An adequate habitat for Cuna de la Paz: Right to the city and local development in El Salvador

The event will contribute to the dissemination of the housing and local sociou2010economic development project 'Cuna de la Paz', designed collectively by 62 families organized in mutual help housing cooperatives from the urban area of La Palma, Chalatenango, El Salvador, accompanied by the technical support of FUNDASAL. It includes the construction of housing and community spaces that become part of the families' integrated settlement, so that it turns into a sociou2010spatial source of livelihood and wellu2010being. It has been designed to guarantee the sustainability of social cohabitation as much as the economic prosperity of families in the future, focusing on environmental sustainability and adaptation to climate change. The buildings will use alternative construction systems that utilize local materials, in order to maintain a respectful relationship with the environment. Economically, it would have a positive impact on local development through solidarity initiatives that generate income, in coherence with the ecotourism development strategy contained in the Cayaguanca Region Development Plan, where La Palma is located and the production agroecological gardens, local crafts and ecotouristic activities will take place. And since said regional plan is part of the Trifinio Development Plan, the articulation of the project with a macrou2010regional and national policy is guaranteed. This coincidence of efforts has allowed cooperatives to become key development actors on La Palma's territorial development with the support of local authorities. From a social perspective, the project also inclusive given that families are composed mostly of women, youngsters and children. Moreover, the project administration is selfu2010managed the cooperatives, therefore involving the democratic participation of all families in all decisionu2010making processes. Currently, they have built their communal room and a rainwater harvesting system, since the project's scope is grounded on integrality and progressive development: housing u2010 development u2010 social and community infrastructure u2010 sustainable ecotouristic and productive spaces. By sharing this project's proposal, we are aiming to contribute to the global discussion on how important it is to direct support and resources from many stakeholders, mainly State institutions, to leverage social production of habitat processes that ensure access to housing and the city for the poorest population, as a human right, because proposals of this kind abide to all of the New Urban Agenda's main commitments on housing policy, such as: first, to eradicate poverty by facilitating access to adequate, safe and affordable housing for lowestu2010income populations, in order to guarantee their human right to an adequate livelihood, especially for most vulnerable groups, and by connecting human settlements to urban development and all its basic and public goods and services; and second, to strengthen an inclusive local governance system that relies on the active participation of citizens for the implementation of regional and national territorial development plans. We would altogether contribute to the achievement of the 11th SDG, given that 'making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable' needs to know how sustainable human can be built from integral habitat project.