Towards a sustainable habitat

In anticipation of World Habitat Day, on Saturday September 29, Hábitat para la Humanidad Argentina (HPHA) organized in La Matanza a roundtable discussion to reflect on lessons learned and exchange views on how to achieve a sustainable habitat.

Since 1985, the world has celebrated World Habitat Day on the first Monday in October, drawing attention to the desperate need for adequate homes for everyone. By raising awareness, promoting, defending, and advocating our cause, we seek nothing more than to make housing become a reality for everyone.

For this reason, HPHA convened housing organizations to share different points of view on an issue that today affects more than ten million people in our country. The roundtable was held in the Un Techo para Todos neighborhood in Ciudad Evita, La Matanza. The Sagrada Familia Foundation,  Pro-Vivienda Social Foundation, TECHO, General Sarmiento National University, and the Neighbor’s Association all participated in the event. Rita Jiménez, member of the Neighbor’s Association, recognized the contribution of each of many organizations who have helped to develop her home and neighborhood.

Rita spoke about the many challenges the neighborhood struggled with at the start, and emphasized the importance of support from everyone in this process, because, as she said, “by involving many actors and ideas, the neighborhood has become what it now is”. Celeste Fisch, technical coordinator of the projects division of the Sagrada Familia Foundation, brought to the discussion the value of working together, and the importance of understanding that “complex issues such as housing and habitat problems will not resolve themselves”. Later, Raúl Zavalía Lagos, Executive Director of the Pro-Vivienda Social Foundation, added that “what has already been done and what is still to be done in this neighborhood will be done by the families who live here. They know how to do it, because solutions arise from those living with the problem”.

Rita Jiménez.

Celeste Fisch.

Raúl Zavalía Lagos.

Consistent with the ideas present throughout the dialogue, Delfina Patterson, member of the habitat team from TECHO, reinforced the idea that “everyone in the society should be involved somehow”. Later, Raúl Fernández Wagner, an architect, teacher, and researcher from General Sarmiento University, stressed the importance and necessity of “thinking about solutions from the social production of the habitat, like construction solutions in the city created by its own citizens and the impact of policies that affect the practical application of facilitating access to land”.  Wagner was clearly alluding to the law that had become relevant for MPs in the Province in Buenos Aires.

The last to speak at the table was Ariel Sosa, leader of the Neighborhood Development project for HPHA. Having heard the different contributions, Ariel stressed the need to strengthen cooperation first between neighbors, civil society organizations (CSOs), the private sector (businesses), and the State.  He then expressed that CSOs should assume a facilitative role in community leadership, by “supporting their ideas, creating and deciding solutions to their own problems”, concluding by emphasizing that “it is important that CSOs make continuous assessments, examine what we are doing, and redefine where we are going by incorporating the community in the design of our new actions”. 

Delfina Patterson.

Raúl Fernández Wagner.

Ariel Sosa.

Finally, to close the roundtable discussion, those present signed a declaration as a commitment to continue working together to deliver innovative proposals in this path towards a sustainable habitat.

The signed statement reads as follows:

Those present here today celebrate this roundtable for discussion and reflection on the occasion of World Habitat Day, and declare the need for creative and innovative solutions to the housing problem facing our country.

We recognize the progress that has been made, but believe that there is still much to be done, and it requires commitment from everyone in our society.

Today is when we want to build a better world where everyone has an adequate place to live.

We are many, united as one working for this cause.

About World Habitat Day

In December 1985, the General Assembly of the United Nations declared the first Monday of October to be World Habitat Day, which recognizes the basic need for an adequate home. This year, World Habitat Day is October 1^st. Today, more than 1.6 billion people live in inadequate housing situations. If we fail to take action, this number is expected to grow to 2 billion people in the next 30 years. The purpose of World Habitat Day is to call attention to this desperate need for adequate housing for everyone. By raising awareness and promoting, defending, and advocating the universal right to housing, we want to change the system preventing access to this right, so that a home can become a reality for all.