Evaluación de implementación a la política “Construye bien” en el Distrito de Medellín (2020-2023)

Abstract

The Construye Bien Policy has been implemented in the Medellín District since 2018. Its aim is to develop prevention, awareness, identification, surveillance, geo-referencing, monitoring, and control activities for legal, informal, and illegal construction processes. Given the implications of the Policy, this document proposes to carry out an implementation evaluation of the thematic axis of Control and Surveillance, specifically in the polygon that includes the Santa Elena district, with part of the Manrique, Villa Hermosa and Buenos Aires neighborhoods with the Piedras Blancas, Matasano and Media Luna villages, between 2020 and 2023. The study focused on this specific area because it is one of the 65 zones prioritized by the policy, as it is one of the areas with the greatest impact on the growth of irregular settlements. Four interviews were conducted with people involved in the issue, who presented their views on the development of the District's policy. The final stage of this study is the implementation evaluation, which will allow us to conclude whether or not the policy is being effective in the control and surveillance of the territory. The national government, for example, has shown little interest in partially or totally demolishing the irregular settlements and is more inclined to seek options for consensus-building without considering the level of risk that many of these informal constructions represent for the communities. That is why in the recommendations we are including some elements that could be incorporated to improve the application and reduce the possible negative impact that the policy may have generated in vulnerable communities.