Q500: A Strategy for The Territorialization of the City Prosperity Index (CPI) in Querétaro

#SDGAction42911

Description

Intro

Q500 is a strategy for the integral and sustainable development of the Municipality of Querétaro planned until 2031, date of the 500th anniversary of the foundation of the city. 
From 2016 to 2018, the Municipal Planning Institute of Querétaro (IMPLAN), in collaboration with UN-Habitat, elaborated the strategy of the criteria of metropolitan and long-term vision and the different exercises of social participation. Thus, the Q500 plotted a route to implement in the territory the Sustainable Development Goals and the principles of the New Urban Agenda, seeking continuity in public activities that contribute to urban prosperity.

Objective of the practice

According to Pablo Vaggione, Coordinator of the UN-Habitat Office of Mexico and Cuba; Q500 is an effort for localization of the SDGs that is built to carry out the principles of the New Urban Agenda through the identification of spaces and opportunity projects in the municipality. 
The strategy is consistent with the agendas. Therefore, it represented one of the first practices worldwide in the implementation of the spirit of the New Urban Agenda, indicating at the same time its own relationship with the 2030 Agenda. 
Methodologically, the basis of the Q500 was the evidence generated through the calculation of the City Prosperity Index (CPI) of UN-Habitat; which is related to a globally standardized tool for the urban function based in six key dimensions: productivity, infrastructure, quality of life, equity and social inclusion, environmental sustainability and governance. The critical analysis of these dimensions made possible to understand the territorial challenges and thereby identify areas of attention to focus public policies and guide the formulation of intervention opportunities. 
Finally, the development of the Q500 was carried out through an extensive collaborative process that sought active inclusion in integrated groups: dependencies and government institutions; members of the bussiness sector; professional and academic associations, and members of the civil sector; participating in 11 spaces of co-responsibility with more than 100 activities and events that took part of a permanent strategy for social participation. In that sense, proving that exists a strong citizenship commitment to the future of Querétaro, that enables to innovate in the ways to promote civil participation on a national level.

Partners

The population benefits from the 878,931 inhabitants of the municipality of Querétaro, however, the proposals generated seek to benefit the entire metropolitan area, 1255185 inhabitants. The elaboration of the Q500 was a task of the Municipal Institute of Planning of Querétaro and a Base Team of UN-Habitat, who created a strong Social Participation Strategy as a transversal component, involving more than 4,000 people and more than a hundred organizations among them: international and local experts, business associations and chambers, academics, professionals, members of ONG’s, key citizens of the civil sector and, as well entities of multiple levels of government

Implementation of the Project/Activity

The execution of the project consisted in the elaboration of a Territorialization strategy of the City Prosperity Index (CPI) a methodology designed by UN-Habitat. Starting from a basis analysis it is used the CPI in its basic and extended version, and a process composed of 4 main stages: Basic analysis, Framework for prosperity, Territorial strategies and Strategic areas. During the following stages, three transversal components were implemented: social participation, communication and internationalization.
The structured methodological route in the 4 main stages includes the following methodological steps:

During the first stage; Basis Analysis, the calculation of the City Prosperity Index is applied to its contextual version, which means that for the municipality of Querétaro were used 40 basic indicators, 21 extended indicators and 26 context indicators (proposed according to the conditions of the territory).

In the second stage, the required actions for the creation of public policies that recognize opportunities and areas of development were identified. In this step, 5 strategic axes were defined, each one with an objective and a series of specific actions.

The third stage; Territorial strategies, have integrated general and particular public policy and practices, that are positively impacted in the prosperity of the municipality, allowing to advance towards the fulfillment of SDG’s.

Finally, the fourth stage; Strategic Areas, consisted in identifying the priority action areas of the city. The actions were designed to raise the conditions of the urban, environmental, economic and social aspects, and materialize the commitments contemplated in the New Urban Agenda, the SDG’s and the policies and techniques of the municipality.
It should be noticed that the methodological base of Q500, the CPI indicators, are constructed from official information, to present an x-ray of urban complexity in a comparative and actionable metric. Therefore, it is possible to measure the efficiency of the city and the public policies effect over time.

Results/Outputs/Impacts

The culmination of Q500 represents the first long-term development planning structure for the city of Querétaro to respond to 16 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals and 120 of 175 commitments of the New Urban Agenda that has also been defended and adequated by the politicians, public officials, businessmen, professionals, academics and key citizens in the city.

Along with this, Queretaro has a structure of 5 axes with 19 strategies, 50 initiatives and 177 proposals. Thus, it is possible to implement and monitor 53 projects, 31 programs, 22 technical instruments, 18 legal instruments, 12 citizen participation mechanisms, 11 financial resources, 10 technical tools, 9 institutional structures, 4 dissemination strategies, 4 organizational improvement and 3 operational. In addition, with Q500, strategic attention areas for the city are determined; 5 of them are defined for their accumulation of disadvantages; 3 for their development potential; and 3 that gathered both conditions. The analysis of these strategic areas was based on quantitative and qualitative information, and they were contrasted on the territory and on the social participation exercises.

The action proposals, linked to the SDG’S and the New Urban Agenda, have a route of actions for the periods 2018-2021, 2021-2027 and 2027-2031; actions that have been openly disseminated, this, added to the strong process of citizen participation in the conformation of Q500; has allowed to overcome one of the greatest continuity risks: the change of administration of the municipal government 2018-2021; a barrier that had already been overcome when its complete alignment is contemplated in the current Municipal Development Plan, furthermore, it has made an extension of scopes by tracing longer-term routes.

Sustainability and replicability

Along with the strong expectation generated during the process of developing the Q500 Strategy, starting from the population of Querétaro and as the major stakeholders interested in the development of the city, who participated in the various forums, workshops, tours and events. It was necessary to emphasize an strategy that ensures the permanence of this practice towards the future, for that reason, the same document proposes the Initiative "15.1 Ensure the sustainability, continuity and implementation of Q500", which indicates the creation of institutional mechanisms, such as a follow-up Citizen Council , a Coordination Committee between agencies, an Urban Observatory, as well as various adjustments to the legal and administrative framework of the Municipality of Querétaro that strengthen institutions such as the Municipal Planning Institute and also with the optimization resources and scope, without the need of generate new costs for the city.
Furthermore, the Current Administration 2018-2021 has launched a follow-up plan for the implementation of the Q500 strategy, called Querétaro 2050 Plan, with this the municipality has administrative and financial security for the follow up; in addition to replicating the same methodological base of UN-Habitat, so that the approach of all its long-term strategic actions continue with what is set out in the 5 axes of action: urban, environmental, social, economic and governance.
It should be noted that this practice, being the first worldwide implementation of the principles of the New Urban Agenda; and with its capacity to be shared on a public and free way, it is currently a reference for different municipalities in the country that are now in the phases elaboration of their medium and long-term development plans.

Conclusions

The launch of the Q500 represents an unprecedented effort for the city of Querétaro. Today is a turning point in the way of thinking about the future of the municipality. Querétaro has a planning tool with high impact and high technical quality, which overcomes the political barriers by ensuring the wide inclusion of all sectors, because it represents the collective vision of building a city that guarantees the full execution of the right to the city. 
As such, its goals have been overcome. Nowadays, a large number of proposals indicated in the Q500, which seek to address urban deficits and implement actions to correct obstacles that hinder prosperity are already underway. Moreover, in this way has been growing the number of key stakeholders concerned about participating and contributing to the improvement of the urban environment, increasing a network of people and organizations that inhabit the city and seek to contribute to the same common project. 
In addition, Q500 has been a useful tool to consult information, and even replicate participation exercises that innovate in the inclusion of people of all ages and all sectors. 
During this practice the best learning has been to understand that it is not possible to plan the future of a city without its citizens; that everyone has something to contribute, and that we can also learn to participate by participating. The challenge is to open more and more flexible participation mechanisms and with inclusive languages, so that the city multiplies its spaces for reflection, proposals and agreements with shared responsibilities.

Other sources of information

The files that synthetisize this good practica are available for check and free download pública in 3 versions:
Infographic version: http://implanqueretaro.gob.mx/im/q500/5/1/Q500-Infografico.pdf
Resume version: http://implanqueretaro.gob.mx/im/q500/5/1/Q500-Abreviado.pdf
Complete version: http://implanqueretaro.gob.mx/im/q500/5/1/Q500-VersionCompleta.pdf

Good Practice Website: http://implanqueretaro.gob.mx/q500

From the execution of the practice, as part of the communication strategy, this official website is enabled to publicize the international framework, the information of the response process, the exchange of information, the presentation, the team of consultants data, and professional support that work together with the Municipal Planning Institute for the knowledge of the project route: http://implanqueretaro.gob.mx/q500-estrategia/q500-evolucion-del-proyec…

In addition, there is a wide dissemination in local social media , and social networks such as Facebook (www.facebook.com/pg/Q500Queretaro) and Twitter (@q500queretaro)

Also, there are some news and opinion articules that were suggested during the execution of Q500:
- “Crearán estrategia de ordenamiento territorial” en Diario de Querétaro: https://www.diariodequeretaro.com.mx/local/crearan-estrategia-de-ordena…
- “Analizan crecimiento ordenado y sustentable en Q500” en Periódico Quadratín Querétaro: https://queretaro.quadratin.com.mx/analizan-crecimiento-ordenado-y-sust…
- “Visiones y estrategias urbanas” en Periódico AM: https://amqueretaro.com/opinion/2019/02/09/visiones-y-estrategias-urban…
- “ENERGÍA Y MEDIO AMBIENTE. Los espacios públicos verdes de la ciudad” en Periódico Plaza de Armas: http://plazadearmas.com.mx/alejandro-angulo-38/
- “Implementan nueva estrategia territorial en Querétaro” en Blog Centro Urbano: https://centrourbano.com/2018/03/21/implementan-nueva-estrategia-territ…
- “Referente el estado en Estrategia Territorial” en Diario: https://www.diariodequeretaro.com.mx/local/referente-el-estado-en-estra…
- “Presentación de avances del Q500, estrategia de territorialización CPI en Querétaro.” en Sitio oficial de ONU-Habitat: https://onuhabitat.org.mx/index.php/presentacion-de-avances-del-q500-es…

SDGS & Targets

Goal 11

Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable

Goal 16

Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels