The participatory workshops are a key part of the process of strategic urban planning, involving main local groups and working towards a deeper understanding of Makeni city and the formulation of actions. They took place in Makeni in the years 2013, 2014 and 2016 during a series of trips to Sierra Leone and they have been organised by CEU University together with Unimak and Makeni City Council.
Encajados en el proceso de planificación urbana estratégica, son los encuentros participativos con los principales actores locales, que se han ido desarrollando para profundizar en el conocimiento de la ciudad de Makeni y en la formulación de acciones. Se han organizado 3 en la ciudad de Makeni durante sucesivos viajes a Sierra Leona, organizados conjuntamente por CEU, Unimak y Ayuntamiento de Makeni.
July 2013. Dectecting priorities
The organization, in July of 2013, of a workshop to reflect on the city and the territory of Makeni, marked the beginning of the process. The main city stakeholders were called and organized into five groups according to 5 thematic areas, the priority elements for Makeni were defined. The organization was carried out jointly between the CEU, Unimak and the city of Makeni.
January 2014. First ideas for the discussion
Presented as first diagrams during the participatory workshop organized in Makeni, January 2014. It was based in the firstworkshop in Makeni (July 2013). A MoU among MCC, Unimak and CEU University was signed to get a strategic plan.
Key actions are proposed to achieve the territorial overall functional framework for the future. They are conceived as actions to promote the discussion on the future territorial framework for Makeni, with the main stakeholders.
January 2016. Towards implementing actions
1. APPROACH. Workshop with theoretical sessions, practices and fieldwork, for working about planning Makeni in two levels: City Scale and Neighbourhood Scale.
2. GOALS. Raising awareness, disseminating, involving stakeholders, training and working together with the main urban actors of Makeni, in decision-making for the development of the Strategic Plan of Makeni. Discussion about the new proposals
presented by CEU University
3. PARTICIPANTS. Mainly technicians and decision makers in Makeni: Landowners, Staff and students of the University of Makeni, Makeni City Council, Bombali District, Northern Province, Ministry of Lands, Country Planning and Environment, other administrative areas, SALWACO (water and sanitation in SL), roads authorities, Paramount Chief and other relevant people in the city ​​management.
Mainly, the findings are extremely positive when it refers to what has been done from the CEU San Pablo University in collaboration with Unimak and with the Makeni City Council in the urban planning process for Makeni. From 2013 until now, have happened several advances that give consistency to the process, from the identification of priorities, the involvement of stakeholders, the provision of information (maps, reports, models, ...) and the formulation of proposals.
This last workshop of three days (January 2016) has been a major breakthrough, with the participation of the main local and regional technical areas and decision-making agents.
The confidence generated by the continuity of the process shows the importance that the mayor of Makeni gives the planning and the cooperation between CEU own, Unimak and Town Hall.
