Barrio Mugica, formerly known as Villa 31, is one of the largest informal settlements in Buenos Aires, located in the heart of the city. It was first settled in the 1930’s by European migrants, and then expanded by internal migration and families moving in from neighboring countries. Currently, it covers approximately 72 hectares and houses 40,000 people. The neighbourhood hosts a very young population: 50% of its residents are younger than 24, and 70% are younger than 35 years old. At the same time, only 1,9% of the population is older than 64.

Most governments tried to eradicate the settlement, almost succeeding in the 1970’s. However, these experiences proved that eradication and resettlement kilometers away from the neighborhood offered no real solution to the issues residents faced: Barrio Mugica’s indicators were consistently lower than those of the city in terms of habitability, health, education and economic development. Through works in infrastructure, housing conditions, and implementing policies to improve access to education, healthcare and boost economic development, Barrio Mugica is on the path of becoming an integrated part of the city.

The objectives of the Barrio Mugica initiative are:

• Urban integration; guarantee access to all basic services and connectivity through infrastructure and environment-friendly public spaces.
• Habitat; improve the living environment for all residents by developing adequate and safe housing. 
• Social integration; improve access to quality public education and health services, as well as promoting cultural and community activities.
• Sustainable economic integration; formalize and empower businesses and entrepreneurs in Barrio Mugica.

The implementation plan is guided by the project objectives and the development pillars of the City Government. The key is the holistic approach: tackling multiple issues at the same time. Implementation began in 2016, after the creation of a specific unit within the government, the Secretariat of Social & Urban Integration, to manage the project.

Urban Integration

A key pillar of this integration plan is the construction of the necessary infrastructure so that all residents can have access to public services. This objective refers to the connection of the neighborhood’s infrastructure network with that of the city.

At the same time, access roads were improved and the frequency of public transportation services was increased to improve internal and external connectivity with the City.

In addition, to improve the quality of life and contribute to the sustainability of the neighborhood, 26 existing public spaces and sports courts were renovated, and new green and recreational spaces were created. This will help reduce environmental pollution and encourage the practice of leisure and recreational activities that have a positive impact on the health of residents.

Finally, one of the most significant changes will be the creation of a new park that will transform the area located under the Illia Highway, cutting across the neighborhood, where more than 1,000 families once lived, into a public space.

Habitat

The objective is to have every single resident living in a safe, accessible and adequate home. The program has two strategies: improving existing structures and constructing new housing.

The first strategy to improve the habitability conditions of the neighborhood is through the Housing Improvement Program. It covers both the exterior and the interior of existing homes: improving facilities, accesses, openings and waterproofing. This is a central policy, since this project does not seek to rebuild the neighborhood from scratch but starts with the refurbishment and improvement of what already exists.

A second strategy is the construction of new housing. More than 1,200 new homes were built to resettle those families whose houses can’t be improved, especially those currently living under the Illia Highway.

Social Integration

For this integration project works are only a means to achieve what is most important: social integration. This includes access to health and quality public education.

In terms of education, the goal is to find a seat in a classroom for each child and also to develop alternatives so that all adults can find spaces to finish school, regardless of their age.

When this project began, this was impossible: there was no public school in the neighborhood. For this reason, during the first four years the focus was specifically on changing this situation. For this, 3 new schools were built with vacancies at kindergarten, primary school and an adult education center. Next to the schools is the Ministry of Education of the City, this brings a huge commercial movement to the neighborhood and brings public policies to where they are most needed.

The lack of access to the formal health system contributed to the infrastructure and habitat conditions, generating serious problems for the residents. For this reason, from the beginning of the project, close and good quality health care, and the promotion of healthy lifestyle habits, were central objectives.

Today, the neighborhood has 2 new health centers, strategically located, and one more completely renovated. This ensures all residents have access to primary health care close to their homes.

The city government also set up a SAME (Emergency Medical Care System) base, where an ambulance is available 24 hours a day to attend to any emergency in the neighborhood and the area.

Sustainable Economic Development

The unplanned urban growth that occurred for decades in the Mugica neighborhood brought with it the informal growth of its economy. Of the economically active population, half earn their income informally and the lack of training options created even fewer opportunities to enter the labor market.

For this reason, another objective of the integration of the neighborhood is to integrate its economic matrix with that of the city. To achieve this, the government works on public policies with a transversal perspective where all the actors of the economy are considered: entrepreneurs, merchants, fairgrounds, and those looking for work.

All these policies are centralized in the CeDEL (Center for Entrepreneurial and Labor Development), where residents come for  advice and training. Specifically, it works on labor integration, training in trades, formalization and financial inclusion and advice to entrepreneurs.

The lead agency for the project is the city government of Buenos Aires with the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank providing funding for specific projects and technical support. Specifically, the Inter-American Development Bank provides funding for programs such as improvement of public spaces, improvement of existing households, the new headquarters of the Ministry of Education and community engagement programs. The World Bank provides funding for public service infrastructure, including the re-adaptation of existing sewers and storm water networks; new housing and basic services infrastructure; medium and high-voltage electricity and community engagement programs.

The Plan’s total budget (2016-2020) stands at 342 million U.S. Dollars. Disaggregated, 30.5% consists of local government funds, 49.5% to a 169.5 million credit by the World Bank and 20% to a 69 million credit by the IDB.

The Barrio Mugica Project is one of the few integration projects focusing on informal settlements located in the center of a global city. It is also one of the few, if not the only one, that addresses all the areas mentioned simultaneously, without resettling the entire neighborhood away from where they have lived for years. That is why the City Government works to document and evaluate the advance of the Project, knowing that it can serve as a benchmark case for many cities and towns around the world. The World Bank and the IDB also work towards this objective, as it is uncommon to find both institutions supporting the same project. A highlight of this is that not only are best practices documented, but also those policies that faced difficulties in any of their implementation stages. As the Project is unique, it could be of great value to any other City to learn from Buenos Aires’ experience in Barrio Mugica, both what worked and what did not.

However, it could also be difficult for many cities to secure the funding necessary to replicate the project as a whole. Because of this, the city government is currently working to document individual best practices, around each of the key areas of work. The participation model was designed to agree renovations on public spaces together with residents, the Entrepreneurial & Labor Development Center, the Housing Improvement Program, and many other policies can be replicated individually, building on Barrio Mugica’s experience.

At the international level, the experience can be replicated through the exchange of good practices, within the framework of the technical cooperation instruments provided by the Union Of Ibero-American Capital Cities (UCCI), such as: specialized training, technical assistance, and support to local research projects.