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1. 114300-6096003445081-18406810 Pacts for the Progressive City<br />This is an exploratory document done by The Progresa Foundation that aims to begin a debate about what a Progressive City should be. We propose 10 New Pacts. This working paper also attempts to become the backbone of the future platforms that may want to be adopted by the next candidates from the Progressive Party (PRO) and all who may want to join these principles on the road to the next elections municipal elections that will take place in Chile during 2012. <br />But above all, it is the basic document for any conversation and dialogue between the PRO Party and other movements in preparation for the forthcoming municipal elections. The idea is also to promote that these proposals need to be adapted to the reality of the district through open public consultations and through democratic deliberation exercises. This document is part of an effort to produce and provide tools for local action. <br />There are three key concepts/values to take in mind before we move forward: <br />1 .- Participation in the City <br />Citizen participation is a key factor in the functioning of democracy and is a crucial element on any progressive municipality. Through participation, different actors that revolve around the municipalities, acquire a degree of prominence in the formulation and implementation of public policies. Democracy in general, seeks not only to deliver the spaces and mechanisms to make citizens participate in the formulation of their own life projects, but also to make the elaboration of public policy participatory. <br />Participation is a right and a tool to achieve higher levels of freedom. It also takes the citizen’s role in society beyond simple decision making and into having some control over their own lives. <br />2 .- Public Policy and Decentralization. <br />Decentralization in Chile is weak and far from being optimal. Efforts to decentralize the country have been insufficient and speak of the reluctance from the political elite to transfer power to citizens, so that they can finally exercise their own right to govern themselves. <br />As a major goal, Chile cries for a federal system. On top of that, democracy at the local level is still immature. But above all, to consider a federal system would provide a north and a tangible goal to the debates on citizen participation, decentralization and growth. The contraction of the central government is the only way to expand the regional leadership and thus facilitate individual development.<br />3 .- Reforms and substantive changes to facilitate the municipal work: <br />The pacts and ideas presented in this document also require reforms that must be promoted and achieved from the central government. We know that many of these initiatives (the ones presented in this document) require initiatives that should take place in the parliament and the executive branches and not at the municipal level. <br />Therefore it is important to recognize the duality of these covenants, which on the one hand will be executed locally, but that also require appropriate legal frameworks to achieve them. We have large outstanding issues relating to decentralization, fiscal autonomy and re distribution of power that have not been addressed propertly. <br />These reforms should aim to: a) decrease the current hyper- presidential system; b) move towards a federal system; c) develop a new law which obliges parties to develop inclusive and transparent spaces for dialogue (workshops, seminars, round tables); and c) develop a new electoral law that terminates with the binomial system and finally makes voting voluntary and registration to do so automatic. <br />We propose 10 pacts: <br />1 .- PACT FOR PARTICPACION.<br />2 .- PACT FOR HEALTH AND HAPPINESS.<br />3 .- PACT FOR EDUCATION AND CULTURE.<br />4 .- PACT FOR THE ENVIRONMENT.<br />5 .- PACT FOR SOCIAL AND PRODUCTIVE MATTERS.<br />6 .- PACT FOR GOOD GOVERNANCE.<br />7 .- PACT FOR A NEW IDENTITY .<br />8 .- PACT FOR FISCAL ISSUES.<br />9 .- PACT FOR GENDER EQUALITY.<br />10 .- A NEW POLITICAL PACT.<br />The 10 Pacts for a Progressive City <br />1 .- PACT FOR PARTICPACION. <br />PARTICIPATORY BUDGETS: We guarantee that the minimum investment through Participatory Budgeting methods must be of 5% of the total municipal investment (real budget) and the maximum will depend on the decisions taken by the social actors involved. <br />SOCIAL-CONTROL: We are committed to promote mechanisms that facilitate social organizations to generate commissions for the control of projects, such as Neighborhood Development Fund (FONDEVE), Common Fund for Neighbors (FONCUVE), and other centrally transferred programs (CONACE, CONAMA, SENAMA , DOS, FONADIS, etc.).<br />ORDINANCES THROUGH POPULAR INITIATIVES: Having 3% of the electorate must be enough to propose the draft of ordinances for the consideration of the City Council. Citizens must have the right to elaborate public policy proposals. <br />2 .- PACT FOR HEALTH AND HAPPINESS. <br />MENTAL-HEALTH AND HAPPINESS CENTERS: These are to be promoted in all municipal clinics. They are an annex and could be called “Centers for Mental Health and Happiness”. These centers will be composed of psychologists, alternative therapists, and alternatives to participate in different workshops targeting alternatives to living happily. <br />UNIVERSAL ACCESS TO THE DAY AFTER PILL AND OTHER METHODS OF CONTRACEPTION: In all our municipalities anyone who request it, will be given the Morning after Pill. Our municipalities will also facilitate the steady and broad distribution of condoms and contraceptives for all sectors of the population. <br />SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS: Our municipalities will ensure the protection and promotion of sexual and reproductive rights of all citizens with equal conditions. <br />INCREASE PER CAPITA INVESTMENT ON MUNICIPAL HEALTH: We compromise to increase per capita investment on municipal health, improve access to health services and to improve the quality of these services. <br />SPORT AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY: We are committed to developing integration plans, so all citizens have access, year round, to areas where they can play sports and exercise freely. <br />URBAN WILDLIFE: We will implement a program of ethical control that will provide urban wildlife control programs for street animals through mass sterilization. <br />RED LIGHT DSTRICTS: The designation of red-light districts on each city is certainly a significant step towards addressing the negative externalities that attracts the unregulated practice of prostitution. These are true clusters of economic activity where the activity of prostitution is concentrated in a designated area, and must be regulated. <br />3 .- PACT FOR EDUCATION AND CULTURE. <br />QUALITY OF EDUCATION: We are concerned about the current state of public and private education. We pledge to do everything in our power so public schools and colleges gain similar quality standards to those of the best private schools. Also we compromise on working in partnership so all our regions have regional universities where education is provided not only with high quality but also with identity. Above all, public education should not be synonymous of social exclusion. <br />INTERNET [WiFi] FOR ALL: Our cities will have between 50% and 100% of open (air) connectivity to the Internet for free. Also will work so museums and local libraries develop internet portals where their information and resources are available to all. <br />CULTURE IN THE COMMUNITY: We will initiate projects that consistently deliver alternatives for all citizens so that citizens can access various artistic and cultural offerings that are open throughout the year. Our Municipalities will provide complementary programs of art and culture for public educational establishments that do not have them. <br />4 .- PACT FOR THE ENVIRONMENT. <br />CITIES FOR PEOPLE, NOT FOR MACHINES: Our cities will have bike lanes that will connect them entirely. We will create systems for those who prefer non-polluting means of transportation. In addition, we will implement bike recycling programs to make bicycle fleets available to public use, at all times, for all people. It is important to also create incentives to use alternative transportation with zero impact on the environment. Finally, we must increase the number of non-polluting buses and develop new methods of transportation with zero environmental impact. <br />MORE URBAN FORESTS WHERE THERE ARE LESS OF THEM: Urban concentrations, home to 86% of Chileans, have large deficits when it comes to green surfaces and especially in regard to the presence of trees. There are cities like Talca which only have one tree for every 1000 inhabitants, this goes in contrast to cities like Providencia, where nearly 500 trees are available for the same amount of people. We pledge to reach the higher standards assuring the presence of more urban forestry, achieving at least 400 trees per capita. It is not reasonable to have more green areas where there are more private gardens. <br />RECYCLING: We will promote intensive policies and recycling centers in each district of the city, widely accessible and with larger collection systems that can ultimately benefit all sectors of the city. <br />5 .- PACT FOR SOCIAL AND PRODUCTIVE MATTERS. <br />EMPLOYMENT: In every project executed by the municipality, we are committed on hiring at least 80% of local workforce and 60% of professionals. <br />TRAINING: Our municipalities will implement intensive training for a period of two years to all citizens of localities with high unemployment rates. So we can evolve into having 80% of jobs in the municipality and its associated services covered by workers from the city. <br />CLUSTERS OF PRODUCTION: We will develop policies that promote productive clusters. It is necessary to identify areas of production and provision of services that add competition to our community and complement production in the region. The agglomeration of similar and complementary services is essential to achieve the necessary increases in local productivity and competitiveness. <br />STRENGTHENING THE SOCIAL NET: We will work to articulate a rich dialogue between civil society. Councils, social organizations, neighborhood associations, sports clubs, centers for students, seniors, unions, local business leaders, politicians, and a wide range of stakeholders involved in the development of the community must have constant spaces for dialogue. <br />6 .- PACT FOR GOOD GOVERNANCE. <br />MAXIMUM TRANSPARENCY: All hearings granted by the Mayor and the Council Members should be reported and publicized, developing mechanisms for transparency in the management hearings of interest. At the same time we commit on having the highest standards of municipal transparency.<br />7 .- PACT FOR A NEW IDENTITY .<br />CANDIDATES MUST BE ELECTED ON PRIMARIES: All our candidates are to elected through primaries and not appointed with a finger. We will respect those who have the healthy ambition to win the trust of citizens. <br />LOCAL LEADERS: We believe it is essential that all our mayors and councilors live or at least have substantive relations to the community they represent or want to represent. <br />INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS: We will create a professional office to handle the international relations of the city, and it will be responsible for developing alliances, such as sister cities programs, technical exchanges, educational, cultural and sporting events. The progressive city is also a globalized city.<br />8 .- PACT FOR FISCAL ISSUES. <br />We need reforms that allow for more redistribution. A NEW INCOME LAW [3]: We urgently need to end with the territorial inequality. Some cities’ equity investment is 20 times higher than other districts. Something similar happens with the revenues raised by automotive patents and transit permits. It is necessary to make these changes in order to enable re distribution. <br />9 .- PACT FOR GENDER EQUALITY. <br />A SPECIAL OFFICE DEDICATED TO GENDER EQUALITY: Progressive policies regarding gender are necessary in all municipalities. Women are those most involved in local activities, and both, their activities and initiatives require support and special promotion. It is necessary to demonstrate the female community’s leadership contributions. <br />REPRESENTATION ON LOCAL GOVERNMENTS: We will implement policies that ensure women's entry to our local government structures. We need more affirmative action policies. <br />10 .- A NEW POLITICAL PACT. <br />AUTOMATIC VOTING REGISTRATION AND VOTING: It is essential that voting registration becomes effective automatically and voting voluntary. Voters should be captivated by the ideas and proposals, and encouraged to vote through them, not forced to do so. We need to open the electoral processes for all. <br />SECOND ROUND OF ELECTIONS: A way of legitimizing the mandates, we see that it is necessary that if a candidate for Mayor is unable to obtain 50% plus one vote (majority), we must have a second round of elections between the top winners. This is a way of granting legitimacy to the election of local representatives. <br />RECALL REFERENDUMS: All elected positions should be revoked if necessary. We propose that no fewer than 20% of registered voters in the district may request a referendum to revoke a mandate. If 50% plus one of voters (with an assist from voting more than 25% of the register of the commune) so decides the mandate must be revoked and a new mayor or council member should be elected. <br />