Urban Developement Initiative For The Northern Expansion Zone Of Port-Au-Prince

In light of this context, the Government of Haiti represented by the designated lead institution l'Unité de Construction de Logements et de Bâtiments Publics (UCLBP), as part of their over-arching strategy for Canaan, has committed to ensuring oversight and coordination of the actions of all stakeholders in order to achieve better management and ensure equitable, and planned development of the area to avoid the creation of an uncontrolled slum in the outskirts of the capital city. As the communities in the area have demonstrated capacity for collective urban development and self-regulation, UCLBP intends to harness their existing capacities and commitment in a consultative manner while at the same time regulate the interventions at all levels from stakeholders that have been demonstrating increasing interest in implementing and supporting the development of the area.

This project aims to support the UCLBP's Plan of Action for the Development of the Zone Canaan-Jerusalem-ONAville (“Plan d'action pour le développement de la zone de Canaan-Jérusalem-Onaville”), which has been developed in line with the Government of Haiti's Strategic Development Plan for Haiti (“Plan Stratégique de Développement d'Haïti (PSDH)”) and which is also in line with the UCLBP's overarching Housing and Urban Development Policy (i.e. the “Politique Nationale du Logement et de l'Habitat” (PNLH)).

UN-Habitat proposes to support the Government Strategy implemented through UCLBP through delivery of the following objectives:

1. Support the UCLBP and other Haitian institutions with strategic and technical planning by leveraging the informal dynamic of ongoing developments, identifying strategic adjustments and consolidating knowledge management.
2. 2) Improve settlement conditions and kick-start community engagement by implementing five participatory quick-win upgrading projects across the different neighborhoods.
3. 3) Improve the quality of the housing stock in the Canaan area by increasing knowledge and driving behavior change regarding safer construction.

The project will adhere to the following principles during its implementation:

•         Government partnership: Coherent vision: The programme proposed here will be developed in close coordination with and under the direction of the Government of Haiti, led by UCLBP and with participation by and institutional support for concerned line ministries and local authorities. The programme supports sectorial priorities in terms of strengthening government capacity to carry out and regulate urban growth, to respond to the needs of informal areas, to reduce vulnerability to natural hazards and to build constructive relationships with local communities.  A key role will also be played by the Ministry of Planning, Transport and Communications (MTPTC) for the construction components of the project which will adhere to the minimum construction standards endorsed by the MTPTC and utilize the public information and communications materials on Safer Construction developed by MTPTC with UN-Habitat support as part of previous earthquake recovery and reconstruction Programmes.
•     Community driven development: Harnessing private sector resources: The approach of the programme is to harness, leverage and guide the considerable community capital, including local private sector capacity and momentum evident in Canaan; enabling local communities to drive their own development, through representation and engagement in decision making and up skilling to assume responsibility for implementation. The programme emphasises local ownership of sustainable housing and planning principles to ensure replication beyond the scope of the project intervention, and therefore a wider and longer term impact on the city's development.
•       Build local and political support: Strategic practical results: The programme aims to promote improved planning, improved settlement conditions and improved housing. The focus is on practical application and field implementation with associated outreach to test and refine appropriate solutions, to build skills and awareness and to ensure there are early visible results in terms of housing and basic services provision to generate confidence in the planning and development process.
•          Responding to a dynamic context: Achievable and adaptable: The programme has over-arching goals and a number of fixed targets, but retains a degree of flexibility, to account for the highly dynamic institutional and local area context. The activities described build on existing best practices methodologies, including those adapted to the Haiti context, and implemented by personnel and partners with extensive expertise and local experience. The linked elements of the programme should ensure coherence and complementarity in approach, as well as optimisation of time and resources.