tes ix public spaces (final report).docx
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Research Paper Simón Chávez 1Written by: Eric Chávez | Ashley Machado | Fredy Rosales | Edgar MejíaEdited by: Adele Negro
Ciudad Romeroadvancing commu-nity empowerment through public spa-
cesMiddlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey
Team El Salvador 9: Winter/Spring/Summer 2015
Ciudad Romero: Advancing Empowerment Through Public Spaces
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgements IIIIntroduction 1
1 A Contextual History of Ciudad RomeroProject Objective 3
4 Ciudad Romero4 Puerto Parada5 COMPP Factors5 Communications5 Organization5 Maintenance6 Planing6 Promotion6 Focus Areas6 Youth7 Women7 Economic Development
Methodology 88 Document Studies9 Community Mapping9 Semi-Structured Interviews10 Random Survey Sampling11 Focus Group
Chávez, Machado, Rosales & Mejía 1
Ciudad Romero: Advancing Empowerment Through Public Spaces
12 Case Studies12 Amando López13 Jiquilisco13 Puerto Parada
Results 1415 General17 Youth20 Women22 Economic Development
Recommendations 2424 Fostering Civic Engagement & Community25 Town Hall Meetings25 Model-ADESCO (mADESCO)27 Pop-Up Markets28 Women-Centered Focus29 Achieving Success in COMPP Factors29 Community Tax30 Waste Management System31 Public Pool Restoration32 Increasing General Support of Initiatives32 Extending Mangle’s Diversified Agriculture Program33 Support of Public Spaces Inititatives
Conclusion 33Appendix 37
Chávez, Machado, Rosales & Mejía 2
Ciudad Romero: Advancing Empowerment Through Public Spaces
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey
First and foremost, we would like to express our sincerest gratitude to our professor, pro-
gram director, and exemplary leader Adele Negro, for her support and encouragement
throughout this entire process. Without her vision and/or extensive network of Salvadoran
change-facilitators, none of our work with public spaces would have been possible. We
would also like to thank Dean and Professor Jeff Dayton-Johnson, whose classroom insights
on Policy Analysis proved invaluable in the proper collection of data. Those in turn permit -
ted us to make useful evaluations and thus recommendations for the better use of public
spaces to promote empowerment through civic engagement. Finally, we would like to ex-
press our appreciation to the first Public Spaces team of TES 8: Brittany Lane, Axel San-
tana, Samantha Sidhu and Sarah Sterling, whose invaluable acumen and comprehensive
research of five local Salvadoran communities laid the foundation for our own research, al-
lowing us to dive deeper rather than broader.
Although not a formal member of the Middlebury family, we would be remiss not to ac-
knowledge that the concept of a “public spaces project” would never have been possible
without the initial conversations between Adele and an Argentine colleague during a 2012
visit to Buenos Aires. Max Rohm, a practicing urban landscape architect and adjunct pro-
fessor for the University of Buenos Aires, has helped develop a model of urban public spa-
ces that revisualizes and redesigns community spaces for their own benefit by taking bet-
ter advantage of their own spaces. Along with Flavio Janches, he co-authored the book Ur-
ban Interrelations, where he proposes enhancing the integration of informal settlements
into the urban mainstream through community participation in the development of public
spaces and facilities. With his incites in a Skype call from Buenos Aires prior to us arriving
in El Salvador, we were able to better understand the vision he and Adele shared in those
initial meetings and do our best to help bring them to fruition.
The Communities of Ciudad Romero, Amando López & Puerto
Parada
Chávez, Machado, Rosales & Mejía 3
Ciudad Romero: Advancing Empowerment Through Public Spaces
Our research team would like to extend our most heartfelt gratitude to the people of Ciu-
dad Romero and La Coordinadora, who showed our team the sincerest of hospitality -
opening their homes, minds and hearts to us. We are indebted to the families of Doña Is-
abel “Chavela” Fuentes, Doña Gloria Rosibel “Maribel” Perez and Doña Marcelina Alvarenga
for their generosity and delicious Salvadoran cuisine. We would also like to acknowledge
and thank Don Jesús “Chungo” Fuentes for taking the time to share with us the beautiful
history of Ciudad Romero and offer us several guided tours of the community he, as one of
its founding leaders, calls home. Our research could not have been completed nor this re-
port compiled without the generosity of people who allowed us to interview and survey
them. Our hearts are filled with appreciation for the time, opinions, ideas and qualms they
shared with us. Never have we felt so warmly welcomed into the homes of strangers than
in Ciudad Romero.
Equally, our team would like to thank the communities of Amando López and its elected
leaders: Osvaldo Ortíz and Douglas Marroquín, who gladly received us and not only
showed us around their town but graciously answered our many questions about their ex-
emplary success in creating and effectively managing their community ’s public spaces. We
want to express our gratitude to the humble fishing communities of Puerto Parada and
their Community Development Association’s (ADESCO) representatives, who were not just
extraordinarily passionate about the development of their own public spaces but even
more so in strengthening their sister organization, Cincahuite, to the Mangrove Association
that could work to facilitate some of the same types of sustainable development as in the
Bajo Lempa. Our research team sincerely hopes that the information found in this report
will help Puerto Parada do so. Lastly, we’d like to acknowledge the red-carpet treatment
we received during our guided tour of the impressive market being built in the urban cen-
ter of Jiquilisco in record time. We are genuinely appreciative of the time we were fortu-
nate enough to share with Mayor David Barahona Marroquín, who himself is an architect
by trade, and grateful for his committed support as well as that of his newly re-elected
municipal administration.
The Mangrove Association & EcoViva
Our work would also not have been possible without the support from the Mangrove Asso-
ciation and EcoViva. We’d like to express a big thank you to Nohé Reyes, Noé Argueta and
David Marroquín for their guidance and opinions, which greatly helped to shape our
Chávez, Machado, Rosales & Mejía 4
Ciudad Romero: Advancing Empowerment Through Public Spaces
project work. Without the coordination and dedication from our humble and droll liaison
José Maria “Chema” Argueta we would not have been able to secure meetings with the
community leaders who were essential to our research. We would also like to express ap-
preciation for both Jeannie Mueller, EcoViva’s International Programs Associate whose hard
work and dedication have been recognized in her recent promotion as the new Communi-
cations & Outreach Manager, and Nathan Weller, EcoViva’s Program and Policy Director,
who not only took the time to inform us of the communities and committees with which we
worked but even accompanied us on site visits and sat in on interviews for continued guid-
ance. Finally, we would like to convey our deepest gratitude to our drivers and dear
friends, Víctor Manuel Maldonado, José Dolores “Lolo” Rojas, Jesús Elías Navarrete, and
Sabino Chávez Cruz. Our lives were literally in their hands.
Chávez, Machado, Rosales & Mejía 5
Ciudad Romero: Advancing Empowerment Through Public Spaces
INTRODUCTION
Each January for the past nine years, professor and professional translator/interpreter,
Adele Negro, has taken a group of graduate students from the Middlebury Institute of In-
ternational Studies (MIIS) at Monterey, accompanied occasionally by a few undergraduate
students from Middlebury College in Vermont, to the Bajo Lempa and Jiquilisco Bay Region
of the department of Usulután in southeastern El Salvador.1 Team El Salvador (TES) has re-
cently expanded its programmatic work by delving into the idea of public space design
and utilization as a crucial means to develop rural communities in this area. The concept
of public spaces as an avenue to empower communities was originally derived by Adele
Negro from the innovative work carried out by landscape architects in informal settle-
ments surrounding Buenos Aires, Argentina. After numerous annual stays in Ciudad
Romero, Adele similarly envisioned TES facilitating the revitalization of communal spaces
to allow residents to reach their fullest social and economic potential, while also providing
an outlet and distraction for youth from having to leave their communities or join gangs.
The first TES Public Spaces team was convened in January of 2014 and its members fo-
cused on assessing the concept, use and management of public spaces in five communi-
ties within the canton of Zamorano, including Ciudad Romero.2 Team members created fo-
cus groups by gathering community leaders and residents to facilitate activities that would
encourage the sharing of information and perspectives about the spaces in each commu-
nity and the different demographic groups that utilize them. From this research, the team
then made recommendations for improvements, which could strengthen the potential of
public spaces to serve the needs of their communities.
A Contextual History of Ciudad Romero
With the assassination of Monseñor Oscar Romero on March 24th of 1980 came the begin-
ning of the civil war that would divide El Salvador for the better part of thirteen years.
Sympathizers with the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN) either stayed in
1 For an more detailed visual of where in El Salvador TES works and what they and their partner organizations do in the field, please reference Appendix A.
2 For an explanation of local government structure, please also reference Appendix A.
Chávez, Machado, Rosales & Mejía 1
Ciudad Romero: Advancing Empowerment Through Public Spaces
the country to fight against the U.S.-backed Salvadoran Army or fled to other countries
seeking refuge for themselves and their families. During this time, the current residents of
Ciudad Romero, then living in the department of La Union, fled to Honduras before finally
settling in Panama together and remaining there for the duration of the war. In 1991, they
returned to their beloved El Salvador to begin reconstructing their lives and communities.
This group of 80 to 90 families settled into the area now known as Ciudad Romero, named
after the martyred Archbishop Romero who spoke against the increasing marginalization
of the poor and the cruelty of the Salvadoran
government against its own people.
Upon their return, in a small office outside the
town of Jiquilisco, group leaders planned the lay-
out of their future community to include more
than 200 homes, a school, a church, two soccer
fields, a basketball court, a medical dispensary,
a cemetery and even a designated space for an
outdoor market. Once allotted the parcels by
the Salvadoran government, they began build-
ing their homes and community accordingly. Lo-
cal leaders were then able to petition the gov-
ernment on behalf of their communities to pro-
vide running water and electricity to each home
and establishment within its borders. Today, the
community has grown to include a large clinic
with a nationally recognized special division devoted to kidney disease and dialysis as well
as a branch of the National Women’s Association, which operates a dining hall. Ciudad
Romero also now serves as the physical headquarters for La Coordinadora which hosts
community activities, provides lodging for visiting delegations and serves as the meeting
space for the ADESCOs from all neighboring communities.3 The physical space itself is
comprised of a dormitory and a radio station, which are both owned and operated by Man-
gle, as well as a seed and plant nursery.
3 For an explanation of what an ADESCO is and how it fits within the greater framework of the Salvadoran gov-ernmental structure, please reference Appendix A.
Chávez, Machado, Rosales & Mejía 2
A mural of Monseñor Romero in Ciudad Romero’s primary school.
Ciudad Romero: Advancing Empowerment Through Public Spaces
Although small, Ciudad Romero is centrally located between a main road and Nueva Es-
peranza, a neighboring community of more or less the same size. When walking through
Ciudad Romero one easily notices its streets and public spaces strewn with litter and in-
creasingly more territorial graffiti from the infamous Mara Salvatrucha (MS13) gang and its
rival, Calle 18 (18th Street gang). The only communal areas that are regularly utilized are
the soccer fields, the church, the primary school and the local convenience stores. How-
ever, if one looks past the sometimes decaying façade of the community’s physical infra-
structure, one would find that this community is filled with industrious entrepreneurs oper-
ating small businesses out of
their homes. These industrious
people are most often strong-
willed women and de facto
heads of households who gen-
erate supplemental income
through these small ventures
while their husbands are usu-
ally out working in the fields
and/or caring for livestock - and
while yet others work farther
away in Panama or the U.S. in
order to send home remit-
tances.
Ciudad Romero, as a whole, is an agricultural community that relies heavily on subsis-
tence farming through small plot cultivation (i.e. corn, bean, vegetables, etc.), sugar cane
harvesting and livestock breeding/tending. However, there are not nearly enough job op-
portunities to support the increasingly aging population. Due to dwindling economic oppor-
tunities, the youth are leaving their community in search of work, which only perpetuates
the problem. Most children attend school, but rarely ever finish, as many of them may join
the workforce by 10 years of age in order to help support their families. The lack of jobs,
coupled with low education rates and even fewer youth programs, contributes to the esca-
lating conscription rates of local adolescents into gangs and the diaspora of youth who flee
as a result of threats. As its socioeconomic situation trends negatively, our team investi-
gated ways in which the community could use its existing human resources to revitalize
Chávez, Machado, Rosales & Mejía 3
Don Chungo giving us a guided tour of the community. Here he points at the main local church.
Ciudad Romero: Advancing Empowerment Through Public Spaces
public spaces and promote youth programs to bring about increased economic opportuni-
ties and human security.
PROJECT OBJECTIVE
In order to build on the work of 2014’s inaugural Public Spaces team, our own research
team decided to focus on areas of community weakness previously identified in our prede-
cessors’ report (later described as COMPP factors). The purpose of our research was to fur-
ther reveal how each weakness could be converted into a strength so as to play a positive
role in the successful utilization public spaces primarily in Ciudad Romero but which could
also easily be replicated in other similar communities, like that of Puerto Parada.
Ciudad Romero
By electing to focus on our host community of Ciudad Romero, we envisioned the potential
for our proposed initiatives, listed in the Recommendations section of this report, to be
adopted by other communities as useful models for their own subsequent similar efforts.
We also chose this focus not only to dive deeper into the subject matter, but also to give
back to the people who have supported the work of TES so generously over the past nine
years.
Over time, public spaces in Ciudad
Romero appear to have deteriorated
while gang activity has increased, a
situation creating a greater need for
safer and more appealing communal
spaces. In recognizing the impor-
tance of revitalizing the community
and its civic engagement, our team
decided to focus on three crucial ar-
eas, as alluded to above: youth,
women and economic development.
Our aim was to highlight the critical
Chávez, Machado, Rosales & Mejía 4
Our research team is being given a guided tour while conducting our community mapping exercise.
Ciudad Romero: Advancing Empowerment Through Public Spaces
importance of these relatively neglected subgroups in the community and to recommend
ways in which their human resources could be utilized to achieve community economic
stability. In keeping with a recommendation of the previous Public Spaces team, we chose
to concentrate our research primarily on the women of the community and their role as
potential leaders capable of fostering economic growth and running youth programs that
would engage more young people in healthier activities.
Puerto Parada
While still in Monterey prior to our departure, our team learned of plans that had been
drafted to develop the wharf and the surrounding area of Puerto Parada, a community
where TES had already established ties the preceding year and with which we were eager
to increase our engagement. Once in El Salvador, however, our focus was modified at the
request of Mangle and the fishing cooperatives of Puerto Parada: rather than concentrat-
ing specifically on the wharf project and and its implications for the surrounding communi-
ties, we focused our study on the fishing communities of Puerto Parada and the public
space concepts, utilization and needs of their inhabitants. This then allowed us to use our
research to recommend initiatives that would help promote an inclusive form of develop-
ment in the wharf and/or market area. Because this was the first time a Public Spaces
team had worked with the Puerto Parada communities, we adopted the approach of the
TES 8 Public Spaces team by working with community representatives to identify their
public spaces, their current and potential uses (i.e. a centrally located structure that would
provide a place to store and sell their inventory) as well as any existing programs for
women and youth that might increase the functionality of their public spaces and support
their economic development.
COMPP Factors
Building upon the findings and the recommendations of our predecessor team, we identi-
fied a series of aspects that were repeatedly categorized as needing improvement and
which we considered paramount to the successful utilization of public spaces, namely:
communication, organization, maintenance, planning and promotion. These we later came
to refer to as “COMPP” factors, issues, challenges, etc.
Communication
Chávez, Machado, Rosales & Mejía 5
Ciudad Romero: Advancing Empowerment Through Public Spaces
We understand that adequate communication, both within the community and among
partner organizations, is essential to the successful utilization of public spaces. Deficient
communication between involved stakeholders constitutes a significant barrier to the suc-
cess of public spaces, as it limits the community’s capacity to coordinate activities and ad-
dress problems in a timely manner, designate roles and monitor the functioning and main-
tenance of its public spaces. Appropriate communication is also indispensable to the im-
provement of subsequent COMPP factors.
Organization
Community organization is absolutely essential to the advancement and successful imple-
mentation of any initiative, including those which aim to support the creation and preser-
vation of public spaces. Adequate community organization increases the effectiveness of
such initiatives because it provides a chance for different groups within the community to
collaborate. The study of five communities by the previous research team revealed that
the lack of organization was detrimental to the successful use of public spaces. Con-
versely, a well organized community will be able to have clearly defined roles and respon-
sibilities regarding its public spaces, thus enhancing its ability to evaluate performance
and implement necessary changes.
Maintenance
The maintenance of public spaces includes both the operational functioning of the facilities
(i.e. running water, latrines, public lighting, cleanliness, security, etc.), as well as the lead-
ership and funds that guarantee their continued preservation. Based on the last research
team’s findings, the underutilization and deterioration of public spaces in the community
are largely due to the lack of organization among leadership to coordinate systems or im-
plement initiatives that will support and/or contribute to the maintenance of communal
spaces. The lack of funds to carry out such activities is also a significant determining fac -
tor. Our research team set about investigating possible alternatives to tackle this chal-
lenge.
Planning
Another essential element for the success of public spaces is effective planning. Inade-
quate communication and organization result, at best, in poor planning, which in turn cre-
ates a lack of clearly defined goals. This then impedes the establishment of a course of ac-
Chávez, Machado, Rosales & Mejía 6
Ciudad Romero: Advancing Empowerment Through Public Spaces
tion to follow. Thus, the community must clearly define objectives in advance, so as to be
able to evaluate the successful utilization of its public spaces. This not only requires com-
munity buy-in but also effective support and guidance from its leadership.
Promotion
Similarly, the promotion of public spaces is essential to their success. The community as a
whole must not only effectively understand and articulate its concept of public space, but
its members must also convey to one another the importance and benefits of their public
spaces in order to develop a sense of community ownership and empowerment. It is es-
sential that the members of the community know that their public spaces are available
and accessible to them, which, in turn, can help ensure that they will not be underutilized
and fall into a state of disrepair or disarray.
Focus Areas
Early on in our project work, it became evident that our research would have to be nar -
rowed in order to procure the most useful results and offer the most beneficial recommen-
dations not only for Ciudad Romero but also for any other community seeking to take ad-
vantage of such initiatives. Therefore, we sought to identify the common areas of weak-
ness demonstrated by Ciudad Romero and its neighboring communities. The areas we
thought in need of attention were youth, women and economic development.
Youth
In our observations of spaces in Ciudad Romero like its soccer fields, basketball court and
park, it became apparent that the youth were hardly using them. Our team sought to un-
derstand why. We were aware of the human security problems in the community and
wanted to investigate whatever connection existed between gang presence and the lack
of utilization of these physical areas. Because this subpopulation could greatly benefit
from the improvement of public spaces and, at the same time, contribute to their function-
ality and frequency of use, it was important to investigate their role and perspective on
this topic. Our team also agreed that youth were key to focus on, because only through
their participation can the community continue to sustain itself at all.
Women
Chávez, Machado, Rosales & Mejía 7
Ciudad Romero: Advancing Empowerment Through Public Spaces
Understanding that women could also benefit significantly from public space initiatives
and following the recommendations of the previous Public Spaces team, we included in
our study the relationship between women in the community and its public spaces as well
as their interests and concerns. As a demographic traditionally excluded from leadership
roles not only in El Salvador but historically around the globe, women could potentially
play a key role in many aspects of public space, from organization to design to manage-
ment to maintenance. As with youth, an understanding within the community of the cur-
rent and potential role of women as community leaders will be essential to the success of
public spaces. During a tour of Ciudad Romero, we were taken to the site where the local
chapter of the National Women’s Association meets and prepares meals for community
events. Interested in the Association’s potential to contribute to the town’s economic de-
velopment, we believed it was important to know more about the role it occupied. For
these reasons, we preferred to identify ways in which their leadership roles in the home
could be translated into leadership roles on a larger scale within their own community.
Economic Development
To encourage support and community buy-in of any potential public spaces initiatives, our
research team defined a third area of focus: economic development, as fostered through
the use of public spaces. Although it is true that recreational and educational benefits de-
riving from public spaces are needed, we understand that in rural and still developing
communities these might not be at the top of their list of priorities. Providing for the basic
needs of their families is the primary concern of heads-of-households. Furthermore, as re-
ported by the previous Public Spaces team, economic growth and community develop-
ment are factors that motivate community residents and could be leveraged to help solid-
ify support for public spaces initiatives. This then informed our decision to emphasize in
our investigation the economic benefits to the community that could be realized through
the redesign and revitalization of public spaces.
In the particular hope of reviving a local farmers market (an initiative originally attempted
in 2008-09 in four communities, including Ciudad Romero, but ultimately unsustainable
because several COMPP factors were lacking), our team decided to discuss the initiative
with randomly selected residents of Ciudad Romero. Our aim was to gauge their interest,
potential participation and/or potential support of such an initiative a second time. Our ob-
Chávez, Machado, Rosales & Mejía 8
Ciudad Romero: Advancing Empowerment Through Public Spaces
jective was also to help determine who in their opinion should be charged with managing
and maintaining such a market, and where the required funds to do so would be obtained.
METHODOLOGY
After reviewing the Public Spaces report produced by TES 8, our research team met to de-
sign a tentative plan of action that could be realized within the three weeks we would be
on the ground in El Salvador to conduct our fieldwork. The plan was presented to Mangle ’s
Junta Directiva, whose insights and suggestions were then integrated into a modified ver-
sion of our plan of action.
Document Review
Upon being assigned to our Public Spaces project by our Program Director on the basis of
our skills and interests, we conducted several document studies prior to departure in order
to give ourselves a baseline to work from and educate ourselves on the research previ-
ously conducted on the sub- ject and ways in which we
might build on it. We first con- sidered the report by the in-
augural Public Spaces team of 2014. In it, they detailed their
preliminary assessments of the public spaces in five local
communities, including Ciu- dad Romero and Amando
López. From these assess- ments we chose to focus our
study on the community, which in our estimation had
the most potential to become a template for other local
communities or rather a model of public space utiliza-
tion to be followed or adapted. We decided to con-
sider two additional reports written by previous research
teams (TES 2 and TES 4) de- tailing socioeconomic data
specific to education and the creation of producer cooperatives. These two reports would
inform us on how public spaces could be better utilized. We then consulted two external
sources. The first was El Salvador’s five year development and security plan published by
the Salvadoran government in January of 2015, the very month we were conducting our
Chávez, Machado, Rosales & Mejía 9
Ciudad Romero: Advancing Empowerment Through Public Spaces
fieldwork, which detailed the country's approach to gang crime and violence. The second
was a proposal and technical guide to the development of the Puerto Parada wharf.4
We opted to conduct our research more deeply, rather than broadly as the last team had.
Of the five communities assessed by the previous research team, we believed that Ciudad
Romero was the best positioned, offering room for improvement and potential for success.
With the information gleaned from our document review, we realized that during our time
in Ciudad Romero, we would, at the very least, need to conduct an extensive mapping of
the community as well as semi-structured interviews with community leaders in order to
ascertain the location of their public spaces, the purpose(s) for which they were currently
being used and the ways in which they could or would be used in the future.
Community
Mapping
In order to better under-
stand the community
which we were research-
ing, our team coordi-
nated with local leaders
to guide us in tours of
their neighborhoods.
Both former and current
community leaders
showed us around, at
the same time offering us the necessary historical context of each space. This allowed us
to confirm with community members what spaces in their immediate areas they believed
were public and to point out the spaces which had the most potential for revitalization and
greater utilization. It was through these community mapping exercises that we were able
to asses how many households we would need to survey. The map we referenced for
much of our data can be seen to the right.
Semi-Structured Interviews4 For more detailed information, please reference the final report from the Corporation for Salvadoran Tourism (CORSATUR) and its development proposal of Puerto Parada.
Chávez, Machado, Rosales & Mejía 10
Here is the original map created by the collaboration between com-munity leaders and local government leaders, which hangs in the
main hallway of La Coordinadora in Ciudad Romero.
Ciudad Romero: Advancing Empowerment Through Public Spaces
The guided tours provided our team with the opportunity to interview our community
guides. We created a semi-structured interview to conduct with these local leaders and
representatives of specific interest groups who were recommended by our program direc-
tor and liaisons from both EcoViva and Mangle. The interviews were preceded by a brief in-
troduction by our team members of the nature and purpose of our study. Most intervie-
wees were either filmed or recorded for reference during the post-fieldwork compilation of
our final report, unless they declined to be, which occurred only a handful of times. While
conducting these interviews, however, we realized that our results might become biased
or skewed if we were only to consider the opinions of community leaders and local interest
groups.56
Random Survey Sampling
Our four-person team surveyed 35 households of the documented 150 families (about
23.3% of the current population) residing in 80 to 90 physical households within Ciudad
Romero. While going door-to-door, we were struck by the unusually large number of seem-
ingly uninhabited or abandoned houses, but no one was able to tell us with certainty how
many there were. We were concerned about the potential impact this might have on the
representative sample percentage of households we surveyed. Nevertheless, the stories
and comments entrusted to us by the community members we interviewed were ex-
tremely useful for our research, while at the same time very personal and emotional.
5 For a much more detailed list of interviewees and the leadership posts they filled, please reference Appendix D.
6 For a list of the exact questions asked during our semi-structured interviews, please reference Appendix C.
Chávez, Machado, Rosales & Mejía 11
Ciudad Romero: Advancing Empowerment Through Public Spaces
As best as we could, we endeavored to speak directly to the community members who
would be utilizing these spaces, eliminating any reliance on spokespersons, mediators or
even translators. After all, it is the community residents who will decide if a redesigned
public space will be useful or not in
keeping with their needs and wishes.
In an effort to understand the commu-
nity's perspectives on our primary ar-
eas of focus (women, youth and eco-
nomic development), we developed a
30 to 45-minute survey with questions
designed to glean further information
from the residents of Ciudad Romero.
Our quartet of researchers divided into
two dyads. Each duo randomly se-
lected houses by flipping a coin at
each door to be surveyed. We pref-
aced our questions with an explanation of the purpose of our research, a brief description
of the concept of public space and, to their disbelief, the extraordinary value of recording
their opinions for our study. All surveys were conducted orally and we did our best to avoid
compound or leading questions, a challenge which proved difficult because an overwhelm-
ing majority of respondents, especially women, insisted they did not have the intelligence
they thought necessary in order to answer our questions.
Another challenge worth mentioning was our diction, as certain words or concepts in our
survey were sometimes lost in translation. For example, when we asked whether respon-
dents were paying taxes, we used the word’s Spanish translation, “impuestos.” 100% of
those we used that word with responded either negatively or confusingly. So, we had to
replace it with its definition. Using instead the phrase “una pequeña contribución” or “un
pequeño aporte,” which just means “a small contribution.” We also had to specify that all
residents would hypothetically contribute equally. Instances like this indicated that our
questions needed to become even clearer, simpler and more concise then we had origi-
nally intended. In surveying almost a quarter of the community ’s households, we were
speaking mainly to women: wives and mothers. Few men seemed to be home, which
ended up benefiting our study considering men were inordinately represented in our semi-
Chávez, Machado, Rosales & Mejía 12
F.Rosales conducting a semi-structured interview with the current President of the local ADESCO.
Ciudad Romero: Advancing Empowerment Through Public Spaces
structured interviews. Similarly, no young people old enough to comprehend and answer
our questions seemed to be home either, a demographic whose perspective was nonethe-
less important to represent in our study.7
Focus Group
We determined that the best
method of incorporating this de-
mographic would be through a fo-
cus group with the Youth Group of
Ciudad Romero’s Grupo Local.8 Al-
though the youth group is com-
prised of young men and women
from all of the surrounding com-
munities represented by their
Grupo Local, we considered the
difficulties adolescents faced were shared regardless of their community of origin and thus
deemed their feedback completely valid for the sake of our study. Because the youth
group meets so irregularly and had been on hiatus for the year-end holidays, they had yet
to reconvene in the new year. It was therefore difficult to coordinate contact with them
and arrange for their attendance through our Mangle liaison. Unfortunately, not one youth
member came to our first attempt at arranging a meeting. After trying again, our liaison
did successfully convince two members to join us in a focus group, one from Ciudad
Romero and the other from the nearby town of Nuevo Amanecer. Our biggest challenge
was ensuring that our liaison didn’t bias or lead the answers we received from the two
young men as he sat in with us.9
Case Studies
To inform our work in Ciudad Romero, our team sought to study a selection of surrounding
communities including that of rural Amando López and the larger urban town of Jiquilisco,
7 Our original survey questions along with the responses recorded can be referenced in Appendix C.
8 For a detailed explanation of a “Grupo Local” and to understand the framework in which it operates, please reference Appendix A.
9 For a list of the exact questions asked during our focus group interviews, please reference Appendix C.
Chávez, Machado, Rosales & Mejía 13
Ciudad Romero: Advancing Empowerment Through Public Spaces
which we believed would offer us insights into their successes and best practices regard-
ing the utilization of public spaces. The reason for which was to possibly replicate those
initiatives that proved successful into other identified communities of need, like that of the
large Puerto Parada region for which we conducted a preliminary study.
Amando López
This rural community is only fifteen minutes away by vehicle from Ciudad Romero and was
considered a highly functioning town by the TES 8 Public Spaces team. In our meeting with
the leadership of Amando López, we sought to understand the relationship between the
way they dealt with their COMPP factors and their success in maintaining not only the
cleanliness of their spaces but the communal pride in and ownership over them. Our aim
was also to understand their tax collection process: how it was established, how they moti-
vated so many people to contribute, how much their residents paid and how the tax was
enforced. Lastly, we believed a site visit and discussion with the community leaders would
clarify how they are
tackling the increas-
ingly pervasive prob-
lem of gang conscrip-
tion, violence and ex-
tortion. Any relevant
observations from our
findings are shared as
our Recommenda-
tions.10
Jiquilisco
During our visit to
Jiquilisco, the closest
high-functioning urban center to Ciudad Romero, we were taken to the construction site of
what would become the largest market in the greater municipality of which Ciudad
Romero is a part. With stands or “puestos” for over one hundred vendors, over 90% of ap-
plicants have been women. This market will surely be the primary place to purchase any-
10 For a detailed list of our site visit interview questions for Amando López’s representatives, please reference Appendix E.
Chávez, Machado, Rosales & Mejía 14
Amando López’s public library built with donated resources from a Ger-man organization but maintained by their community tax.
Ciudad Romero: Advancing Empowerment Through Public Spaces
thing and everything in or around Jiquilisco. A separate section was built, complete with a
dining area, where patrons will be able to purchase prepared food. The scale of this mar-
ket is significantly larger than anything that could be conceived for Ciudad Romero. How-
ever, our team was able to glean several design considerations for a market in Ciudad
Romero and identify the types
of resources and support from
critical stakeholders necessary
for launching a market of any
size. During this visit, which
was documented by media out-
lets, we gained the enthusiastic
support of Mayor David Bara-
hona Marroquín as well as other
local officials within his munici-
pal government, known as “la
Alcaldía,” for proposed public
space initiatives.
Puerto Parada
The communities of this coastal municipality were chosen as a case study upon the recom-
mendation of Mangle’s Board of Directors and EcoViva staff. This decision stems from the
collaborative work with La Coordinadora del Bajo Lempa and Mangle to strengthen their
sister organizations: La Coordinadora de Puerto Parada and Fundación Cincahuite. During
our first of two site visits, we conducted two focus groups with elected representatives of
Puerto Parada’s ADESCO to further concretize the concept of public spaces. Our team was
guided by these passionate representatives on a tour of their communities as they pointed
out the spaces they considered public and/or communal. After having suggested to them a
working definition of public space, we noted with encouragement that they pointed out
schools, soccer fields, churches and other community meeting places where residents
could engage with one another.
In our second visit, the leaders of the “Pesca Limpia” sustainable fishing cooperatives ex-
pressed their need for a place not only to store but also to sell their fish as a means of
supporting their communities’ development. They were particularly concerned about their
Chávez, Machado, Rosales & Mejía 15
Ciudad Romero: Advancing Empowerment Through Public Spaces
ability to sell their products, as the nearest market at the wharf is still quite far from their
communities, and has been monopolized by fishermen and businesses already established
on the wharf who it’s assumed will be given priority contracts as part of the planned recon-
struction.11 For these reasons, Pesca Limpia's participant communities do not foresee any
likely collaborations with the wharf businesses in the near future and will thus likely need
to establish a space of their own. It is hoped that the insights and recommendations con-
tained in this report will serve to inform La Coordinadora de Puerto Parada and their Fun-
dación Cincahuite on alternative and more accessible efforts that can prove beneficial to
their own communities.
RESULTS
Utilizing the various methods of data collection mentioned above, we asked questions rel-
evant to Ciudad Romero’s public space design and utilization in four thematic categories in
order to inform our results and recommendations: general background, the situation for
youth, the role of women and the potential of public spaces to promote economic develop-
ment. Our research team uncovered some highly insightful and, at times, contradictory in-
formation in the answers given by the interviewees.
General
11 A more comprehensive study of market opportunities and challenges was performed by our TES 9 student colleagues on the Pesca Limpia project team.
Chávez, Machado, Rosales & Mejía 16
The bay of Puerto Parada where men are transporting fresh coconuts for sale in the local markets.
Ciudad Romero: Advancing Empowerment Through Public Spaces
The information obtained about each public building, space, program and entity (or the
lack thereof) within Ciudad Romero was provided by community leaders during our site
visits as well as by community members via surveys and personal conversations. It is im-
portant to note that Ciudad Romero has the only fully-functioning hospital and model clinic
for the treatment of kidney disease in the greater Zamorano canton, which services citi-
zens from all of the neighboring communities. It has become a huge draw to the town and
the resulting foot traffic could potentially be leveraged for further economic development.
Equally important to mention is the use of unofficial or undesignated public space in Ciu-
dad Romero. Even though there is a park, a basketball court and soccer fields, one particu-
lar street corner proved the most frequented area of recreation in the entire community
that we noted during our fieldwork. It is located near the entrance to La Coordinadora ’s fa-
cilities, on the opposite corner from a home with a convenience store in their living room.
Situated under a street light on the second most traveled road in town, it serves as a
space where boys and men of all ages gather regularly to play cards, dice and socialize.
The use of this space has led our team to consider the importance of lighting and the loca -
tion of public spaces in relation to the frequency and purpose for which they are utilized.
Chávez, Machado, Rosales & Mejía 17
Ciudad Romero: Advancing Empowerment Through Public Spaces
Some of our most interesting findings were noted when residents were asked what public
spaces exist in Ciudad Romero. Approximately 69% of the surveyed population listed the
Red Cross shelter/community center, 54% stated the soccer fields, 49% identified the park
in the center of town and 29% indicated the compound of La Coordinadora. A striking 74%
of the surveyed population specified that recreational programs would be beneficial to the
community, especially as a means of preventing future gang conscriptions of young men;
31% of respondents indicated they’d like educational programs to be developed, particu-
larly for young women to gain vocational/technical skills that would contribute to their in-
dependence.
In addition, we noted that residents lack an organized, sustainable waste management
system. Instead, residents generally burn their trash in the streets or their yards as a
means of disposal. Because
Ciudad Romero is located
near the main thorough-
fare and is centrally lo-
cated among the surround-
ing communities, it experi-
ences more foot traffic
than most others. Given
the combination of activity,
travelers and residents,
the streets tend to be lit-
tered and the air filled with
the unhealthy fumes of
burning plastics. The major-
ity of residents surveyed believed it’s the ADESCO’s responsibility to create and maintain
such social spaces and initiatives. When asked how Amando López was able to achieve
such a state of self-reliance, its two leaders admitted to wanting to foster a sense of re -
sponsibility within their own community, rather than depending on often unreliable outside
assistance. Their ADESCO also took the initiative in asking the local police to patrol their
community more frequently, which helps to keep gang violence and threats at bay. Ciudad
Romero would no doubt benefit from doing the same.
Chávez, Machado, Rosales & Mejía 18
The frequently visited clinic across the street from the main park.
Ciudad Romero: Advancing Empowerment Through Public Spaces
The most significant finding in our research was that the residents of Ciudad Romero do
not pay taxes to their ADESCO or to any branch of the Salvadoran government. This di -
rectly reflected the concerns expressed by community leaders and members during our
semi-structured interviews with respect to the lack of adequate resources to initiate and
maintain communal spaces and programs. Additionally, through our random survey sam-
pling we learned that almost 99% of community members are willing to pay a monthly tax
of, at the very least, $1.00 USD, which is significantly more than most community leaders
and ADESCO representatives believed the residents of Ciudad Romero could afford or
would be willing to contribute. Ciudad Romero’s ADESCO could allocate this potential rev-
enue to the same types of expenditures that Amando López has: the maintenance of pub-
lic spaces, street lights, trash collection and other public services. As specified by the com-
munity members surveyed
in Ciudad Romero, this
would require that who-
ever is in charge of such
funds be completely trust-
worthy, honest and demo-
cratically elected by the
entire community. A sys-
tem of checks-and-bal-
ances could be developed
to ensure objective ac-
countability for, and ac-
counting of, such funds. As
in Amando López, whose leadership we noted was very well organized and consultative, it
would be important for the leaders of Ciudad Romero to hold regular and frequent town
hall meetings to communicate with and accept input from community members directly
about where and how their taxes should be appropriated.
It is worth noting though that surveyed community members expressed a general lack of
confidence in the leadership capability of their ADESCO. A perceived lack of initiative was
a recurring theme that our team identified throughout our door-to-door research. Remark-
ably, community members expressed full past support of previous top-down initiatives
from the ADESCO. However, their perception of local leadership ’s progressively weaker
Chávez, Machado, Rosales & Mejía 19
The main thoroughfare along which one can find the clinic, con-venience store, central park, pupusería, abandoned youth center, the primary school, the lot intended for a market as well as the soccer fields.
Ciudad Romero: Advancing Empowerment Through Public Spaces
ability to innovate new initiatives that address emerging challenges12 has left them with
serious doubts. An overall desire was expressed for more direction and clear vision on the
part of community leaders, as well as the rekindling of the passion their leaders initially
had about community service upon their return from Panama. It seems that residents no-
tice a growing apathy that is slowing progress significantly. In this respect, our research
revealed a gap between the ADESCO and its constituents due to a lack of communication,
transparency and civic engagement initiatives. Residents appear to believe that the ADE-
SCO is not putting forth the same degree of effort to include its residents in the decision-
making process as it did in its beginning, thus alienating representatives from those they
are supposed to represent. This gap not only perpetuates the lack of confidence that com-
munity members are increasingly feeling about their leaders, but it also undermines the
sense of ownership residents could feel towards their community. It seemed evident that
our questionnaires highlighted areas of concern requiring further community exploration
of programs the local government could create in Ciudad Romero and ways in which its
spaces could be better utilized, structured and preserved. It is our hope that these surveys
have sparked a dialogue among neighbors that will continue.
Youth
Among formal and informal conversations with host families and community leaders, as
well as through surveys of community members, the physical absence of youth in Ciudad
Romero was mentioned often. Therefore, our team decided it was imperative to under-
stand what the community believed were the reasons for this growing trend. Gang pres-
ence and violence affect youth more than any other demographic in Ciudad Romero, be-
cause this sector is targeted and forcibly recruited into gang membership. If these young
men do not want to participate in gang activities, their only option is to leave Ciudad
Romero entirely to ensure not only their own safety but that of their families. Often, they
flee from gang violence and end up searching for and finding work in other countries, like
Panama or the United States. The two primary gangs of El Salvador, the 18th Street gang
and the Mara Salvatrucha (MS13), are both increasingly present in the area. On the basis
of graffiti taggings and conversations with local residents, it ’s evident that Ciudad Romero
is considered MS13 territory while its neighbor, Nueva Esperanza, is 18th Street territory.
12 Through our research, we have identified the previously mentioned COMPP factors as being Ciudad Romero’s most disruptive emerging challenges to the community’s further development.
Chávez, Machado, Rosales & Mejía 20
Ciudad Romero: Advancing Empowerment Through Public Spaces
An example of just how negatively this issue impacts residents can be seen in the simple
fact that according to residents, seven young men from Ciudad Romero have been mur-
dered in gang-related violence between the time our research team left El Salvador in Jan-
uary and the time this report was submitted to Mangle six months later. Toño Nuñez,13
puts a real face on these numbers. Resident of Ciudad Romero ’s neighboring community
of Nueva Esperanza, Toño was newly married with an expectant bride when he was forced
to flee his home this summer or risk death for no longer agreeing to hide arms for a gang
on his small family farm. His extortioners gave him ten days to reconsider. So, after dis-
cussing it with his family, the 24-year-old made his third attempt to seek refuge in the U.S.
He left with his cousin through
Guatemala towards México to
board “La Bestia,” the notori-
ously dangerous train mi-
grants ride atop towards the
U.S. border. Mexican officials
caught and deported his
cousin before he himself
would later be kidnapped by a
Mexican gang and held
hostage until his family could
wire his ransom. After paying
off some “polleros”14 who got
him to Texas, he was caught
by abusively rough U.S. officials, arrested and detained until transported to a larger and
windowless detention center in Pennsylvania, where he developed a serious bought of de-
pression. Luckily, the South Bay Sanctuary Covenant (SBSC),15 found out and sponsored
his application for asylum. Grateful for the sponsorship, he still misses his wife and the
daughter he has yet to hold.
13 His name has been changed for the sake of this report to protect the safety of his family, who are still in El Salvador, as well as his own here in the U.S., where Salvadoran gang networks easily stretch.
14 Human smugglers are known as on the U.S.-Mexican border as “polleros” or “coyotes” in Spanish.
15 The SBSC is an interfaith, non-partisan organization of churches and individuals in the Bay Area from San Francisco to Santa Cruz. The California-based group is concerned with peace, justice and liberation for the peo-ple of Central America and for the refugees who have fled from these areas, especially Salvadorans.
Chávez, Machado, Rosales & Mejía 21
Here is a picture of the largest mural painted inside of the abandoned Youth Center. It could potentially be used to house a small pop-up market until it can be scaled-up appropriately.
Ciudad Romero: Advancing Empowerment Through Public Spaces
Dishearteningly enough, MS13 has even managed to infiltrate the local primary school
Nueva Esperanza and Ciudad Romero share in order to recruit students as new members.
This put teachers and administrators in the very difficult predicament of having to choose
to either deny a child an education because of his gang-affiliation or force him to leave for
the safety of the other children and risk possible future retaliatory violence. Luckily, the is -
sue resolved itself when the gang-affiliated student in question left school on his own ac-
cord - but it can easily arise again if gangs begin taking more interest in the area. It isn ’t
difficult to imagine the effect gang presence and pressure to join can have on the quality
of education and the ability of students to focus on their studies.
Of those we surveyed in Ciudad Romero, 80% indicated that burgeoning gang violence
had driven young people from their commu-
nity and oftentimes out of the country in or-
der to avoid being forced to join gangs or
risk becoming victims of gang violence and/
or extortion. The other related reason for the
decline in the youth population was the lack
of economic opportunities in Ciudad Romero.
The youth, specifically young men, are leav-
ing in search of work in larger cities in El Sal-
vador, Panama or the United States. Of the
surveyed representative sample, 83% indi-
cated that the best method to retain youth
was through vocational development pro-
grams which can provide job skills to help
youth gain access to quality and sustainable
employment. Our team was informed by
several parents in the community that they
normally do not allow their children to play
outside their immediate fenced properties because of these human security concerns. This
is especially true for young girls, who are basically confined to their home or school unless
they are accompanied by their parents or an older male sibling in public areas.
As previously mentioned, Mangle sponsors and La Coordinadora hosts the Youth Group,
which meets on a regular basis and operates Radio Mangle, the only local, participatory ra-
Chávez, Machado, Rosales & Mejía 22
One of the employees at the only daycare in Ciudad Romero, taking the kids for a stroll in a wagon.
Ciudad Romero: Advancing Empowerment Through Public Spaces
dio station in the region to produce broadcasts to a younger demographic. During our fo-
cus group, they reported not being taken seriously enough by their ADESCOs. This ap-
pears to be a point of frustration and slight resentment because, as equally contributing
members of their communities, they want their voices and opinions to be heard and vali-
dated by their elected leaders just as much as those of any adult. They expressed interest
and motivation when the opportunity to be mentored by current and/or former leaders
was brought up. They felt in this way they could learn valuable leadership skills as well as
other important tools or vocational and/or technical skills that could help them find em-
ployment and not have to leave their respective communities.
It was communicated to our team that the founding members of the Youth Group, who
came with their parents from Panama to establish what is now Ciudad Romero, had suc-
cessfully built a youth center that housed activities and meetings for young people.16 This
space still exists today and has some beautiful murals painted on its walls, as well as func-
tioning latrines, running water and electricity. Unfortunately, the original members of that
Youth Group have almost all left in search of more sustainable income sources as they
continued to age into adults. As interest in the group on the part of younger generations
has dwindled, the structure itself has been locked up, abandoned and fallen into disrepair.
In our random survey sampling, we discovered that when entrepreneurial young men tried
to create their own jobs, they were
for the most part either conscripted
or extorted by the gangs. This is usu-
ally why most young entrepreneurs
try really hard not to be too success-
ful and garner unwanted attention
from gangs. This undoubtedly con-
tributes to the growing diaspora of
young Salvadorans, drains their com-
munities of their potentially positive contributions and highlights the negative impact
gangs have on economic development as a whole.
Women
16 We believe the Youth Center could be used to host the MADESCO program we suggest later in our Recom-mendations.
Chávez, Machado, Rosales & Mejía 23
“Que la mujer sea crítica para analizar en qué tiene que participar y en qué no. La mujer salvadoreña
ha sido siempre una mujer muy digna. Ojalá que haga honor a su
tradición y no se deje manipular.”- MONSEÑOR ÓSCAR ROMERO
Ciudad Romero: Advancing Empowerment Through Public Spaces
In our surveys, we sought to gain information on the perceptions held by residents in Ciu-
dad Romero about the role of women and their overall capacity to assume additional re-
sponsibilities and/or a more prominent leadership role within their own community. An
overwhelming 100% of all respondents expressed support of public space initiatives that
would promote (specifically among women) a sense of community and civic engagement.
The further purpose of such initiatives would be to leverage motivated residents as human
resources and provide spaces which could be used by the residents for social, professional
and economic development. Of the surveyed sample population, 97% indicated a desire to
see specialized vocational and technical training programs implemented for young girls,
which in turn would promote the community's overall economic and social development.
Of the same sample population, 69% indicated that they would like to see their daughters,
nieces, wives and mothers study to become “professionals”, suggesting that the Women’s
Association could potentially assume the management of such public education initiatives.
Chávez, Machado, Rosales & Mejía 24
Ciudad Romero: Advancing Empowerment Through Public Spaces
Our research team learned that the Women’s Association in Ciudad Romero is in fact a
registered chapter of El Salvador’s innovative National Women’s Association, which not
only promotes a sense of community and empowerment among women but also provides
paid work to its members as a means of promoting job opportunities for women. In the
case of Ciudad Romero, a dining hall was built in partnership with the Association to ac-
commodate large, income-generating parties and visiting delegations. It was intended that
such paying opportunities alternate among members equally in a cyclical fashion. It was
this point, however, that raised several concerns and even a bit of resentment among
some survey respondents,
because they felt their local
chapter had become too ex-
clusive. They felt member-
ship has been increasingly
limited to the chapter’s ex-
isting leadership and only
extended to their female
family members and friends.
In order to investigate the
underlying reasons for these
sentiments, we conducted
another semi-structured interview with the current Chapter President and former-President
of the local ADESCO, Cristina Reyes. She indicated that she understood the women ’s con-
cerns but explained that their resentment stems from a misunderstanding. In her opinion,
women in the community are unaware of that fact that in order to continue being a regis -
tered local chapter and receive financial support for projects from the Association ’s na-
tional headquarters, the chapter has to abide by one main rule: 50% of chapter members,
plus one additional member, would need to be in attendance at each monthly general as-
sembly. These meetings are hosted by La Coordinadora, only a few blocks away from the
local chapter’s physical headquarters near the town’s main plaza. Cristina explained that
in order to achieve those numbers, membership needs to be limited to only those most re-
sponsible members. It was curious though that she felt omniscient enough to determine
for herself who was responsible enough and who was not.
Chávez, Machado, Rosales & Mejía 25
The entrance to the local Women’s Association chapter’s head-quarters.
Ciudad Romero: Advancing Empowerment Through Public Spaces
In contrast, it was interesting to note that many of the surveyed women expressed the im-
pression that the general assemblies were primarily for men. In fact, most of them did not
even believe that they themselves were intelligent enough to warrant answering our sur-
vey questions, let alone attend a general assembly, suggesting instead that we wait for
their husbands or live-in boyfriends. Their lack of formal education seems to negatively
affect their self-confidence, which in turn detracts from their participation. And yet, our
team was struck by the fact that so many women in the community, including some of our
host mothers, were de facto heads-of-household because their husbands were working in
the fields or in other countries. The majority of the small stores in the community are oper-
ated by women out of their front rooms. They keep their homes up and raise their children
while their male counterparts are away. In answer to our question regarding a farmer ’s
market, women seemed excited and eager to get a local market up and running, as it
would not only save them from having to pay the very high prices charged by traveling
vendors, known locally as “picacheros,” but it would also offer them the opportunity to sell
their own goods to neighbors and visitors. Women thus seem perfectly positioned to make
a market thrive; without their involvement and buy-in, another attempt to revive the local
market initiative would undoubtedly fail. Given the opinions shared in our data collection,
women also seem well-positioned to help revitalize the Youth Group and potentially collab-
orate on initiatives that could serve to pool both financial and human resources.
Economic Development
Chávez, Machado, Rosales & Mejía 26
Ciudad Romero: Advancing Empowerment Through Public Spaces
To understand the economic realities of Ciudad Romero, our team ’s survey research also
included a set of questions aimed at illuminating the current economic situation of its resi-
dents. Approximately 40% of participants reported their livelihood as dependent almost
completely on agriculture, with
few other income generating op-
portunities outside this line of
work. A stark 30% claimed there
was no source of income at all in
Ciudad Romero. This statistic can
be interpreted from the stand-
point that many families in the
community survive on subsis-
tence farming, cultivating just
enough to live on day-to-day but
not enough to sell for a margin of
any kind of profit. It is worth
mentioning again that some
homes double as convenience
stores. These small markets usually occupy the living room area of the house, where ev-
eryday goods like soda, candy, toothpaste, shampoo, aspirin, telephone cards, etc. are
sold by the owner of the home, who oftentimes procures her/his goods through
“picacheros.” These small businesses are usually operated by the women in the community
as a means of supplementing their family’s income.
Ciudad Romero does not have any kind of larger general store where produce and pre-
pared food can be purchased, but the community does have a small restaurant that sells
“pupusas,” a typical Salvadoran dish. This establishment is independent from the Women ’s
Association Chapter’s restaurant, which is rarely, if ever, open or utilized. Nonetheless,
94% of the surveyed population expressed great interest and support for the creation of a
local farmers’ market. Of this segment, 60% believed that the community ’s ADESCO or the
Junta Directiva of Asociación Mangle should be in charge of this endeavor, whereas 23%
believed it should be a communal effort. Finally, a striking 97% indicated they would shop
at the market, 71% stated they would sell their product(s) there and 49% indicated that
agricultural products would be the main items of purchase and sale. Since the residents of
Chávez, Machado, Rosales & Mejía 27
Cristina, President of the local Women’s Association chap-ter and former President of the ADESCO during our semi-
structured interview in her home’s main room.
Ciudad Romero: Advancing Empowerment Through Public Spaces
Ciudad Romero are heavily reliant on agriculture for their livelihood, their productive ca-
pacity would be able to support a local market with the right management and organiza-
tion.
More commonly as a source of income, families in Ciudad Romero often depend on remit-
tances received from relatives who have left the community and found work elsewhere. In
many cases, family members live apart for years at a time and the remittances sent by
the absent relative are the only form of income that the family may receive. However,
there are a few other, less popular entrepreneurial ways of generating income, such as
clothes tailoring or bicycle repair. To reiterate an earlier point, the community sees voca-
tional training for youth as a crucial means to keep young people in the community, com-
bat gang violence and bol-
ster economic growth in
Ciudad Romero. Survey
participants stated they
were in favor of programs
that would give boys and
girls practical skills to earn
a living. Examples cited
were agricultural pro-
grams, veterinary care,
and sewing or food prepa-
ration classes. The eco-
nomic benefits of such ac-
tivities, as well as their po-
tential to retain youth in
the community would be all
the more enhanced by the establishment of the proposed local market.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Chávez, Machado, Rosales & Mejía 28
Female entrepreneurs abound in Ciudad Romero, like the owner of the only pupusería in town, across from the clinic.
Ciudad Romero: Advancing Empowerment Through Public Spaces
Our team has created a series of recommendations we believe reflect the expressed
needs of Ciudad Romero’s leaders and those of the residents they serve. We offer them in
the hopes they may be employed to strengthen community buy-in and foster increased
civic engagement. We would like to suggest that these recommendations be made avail -
able to all stakeholders involved in the development of Ciudad Romero. Once public spa-
ces initiatives, like those we recommend in this section, prove successful in this pilot com-
munity and any kinks in programming have been worked out, we foresee their prolifera-
tion into other developing communities like those of Puerto Parada.
As we only had enough time to hold two focus groups with Puerto Parada ’s representatives
during our three short weeks of fieldwork researching Ciudad Romero, we have sufficient
information to speak from any place of definitive knowledge on Puerto Parada’s behalf. We
can only say that we carefully considered them in every one of our recommendations and
hope that they glean inspiration from our suggested initiatives in this report and, ulti-
mately, advocate for their own dedi-
cated team of researchers and archi-
tects in the coming years to compile
a report with them specifically in
mind. Our recommendations for Ciu-
dad Romero, and subsequently
Puerto Parada, encompass three
main themes: revitalizing an overall
sense of community; strengthening
leadership through communication,
organization, management, planning,
and promotion (COMPP), and; in-
creasing general support for public
spaces initiatives.
Fostering Civic Engagement & Community Buy-In
We understand that the term “civic engagement” can often be interpreted ambiguously.
For the sake of this study, therefore, we use the New York Times ’ definition of “promoting
the quality of life in a community, through both political and non-political processes. ” Civic
Chávez, Machado, Rosales & Mejía 29
Our teams planning fieldwork strategy at La Coordi-nadora de Puerto Parada and headquarters for Aso-
ciación Cincahuite.
Ciudad Romero: Advancing Empowerment Through Public Spaces
engagement is thus the act or process of “working to make a difference in the civic life of
our communities and developing the combination of knowledge, skills, values and motiva-
tion to make that difference.”17 When we use the term “community buy-in,” we mean more
than merely “ownership,” as you can own something (whether tangible or not) and still ne-
glect it. “Buy-in” instead implies residents’ collective desire to contribute to their collective
good. A morally and civically responsible individual recognizes her/himself as a member of
a larger social fabric and therefore considers social problems to be at least partly of her/
his own doing. Such an individual is willing to see the moral/civic dimensions of issues, to
make and justify informed moral and civic judgments, not to mention take action when ap-
propriate.
Town Hall Meetings
It is our recommendation that Ciudad Romero increase its efforts to organize the commu-
nity and improve communication between its residents and their ADESCO through regular
town hall meetings where all residents are encouraged not only to attend but participate.
Emphasis should be placed on encouraging residents to realize that despite their limited
formal education, they have much to offer and contribute to their community. These pro-
posed town hall meetings can happen on a biweekly, monthly or bimonthly basis depend-
ing on the need collaboratively established by all stakeholders. Whatever their frequency,
it is essential that they be held on a regular basis, so that residents reliably know when
the meetings will occur without the need for continual reminders or announcements. On
the basis of the feedback received from residents, we believe these regular meetings will
provide Ciudad Romero: (1) the necessary forum for residents to share their concerns, air
any grievances and/or ask any questions of their leadership without fear of reprisal and (2)
a means to achieve a spirit of community ownership and participation. Once Ciudad
Romero’s ADESCO regains the community’s buy-in, leadership can then pursue new initia-
tives such as those listed below. By first securing community buy-in, the ADESCO will be
on much firmer ground to achieve the success of any future initiative(s). In order to stimu-
late participation and engagement, civic or otherwise, it is important to incentivize support
as a means of regaining it. Furthermore, as human resources and support multiply, less
time and effort will be required of each initiative’s participants.
17 Ehrlich, T. (2000). Preface and Introduction to “Civic Responsibility and Higher Education” in the New York Times. Oryx Press. [http://www.nytimes.com/ref/college/collegespecial2/coll_aascu_defi.html]
Chávez, Machado, Rosales & Mejía 30
Ciudad Romero: Advancing Empowerment Through Public Spaces
A Model-ADESCO (mADESCO)
Our research team agreed that Ciudad Romero’s ADESCO, its older community members
and Mangle’s Youth Group would all benefit greatly by collaborating on a program similar
to the Model United Nations (MUN) program in schools across the globe. The UN defines
MUN as “an authentic simulation of the UN General Assembly…, which introduces students
to the world of diplomacy, negotiation, and decision making.” Students, better known as
“delegates,” research particular global problems from today’s headlines and debate them
together. “They step into the shoes of ambassadors… to prepare draft resolutions, plot
strategy, resolve conflicts, negotiate with supporters and adversaries as well as navigate
the UN’s rules of procedure – all in the interest of resolving problems that affect the
world.”18 By designing and alpha-testing a similar educational program for the ADESCO of
Ciudad Romero, Mangle and La Coordinadora’s leadership can then collaborate to perfect
a beta-version that may be shared and replicated among the other communities it sup-
ports. We believe that this
initiative has the potential to
counter the growing apathy
among youth by training
them in public service and
fostering in them, individu-
ally and collectively, a pas-
sion for grassroots commu-
nity organizing. Through a
localized MUN program,
young delegates can learn
how their communities act in
response to concerns about
their peace and security, their human rights, their environment, their food security and
sovereignty, their economic development and their relationships with neighboring commu-
nities and local governments.
This could also benefit older members of the community by giving them more purpose
and harnessing the wisdom and experience they can offer to motivate the young. Mem-
18 United Nations Association. Model UN: Bridging the Education Gap and Creating Global Citizens. [http://www.unausa.org/global-classrooms-model-un]
Chávez, Machado, Rosales & Mejía 31
La Coordinadora del Bajo Lempa where the Youth Group meets and operates Radio Mangle under its guidance.
Ciudad Romero: Advancing Empowerment Through Public Spaces
bers of the community who were once in positions of leadership within Ciudad Romero,
whether informally or through the ADESCO or the Women’s Association, can be encour-
aged to reengage with their community and local government by serving as mentors for
young delegates in a potential Model-Adesco (mADESCO) trial program. The ADESCO can
convene its members to decide what small-scale but still real-world problem they can ask
the mADESCO to solve, or what actual initiative they can oversee. By giving these young
“delegates” real assignments that offer a direct decision-making impact on their own com-
Pop-Up Markets
As mentioned in our Methodology and Results sections, Ciudad Romero's community
members are eager to renew efforts to establish a market. In doing so, it is our belief that
the ADESCO can greatly strengthen economic development for all those it represents. Af-
ter studying the progression and eventual suspension of efforts to establish the local mar -
ket in 2008-09 we strongly recommend that financial sustainability be put at the forefront
of any planning initiative. By starting small and scaling up as circumstances allow, a mar-
ket can be scaled appropriately in both size and frequency. At first, it should perhaps take
place on a monthly or at most biweekly basis, on a day of the week in which the commu-
nity can expect high foot traffic. It might also be best to organize the pop-up market in the
Chávez, Machado, Rosales & Mejía 32
The basketball court in the park could also be used to host pop-up markets once they become too large for the Youth Center but before they get big enough to move to the outskirts of town where
it was originally imagined.
Ciudad Romero: Advancing Empowerment Through Public Spaces
main park instead of the space that was specifically designated for the market site on the
outskirts of town. If the market is instead held in the park across the street from the health
clinic, the only functioning restaurant, the most frequented convenience store in town and
the only school in the area, it is likely to gain increasing popularity among residents and
visitors alike. Once enough funds can be saved from a potential community tax (which we
detail further down on our list of recommendations) as well as from charging small vendor
rents for puestos, a more permanent construction for a market in the specific space origi-
nally allotted for it can begin to be planned. This, of course, would also be dependent on
how much the pop-up markets have grown in both frequency and in the number of ven-
dors due to popularity.
Furthermore, the growth of the market could stimulate not only the community's economy
but the surrounding economy, offering residents and visitors alike an alternative to the ex-
pensive goods brought into town and sold door-to-door by picacheros. A market could also
serve to create a stronger sense of community and pride among its participants. To estab-
lish any kind of market, however, Ciudad Romero would need a leader or committee of
leaders to direct it. Responsibility could be assigned to an established group like the
Women's Association, whereby the women would benefit from more leadership opportuni-
ties while also having an incentive to expand and become more inclusive as an organiza-
tion. Considering that over 90% of vendor applicants for puestos in the massive market we
toured in Jiquilisco are women, we can expect the same disproportionate interest in Ciu-
dad Romero - making women the most important demographic whose support must be se-
cured for any kind of market to be successful. Another alternative to managing the market
could be to establish a committee of residents completely separate from local leadership
who are solely dedicated to the implementation, management and maintenance of the
market. This committee could be comprised of representatives from the Women’s Associa-
tion, the Youth Group and the ADESCO, as well as from the school, the clinic, small busi-
ness owners and residents. The inclusive nature of the committee would engage stake-
holders at all levels and allow residents to feel greater control over their market ’s success,
thus further garnering community buy-in. Revenue obtained from charging a small rent for
puestos would be collected by the committee, whose members would be granted the dis-
cretion by the ADESCO’s monthly general assemblies of community members to decide
collectively how and where these funds should be allocated for the maintenance and secu-
rity of their market.
Chávez, Machado, Rosales & Mejía 33
Ciudad Romero: Advancing Empowerment Through Public Spaces
Women-Centered Focus
Our last for this group of recommendations is more of a general suggestion than a specific
potential initiative, as were the previous three. The importance of including women in any
and all initiatives cannot be sufficiently underscored. The ADESCO can take the lead by
continuing to ensure gender parity in every committee, group and program it operates.
Each one should be representative of the general population of the community it affects.
This entire demographic is a hugely untapped resource that could be utilized to a far
greater advantage for the general public good. It has been widely proven that when com-
munities invest in women, they invest in their health, families, economies and even the
sustainability of their physical environments.19 We would recommend that the ADESCO
come together with the specific objective of determining how to increase the inclusion not
only of women within its community activities, but its younger and older members alike.
Our observations and recommendations for best practices, however, are based on a brief
three weeks of fieldwork; only the residents of Ciudad Romero will know best what policies
and public services will truly serve the needs of their community. While deferring to the
ADESCO in these matters, we would like to suggest small measures that could go a long
way, such as specifically extending an invitation to women when making reminder an-
nouncements on the town speaker system for attendance at general assemblies. This sim-
ple effort would prove a sign of good faith towards constituents in an attempt to regain
lost trust. It would also support the Women’s Association’s potential efforts of becoming
more inclusive, while also meeting its attendance quotas. This kind of reinforcement from
the leadership is exactly what many residents agreed in our survey was lacking in Ciudad
Romero.
Achieving Success in COMPP Factors
Each of the proposed initiatives or general recommendations we offer in this section
should serve as specific projects for future TES delegations of research teams like ours, es-
pecially considering that further study will be needed in order to guarantee the success of
such endeavors. Each proposed initiative would require its own due diligence by re-
searchers to find the very best possible solution(s). The following set of recommendations
addresses the way in which success can be achieved through the implementation of
19 Chernoff, A. (2012). Huffington Post: Impact, What’s Working. Six Reasons to Invest in Women. [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/anya-cherneff/invest-in-women_b_1612911.html]
Chávez, Machado, Rosales & Mejía 34
Ciudad Romero: Advancing Empowerment Through Public Spaces
COMPP factors, that is, through communication, organization, maintenance, planning and
promotion.
Community Tax
When our team learned through our first semi-structured interview with the local ADE-
SCO’s current President that community members did not pay any taxes, we sought to un-
derstand why. He explained that neither he nor his colleagues in the ADESCO believe
Ciudad Romero’s residents are in any kind of financial condition to be able to afford a tax.
Although it was a valid and even compassionate response from an esteemed community
leader, it became obvious this would be a question better left to his constituents to an-
swer. As previously indicated, the sample population we surveyed led us to the statistics
cited in the preceding Results section. Almost unanimously the community seemed to
agree to a $1.00 USD community tax per family/household per month. With a total of 80 to
90 total households, that’s roughly a $75 monthly safety net and financial asset the com-
munity can create for itself. Residents explained, however, that a potential community tax
would only be accomplished successfully if every family contributed, even if that meant
decreasing the amount due for their less fortunate neighbors - so long as they all contrib-
ute something. Furthermore, the person(s) who manage(s) these funds must be trusted
completely and held accountable for audits through a system of checks-and-balances. The
budget must also be shared with residents at every town hall meeting, as is done in
Amando López for example, in order to regain the community’s trust through trans-
parency.
Chávez, Machado, Rosales & Mejía 35
Ciudad Romero: Advancing Empowerment Through Public Spaces
The funds from a monthly community tax should go directly to finance public services.
Considering that over 80% of the population is worried about the influence of gangs on
their children, along with the accompanying violence and crime, community leaders need
to recognize that this situation must be a priority in their political agenda and platforms.
Since almost one-third, or 31%, of residents don’t believe there is any source of income
generation or sustainable livelihood in Ciudad Romero, its ADESCO would do well to make
job creation and microeconomic sustainability serious priorities. Tax revenues could be
used to address concerns over safety and strengthen efforts to keep public spaces well
maintained on a bimonthly basis, rather than only a couple of times a year. Maintenance
of the physical structures that serve as public spaces is also essential. Public latrines
should be clean and functioning, and non-functioning light posts should be fixed in order
to help residents feel safer at night. Taxes could also be allocated to the establishment
and maintenance of educational or vocational programs for the general public, with a spe-
cific target recruitments of young people, women and the elderly. Such programs could in-
clude classes on finance and marketing or support for the expansion/extension of Mangle ’s
Diversified Agriculture Program.20
Waste Management System
An effective community waste
management system would
make the daily street burnings
of often toxic refuse unneces-
sary. As a matter of public
health, preventing the inhala-
tion of dangerous fumes from
burning plastics and other inor-
ganic material should be a
community priority. The poten-
tial for house fires would also
be diminished. When asked
why a system of public garbage
disposal had not been imple-
20 See our explanation of this program in the subsequent Increasing General Support of Initiatives section.
Chávez, Machado, Rosales & Mejía 36
The local primary school burning all of their trash in the playground before school starts up again after winter break.
Ciudad Romero: Advancing Empowerment Through Public Spaces
mented, most community members admitted to never having given it much thought. It
was “the way it’s always been done” and no one seemed to know how to secure regular
pick-up by a municipal garbage truck. However, after interviewing the community leaders
of Amando López, our research team discovered that the process was actually quite sim-
ple. All that was required was a phone call to the municipal government and the filling out
of some paperwork. It must be noted, however, that stipulations also exist requiring the
agreement of municipal authorities for the establishment of a trash collection service. First
of all, the community would need to build a one-stop collection site for municipal garbage
trucks to pick up all refuse. Unlike the practice in the US, trash collectors in El Salvador will
not drive door-to-door to pick up garbage; they only have the resources to make one stop
per community. Thus, it would be the community’s responsibility to incentivize residents to
bring the trash from their homes to the trash collection pick-up site. A portion of the above
proposed tax could perhaps be used to pay a community member with a truck to go door-
to-door picking up household garbage on a regular, maybe weekly, basis. The responsibil-
ity for managing this initiative could perhaps be entrusted by the ADESCO to the Youth
Group.
Public Pool Restoration
One of the most significant priorities for Ciudad Romero is tackling the dire lack of employ-
ment options for its residents. Therefore, we suggest that a portion of the collected taxes
be used to repair the large pool, situated near the daycare center and the church. In view
of the high heat and humidity year-round in the Bajo Lempa, residents and visitors alike
would no doubt be willing
to pay a small entrance fee
to enjoy the refreshing
pool that was once open to
the public before falling
into disrepair. According to
one of our guide’s during
our tour of Ciudad Romero,
the pool was built by a pri-
vate resident who had to
shut it down because it
Chávez, Machado, Rosales & Mejía 37
Ciudad Romero: Advancing Empowerment Through Public Spaces
wasn’t built properly and cracked. We think the ADESCO could convince the private citizen
to pay an agreed upon “business tax” per entrance ticket in perpetuity in exchange for the
community’s financial support to help fix the pool. This business tax could further supple-
ment the community tax for even more public service initiatives. The remainder of the
profits from entrance fees could be allocated to the pool ’s continued maintenance and
cleanliness, as well as its security. Precautions should also be taken to properly secure the
pool when not in use, so as to avoid accidents and to deter the spread of mosquito-borne
diseases such as the 2014 outbreak of Chikungunya. In addition to the financial benefits
for the community and its pool owner, this initiative would provide a public recreational
space and a venue for numerous activities: life-saving classes in CPR and first-aid as well
as swimming classes to prevent further drowning accidents in nearby rivers. The income
generated could be used to hire more lifeguards, an additional source of employment for
community residents.
Increasing General Support of Initiatives
These recommended initiatives would not succeed without community support. As land-
scape architect Max Rohm has suggested, before giving their support, people will first
need to understood what a public space is and how its development can benefit them.
Max suggested a brochure but after considering literacy rates, we are now unsure whether
a traditional brochure would prove successful. We instead recommend an effective visual
learning pamphlet with little to no words as a tool to describe public spaces to everyone
regardless of degree of literacy. In addition, we think a multi-viral marketing approach
through various channels like radio, social media, SMS and word-of-mouth, where thoughts
and opinions can spread organically through multiple networks simultaneously to promote
an open dialogue among community members and leaders.
Extend Mangle’s Diversified Agriculture School
Mangle’s Diversified Agriculture School is an innovative educational program that trains
subsistence farmers in techniques like Japanese composting, diversification of crop yields
and the transition to organic farming. The program has also convinced the federal govern-
ment to drop their contract with the agrochemical giant Monsanto in favor of distributing
local compost and seeds that have not been genetically modified and awarding hybrid
Chávez, Machado, Rosales & Mejía 38
Ciudad Romero: Advancing Empowerment Through Public Spaces
corn seed production to local producers. This is exactly the type of training and advocacy
work that residents of Ciudad Romero are seeking. Classes that are open to the general
public at low tuition or subsidized by taxes can also aid in fostering community empower-
ment. The local school principle and vice-principle could be consulted as to the school ’s
potential role in supporting programs of adult education and/or vocational trainings. The
abandoned Youth Center and the infrequently used Red Cross shelter at the parque, or
even the facilities at La Coordinadora, could be made available or refurbished to hold such
classes. Visiting instructors could be hosted at La Coordinadora like other delegations, and
public announcements could be made to inform all residents about course schedules. If
this revitalized training program were to be successful in Ciudad Romero, similar efforts
could be extended to other communities in need, like those being developed in Puerto
Parada. This would be ideal considering that representatives of their fishing cooperatives
affirmed that such programs would be greatly beneficial, both as a source of increased job
opportunities and as a model to replicate in their communities
Support of Public Spaces Initiatives
Lastly, we recommend that synergies be sought and strengthened wherever possible, so
as to bring together existing and new initiatives in an integrated system for success. Com-
munity leaders should strongly encourage initiatives aimed at public space development
and engage community members in ongoing dialogue about public space needs or sug-
gestions. Formal groups like the Women’s Association and the Youth Group can collaborate
with one another on existing projects or proposed initiatives that could also serve, for ex-
ample, to abate the human security threats that affect both demographics. Subsistence
farmers can organize to collectively bargain their ADESCO for public vocational trainings to
increase profits and overall benefits. Relationships can be further fostered and strength-
ened with the local police department, municipal authorities, other ADESCOs, as well as
development organizations like the in-country Peace Corps, to benefit community mem-
bers through more far-reaching collaborations
CONCLUSION
Chávez, Machado, Rosales & Mejía 39
Ciudad Romero: Advancing Empowerment Through Public Spaces
Public space design and utilization are crucial means by which both economic develop-
ment and social empowerment of rural communities in the Bajo Lempa can be achieved.
Revitalizing communal spaces can afford community residents essential wherewithal and
capacity to accomplish many of the objectives discussed throughout this study. The re-
search conducted by our team reveals in significant ways how the residents and local
leaders of Ciudad Romero view the current state of their community and what their vision
is for its future. It is hoped that examples of viable public spaces initiatives offered in this
report can spark the imaginations of community members and leaders alike towards inno-
vative as well as practical ways of (re)designing and (re)utilizing space to address the
community’s specific COMPP weaknesses. Each of the potential initiatives or recommenda-
tions we outline could also become the focus of specific projects for future research teams.
Further detailed investigation on their part would help to support sustainable resolutions
of COMPP challenges and ensure that these endeavors achieve success.
We would encourage TES 10 and our specific project’s next group of researchers to con-
tinue working in Ciudad Romero as an exemplar community. We believe it important to ex-
pand the public space research carried out by Teams 8 and 9 and to deepen the engage-
ment with the community that has served as the host for Team El Salvador for each of the
past ten years this coming January of 2016. Future teams would do best to focus on ad-
dressing the needs of Ciudad Romero through capacity building of community assets like
the Women’s Association and the Youth Group. As the community ’s passion for and experi-
ence in advocating for social and economic empowerment at local and regional govern-
mental levels grow, the under-represented populations of women, youth and the elderly
will increasingly assert their voices in key arenas. By recognizing COMPP challenges and
spurring their resolution through improved communication, organization, maintenance,
planning and promotion, Mangle would play an essential role in fostering greater economic
opportunity and social integration for the community.
Chávez, Machado, Rosales & Mejía 40
Ciudad Romero: Advancing Empowerment Through Public Spaces
We cannot overstate the importance of ensuring that the concept of public space design
and revitalization as an integral part of sustainable development be promoted among all
the community leaders and as many members of Ciudad Romero as possible. If their un-
derstanding and involvement are engaged in this regard, the interests, wishes and per-
spectives of their constituents, particularly the under-represented segments, can be more
fully incorporated into their decision-making process(es). This would then better enable
community leaders to encourage the use of existing and/or new public spaces in Ciudad
Romero in order to address
the community’s chal-
lenges, and, at the same
time, foster its strengths.
Furthermore, if this devel-
opment concept of public
space revitalization is to
take root and be successful
as a tool of community em-
powerment, we recom-
mend that this report and
its findings reach beyond
the community of Ciudad
Romero to the larger can-
tonal, municipal, departmental and even national government administrations, such as
those of Jiquilisco and San Salvador. Securing the support of public officials, who have the
authority and resources to provide effective assistance, would further enable Ciudad
Romero’s leaders to guide their community toward economic/financial independence and
sociopolitical standing.
In addition, and equally important in the endeavor to support the realization of a commu-
nity vision, this study is intended to serve as a platform for the projected collaborative ef -
fort between Team El Salvador and a inaugural team of graduate students in landscape ar-
chitecture who, it is hoped, will start visiting the Bajo Lempa in 2016 to carry out a Design
Studio. The aim of the Studio team in a first phase would be to complement the research
carried out thus far by TES 8 and 9, particularly in Ciudad Romero and likely in Puerto
Parada, so as to generate viable projects that could eventually be physically built with the
Chávez, Machado, Rosales & Mejía 41
Our research team (right to left: Edgar, Freddie, Ashley & Adele) in the middle of a focus group (far left: focus group participant)
with some of Puerto Parada’s representatives.
Ciudad Romero: Advancing Empowerment Through Public Spaces
support of governmental and institutional funding. The studio will explore how design al-
ternatives can tackle the infrastructure, architecture, landscape and mapping related is-
sues in such areas
as ecological
tourism, environ-
mental steward-
ship, waste man-
agement and sus-
tainable food pro-
duction. It will aim
to determine how
existing community
infrastructure, both
physical and social, might be adapted so as to better function spatially, ecologically, so -
cially and economically. An in-depth analysis of the sites would be performed and will draw
upon the data produced by the MIIS teams, thus allowing for appropriate landscape re-
sponses informed by a more comprehensive understanding of survival community strate-
gies. If this pilot initiative is found successful, Mangle and the Municipality of Jiquilisco
could help to facilitate its replication and implementation in other communities within the
Bajo Lempa. Mangle’s sister organization, Asociación Cincahuite, its communities and fish-
ing cooperatives, would particularly benefit from public space initiatives, as evidenced in
their eloquent articulation of economic needs and development aspirations during their
discussions with our research team.
There are several components involved in measuring the success of public spaces initia-
tives in order to understand whether or not they are fulfilling community needs. They
should at the very least include a needs assessment. Special interest should be taken to
be as inclusive as possible of marginalized demographics, especially ones with leadership
potential. With this baseline, the team(s) can then create a set of useful meta-questions
that can be utilized to establish an effective mixed-methods evaluation methodology. This
would afford the team(s) the opportunity to report relevant findings and suggest the high-
est quality recommendations to our clients, Mangle and possibly Cincahuite, once they re-
turn from their fieldwork in El Salvador. Of course, this model can be tweaked to suit the
needs of the client(s) as well as those of the research team(s) involved. Once the client
Chávez, Machado, Rosales & Mejía 42
Ciudad Romero: Advancing Empowerment Through Public Spaces
has an opportunity to share the report with the relevant stakeholders, they can begin dis-
cussing how best to implement such initiatives and then actually do so with the support of
subsequent teams. Subsequent teams should only have to work as facilitators, supple-
menting the work of local communities to take the lead in affecting change for them-
selves, instilling a sense of community empowerment and fostering civic engagement for
their own development and that of their families and communities.
It may even be beneficial to establish a research team to continue our work in Ciudad
Romero and a separate team to begin working in Puerto Parada, as both communities re-
quire dedicated individualized research. With the development of a new wharf and the
presence of existing restaurants, shops and other local businesses, Public Spaces initia-
tives in Puerto Parada can work to complement local efforts in order to achieve the safest
and most productive communal areas as possible. A Puerto Parada-focused team could be-
gin this process by replicating our own team’s research as well as that of our predeces-
sors. By doing so, future teams can glean invaluable knowledge from local residents who
offer the best understandings of their visions for their own futures. Only through such
understanding can subsequent teams begin to create not only successful, but sustainable
programs and public spaces in Ciudad Romero, Puerto Parada or any other Salvadoran
community.
Chávez, Machado, Rosales & Mejía 43
Ciudad Romero: Advancing Empowerment Through Public Spaces
Appendix A
Partnership OrganizationsAs the program director of what has become known as Team El Salvador (TES), the first
immersive and experiential learning program of its kind at MIIS that worked with real-
world clients, she leads its collaboration with EcoViva, the Mangrove Association and the
Coordinating Network of the Bajo Lempa and Jiquilisco Bay on environmental conservation
and sustainable development projects.
La Coordinadora del Bajo Lempa y la Bahía de Jiquilisco
The Coordinating Network of the Bajo Lempa and Bay of Jiquilisco is TES ’ primary on-the-
ground partner organization and has functioned as their host in El Salvador for the past
nine years and counting. La Coordinadora, as its more commonly known, provides a door-
Chávez, Machado, Rosales & Mejía 44
All three research teams comprising TES 9 along with a few of our Mangle liaisons, Mangle’s Junta Directive and community representatives from Puerto Parada.
Ciudad Romero: Advancing Empowerment Through Public Spaces
way for MIIS students to engage directly with local communities. It works hard to raise
awareness of climate change, promote sustainable agricultural and fishing practices as
well as implement basic infrastructure improvements and develop community leadership.
It provides the Bajo Lempa’s population of fishermen and subsistence farmers with the
means to support themselves, while guaranteeing the viability of their local ecosystems.
La Coordinadora is governed by a Board of Directors (la Junta Directiva) whose members
were democratically elected from among the greater General Assembly (la Asamblea Gen-
eral) of La Coordinadora. La Asamblea is comprised of elected representatives from
among the Local Groups (Grupos Locales) of the Bajo Lempa and Jiquilisco Bay regions.
Grupos Locales are groups of elected representatives from among anywhere between
three and five individual Community Development Associations (ADESCOs). An ADESCO is
a group created by neighbors within a community who has been permitted by the Salvado-
ran government to ensure the welfare of its community. La Coordinadora is officially com-
prised of la Asamblea and its Junta Directiva, whereas the more local Grupos Locales and
ADESCOs are autonomous. Their relationship with each other is illustrated in the graphic
to the right.
In order to better understand the context in which these ADESCOs and Grupos Locales as
well as la Asamblea and its Junta Directiva function, it is important to explain the geo-
graphic breakdown of the relevant Salvadoran governmental structure. Each individual
Salvadoran resident is a part of a small community. A community, like that of Ciudad
Romero, can be defined as a social group of any size whose members reside in a specific
locality, share a local government and often have a common cultural and/or historical her-
itage. Several of these small communities will make up a canton. A canton, like that of
Zamorano, is a small territorial district. Several of these cantons then make up a munici-
pality. A municipality, like that of Jiquilisco, is a city, town or other district possessing cor -
porate existence and usually its own regional government. Sev-
eral of these municipalities will then make up a department. A
department, like that of Usulután, is a large district into which
countries, like El Salvador, are divided for administrative pur-
poses. Their relationships with one other is illustrated to the
left.
Asociación Mangle
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Ciudad Romero: Advancing Empowerment Through Public Spaces
The Mangrove Association is TES’s secondary Salvadoran
partner who provides support and direction for the project
work that TES students design, evaluate and/or research. It ’s
governed by a democratically elected Board of Directors (la
Junta Directiva), which closely collaborates with La Coordi-
nadora’s Board of Directors. Their roles are different in that La
Coordinadora is a representative board of all neighboring
communities within the Bajo Lempa region in the state of
Usulután, which founded Mangle and acts as its governing body.
Mangle, as it’s more commonly known, serves as the body responsible for the actual im-
plementation of development projects guided by La Coordinadora. To do this, they collabo-
rate closely with a U.S.-based organization (EcoViva) to bring delegations of both univer-
sity students and professional consultants down to La Coordinadora to offer their expertise
and labor in the collection of data crucial to the progression of Mangle’s development
work.
EcoViva
Based in Oakland, EcoViva supports environmental sustainability, social justice and peace
for communities in Central America. They do so by supporting community-based organiza-
tions (CBOs) like Mangle through ongoing technical assistance in program planning and
policy advocacy, as well as by connecting its partners with national policy initiatives and
major international funding streams from which they would otherwise be typically ex-
cluded. For TES specifically, they are not only responsible for trip logistics, transportation,
room and board for participants, but they also provide policy support as consultants to
Mangle, collaborating closely with TES in the process. In fact, EcoViva currently employs
two MIIS graduates who have both worked in a past iteration of TES.
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Ciudad Romero: Advancing Empowerment Through Public Spaces
Appendix B
Semi-Structured & Focus Group Inter-
viewees
Marcos Alberto Bonilla President of the ADESCO in Ciudad Romero
Jesús “Don Chungo” Fuentes Co-Founder of Ciudad Romero
María Francisca Rodriguez Principal of El Centro Escolar
Santiago Flores Vice Principal of local School
Ronaldo Portillo Director of Community Clinic
Christina Reyes President of Women’s Association andformer-President of the ADESCO
Noe Argueta Mangle’s Youth Group Liaison
Roberto Member of the Youth Group
Marvin Member of the Youth Group
Osvaldo Ortíz President of the ADESCO in Armando López
Douglas Marroquín Secretary of the ADESCO in Armando López
Isabel “Chavela” Fuentes Homestay Mother
Gloria Rosibel “Maribel” Perez Homestay Mother
Candida Reyes Granados Member of the Women’s Association
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Ciudad Romero: Advancing Empowerment Through Public Spaces
Jasinto Reyes Owner of Rosita’s Tienda
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Ciudad Romero: Advancing Empowerment Through Public Spaces
Appendix C
Semi-Structured & Focus Group Ques-
tionnaire
Cuestionario para entrevistas semiestructuras y grupos focales
COMPP: Comunicación, Organización, Mantenimiento, Planificación y
Promoción
General
1. ¿Qué lugares en Ciudad Romero considera usted espacios “públicos” o
“comunitarios”?
2. En su opinión, ¿cuáles son los usos que tienen esos espacios? ¿Qué otros usos
podrían tener?
3. ¿Qué tipo de espacio(s) le gustaría ver en Ciudad Romero? Con qué propósito?
4. ¿De qué manera le gustaría que se mantuvieran esos espacios? [limpieza]
5. Según usted, ¿quién debería encargarse de mantener esos espacios?
6. Como residente de la comunidad ¿estaría dispuesta a hacer una pequeña contribu-
ción monetaria periódicamente para el mantenimiento de los espacios?
7. En su opinión, ¿cuál es el valor del centro de La Coordinadora para C. Romero
A. Qué otros usos podría tener? [same question for Parque]
Jóvenes
1. ¿Qué hace la organización de jóvenes?
2. Según ustedes, ¿cómo vean el papel/el rol de esa organización en la comunidad?
3. ¿Cómo es un día típico en la vida de un joven?
4. ¿Qué hacen los jóvenes de Ciudad Romero para divertirse?
5. ¿Qué espacios que ya existen en la comunidad le gustaría se mejoren para los
jóvenes?
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Ciudad Romero: Advancing Empowerment Through Public Spaces
6. Se nos ha expresado el deseo de retener a los jóvenes en la comunidad. ¿Por qué
se van los jóvenes de la comunidad?
7. ¿Qué tipo de programas para jóvenes quisiera que se implementen en la
comunidad?
8. Según usted, ¿quién debería administrar, asegurar el funcionamiento y la gestión
de recursos para esos programas?
El papel de la mujer y su influencia en la comunidad
1. ¿Qué papeles desempeñan las mujeres en la comunidad?
2. ¿Cuál cree usted que es la función de la Asociación de Mujeres en la comunidad?
3. ¿De qué otra forma podría contribuir la Asociación a la comunidad?
4. ¿Qué espacios que ya existen en la comunidad le gustaría se mejoren para las
mujeres?
Desarrollo económico
1. ¿Qué espacios contribuyen a la vida económica de la comunidad?
2. ¿Qué opina usted de la posibilidad de tener un mercado local, tal vez
seminalmente o cada quince días, en Ciudad Romero?
3. ¿Quién podría organizarlo y asegurar su funcionamiento?
4. Si existiera un mercado local, ¿asistiría? ¿Vendería algo? [Si yes: ¿Qué?]
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Ciudad Romero: Advancing Empowerment Through Public Spaces
Appendix D
Random Sample Survey w/ Results
Cuestionario para Residentes de Ciudad Romero: Resultas
COMPP: Comunicación, Organización, Mantenimiento, Planificación,
Promoción
General
1. Qué lugares en Ciudad Romero considera usted como espacios “públicos” o
“comunitarios”?
69% El albergue
54% Las canchas
49% El parque
29% La Coordinadora
>1% La clínica
>1% La escuela
>1% Asoc. de Mujeres
>1% Casa de jóvenes
0% La Pupuseria/El restaurante
0% El comedor
2. En su opinión, ¿Que tanto usa la comunidad esos espacios?
37% Mucho
26% Siempre
26% A veces
14% Raramente
0% Nunca
3. En orden de importancia, ¿en cuál de las siguientes actividades participa en su
comunidad?
63% Asambleas
60% Misa
29% Festejos entre vecinos
17% Escuela
17% El ADESCO
17% Juegos/torneo de futbol
14% Asoc. de Mujeres
4. ¿Qué tipo de espacio(s) le gustaría ver en la comunidad? Con qué propósito?
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Ciudad Romero: Advancing Empowerment Through Public Spaces
74% De recreación
31% De educación
>1% De desarrollo económico
>1% No sé
5. Según usted, ¿quién debería encargarse de mantener esos espacios?
60% El ADESCO/Junta directiva
37% Toda la comunidad junta
17% El grupo de jóvenes
>1% La Asoc. Mujeres
>1% La Alcaldía
>1% La iglesia
>1% La policía
>1% PMA
0% El centro escolar
0% Mangle/Coordinadora
6. Como residente de la comunidad ¿estaría dispuesta/o a hacer una pequeña contribu-
ción monetaria periódicamente, para la seguridad de la comunidad y para el
mantenimiento de los espacios?
77% Sí
11% No
>1% Tal vez
>1% No respuesta
7. Si hubiera un impuesto en Ciudad Romero (para el mantenimiento y seguridad de
estos lugares) cada cuánto se debería recolectar?
46% Mensualmente
29% No respuesta
11% Cuando necesario
>1% Cada 2 meses
>1% 2 veces al año
>1% Anualmente
0% Semanalmente
0% Cada 15 días
8. Si hubiera un impuesto en Ciudad Romero, cuanto sería justo recolectar?
34% $1.00
23% No respuesta
14% $5.00
>1% $2.00
>1% $3.00
>1% $10
>1% $0.50
>1% No sé
0% $4.00
Jóvenes
1. Se nos ha expresado el deseo de retener a los jóvenes en la comunidad. ¿Por qué se
van los jóvenes de la comunidad?
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Ciudad Romero: Advancing Empowerment Through Public Spaces
80% Por la violencia 54% Para trabajar en la ciudad/otro
país
2. ¿Qué tipo de programas para jóvenes quisiera que se implementen en la comunidad?
83% De desarrollo vocacional
20% De deportes
20% De prevención de pandillas
>1% De becas
>1% De música/ teatro/danza
3. Según usted, ¿quién debería administrar, asegurar el funcionamiento y la gestión de
recursos para esos programas?
51% El ADESCO/Junta directiva
20% Toda la comunidad
11% Mangle/Coordinadora
>1% El centro escolar
>1% La Alcaldía
>1% La iglesia
>1% Otra organización
>1% No hay capacidad acá
0% La Asoc. Mujeres
0% El grupo de jóvenes
0% La policía
El papel de la mujer y su Influencia en la comunidad
1. ¿Qué aspiraciones profesionales le gustaría para las hijas/niñas de su comunidad?
69% Estudiar para ser profesionales
29% Entrenamiento vocacional
>1% No sé
2. ¿Cree usted que la Asociación de las Mujeres tiene la capacidad de asumir más
responsabilidad y un papel de liderazgo en la comunidad
86% Sí 11% No sé
>1% No
3. ¿Piensa usted que la comunidad debería organizar programas para las niñas
específicamente?
97% Sí >1 % No
>1% Igual
¿Qué tipos?
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Ciudad Romero: Advancing Empowerment Through Public Spaces
100% Desarrollo vocacional
31% Educacional
11% Empoderamiento de mujeres
11% Enprendedurismo
Desarrollo Económico
1. ¿Cómo se gana usted la vida en Ciudad Romero?
40% Agricultura
31% No hay trabajo en Cuidad Romero
17% Pequeños Negocios
>1% Ganadería
>1% Ama de casa
>1% Remesas
2. ¿Qué espacios contribuyen a la vida económica de la comunidad?
34% No sé
26% La coordinadora
20% No hay
11% La clínica
>1% El parque
>1% El mercado
>1% Las calles
>1% La Papusaría
>1% Las Canchas
3. ¿Apoyaría el esfuerzo de crear un mercado local en Ciudad Romero, tal vez
semanalmente o cada quince días?
94% Si
>1% NS/NR
0% No
4. ¿Quién podría organizarlo y asegurar su funcionamiento?
60% El ADESCO/Junta directiva
23% Toda la comunidad
14% Mangle/Coordinadora
>1% La Asoc. Mujeres
>1% El grupo de jóvenes
>1% Alcaldia
>1% Un comité
0% El centro escolar
0% La policía
5. Si existiera un mercado local, ¿asistiría?
97% Si 1% No
6. ¿Vendería algo?
71% Si 17% No
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Ciudad Romero: Advancing Empowerment Through Public Spaces
¿Qué?
49% Productos de agricultura
17% Comida preparada
>1% Productos de animales
>1% Artesianas
>1% Ropa
>1% No sé
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Ciudad Romero: Advancing Empowerment Through Public Spaces
Appendix E
Questions from Our Site Visit Interview in Amando
López
1. Según usted, ¿Cuáles son los espacios comunitarios o de uso público en la
comunidad?
2. ¿Cómo se usan estos espacios?
3. ¿Quién(es) se encarga(n) de mantener estos espacios?
4. ¿Qué retos enfrentaron en la formación de estos lugares/espacios?
5. ¿Qué retos enfrentan en el mantenimiento de estos espacios?
6. ¿Cómo los superaron?
7. ¿Qué actividades para jóvenes hay en la comunidad?
8. ¿Qué recomendaciones les darían a otras comunidades rurales que quieren
mejorar sus espacios públicos?
9. ¿Cómo se incorporan las mujeres y los jóvenes en las actividades que se llevan a
cabo en estos espacios?
10. ¿Pagan impuestos en la comunidad?
11. ¿Qué tan realista es la posibilidad de recolectar contribuciones para el
mantenimiento de espacios comunitarios?
12. ¿Cómo contrarrestan/lidian con la presencia/el problema de las maras?
13. ¿De qué manera contribuyen los espacios comunitarios/de uso público a la
actividad económica en la comunidad?
Chávez, Machado, Rosales & Mejía 56