el mantenimiento de los espacios?77% Sí 11% No

>1% Tal vez >1% No respuesta

7. Si hubiera un impuesto en Ciudad Romero (para el mantenimiento y seguridad de estos lugares) cada cuánto se debería recolectar?46% Mensualmente 29% No respuesta 11% Cuando necesario >1% Cada 2 meses

>1% 2 veces al año >1% Anualmente 0% Semanalmente 0% Cada 15 días

8. Si hubiera un impuesto en Ciudad Romero, cuanto sería justo recolectar?34% $1.00 23% No respuesta 14% $5.00 >1% $2.00 >1% $3.00

>1% $10 >1% $0.50 >1% No sé 0% $4.00

Jóvenes

1. Se nos ha expresado el deseo de retener a los jóvenes en la comunidad. ¿Por qué se van los jóvenes de la comunidad?80% Por la violencia 54% Para trabajar en la ciudad/otro país

2. ¿Qué tipo de programas para jóvenes quisiera que se implementen en la comunidad?83% De desarrollo vocacional 20% De deportes 20% De prevención de pandillas

>1% De becas >1% De música/ teatro/danza

3. Según usted, ¿quién debería administrar, asegurar el funcionamiento y la gestión de recursos para esos programas?51% El ADESCO/Junta directiva 20% Toda la comunidad



11% Mangle/Coordinadora >1% El centro escolar >1% La Alcaldía >1% La iglesia >1% Otra organización

>1% No hay capacidad acá 0% La Asoc. Mujeres 0% El grupo de jóvenes 0% La policía

El papel de la mujer y su Influencia en la comunidad

1. ¿Qué aspiraciones profesionales le gustaría para las hijas/niñas de su comunidad?69% Estudiar para ser profesionales 29% Entrenamiento vocacional

>1% No sé

2. ¿Cree usted que la Asociación de las Mujeres tiene la capacidad de asumir más responsabilidad y un papel de liderazgo en la comunidad 86% Sí 11% No sé

>1% No

3. ¿Piensa usted que la comunidad debería organizar programas para las niñas específicamente?97% Sí >1 % No

>1% Igual

¿Qué tipos?100% Desarrollo vocacional 31% Educacional

11% Empoderamiento de mujeres 11% Enprendedurismo

Desarrollo Económico

1. ¿Cómo se gana usted la vida en Ciudad Romero? 40% Agricultura 31% No hay trabajo en Cuidad Romero 17% Pequeños Negocios

>1% Ganadería >1% Ama de casa >1% Remesas

2. ¿Qué espacios contribuyen a la vida económica de la comunidad?34% No sé 26% La coordinadora 20% No hay 11% La clínica

>1% El parque >1% El mercado >1% Las calles >1% La Papusaría



>1% Las Canchas

3. ¿Apoyaría el esfuerzo de crear un mercado local en Ciudad Romero, tal vez semanalmente o cada quince días?94% Si >1% NS/NR

0% No

4. ¿Quién podría organizarlo y asegurar su funcionamiento? 60% El ADESCO/Junta directiva 23% Toda la comunidad 14% Mangle/Coordinadora >1% La Asoc. Mujeres >1% El grupo de jóvenes

>1% Alcaldia >1% Un comité 0% El centro escolar 0% La policía

5. Si existiera un mercado local, ¿asistiría?97% Si 1% No

6. ¿Vendería algo?71% Si 17% No

¿Qué?49% Productos de agricultura 17% Comida preparada >1% Productos de animales

>1% Artesianas >1% Ropa >1% No sé



Appendix E

Questions from Our Site Visit Interview in Amando López

1. Según usted, ¿Cuáles son los espacios comunitarios o de uso público en la comunidad?

2. ¿Cómo se usan estos espacios?

3. ¿Quién(es) se encarga(n) de mantener estos espacios?

4. ¿Qué retos enfrentaron en la formación de estos lugares/espacios?

5. ¿Qué retos enfrentan en el mantenimiento de estos espacios?

6. ¿Cómo los superaron?

7. ¿Qué actividades para jóvenes hay en la comunidad?

8. ¿Qué recomendaciones les darían a otras comunidades rurales que quieren mejorar sus espa-cios públicos?

9. ¿Cómo se incorporan las mujeres y los jóvenes en las actividades que se llevan a cabo en estos espacios?

10. ¿Pagan impuestos en la comunidad?

11. ¿Qué tan realista es la posibilidad de recolectar contribuciones para el mantenimiento de espa-cios comunitarios?

12. ¿Cómo contrarrestan/lidian con la presencia/el problema de las maras?

13. ¿De qué manera contribuyen los espacios comunitarios/de uso público a la actividad económica en la comunidad?


tes ix public spaces

Documents

public spaces project

public spacesacknowledgements

model of urban public

public spaces team of

better use of public

community empowerment

redesigns community

rosales meja iciudad