Urban Co-Production Case Studies
Summary
This paper examines urban co-production as a strategy to address urban inequality,
focusing on three case studies: Havana, Cuba; Hanna Nassif, Tanzania; and Yogyakarta,
Indonesia. The research explores how co-production, involving various stakeholders
including communities, governments, and NGOs, can lead to more equitable urban
development. The case studies highlight the specific strategies used in each location and the
outcomes achieved, demonstrating the potential of co-production to foster urban equality.
Detailed Case Studies
Havana, Cuba
Context:
Historical Background: The Cuban Revolution aimed at broadening social equality.
However, long-term disinvestment and international economic blockades led to differential
access to resources, visible in monetary income polarization and intensified social
vulnerability.
Urban Characteristics: Havana is unique with low population growth, low motorization
rates, high housing ownership, and preserved downtown heritage. Challenges include
unmet housing demand, climate change risks, and provision of dignified infrastructure.
Strategic Focus: The recovery of the coastal area ‘the Blue Strip’ after the Special Period
(1991-2000) has been a slow process, hindered by economic constraints.
Strategies:
Contesting/Equitable Distribution: Co-production efforts challenged conventional
sanitation technologies, promoting in situ, accessible technologies and capturing funds for
sanitation improvements.
Reclaiming/Equitable Distribution: Communities reclaimed space and resources, mobilizing
human labor and social capital, notably women's capacities and skills.
Pluralising/Reciprocal Recognition: Co-production highlighted multiple voices, including
disabled residents, children, and women, recognizing them as active change-makers.
Outcomes:
Participatory Planning: Engaging communities in developing policies and urban design
proposals.
Institutional Partnerships: CUJAE (Technological University of Havana) acted as a broker,
sustaining partnerships with local governments and influencing development strategies.
Hanna Nassif, Tanzania
Context:
Background: During the 1990s, Hanna Nassif faced infrastructure deprivation and poorquality housing. Government and development partners’ conventional approaches failed to
meet community needs.
Co-Production Focus: A process to co-produce basic infrastructure led to significant
improvements. The project leveraged grassroots institutions, local skills, and provided
employment opportunities, especially for women-headed households.
Strategies:
Learning from Local Innovations: Emphasizing local potentials and engaging people in
neighborhood building.
Employment Opportunities: Focusing on disadvantaged households, particularly womenheaded ones.
Long-Term Evaluation: Continuous assessment of collaborative upgrading impacts by
academics.
Outcomes:
Infrastructure Improvements: Significant enhancements in basic services and
infrastructure.
Policy Discussions: Lessons from the project influenced policy discussions, promoting
critical appraisals and new plans.
Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Context:
Background: Yogyakarta, a highly unequal city, faces spatial poverty concentration along
riverbanks. Land tenure insecurity prevents investment in services.
Community Network: The Kalijawi network, supported by Arkom Yogya, engages in
mobilizing institutional partnerships, mapping, surveying, and community planning.
Strategies:
Community Empowerment: Formation of savings groups and cooperatives, leveraging
customary practices of mutual aid and saving.
Negotiation and Advocacy: Using the network’s size for leverage in negotiations with the
government.
Territorial Approach: Addressing land tenure insecurity and promoting collective action
around land and housing.
Outcomes:
Preventing Evictions: Successful negotiation preventing riverbank community evictions.
Institutional Partnerships: Consolidating work through institutional partnerships and
leveraging collective network strength.