Guiding principles for rural and urban development activities emerging from work under the Constantine Plan

f rC|| Distr.

1 ' l " RESTRICTED

) SHyt/URB/AP/29

8 May 1962 ENGLISH

ORIGINAL: FRENCH

WORKSHOP ON URBANIZATION IN AFRICA

Organized "by the Economic Commission for Africa

in co-operation with the United Nations Department

of Economic and Social Affairs, the International Labour Organization, the United Nations Educational,

Scientific and Cultural Organization, and the

World Health Organization

Addis Abafca, 25 April - 5 May 1962

GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR RURAL AND URBAN DEVELOMEPTT ACTIVITIES EMERGING FROM WORK UNDiiR THE

CONSTANTINE PLAN

(Document submitted by the French Govornnont)

62-1129

TA3L3 OF CONTENTS

Page

INTRODUCTION

FIRST PART: RURAL DEVELOPMENT

I. Rural revival plans 1-11

A. Dimensions of regional development zones , 2

B. Conventional approach (spearheads) „ 3

C. Rational approach (works and measures) 4-5

D. Choice of rural revival zones 6-7

E. Changing nature of the experimental zone 7-8

F. Rural revival zones in practice . 8-11

II. Rural building 11-15

Use of the "Castor" method with help in kind for the erection of makeshift dwellings

A. Provision of land free of charge by the commune 12 B. Provision of planning services by the Administration

(progressive development plan, model building plans) 12-13 C. Provision of material facilities (building materials,

site and transport equipment) ♦ 13-14

D. Supply of technical assistance personnel at sites 14-15 S3COND PARTs URBANIZATION

I. Industrial installations ;.-.■; ..•••• • 16-19

Co-ordinated development zones (to relieve congestions

in the main centres)

Public land reservation board

II* Reception centres for migrants arriving in town 20-29

A. Principles 21-26

B. Practical procedures 27-29

CONCLUSION 30-31

SEM/OEB/AF/29

INTRODUCTION

Guiding Principles for Rural and Urban Development Activities

emerging from Work under the Constantine Plan

In countries which, like Algeria, have a few developed zones alongside of vast under-developed areas there is a concurrent need to develop the latter on the easiest lines and to ensure the former's ability to receive whatever surplus population can find no decent living on arid land.

This need is rendered the more pressing by the steep increase in population which is such a common feature of backward regions. If living

conditions are to improve for the inhabitants of these regions, then

economic development must proceed fast enough finally to outpace, and perhaps discourage, natural population growth.

Such must be the basic aspect considered in any efforts to improve

either the "traditional" rural areas (Part i) or those areas already

progressing at a modern tempo (Part II),

SEM/URB/AF/29

' PART I.

RURAL DEVEL0B4MT

Rural "building- on lines adapted to users' needs and, above all,

resources (il) must be fitted into concerted and progressive rural revival

plans (l).

I.. Rural revival plans

A normal development scheme entails a national plan and regional plans. While the former must enable the broad lines of regional develop ment projects to be laid down, it will be substantially affected by the latter. All the plans will cover long-term prospects, medium-term projects and annual programmes. The long-terra prospects are especially necessary for determining the effects of concentrated localized development oh other regions. :bf'the country. They may be subject to more complex influences where the country concerned is associated with others, eig. in the case of such .statutory economic interdependence as is to be found in the

Common Market. :

The three criteria, physical, economic and social, governing the efficient-use of land are so many foousses for the development of the territoryf. though it is remarkable how political action predominates in the national-plan.while the regions' natural:primary aim is profit.

There may therefore be certain discrepancies, indeed inconsistencies, 'between national and/regional approaches. As under-developed countries

are more in need of a Aigh overall net product than of a substantial

individual profit, it must be suspected that in their case there will be more than one obstacle to overcome in reconciling national and certain

local demands.

Hence, if they 'are to be developed, a strong standing body must be

set up. x:,i ■ ■■-■■■

SBS0JEB/AP/29

Page 2 '■ ■

In regional development there are three key elements: definition and demarcation of the "region", integration of town-country-industry-

agriculture activities, and combination for joint action of publio and private agencies, local authorities and the people.

A. The first difficulty to "be overcome by a national development plan in an under-developed country is that of determining the dimensions of a regional development zone that it is hoped oan be described as; a "co ordinated development zone". The inhabitants of such a zone obviously

receive more material and ..financial assistance than those outside it.

So the question arises in how far the effects of action in a particular

..zone, are likely to appease inter-zonal. demands for or edit and assistance,

to,avoid manifestations of ostracism and intolerance. Again, the zone must be extensive and organized enough to obviate attempts at inter-zonal parasite activities, A zone must rather spread and "colonize", in the biological sense of /tite :term, because of the very nature and quality of its development, and at least be tolerated despite its development.

In a word, it must be big; otherwise it will remain an enclave - and the

fate of enclaves is to be resorbed.

. This dimension requirement is especially important in under-developed

f.countries where the rural- masses are a majority of the population,^ because

their- indispensable need is a real upsurge .of agriculture, whose enrichment and the proper exploitation of the land are essential elements in the plan.

Otherwise, there will be no purchasing power, no processing industries, and a heavy industry that is either unbalanced or directed only to external

trade. : ■

Starting, therefore, from, possible centres of industrial development,

agricultural development will be carried out on such a scale as to produce a balance between agriculture and nascent industry. .:

A zone of development and co-ordinated planning should, we think, cover 1-2 million hectares. Then a "zone" beoomes confused with a

"region".

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?B. ' Within a "region", as defined above, there is generally no question of completely rehabilitating the soil, but rather, and above all; of using the most classic methods to create one or more "spearheads", particularly

through irrigation. Surplus land will be used for conventional attempts to.improve crops, occasionally.soil conservation and rehabilitation efforts, -but generally for forestation and reforestation. So what will be-undertaken

is not exhaustive development but a series of more or less interdependent activities' lost in a very wide.sector that is subject to more.general,.e.g.

fiscal and social welfare, measures.

■>■<■■■ r A more thorough study of projects already prepared and their possible consequences gives the impression that those in charge of■them have :tne baffle attitude as'if they werfc (dealing with over-equipment or overdevelop ment in an already well-developed country- Is there, not therefore a ,

: :,tendency.to underestimate the seriousness of the lack of^intensive activities ..over the greatest possible area of an under-developed territory? Tjiis

rural .policy, w^ich might well bs called "conventional"., may. result .M .. luring men away -to more advanced centres,, whence there spreads, the attitude

of functional .jjarasitism towards surplus land. The danger is. that peasants will go off to town, leasing their property or pasturages. Thep,^e.nrts would,ris.e.simultaneously with herding charges justifying more olosely knit, and more concentra-tod pasturages. Any remaining trees would be,cut : down for sale as timber, which, in a dry olimate, would spell the creation

o£ erosion and de.sert. This is. the threat that has always hovered over :■,.-■ the perimeters-of irrigated land, since the beginning of time. The oasis,

as its natural function, "bedouinizes" the surrounding living space.. Then dams and canals silt up. It is the beginning of the resorption of the

enclave.

■ ■ If, in addition, industry is not highly developed .in.the region,.we

. find,that the aid that is spread more or less thinXy over vast areas, serves

. mainly as the basis of savings for emigration, , ■ . ...

Page 4

-C»- If it .cannot "be treated continuously in a short period ,of time, the active ,zone: must therefore not "be huge. To reconcile opposites and

approximate to a solution applicable at least to Algeria, a distinction

must be made between workg and measures*

The aim is to create productive capital in the form of workshops,

good land, fruit trees and timber. Such direct expansion demands investment works. Steps are taken to facilitate the latter, to encourage others

indirectly, to equalize standards of living, to obviate peculation/ to foster maintenance and improvements,

■■■"■■■■ Works and measures are of equal importance. It is. at onoe clear that tiie measures are the grid and code laid down under the national plan^designed 1 to regulate activities, check deviations and restore normal growth on the

basis Of and around the activities, which constitute the "spearhead".

In a country which is already developed there are of course possibilities of new works in rural areas. There will mainly take up points and lines - a. few favoured areas* but not much of the available space, as this is already a patrimony, and has often "bee'n so for centuries. Is it not in fact'the existing patrimony that has made economic development possible? And that patrimony as it stands - no doubt outdated and certainly ill-adapted to modern techniques and the achievement of better yields - cannot be destroyed at great expense overnight for re-adaptation to better purpose. Instead of sudden change, there should be staggered rehabilitation measures. Which makes it clear that in developed countries the "spearhead" and effeotive measures may suffice to give the plan a good start-off over a considerable

area,

The situation cannot be the same in under-developed countries. Rural patrimony is more or less non-existent, or else it consists only of relatively precarious enclaves- So there are no serious obstacles to fabricating it at one go. It is easier to ■burst the bonds of heritages, to reintegrate, to put

very powerful development machinery into operation, to control erosion and

divide off viable farming units. Trenching and replanting can be done.

Page 5

Almost everything can be brought to those who have almost nothing and, at the same time, it is possible to aim at net product rather than profit and. to distribute that by an adequate agrarian reform that narrows the .gap in living standards between the privileged and the disinherited. .

Such development - oqnquest or reconquest of the rural areas - must of course be achieved with no gaps, at one stroke, so as completely to remould approaches and attitudes, to establish markets, and to supply the processing industries. Although on a greater scale than the irrigation perimeter, which is but a very privileged special case, arid land subject to rural development is itself one of the necessary "spearheads11 supporting external development.

Intensive rural development is therefore no longer conceivable on the same scale as overall regional development. Thinking will be in terms, not of 1 or 2 million, but of 50 or 100,000 hectares. And, since regional

development must nevertheless cover a vast area, it will be said that in

the ^'regional" development zone (of 1-2 million hectares) there will be a

constellation of smaller zones or sub-zones to comprise all.the developnent

"spearheads". Lastly, that oonstellation will contain handicraft .centres, wooded areas for reforestation and the irrigation perimeters, as in the

classic case; but, as these active sectors do not fit with any completely sound rural patrimony, the other active sectors will be represented in them by already existing sound patrimonial enclaves and by rural development zones proper. These zones will, moreover, be evolutive and in the inter-zones there may, and even often should, be certain infrastructural works carried out for the purpose of keeping whatever proportion of the population is

necessary.

It should, however, be noted that this dispersed system of active zones will tend, from one planning period to another, to result in a progressively

extensive satisfactory occupation of the land. As time goes on, the zones will grow in number until they cover the entire useable surface of the country.

But that is a distant objective for integral attainment, only stages of which will be achieved by successive plans.

g>^-i^

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D. The question now arises: How to choose the rural revival zonea in praotice?

In'the first place, these zones will be part of the constellations to be created. They will not impinge en the validity constituted patrimony, even

where it is inadequate and anachronistic? because that patrimony is already

. itself a developed or semi—developed acne in which the heavy exploitability

Remands involved in total redevelopment cannot be immediately met. The

...: patrimony will be, not a ■ "rural revival" zone, but a "rural betterment" zone.

, As was said above, action there will be taken at certain points and along

..^oertain lines, in the form of classic, rural engineering works and. the

■..application of approriate measures., statutes and codes.

The second reason for this abstention is that ir. a liberal system the population, would not put up with the radical impairment a real revival undertaking would bring tc the patrimony ita-own hands had created. Even

if the purpose was 'uO produce p. patrimcr-y of higher quality, but one only

^promised for the-future, the people would i.ot accept it*

; The third reason is that it Tcould "bo a scandal - not economic, certainly

but social and ncral - tc enrich at St'ato expense people who are already well

: enough off when "bhere arc other very poor people near at hand. As things

are at present, :\n faot, the- State bears almost the whole burden.

The fourth reason is that tne first interest of thor.e who hold the

land concerned i; their personal advantage, not the sound distribution of the highest possible net product. There ia no meeting of traditional farmers, whether or not convened undar government auspices, that does not

more or less oifuse economy and profit or has difficulty in proving that,

given a certain Iev3l of equiprent, profit, already very low as compared with the capital invest®I, is tie only guarantee of their survival and of

the:wealth thsy indirectly disptnse. Joo ethers. The truth is that, in their system of 06-crdinates, for whixi they ars nob responsible, they are probably

right.

It may be added that such 1-Lad-owners can, with the passage of time,

but follow cevelopments; becoma :.* aintograted, naybe put up with agrarian

SM/URB/af/29

je 7

reform and lay the foundations for the new cultural units whose consistency will meet the economic needs of an under-developed country.

On all the above grounds, therefore, it is necessary to select rural revival zones in geographical sectors where the patrimony is as yet nameless.

The land concerned must perforce be either seriously eroded or well-sited in a difficult climate with only medium or slight rainfall. Such sectors are extensive, but nevertheless generally heterogeneous. And, since they lie outside the developed zones, it is needless to expect to find any sort of sound model anywhere. Rural revival is not something that has already existed; it cannot be taken for granted, otherwise it would not have had to be invented. Hence, the areas tackled first will be rather like

experimental zones.

That being so, it would be rather like cheating the public to choose, carefully the best of what has more or less not yet been put to use.

Average conditions must be the rule, nor must it be forgotten that the-.y, better the land selected is the more likely is friction with the local

population.

Accordingly, the criteria adopted, at least initially,- i.e, at the

first stage, should be;

adequate dispersion;

average soil and climatic conditions, i.e. semi-aridity and slight slopes*

adequate accessibility; :

probability of a modicum of tolerance on the part of farmers and herds;

and, perforce,

availability of certain quick-working administrative machinery.

1. The evolutive nature of the "take off" or "experimental" zone, whatever

one carea to call it, is an immediate result of the above criteria. These

zones will be "pilot zones" in a dual sense0

To begin with, the initial results of development will determine not

only a more adequate subsequent choice of new zones but also the background

to the prospective economic and social studies which will in this case decide

SEM/urb/aF/29

Page 8

how they will be delimited. For it should be pointed out here that the initial zones or, if that is preferred, their take-off impacts, will have been studied only in a preliminary, very elementary, way, since in such pioneer work no one can be sure of the reactions of man or the soil. It is, on the other hand, in the initial zones - and on their periphery, by' similar methods - that definitions will be found for the motivation and prospection "parameters to be used elsewhere.

The second meaning of the word "pilot" here derives from the fact : that the initial impact, in line with the first resources assembled and the tolerance encountered, will not be on a true "zonal" scale. Every year the initial zone will be expanded in a direction pointed out by the local people; or else, it will be rapidly abandoned, i.e. not expanded, and

reduced to the status of a small isolated perimeter for soil protection and restoration; or it will grow on lines impossible tc predict by propagation from the experiment made. It will take several years for sufficient

knowledge to be gleaned for the content of the "zone" in its widest sense - a zone of tens of thousands of hectares - to be determined.

Thus, the initial zone will be a "pilot" 2one for the final one, as

well as for new ones,

F. Here practice cones in to indicate the scale to be adopted at take off in a particular place. On this point experience has confirmed initial forecasts. During the first ysar, the initial zone - in arid country - can hardly be more than 5,000 hectares in area if it is to be given- full treatment, i.e. including almost complete re-landscapingD That operation will be just as difficult during oaoh of the following years, until co-operative and educational assistanca machinery3 which is slower to move than tractors, has been adequately introduced. Later, it will be possible,to go faster, foresee limits and bring all development facilities into play at one go.

By the end of five years the initial zone will no doubt be snowballing.

-The land is nonetheless not a factory and, especially where the ground

is rough and the soil heterogeneous, there is no possibility of regimenting

Page 9

a, population whose activities and output will always, whatever hopes may be harboured,,, immediately depend on understanding and goodwill. Neither of these sentiments can emerge within the time required for necessary

alterations without coming up against the feeling of human dignity, which, in those concerned, generally predominates over the desire for better living standards.

It should also be remembered that, while results oan be obtained pretty quickly on cultivated land, the same rate cannot be attained when dealing with stock-breedingo Provision must be made, for annual feed* the composition and type of flock or herd have usually to be radically modified, except on the high plateaux,, Which takes time. So free grazing can never be forth with transformed into efficient stock-breeding; the conversion of ooramonage into pasturage will lag somewhat behind the restoration of fields, and the mass forestatiori scheme itself cannot be fully implemented until the last

stage because it depends on the disappearance of pastoral customs-

As a lural revival zone is perforce the background to a very closely concerted and co-ordinated undertaking, it must inevitably be subject to the control

6f on© person-in-charge. As a management unit, on average land, it should not,'according to estimates made, exceed 30,000 hectares in area. Oh such

a unit area, it may be finally assumed that it will take about ten years

for operations and the spread of useful structurations.

Hence we come round to splitting up the "revival zone", sensu lato — of 50,000 or 100,000 hectares or more ~ into several management or oomraand zones, according to the view taken* . So the rural "revival zone" proper would consist of 2 - 5 management zones, for example.: These management zones °,r. PF.^ary rural revival zones would be contiguous, either grouped

together or merely separated by mountain forests destined for complete

exploitation. The establishment of zones to follow the first, probably in

accordance with an entirely pre-arranged plan, may be tackled in one or

more stages, starting in the third or fourth year after the launching of

the scheme, But thare is as yet no certainty that in each the propagation

of developments will not still follow an evolutive pattern.

sem/uebXaf/29

Page 10:

In summary, in a coherent national development pattern regional development should cover an area of some 1-2 million hectares.

From.that area, in the shortest possible time, should "be derived the maximum attainable agricultural production. An area of 1 million hectares that is entirely restored should, ideally, yield a gross:

product of up to 1,000 million Hew Francs, provided all natural resources

"have been fully exploited, if a flourishing balanoed industry is to be created and the foundation laid for a vast economic complex, that aim must serve as background to the co-ordinated development of the territory. The possible extent of the economic region can be deduced

from it. . .

The areas that are sooner or later to be dealt with at one go will obviously only be treated in stages, i.e. as successive plans prooeed.

The "rural revival zone'* idea is the answer to the need for development staggered in space.

In a given region, ©specially when the plan is launched, the sectors of activity concentrated at certain points or spread over certain areas will therefore be, outside the industrial centres, the following! .

■ irrigation perimoters;

vast woodland areas to be reforested;

enclaves of good farming property (other than irrigated land)

forming betterment zones;

rural revival zones where such farmland is still to be created-.

The rural revival zone will accordingly be the toy-farming zone

restored, with or without the help of minor hydraulic works, to its optimum limits. It will cover an area of 50,000 - 100,000 hectares and will comprise 2-4 primary zones.

SEM/teB/AF/29

Page 11

A primary zone will be of such dimensions as to enable a single . person in charge, a "zone commissioner11, to control the machinery. It is estimated that it might cover 30,000 hectares.

The first primary zones, whose value will be mainly experimental, must be' selected to suit both average conditions and expediency. They will also have a variety of soils and climates. Their geographical spread and the decision as to their final limits, and later those of the other primary zones that together with the first will constitute the rural revival zone, will be determined by the economic and social lessons drawn from the initial project.

Other zones will be created progressively here and there under ■ the careful supervision of the body responsible for the development of r the territory and in accordance with ever more precise criteria at the time of choice, but always subject to earlier successes and any new theories that have emerged from them.

The final realization is that the rural revival plan must be evolutive,

not only in its doctrine and means, but also in the geographical sequence of activities.

The improvement, slow but spreadable, in living conditions which it will bring to the country-dwellers implies intensified parallel efforts to improve their traditional housing, as will now be explained.

II. Rural building

The satisfaction of the housing needs of such rural families.as :.-.:.!

already have assured resources, however modest, (small working farmers,

permanent paid farm labourers, craftsmen) can be achieved by adapting .,

financial aid systems and technical standards taken over from the urban sector to their situation, though it must be observed that the types of building likely to suit them must usually be more spacious than in town, without necessarily having the same conveniences. There must also be,

SEM/URB/AF/29

Page 12

in both country and town, an effective system of financial aid to maintain and improve that never negligible fraction of existing house

property whose preservation is justified.

Tfhen dealing, however, with the rural masses, whose incomes and cultural standards are lower, there can be no question of demanding redemption of financial charges any more than the carrying-out of even simplified administrative formalities. In the light of such initial difficulties, an original scheme has been prepared in Algeria, the aim being to replace the shacks in which poor families vegetate with maisonnettes which they can build satisfactorily themselves, as the community accords them aid of various types, but always in kind and non-refundable. This aid comes under four heads, which call for

the following coinments:

A. Land ^is provided free of charge by the commune. Appropriation of the land required to take a durable structure is the best way of putting an end to the traditional instability of the tenants of flimsy shacks erected without right or title. A regrettable feature is/

however, that in some cases - particularly common in the early years - the inadequate are allotted to the new rural cite3, in relation to the number of families to be accommodated, has resulted in undue congestion. At times, too, requirements mostly of a military nature have resulted in the erection of buildings that could not be justified on any other grounds. But it is now considered a prime necessity to select only economically viable sites where the people concerned can find at least an equivalent livelihood at once and one likely to improve subsequently under rural devslopment programmes.

B. The administration provides planning facilites. It begins by

preparing, through its own technicians or occasionally through town-

planners under contract, a progressive development plan, which should

normally specify: individual lots, administrative buildings (dealt

with on, broad lines, like housing, but entrusted to private or State-

controlled concerns), spaces to be planted with shrubs (if possible)

SEM/UEB/AF/29 Page 13"

and communal facilities (single carriageable access roadw.ays with pedestrian crossings, .drinking fountains.-p ending,:;«S&fr installation of

watsr supply rr-aina traced but beforehand .sanitation usually with

individual permanent ces3-£d[6ls?] .electric .mains, as planned). The

SU0C3SS achieved froia the integral.^plication of these principles in many casesj of which tho .-reconstruction of Molousa, after the February

19&> earthquake 13. on-? of ths best illustrations, makes it.a matter of regret.that thssb faciliti-as di& not always exist -in the past,, on the pretext of ei$iei* the L; r;.-■; need or lack of funds. ,A high-grade master plan is essential to obviat© both chaotic building and. the sacieness of a rsguja- y^Es-board-p attorn" tliat givG*3 the inhabitants the melancholy

impression of beirag tied to living in a caisp.

',. It is on thouo grounds, .that,,, with the aim of deriving harmonious

effects from the rudimor.-!;.2ry material .furnished by the actual buildings, the model plans for .makeshift dwellings prepared by a planning office, of the Administration con^rise c series of variants, mainly, based on the grouping of dwellings in pairs or fours. These plans provide for - in addition to a s?al! individual courtyard measuring some, 70 sa> m., which nakes a vory usoful oztension. to tho, dwelling - two rooms measuring about

^P... S<1* n- each and c,. loan-to- kitchen of about 5 s<i. m., and possibly

space for a small W.C.. To the total of .some. 26 sq.. m..- thus, allowed for

tho building oust be addad the approximate 20 sq,. m. reserved for

subsequent building left to'^he 'feo-otion "of befisficiaries whose families and resources may increase. Hals possibility of adding to the original structure has the advr.irltago from the etart of rehousing - skimpily, no doubts but how much norc droohtly -than in 'their former shacks - more

families for tho■ asji:o ojcponditur.^,.-by-.the. colamUnity, '■:. . ■ r

C. The AdainiafcraticrL also supplies the materials and equipment required

on the si-boo. Ma;^ri^_lr_ delivered direct to the latter are the subject

of centrally arranged l-compt titive bids. - a bulk supply system which

by-pas38s ordinary retail trade channels and thus ensures keen prices?

Page 14

especially for cement. With the exceptions of roofing, for which only tiles are Considered, and joinery items, which are more often ordered from the makers than produced in the site workshops, there is a general bias towards the use of local materials: freestone in mountainous

areas, "toub" on the high plateaux. But so far the material preeminently used has in fact been 0.20 hollow concrete blocks, even in the regions mentioned, where they are considered, despite their low insulations

properties, more advantageous as regards quick results and the possibility of using labour not skilled enough for precision bricklaying work.

As to "stabilized earth", recent tests show that this process entails basic training of the technicians using it, to enable them to detect soil properties and the proportions of lime or cement to employ.

It is to be noted that anti-earthquake measures are systematically applied, consisting, whatever the building method used, of an upper and lower series of clamps linking four reinforced angle-iron girders.

Originally, makeshift dwellings had neither ceilings nor floor linings, and only in exceptional cases could both be provided within the price

range noted (2>000 - 2,500 New Francs); so they were left to be later fitted by the tenants; at the price now prevailing (3,000 NF) these items,

very'welcome in a hot country and for families used to sleeping on meret matting, can be provided.

As regards site and transport equipment, this is provided by the technical sectors into which each department has been divided, and whioh function as so many undertakings revolving around the departmental level.

D. Lastly, the ordinary labour consisting of the future beneficiaries enjoys technical assistance on the sites; in practice, each of the above- mentioned territorial sectors is directed by a master-of-works, who has site foremen, group leaders and itinerant teams of local jobbers. The payment of the some 5*000 wage-earners thus employed ensures, among other

effects, economic revival at the small rural centre level.

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Such are the conditions in which - with a contribution from public funds representing, for each makeshift dwelling erected, about the same as is given in cash,for dwellings in the class just above - the services - responsible for rural building in Algeria were able between 1957 and the

end of 1961 to complete some 60,000 makeshift dwellings grouped in 700

ciiCfi with from 50 to 100 homes.

Villages thus created may be given a communal administrative structure, provided always that ;care has been taken to site them at economically

viable points in accordance with satisfactory master plans, and subject also to providing them all from the outset with minimum technical and social facilities? for, in addition to the functional services expected of these public works and buildings, care must be taken to ensure that, with the wages they onr-^lo the tenants themselves to be paid, the latter

will be able to improve the finish of their now dwellings and provide them

with inside domestic equipment.

Working on these linos, as on any linked with the development of economic activity in the countryside, tha main point, before inserting a

new village on the map, is always to ensure that the possibilities exist

- for improving the private and communal living conditions of the future

inhabitants that it is proposed to clear out of the wretched shacks.

Here the primary object of the building effort is seen to be laying out the territory with an eye to economic and social development.

The same link-up is found in the moro advanced sector represented, alongside of lands that are already being well utilized, by the urban centres and the industrial zones. ' ■

L.1UM. i..jlij ■ ■'" iMU'iwm'iHiinnniiiiinnrrnii-i.inii" ' "i1 < '■" ~—-.—.

Page 16

PART II.

UB^AHIZATION

the r^de:\; sector to absorb the essential part of-the surplus rural population focus on the following three "lines of

force":., .

training men fit to produce at modern rates using modern

techniques^

creating jobs, while industrializing wherever possible;

taking steps to integrate the migratory flow into urban life.

•■■■■-Oke first of these points is outwith the scope of this study. The two

■mothers are considered below against the background of the recent experience

■ of: "both successes -and failures in the implementation of the Conetan-tine

Plan. ■ ; '■'■'■

I. Indu stria j^Plantg_

Industrial o.rpansion; which ±s essential for creating those jobs that agricultura cannot provide in adequate numbers, has also the

advantage, through the npreai of purchasing power it provokes and the fiscal slant it gives, of bringing support to the under-developed,sector of minor importance on the economic aide but of definite value of the

social.

This support does not; as was formerly believed, mean that industries should bo established in the ?_ctual places where under-development is to

be remedied, . ■ .

In that coniiozion, it need not be hidden that attempts at decentraliza tion in Algeria produced only cuite disappointing results - a fact;that

cc::nct be attributed n;orely tc definitely unfavcurable general economic

trends. The truth is that; wher .-ji endeavour is made to ' spread industrial

concerns through regr.ons whsre th jre are not even beginnings of modern

activities, there is a cerious l^ck of skilled labour and vocational

training is more difficult to organize as needs are less. Moreover,

SM/ORB/AP/29

Page 17

distance entails extra expenditure, particularly on the maintenance of technical equipment. In the face of such obstacles, decentralization seems indicated only where several concerns decide to establish them selves simultaneously in a given location to take advantage of natural

resources or some exceptional situation that will produce enough profit

to justify what will necessarily at the outset be very heavy financial commitments for both them and t. e public authorities. Otherwise, it would appear more reasonable to develop traditional handicrafts in secondary localities or to multiply the number of workshops there able both permanently to keep labour by providing part-time or even full- time work and to lay durable foundations for future industrialization.

In that expectation, industrial enterprises should be left free to oonverage on the main centres, though not allowed to establish themselves in the heart of towns or cities or even in the over-immediate vicinity.

In that connexion, an example worth citing is the Algerian system of decongestion areas, called "co-ordinated development zones", which form, far enough away from the larger urban centres, a protection belt that is accorded priority in equipment programmes affecting both the public services and semi-public and private bodies. Operations are designed to enable these sectors to play a pre-eminent economic and social role in harmony with estimates based on the work of the regional planning offices.

The following are the mainheads in programmes: delimitation of zones

(with possible re-drawing of communal boundaries), acquisition of land,

roads and highways and the various mains, transport, housing, administrative,

economic, social and cultural facilities.

By thus cross-checking activities with carefully selected points of impact in the fields of force of the existing main centres, much greater efficiency is achieved than if efforts of the same unit scope are dispersed, in both time and space, in a vain attempt to develop here, there and

everywhere secondary zones that will for long remain.unsuited to industrial

activities.

SEM/QEB/aF/29

Page 18

But the creation or extension of industrial zones, as of residential

and administrative urban zones; implies the availability of land, the cost of which tends to rise as urban economic structures and facilities grow. It has therefore been found necessary in Algeria to set up a

public body to reserve land and anticipata price rises. The methods used

by the Caisse Alggrienne d'Amenagement du Territoire (Algerian Territorial

Development Fund) have proved themselves over the last five years. The

Fund has been able to provide industrialists, administrations and house- builders with a total area of around 6,000 hectares of reserved land, at normal prices. The land, which it usually acquires "by amicable arrange-, ment rather than expropriation - the mere prospect of whichgivesit real persuasive force - is generally developed through the Fund before being resold to the owner-builders at cost price plus only a minimum commission.

Sometimes facilities are provided, with or without financial aid from the Fund, by specialized equipment companies. Such a central Fund, covering

the whole territory but with regional representatives on it, is a re'al boon to developing coimtries? because local authorities there are often

not sufficiently organized to take over and manage efficiently landed property acquired by means of loans the redemption date on which is not always related to the prospects of recovering the sums invested. An

institution specializing in this type cf operation acquires experience that cannot be. expected of a municipality operating in very different fields and not so able to mantain a profitmaking capacity link between its expenditure on land purchase and development, en the one hand, and the proceeds from resale of its land at prices ensuring a proper return for ' services rendered, on the other.

Finally, tho lesson of Algeria i3 that in a country with :a developed area alongside of backward areas no attempt should be.made,to establish artificially in the latter new industries that would be better placed •■■ ■■■.

SSM/UEB/AP/29

Page 19

at a reasonabl9V^iatancer:fi0nt.'..±hs. large centres., <m osrefully seleoted, acquired and developed sites.. Some concerns should also be allowed to establish themselves alongside of those already existing in certain

commercial, cottage industry, port etc* districts., Ttie .main point, then, is that they should be sited to suit forecasts under town-planning ,

arrangements, which, more particularly in the capitals of under-developed regions then in entirely modern countries, should be aimed at betterment for the most under-privilegsd social classes.

It was to meet the needs of the migrants who flock in to swell the

numbers of these classes in the main urban centres that an appropriate

scheme was planned and later tried out in Algeria. It now remains

to define the guiding lines laid down.

SEM/UR3/AF/29

Page. 20

II• , Recaption sectors for migrants arriving in town

The problem is twofold: how to integrate country families into urban life, and how to prevent the indiscriminate ereotion of shanty- towns from irriparably damaging the urban structures of the large towns and cities.

The rural family coming to town is faced with a delicate problem of adjustment to a new way of life and different culture. If it is to adapt itself to the exigencies of this new way of life and of employ ment in the industrial or tertiary sectors, all of its ways of thinking will have to "be radically transformed.

For a long time the central districts, with their relatively dilapidated but inexpensive housing, served new arrivals as reception and acculturation centres. After varying lengths of stay in the "old town", where as a rule they would live with a family from their home area, they would find a job and a home of their own, thus completing the process that turned them into town-dwellers.

nowadays these districts have become so congested that new arrivals are of neoessity relegated to the outskirts they ocoupy a "fringe" posi tion more likely to produce complexes than adjustment.

While the re-settlement of these populations in peripheral shanty- towns, or in perforce improvized cites in varrying ways helps the look of the town and makes it easier to polioe, it has practically no real effect on the human "betterment of the re-settled unless accompanied by the

provision of communal facilities, which, at that stage, are absolutely indispensable to offset inadequate housing and to achieve the adjustment of the inhabitants and their absorption into urban life.

Among other conditions necessary for adjustment, the reception diatriots should be big yet close-knit enough to promote contacts and exchanges between the already-urbanized and those in process of urbaniza tion. If care is not taken to ensure this, a sort of sub-proletariat

Page 21

.. of rural origin not absqrbable into urban life and representing.an obvious . economic and-sooial threat will "be allowed to grow up "at the gates"

... of the towns, . ■

It 'would therefore appear neoessary, in certain towns into which .... large numbers of immigrants have clearly flocked in,recent years, to

eauip reception areas to absorb the influx, and avoid an eruption of

„ shanty-towns in the agglomerations concerned. These are "co-ordinated ,r,.j facility11 sectors.

A. The principles which should probably be followed in preparing

-•; these'sectors are* .'■■■■; ■ ,' _■

(1) The need to place them inside the urban perimeter as s faoet

of town-planning,'; in order to facilitate contacts and exchanges between the already urbanized and those in process of urbanization,

(2) The need to fit these sectors into, and to ramify them among,

the town's social and working activities, so that they are not isolated-

As far as possible, existing close-knit groups must also be included

within the operational area so as to foster exchanges with inhabitants

of longer standing and make possible the provision of facilities hither-

; to more or less lacking in the planning area. In addition, different

'r- types of dwelling should also be grouped together in each seotor, in

order to establish human contacts between people of different living standards, starting when the ohildren go to school.

(3) The need for a vast expansion of communal facilities designed

to offset poor housing and to promote progress(in educational, social welfare, culture, religion, health, trade and sport). It must be assumed,

given the living standards and solvency of the inhabitants, that 50-70^

of these seotors will be occupied by reception networks.

There are two possible solutions: either to increase settlement"

grants which, in view of the scope of the programme, can lead only to

half-finished housing and turn individuals into vagrants - or to help

Page 22 "

■fco ensure diynamic facilities tha"f will enable the individual to develop, to "build his personality and to acquire a decent home through his own

labour. This option on the future implies the retention for the present 1 of.makeshift dwellings, offset "by the provision of facilities*

It follows that land reserved for improvised reception networks must remain the property of the public authorities so that, when a

^rise~iri living standards oocurs, it may "be reclaimed for a permanent

urban type of housing. Contrariwise, reception networks intended for group settlement could be handed over to the tenants.

(4) The need, at the beginning, to promote oommunity facilities

with the help of specialists assigned to make close contact with the

p.eople so as to discover potential leaders to replace them.

Similarly, it should be possible from a labour survey among the

inhabitants to disoover which can do practical work(as navvies, briok- . layers etc.) and which executive vork(as managers, leaders, etc.) in

the sector. . .

. ... The importance of these sectors may vary with type of town on whiohrthey dependjand with migratory movements in the region. In a . few. oases-it would be necessary to go up to or even beyond district ,,:i level? but usually and particularly in.the.;case of most, small towns,

;where it would be desirable-^o-stabilize the population, the

operation could.be limited, as ail emergency measure, to the neighbour hood unit .level. The xirults of a recent study to determine, at these

two levels and'for basic residential groups, the nature and range of

desirable facilities are given below. , .

SEM/tfRB/ij/29

Page 23 '■

Group Communal Facilities

(250 - 300 dwellings)

■■■■•■ ■ '

1 Day nursery

Home economics room Library

Odd-job workshop Multi-purpose room

Totals

Land area

700 m2

Approximately,

400 m2 1,100 m2

Area Built on

300 m2 100 m2

50 -

50 -

80 -

Approximately

, .280 m2 580 m2

Children's playground

Adults1, corners

1-letter—b-ox

1 fire 'alarm

washhouses

1 Moorish cafe

- Approx, 10 m per dwelling - Approx. 2 m '• »

50 m built on

SEM/GrKB/AP/2?

Page 24

Education

1 School group

- Primary school

Neighbourhood Communal Facilities

(Maximum of 1,000 dwellings)

1.5 — 1*6 school-age children (6 - 14 years old) per dwelling., ... ■ ■

1,400 - 1,600 children

- 12 classes for "boys

12 classes for girls

24 classes - Approximately 900 pupils' at 10 m per pupil

— Social education centre - 500 pupils at 10 m per pupil.

- Supplementary' courses -.5 mixed.classes 200 pupils at 15 m2 per pupil.

For a total of 1,600 pupils'

+ Sports ground " '

9,000 m'

5,000 m

3,000 m'

17,000 m

8,000 m'

■25,000 ra'

SEM/UILB/AF/29 Page'25

Land Area

Area

■built on

1 communal "bath house

1 sDcial welfare centre

1 consultation room

1 police station

1 post office

1 management office for leaders. '. ■■ .. .1...

Trade: 15 m2 per shop

0 m 50 per dwelling

■

400

500

400

100

-■

■

m2

m2

■ m '■""■■2

m2

Under coiisidi

Unspecified

X

150 m2 200 m2 350 m2 250 m2 50 m2 "

jration.-

500 m2

SEM/uRB/af/29 Page H

District Communal Facilities

(Minimum of 3,000 inhabitants)

Land area

Area Built on

Cultural

Social

Religion

Health

General facilities

Trade

Recreation

1 youth club

1 day nursery

1 kindergarten

1 church

1 health centre

1 post offioe

shops — 1 m per dwelling market

1 cinema - 600 seats

Public park

General sports ground

1

1

1

1

10

20 ,500

,500

,500

,000

400

,000

,000

ID2

m2

m2

m2

m2

Under

Under

m

m

considera

considera

1,800

600 900

500

250

;ion

iion

1,000

m2

m2

a2

m2

m2

m2

1

Page 27

B;./?o.-Practical procedures concern the following: ■■ ,\ ■...■- . .

(1) Land and its viability

A body like "CADAT" might here "be of considerable assistance,

while sufficiently organized communities oould be given the nebessary

subsidies. Land acquired would bes

either kept by the body receiving the subsidy (for subsequent use as a modern housing site);

or re-sold to builders of social housing;

or sold off to individual^ purchasers under the sectoral development plan.

(2) Housing

A fairly wide range of subsidized building should be provided

for (with grants in cash or in kind for sub-standard dwellings), correspond

ing to the various standards of living of the new population. But stand- ards for a 3-room dwelling should not exceed living space of about 40 m ,2

a building cost of 13*000 W and a monthly rent of 60 NF. Financial and praotical procedures will, be as for the social sector in ordinary law.- ...-., . ...

1 ' (3)' Communal facilities . ■-

Communal facilities should be subsidized out of ad hoo local

funds, though local authorities should not normally be expected to assume an undue additional financial burden. Here again the National Land Hoard can render useful assistance.

A study on all of the above three points should be entrusted to

one planning office per region, with at its disposal the joint work of

;a ,team of experts in sociology, town-planning, infrastructure problems, and in the prevision and stimulation of communal facilities* , In an initial agreement with this government-approved team, an attempt is

made to define the best lands in a designated locality for the development

Page 28

of a co-ordinated faoilities sector, in the light of social, economic and topographical factors.

The area of the project, including both the existing townships and the land to "be developed, having been defined in the.preliminary study while the aquisition of land proceeds, a second agreement will be concluded with the same planning office on the formulation of the

development plan,

Given thorpugh study of existing localities and of immigration forecasts, sectoral programmes development can be framed, with due re

gard to its capacity as a reception area.

Such programmes should define:

the various, types of dwellings according to the financial stand

ing of the inhabitants;

communal facilities at residential group, neighbourhood and district levels;

approaches and the various mains.

!i Since these districts are in process of development and housing programme estimates may vary or evolve almost unprediotably with the type of immigrant, density should be the same for all kinds of housing, in order to meet all demands, while the scale of communal facilities provided once .for all remains constant - that density possibly ranging

from,70 to 80 dwellings per hectare.

With a programme framed, the sectoral development plan can be

studied rationally, in its two aspects* (l) final project, (2) the

project in its various stages.

These two parts of the plan would be accompanied by supporting documents and regulations, together with a finanoial inventory 6f works

and facilities to be completed in the first stage.

It is important that the contracts covering the above-mentioned

details should conform to precise models drawn up by the Administration

SEM/taB/AF/2?

Page 29

on the "basis of specimen contracts adopted for detailed town plans, "but with more emphasis on research into population structures and standards

of living. Only if a common method is used for social and economic analyses will their results be properly comparable.

The simplest way to give a permanent character to the sectoral facilities development plan would "be to adopt it as a building develop ment scheme, as it does concern the allotment of large blocks of land within which the promoters act as sub-allotment agents.

Finally, attention should be drawn to the advisability of designating an official responsible for stimulating and co-ordinating all operations throughout the territory in liaison with the various departments and bodies concerned.

SEM/URB/AF/29

Page 30 -

CONCLUSION ■-..-.■■ '. . -

To sum up, the theories worked out and the practical experience gained 'by France in Algeria in physical planning, town-planning and ;

■building "bring out certain solutions that will broadly hold for the development of countries which, like Algeria, have to advance on two fronts simultaneously, on the one hand asking the soil to provide

"better nutrition for as many country-dwellers as possible and on the other finding employment in factories and the tertiary sector for the growing masses that the land can no longer .provide with a livelihood.

The' countries concerned should certainly give attention to the adjustments required in their particular structures; but the following five lessons may forthwith be elevated to the rank of guiding principles:

(1) The development of under-developed rural areas implies the

framing of concerted and progressive revival plans;

(2) Housing for families that cannot afford to refund building

loans may advantageously be constructed under a "Castor"

system, since adequate public assistance is given in kind;

(3) Indusrial ooncerns should be installed in zones that are to

be developed in a co-ordinated fashion, and carefully seleoted at a reasonable distanoe from the great centres of attraotiont decentralization in backward areas taking almost the sole form of an upsurge of cottage industries and small workshops well organized to be economically remunerative and, above all, socially fruitful,

(4) The intervention of a public institution specializing in the

purchase, development and re-sale of land for the establishment of industrial, residential and administrative zones is more likely to produce good results than resort to local authorities»

which are less well adapted to such operations;

SEI^URB/AF/29

Page 31

The development in towns and cities of co-ordinated facilities sectors is essential for tho integration into urban life of en inflow of immigrants that is inevitable because country- dwellers must be left free to seek their livelihood elsewhere than in the countryside*

If they are to bear their full fruits9 the methods proposed above should be fitted into an economic and social development plan. In

addition, the authorities responsible for promoting them must be at once sufficiently unified at thn top to co-ordinate their planning and control and decentralized enough to keep abreast of realities in practice. Lastly, there rrust be adequate furds available to implement the programmes, within the limits of actual resources