PROJECT OVERVIEW: Milagro de Dios is a slum settlement or barrio located in the south of the city of Ibague. Working with Colombian and international universities, local government and grass roots organizations, the project focuses on building resilience in barrio Milagro de Dios. The project adopted the Resilient Thinking Approach Program, a tool which enables a 2030 sustainable vision for communities. The 2030 Envision process promotes understanding, analysis and a vision of social-technical-ecological systems dynamics and challenges. It enables dialogue between local administrations and informal communities. In the context of low-income community displacement, the approach promotes community decision making to improve neighborhoods in relation to floods and waste management issues. It addresses the lack of public space, the poor quality of informal housing, and challenges faced by dispersed indigenous communities.

The Resilient Thinking Habitat Program tool : (1) determines needs, identifies which components are eligible for funding and establishes improvement priorities ; (2) facilitates analysis by communities of the urban challenges they face, and highlights stakeholders' views on topics such as housing improvements, and actions that support a sustainable and resilient quality of life; (3) provides a 2030 Action Plan (vision) for a sustainable habitat. Techniques used include co-design, community-led urban mapping, and the use of audio-visual technologies. A Resilient Thinking Adaptive Cycle chart and a 2030 SDGs Resilient Planning Program is the end result of this community based process.

CATEGORY: Education SETTING: Urban STATUS: On-going

BY: Queens College, CUNY; Urban Resilience Thinking Approach Institute