Our Lady of the Assumption will celebrate on August 15 485 years of its foundation. Unfortunately, in a scenario with many serious problems and enormous social, environmental, economic, urban and management liabilities.
To show a button: Asunción’s housing informality has grown to 20% of its population. Of the little more than 500,000 inhabitants who live here, about 100,000 live in the Bañados de Asunción. In very poor condition and in a marginal situation. This is a consequence of a terrible political management in the last 7 decades, both at the National Government level and at the Municipal Government level. It is therefore not only a municipal issue but also a national issue.
On the other hand, the Municipality of Asunción has become an absolutely unviable organization. With the enormous shortcomings and weaknesses that we all know. The Municipality of Asunción can no longer administer and manage the operation of the City under these conditions. Much less the comprehensive development of it, which is a fundamental and unavoidable function of a Municipal Government.
It is essential that we understand that the City is a System. Let us remember that a system is a set of related elements that interact with each other and that work as a whole or that constitute an entity. There are 3 keywords that are directly related to the meaning of the word City: Civis, Polis and Urbis. But these words refer to different components of it: Society -citizenship-, the Government of the City -politics- and the Urban Development -the physical territory-. Which are 3 essential elements of the City, which constitute a Circle, which is generally Vicious and that we must know how to convert into a Virtuous Circle to enable its integral development.
To change reality, in whatever field, it is essential to have a Project. It is very curious that a matter as simple as this is so difficult to understand and understand in our country. And it is remarkable, however, to verify that in our environment the subject of the City is not talked about, analyzed or discussed. Which is a central issue for any country and for any society.
In our country we are used to pretending that one person – a Mayor or a President – solves everything. In other words, we believe that the Polis should solve everything. And that is our serious mistake. The cities that function and develop -and the countries as well- do not do so by magic or by the work of a miracle. They do so because they have been able to articulate and make these components work. Cities like Curitiba, Barcelona, Copenhagen or Medellin -or countries like Denmark, Korea, Singapore or Taiwan- are not the way they are just for the sake of it.
It is proven that the Polis -the politicians- are not going to change this sad reality that we have to suffer. There is plenty of evidence. So here comes the commitment and active role of Civis. The development of “Social Capital” and the involvement of Society Organizations are essential to achieve sustainable development -Social Development with Economic Growth and Caring for the Environment-. There is no other way.
It is worth mentioning that there is a recently created citizen initiative -another new attempt- called “Asunción Causa Nacional”, which brings together more than 30 CSOs and whose purpose is precisely to contribute from Civis to the recovery and development of our Capital.
In the case of a great collective construction of the City -and with the full certainty that it can be done- the first and great question that we must ask ourselves is: Do we want to do it?
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The entrance 485 Years: Quo Vadis Assumption? was first published in The Independent.
