SOCIAL URBAN MOVEMENTS: Neighborhood Association of EL PALO (Málaga). AA.VV. EL PALO: 40 years building the city through the values of citizenship.
SOCIAL URBAN MOVEMENTS: Neighborhood Association of EL PALO (Málaga) AA.VV. EL PALO: 40 years building the city through the values of citizenship A small handful of people usually start conflicts that end up influencing the lives of many others, giving voice to silent majorities or by anonymous people speak, that is not usually sing war songs. Always the story is left to do for a few starting the flood of protest, because what everyone affected not encouraged or forced out into the street. Dare to take too much risk banners, or wielding megaphones, or chanting slogans at any time, but much more, fly protests in gray times, where democracy does not exist or off. By a curious loop of events which we live, we have to talk of renewed vindictive neighbors in times of indignation. After forty years since the decadent Franco seventies of the last century, we are reliving the rise of urban social movements from the movement 15M 2011 which returned the voice to citizens and gave the anonymous and collective leadership against abuses power in the city and society. It should not be carried away by the force of profiles and faces: they are there, in the memory. They are many and few at a time, are so many that do not fit, and are too few to be counted on the fingers those who sacrifice, in every time and place, to make a more clean and dignified fairer, egalitarian city. And it seems that yes, there are countless leaders who give everything for their fellow citizens live better and are innumerable efforts that give cities their current profile. Especially if the identity of the site has a small scale, minimum one could say, micro-cosmic as is the neighborhood. Unsung heroes neighborhood heroines street and apple, luxury side of a film without a script or director, but proud supporting actors of the epic build the city, where there is only semblance of life, traffic flow and economy subsistence. Trajeada masked under the appearance of urban poverty, concealed the simultaneous absence of equipments and freedoms, wrapped in inequality, the "extras" in the neighborhood are anonymous heroes of values and small battles. That yes, just so obvious and necessary goals that would change the lives of many people in the terminal stage of a country without rights, as was Franco's Spain. The travel agency of the Malaga district of El Palo by a group of citizens concerned about the living conditions of the neighborhood in the east of Malaga, right on the edge of the municipal district was created in 1976. It is for the first Neighborhood Association of Vallecas (Madrid), created in 1968 in the aftermath of the Franco regime. citizens with a consistent parallel to the most elementary citizens' demands democratic demands. Solidarity with the citizens' movement around the country and the cities in which urban demands exploded on all sides, in full revolt for democracy and the constitution. Only thanks to this group of improvised and spontaneous leaders, aided by a small group of activists clandestine opposition to the dictatorship, advised by another specific group of progressive professionals, launched a structure faced - at once! - To specific demands, democratic demands, flagrant injustices and to seek alternatives to the elementary lack of a European city (or Spanish, in neighborhoods of size), so it could be minimally adequate supplies, access, green areas, resources and networks. In mediating the association turned to conflict, served as potent interlocutor between unmet demands and the emerging democratic City Council. It is a little known and studied stage, but vitally important. The Andalusia is in training and still have to pass the coup of 23F and Autonomy Referendum 28F. Are neighbors who have to make patients, nurses and doctors to clean up a structure of neighborhood that lacks physical and symbolic elements of a healthy community life. In a situation similar to that of many other Spanish cities, El Palo has to work rapidly for the present, the future and, paradoxically, to recover the past, without the historical background of their formation as a community destroyed. The
“paleños” claim what seems impossible without a democratic government of reformist and progressive basis. In both England and the US tested neoliberal models of Thatcher and Reagan, the Spanish urban social movements have to claim what are blatant shortcomings. Going against the deregulatory policies of the neo-conservative majorities, neighbors, since 1979, they have to aim participative leaderships, enter district councils, increase levels of social democracy of local governments. So profound transformation in politics has its turning when in 1995 the democratic power of municipalities live changes hands. They are 20 years of conservative governments, with different strokes, but bound by the same commitments with citizens demanding changes can not be postponed. The shifts of the majority must respond to historical needs and then dominated the bipolar vision begins to break crash in 2011 and then in 2015. The problems have grown, how demands increase mobility, car parks, sports facilities and markets. How the population and the challenges increase, as people change and collective goals! How late inequality in budgets and how and why so poorly distributed money in the territories! What needs to be done? Some will say that it is all done, that this is a neighborhood finishing a satisfied demands and an expected and respectable future, but when you look at the sea of people who populate a community, the eyes tend to define new projects, plans, strategies and improvements which are best echo in expanding the playing fields, the collaboration of all the Eastern District, inter-municipal cooperation on common problems that are beyond the Peñón del Cuervo; or that make sense in the expansion of production equipment, training and improving employment and quality of disposable income, culture, access to college and why not, in the very presence of the UMA in the Paleño neighborhood. The AA.VV of El Palo has set an example that much remains to be done. Not only the expansion and improvement of libraries, markets and health centers, or indoor pools, not only the tangible: missing many things, cleaning, in the future the promenade, in the final scriptures degrees of beach houses , pedestrian and cyclist accessibility, improving the landscape and environmental quality medium-urban. Natural heirs, the young and old citizens of the neighborhood, must remain model in subsequent generations. A nonconformist people and critical not so much extraordinary heroes, but citizens, firm, stout convictions, fulfilling years honoring a neighborhood that was built as a city at the expense of building it by values of citizenship, risking lives, time deserves and many other things to get a proud community to live in a just and egalitarian city, which had identity neighborhood, with a cosmopolitan heart. The unsung heroes are named in memory of the neighborhood association of El Palo now celebrating anniversary.
Carlos Hernández Pezzi, Málaga, january 2016
Bibliography Angulo, Javier, Municipality, elections and neighbors. For a democratic councils. Madrid, Ediciones de La Torre, 1978. Berriatua, Javier, Neighborhood associations. Madrid, Institute of Local Government Studies, 1977. Borja, Jordi, For a democratic municipalities. Ten years of political reflection and citizen movement. Madrid, Institute of Local Administration Studies, 1986.
Borja, Jordi, For a democratic municipalities. Ten years of political reflection and citizen movement. Madrid, Institute of Local Administration Studies, 1986, p. 46. Castells, Manuel, The City and the masses. Sociology of urban social movements. Madrid, Alliance, 1986. Ibarra, Pedro; Tejerina, Benjamin, Social movements. Political transformations and cultural change. Madrid, Editorial Trotta, 1988. Tarragó, Marcal, Urban policy and social struggles. Barcelona, Editorial Avance, 1976
