Preventive Resettlement of Populations at Risk of Disaster - GFDRR

The housing projects were contracted out after a competitive
bidding process under an agreement signed
with the Development Projects Financial Fund (Fondo
Financiero de Proyectos de Desarrollo, FONADE). The
urban development and the houses were designed by
the CVP. This entity also supervised the construction
contracts. The process took about two years.
Moving back to place of origin
This form of resettlement was for families that wanted
to return to their places of origin. Households received
support and advice on purchasing a house or farm and
were ensured access to social services.
Acquisition of at-risk properties and moving
households
From 2005 to 2010, the CVP acquired the land, rights
of possession, and at-risk houses. Also, it identified
and approved offers of replacement houses and advised
families on how best to select their new houses. It
awarded Sole Recognized Value (VUR) housing subsidies
and provided beneficiaries with guidance, support
and training throughout the process. Using the assessed
value of improvements and the replacement house subsidy,
households were able to choose among the different
housing options established in the previous stage.
This effort involved integrated management of social,
legal, technical and administrative dimensions.
Choice of a replacement house
Families were informed about the CVP’s criteria for purchasing
replacement houses, which had to be legal and
unencumbered, technically stable, and habitable. Also,
they had to be priced at levels the beneficiaries could afford
according to the amount received by the appraisal
of the current house and the housing subsidy VUR.
To help households choose replacement houses, the
CVP organized “housing fairs” at its headquarters and in
Metrovivienda 11 about the new and pre-existing homes.
Private sector construction companies were invited to
attend and present their projects alongside CVP’s portfolio
of pre-existing houses on the market. Families
could see the house locations and main features (type
of construction, area, distribution, value), access roads,
public transportation routes, and urban facilities (e.g.,
schools, parks) in the area. They also selected several
houses to visit, with CVP officers.
Further, the CVP conducted tours to the urban developments,
so families could see the type of construction,
size, layout, possibilities for expansion, probable dates
of delivery, cost and bargaining terms.
Once beneficiaries selected houses, they signed a commitment
to continue the purchasing process. As of February
2010, the CVP reported that 1,059 households
had selected their housing options: Of these, 1,042 were
resettled (97 percent of the target). Table 5.7 shows the
options selected.
Table 5.7 Housing Options Selected
Preexisting
Location
New
House House Total
Other localities in the 584 189 773
Capital District
Municipalities in
273 – 273
Cundinamarca in the
vicinity of Bogotá
Other municipalities
3 10 13
in Colombia
Total 860 199 1,059
Source. CVP. 2010.
As the Table shows, 73 percent of households were resettled
within the Capital District and 26 percent in municipalities
close to Bogotá (Map 5.3). Only 13 households
chose to return to their places of origin (Map 5.4),
11
Metrovivienda is the entity in charge of promoting low-cost housing projects.
76 Preventive Resettlement of Populations at Risk of Disaster: Experiences from Latin America