joint
mag 16
Perspectives on German-African futures
January 2011
Cities and People
Urban Development and Social Planning
Editors: Alexander Schwartz, Dennis Kumetat,
Linda Poppe Editorial Team: K. Asante, J. Bergmann, M. Gatobu, L. Tsebe, B. Zasche, L. /Narib
AVAILABLE ONLINE:
www.bpb.de
CONTACT US:
goafrica@bpb.de
]
in this issue
3 Editorial
4 Alumni Meeting
Perspectives on German-African futures
On the Way to partnerships
European Normality ?
5 sustainable
7 Creating More Inclusive Cities
9 Alumni Profile
Interview with Anna Acker
THE JM TEAM
]
joint
mag 16
EDITORS: Alexander Schwartz, Dennis Kumetat, Linda Poppe // Editorial Team: K. Asante, J. Bergmann, M. Gatobu, L. Tsebe,
B. Zasche
LAYOUT & DESIGN: Leitago /Narib
COVER PHOTOGRAPH: photoeverywhere.co.uk INSIDE PHOTOGRAPHS: Go Africa Go Germany Community
We are on FACEBOOK
Go Africa Go Germany goes facebook.
If you “like”“Go Africa…Go Germany”
and thus add it to your profile, you can
follow the 4th generation on their upcoming trip to South Africa and meet
former participants and those interested in the program.
to go to our facebook page click here
More than half of the world’s people live in cities. Reason enough to dedicate this issue to the question of urban development and social planning.
Tracy Jooste, South Africa, gives us an update on the live and problems of
city households in South Africa and Philip Böhm, Germany, describes the
housing situation in Berlin. To put it in the words of alumnus Anna Acker:
“It is time planners and architects (...) start building cities according to
the requirements of their inhabitants.”
EDITORIAL
]
Dear Reader,
Best,
Your JointMAG Team
PS: Don’t miss our bpb news and get involved!
Alex Scwartz, Dennis Kumetat & Linda Poppe
CALL
Editors
FOR CONTRIBUTIONS
JM 18 - MIGRATION
Well over 200 million people around the world, it is safe to estimate, will decide to or be forced to move to
another country in 2011. These international migrants will be confronted by huge personal challenges and,
in the countries of departure and destination as well as the international political arena, provoke intense
discussions about the benefits, risks, and regulations of international migration. JM 18 will have a look at different parts of the big picture. Deadline for contributions is March 13th.
CALL FOR PAPERS
Go Africa…Go Germany 2011/12
The Federal Agency for Civic Education (Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung/bpb) is granting fellowships
to students and young graduates, enabling them to take part in a five-week seminar to be held from 14th to
29th August 2011 in Germany and in March 2012 in Kenya.
Full applications must be emailed to goafrica@bpb.de by 15 March 2011. More information can be found at
http://bit.ly/ibKkdZ
jm 3
joint mag ] JANUARY 2011
Alumni Meeting
))Kai Striebinger
For some, the unique GAGG-experience has passed
for quite a while. For others, the second part of the
program will start in a few weeks. For everyone, the
time is ripe to meet again.
ni need to carry out a project?
3: Alumni Association As discussed at the last meet-
ing and via email, we should set up our own alumni
association during the meeting, pass a statute and
Our next alumni meeting will take place at the end of elect a board.
July near Cologne, Germany. Every former participant
is invited to join, however, travel costs need to be
covered on your own (e.g. by arranging scholarships).
Your input is needed and wanted!
All alumni – physically present at the meeting or not
– can play a central role in planning the meeting and Please write to Josef (JosefHien(at)googlemail.com)
the activities of the Go Africa…Go Germany net- or myself (KaiStriebinger(at)gmail.com) if you are interested in preparing the meeting, if you have experiwork.
ence in the wide field of civic education, or if you are
just curious and want to participate in preparing the
The meeting in July will deal with three issues.
meeting!
1:
Civic education in a German-African context
What is civic education? What does it mean in a German-African context? What are the tools of civic education? What are target groups for civic education?
2: Planning and running concrete (civic education)
projects How is a project planned, conducted and
evaluated? What tools and knowledge do we as alum-
jm 4
joint mag ] JANUARY 2011
Berlin - On the Way to European normality
))Philip Böhm
How the new housing situation in the central areas
of western Berlin has become a social challenge.
90s). Most notably, in desperate need for manpower,
thousands of Turkish immigrants were allured to the
old workers’ districts of Wedding, Kreuzberg and
In the last couple of years, Berlin has again become Neukölln.
a gleaming capital, reconquering its role as a cosmopolitan city. Compared to other European capitals, But with the end of the Cold War the geographiBerlin also shows a favorable situation regarding the cal situation of these quarters changed within a few
cost of everyday life and especially of its housing pric- months, as these formerly unattractive fringe areas
es.We are still far away from Paris or London, where became central places within a reunited and changing
living in the center has become a source of constant city.
sorrow for the lower and middle class, which are ofIn the 1990s, change mostly affected areas in East
ten forced to live in excluded suburbs.
Berlin, leaving the former border areas with a reputaYet, it is a myth to believe that huge and affordable tion for youth crime and unrestrained political activapartments with rich decors can still be found in ism and the former communist districts inside the
abundance. In reality, since the fall of the Wall in 1989, center, like Prenzlauerberg, with a period of house
Berlin has been facing huge problems in managing its occupation due to large amounts of empty housing
space. Today, districts like Prenzlauerberg have underquick urban and social development.
gone further changes, witnessing the formation of a
There was a time when the western part of the city new bourgeois area.
was desperately searching for people who would live
on this exposed island at the forefront of the Cold The constant redefinition and revaluation of the city
War. Special advantages were given to West German center also hit the quarter of Kreuzberg and recentcitizens living in West Berlin. Men were, for instance, ly sloped to the neighboring parts of Neukölln, which
exempted from obligatory military service (attract- is now subsequently known as „Kreuzkölln“, mixing
ing numbers of „subversive elements“ who would up the two quarters’ names in former West Berlin.
build the cities militant reputation in the 1980s and
jm 5
joint mag ] JANUARY 2011
The housing situation is directly affected by this redefinition of the city. For people coming from Western
Europe, the USA or even southern Germany, living
in Neukölln can appear extremely inexpensive. Especially for those who „use“ the city for an undefined
time and receive salaries above the Berlin average.
They can make the city more interesting or colorful, however they are hitting the housing market with
price expectations that do not fit the social reality
of people who have lived and become established in
Berlin for the last four decades.
From the 16 category 1 Quatiersmangements in Berlin, 8 are in the tiny area of northern Neukölln (the
part of Neukölln, which is situated within the city
center). While the Quatiersmanagment includes social programs and efforts to re-embellish the city, the
advantageous credits and aids that are provided for
renovations are often abused by landlords (that tend
more and more to be big real estate players) to raise
rents or to maintain empty apartments for further
speculations. As a result, many people are forced out
of their quarter after the renovation of their houses,
because they simply cannot afford the new rent.
In a city, where 87% of the housing surface is rented
and not owned, these changes have become a critical
issue.
The housing problems in Berlin are thus not only
due to its attractiveness in Europe. It is mainly due to
economic real estate strategies that are not sparing
In West Berlin the average price per square meter Berlin and that influence political decision-making on
is about 4,80 Euro with a tendency for exponential urban development.
growth. From 2000 to 2007, Berlin already witnessed
a 10% increase in rents. This does not yet include the “The Berlin housing market is on a clear path to Euannual 2.6 % increase in new renting contracts over ropean normality”, says politician Ludwig Burkardt.
the last 10 years. The square meter price for a new Meanwhile, it seems that it is also sliding towards Eurent is now on average 5,8 Euro and can peak at 7,55 ropean normality with regards to social exclusion of
the poorest groups too.
Euro in Neukölln.
In comparison to the average of 10,12 Euro a square
meter in the city of Munich or 18,4 Euro in Paris, this
seems low. But the income of the majority of the old
inhabitants living in the affected quarters in Berlin is
low, with almost half of them being unemployed. In
Munich only 20% of a monthly income are used for
paying rents; in Berlin it is 41%.
The new developments in Berlin’s housing market
lead to a situation, in which more and more people in
Neukölln can no longer afford to pay the rents of the
houses they used to live in.
The city of Berlin has adopted an urban development
strategy, that is very much aware of these changes
known as “gentrification”. The City Council has established development strategies in small urban areas (sometimes containing just a few blocks) called
Quartiersmanagement.
Financed by city funds, the national government and
the European Union, the development strategies concentrate on „socially problematic quarters“. These
quarters are again divided in 4 categories - category
1 qualifies areas in which investments are the most
intense.
jm 6
joint mag ] JANUARY 2011
Philip Böhm
Philip Böhm is a half French and half German student
of journalism in Berlin. He has been living in Neukölln
for the past four years, where he has experienced
the rapid changes, which have affected his neighborhood. He is passionate about the multiple sides of the
city, where he works as a tour guide in the historical
center.
South Africa
Creating More Inclusive Cities
An Overview of Trends in South Africa
))Tracy Jooste
South Africa has experienced significant growth since
the country became a democracy in 1994. Nowhere,
this growth is more evident than in the country’s six
metropolitan municipalities, namely the City of Johannesburg, City of Cape Town, City of Tshwane (Pretoria), Ethekwini (Durban), Nelson Mandela Bay (Port
Elizabeth) and Ekhuruleni (East Rand). These cities are
vibrant and diverse and represent major players in the
country’s economy, contributing more than 50% to
the country’s GDP in 2007.
South Africa, the ‘Big 5 services’ are water, sanitation,
electricity, solid waste removal and housing. Historically, service backlogs have been significant, but metropolitan municipalities have made huge investments
since 1994; much of this targeted at poor households,
with the government establishing specific grants
for this purpose. The graph below shows changes in
backlogs over time, comparing 2001 to 2007 (Source:
National Consensus and Community Survey).
As shown, backlogs have declined across all basic
Statistics South Africa estimates that 17 million peo- services, with the exception of solid waste. Given the
ple - nearly 40% of the country’s population - were lo- significant growth in population and thus demand
cated across these six cities in 2007. On average, these for services over this same period, the results are encities have experienced a 15% growth in total popula- couraging. However, there remains much more to be
tion between 2001 and 2007, largely due to significant done. The main backlogs which we face are with rerural-urban migration. Monitoring population growth spect to sanitation, where in 2007 an estimated 15%
trends is particularly important from the perspec- of households were without access to either a flush
tive of municipalities, since it is their responsibility to toilet or a ventilated pit latrine. Instead, they relied on
provide services (such as water, sanitation, electricity either the use of a chemical, dry toilet or bucket for
etc) to these households. South African municipali- sanitation. For electricity, 14% of households utilised
ties have made significant infrastructure investments sources, such as paraffin or wood for lighting, in the
to respond to the growing demand for services as a absence of either electricity or solar power. 11% of
result of population increases. But addressing service households did not receive a kerbside waste collecdelivery needs is about much more than just a re- tion service and relied on either a communal dump or
sponse to population growth. In the context of cities their own dumping site. In terms of water, the graph
which have historically faced the uneven distribution
Service backlogs in South Africa's Metros
- 2001 and 2007
of municipal investments and services due the apart2001
2007
heid system of government - the system of racial seg19%
18%
regation and political and economic discrimination
15%
14%
against non-European groups implemented in the Re11%
10%
public of South Africa by the National Party between
1948 and 1993 - the landscape is particularly unequal.
3%
Progress in addressing basic service backlogs
A primary step in the process of creating more inclusive cities entails addressing basic service backlogs. In
jm 7
joint mag ] JANUARY 2011
2%
% households with % households with % households with % households with
inadequate
inadequate
inadequate solid inadequate water
sanitation
electricity
waste removal
Addressing the spatial aspects of inequality
Most South African cities have been very progressive in ensuring that households receive free and/
or affordable access to basic services. However,
even with full service access the urban poor face
a particular challenge related to spatial inequality. Due in large part to apartheid urban planning,
the poorest and most vulnerable sectors of sociWith respect to housing, estimates from 2007 sug- ety are typically located far from the city centres.
gest that, on average, across these cities 13% of By implication they are geographically constrained
households were located in informal settlements in terms of their access to jobs, educational institu(i.e. in shacks which form part of informal areas), tions, and social opportunities. Consequently, poor
while 6% live in informal dwellings which are lo- households could spend between 10% and 25% of
cated in the backyards of other dwellings, either their income on transport costs alone.
formal or informal. One of the main challenges
which cities face in addressing backlogs is the lack This creates a particular challenge for metropolitan
of reliable data on the number of dwellings, partic- municipalities, most notably in terms of the proviularly in informal settlements and with respect to sion of public housing and public transport, and
backyard dwellings. The lack of reliable data makes speaks to a broader need to create more integrated
planning and financial budgeting particularly dif- cities. In terms of housing, the challenge is to find
ficult and a number of cities, such as the City of Jo- sufficient vacant land that is affordable and located
burg, have recently conducted studies specifically nearer to the city. Given the rate of urban development taking place, this is not always possible.
aimed at providing more accurate data.
Creating more integrated public transport systems
therefore becomes very important. The challenge
Free basic service provision
Providing the infrastructure to support new service for municipalities is to offer a range of public transconnections is only one aspect of creating more in- port systems which are affordable, efficient and
clusive cities. In order to ensure poor households safe for commuters.
have sustainable access, most metropolitan municipalities have comprehensive social packages, Progress in this regard includes the introduction of
which allow for access to free basic services. Typi- Bus Rapid Transport systems in the cities of Johancally, households classified poor (the criteria for nesburg and Cape Town. With respect to housing,
‘poor’ differ somewhat between municipalities, but municipalities have forged partnerships with other
generally a household income threshold is used), spheres of government to provide a broader specwould receive free access to a capped level of ser- trum of housing options to the poor, for example
vice. The City of Cape Town for example provides rental housing units, that tend to be located nearer
every household (regardless of income) with a free the city.
allocation of 6000 litres of water per month and
grants poor households, that are registered as indi- Metropolitan municipalities have displayed a
gent with an additional free allocation of 4500 litres strong commitment towards improving the lives of
of water per month. Free basic allowances are also the urban poor and addressing inequality remains
made for electricity, sanitation, and solid waste re- high on the urban agenda. While there are signifimoval in all six metropolitan municipalities. Public cant challenges to overcome, recent trends and
housing is provided through a housing subsidy, a developments indicate that South African cities are
grant received from the national government, to actively responding to the needs of the poor and
eligible citizens with an income of less than R3, 500 moving closer towards becoming more inclusive.
per month.
shows that in 2007, 2% of households were obtaining water from a source (such as a communal
standpipe) that was more than 200 metres from
their dwelling. While these backlogs are not significant in percentage terms, the numbers of poor urban households that still rely on less than adequate
services remains a challenge.
jm 8
joint mag ] JANUARY 2011
ALUMNI PROFILE
Interview with Anna Acker
JM: Hi Anna! Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
ANNA: Sure! I was lucky enough to be part
in the Birim South District in the Eastern Region of
Ghana. This specific project, with the Ghanaian NGO
CAYDNET entailed the construction of a skills training
and processing centre, in which young people with
of the legendary 1st Generation Matsatsansa crowd
disabilities can acquire skills to make profitable local
travelling Germany and Namibia in 2007. It was an incrafts (such as soap, pomade and batik) and thereby
credible time and I will be eternally grateful for this
become equipped to earn an independent income.
experience.
I have become interested in African politics and development questions early on as a pimply teenager,
when living in my friend’s family’s household. They
had just returned from five years living and working
in a Tanzanian village and planted ideas of fair trade,
ujamaa and the evil Bretton Woods Institutions in my
mind. Since then my ideas and passions have been
somewhat refined and I have come to cultivate a
strong love-hate relationship with International Development.
JM:… and Ethiopia?
ANNA: Following this grass-roots level expe-
rience I was keen to explore the policy level of international development. I managed to secure a shortterm consultancy and internship in Addis Ababa. I was
working for the GTZ Urban Governance and Decentralisation Programme, being responsible for analysing the results of their programme’s monitoring and
evaluation survey in 18 Ethiopian cities. Furthermore,
we were working on an e-learning strategy for public
servants in municipal finance. The most interesting
I have studied Politics and Economics at the Univer- part was researching new possibilities of cooperation
sity of Edinburgh. After having volunteered/worked/ between GTZ and the Ethiopian Civil Service College.
lived in Rwanda, Tanzania, Ghana and Ethiopia I am
now back in the U.K. I am currently doing a Masters in
Urbanisation and Development at the London School
This issue of JointMAG deals with urban develof Economics.
opment and planning. How have you become inter-
JM:
JM: After Go Afria... Go Germany, you were getting
ested in this topic?
ANNA: Yes, during my last year at university
by various impressions and insights of living in different cities such as Addis Ababa, Berlin, Edinburgh,
Dar-es- Salaam or Kigali. It became quickly obvious
that most social issues and spatial inequalities are
a running thread through most cities and I became
very intrigued. I am not interested in technical planning – I am leaving this to the architects. I focus on
the social and political aspects of city planning and
development and have become especially interested
ready to go to Ghana.
I was selected as coordinator for a project in Ghana
with Edinburgh Global Partnerships (EGP), a studentrun, non-profit charity organisation. EGP carries out
small-scale, sustainable development projects in Africa, Asia and South America annually. I was responsible for training and guiding a team of volunteers
and for fundraising the budget of the 2008 project
jm 9
joint mag ] JANUARY 2011
ANNA: I think it was a gradual process shaped
in housing issues, the dynamics of formal and infor- natural and man-made hazards and can rarely exmal urban labour markets and the socio-political ercise their right to the city. Social and spatial inequalities within cities are enormous and may ulimpacts of mega-events on cities.
timately lead to conflict or breakdown. This is why
Cities in Africa and Europe - which trends will we cities need to be planned and developed in an insee in the next few decades and which do you think clusive, socially and environmentally sustainable
way. To put it in Ban Ki-Moon’s words: cities need to
will be the biggest challenges?
be built to last and built to serve. It is time planners
There is no easy answer to this question and the and architects dispense the long-practiced focus on
answer will clearly vary depending on whether you aesthetics and start building cities according to the
ask an architect or planner, an urban economist or requirements of their inhabitants.
an urban sociologist. Cities are mirrors of very comThanks Anna. One last question: What are your
plex realities and despite certain commonalities, it
remains difficult to generalise. In my opinion one of future plans?
the key challenges will be to create greener, enerFor now I am just focussed on passgy-efficient cities adapted to the impacts of climate
ing my exams this summer and on writing my disserchange.
tation. There is a jungle of opportunities after gradHowever, it is crucial to go beyond this focus on uation and I am finding it difficult to decide. Many
building environmentally sustainable cities and to people in my course go on to work for international
tackle the true Herculean task: to make cities social- development organisations. I am interested in that
but I am considering staying in London for a while,
ly sustainable.
either working for a development think tank or an
NGO. Potentially I would like to get involved with
What do you mean by socially sustainable?
planning the legacy of the 2012 Olympics. Also, I
The majority of today’s world popu- am quite interested in the work of COHRE (Center
lation lives in cities and this poses unprecedented on Housing Rights and Evictions). So I might come
challenges to local governments and planners. Vast and join the Southern African Matsatsansa crowd
parts of the urban population live in questionable and work in South Africa for a while.
JM:
ANNA:
JM:
ANNA:
conditions with limited or no access to formal housing, land and services. They are most vulnerable to
jm 10
joint mag ] JANUARY 2011
joint
mag
Perspectives on German-African futures
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