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  What can local communities do to create favorable conditions to sustainable development ?

Lydia MAGALLON FONT - Mayor of Escaldes-Engordany, Principality of Andorra

 

 

LOCAL GOVERNMENTS AND TOURISM

Only a while ago, the Principality of Andorra was a small remote region in the Pyrénées where people lived according to seasons. But not seasons as we know them today. For the most part, people from Andorra were farmers and shepherds, who used to say of the hardship they went through, that it was “nine months of winter and three months of hell”. The value of the land matched the value of its harvest. The home was at the core of society, representing both the social class and the center of family life.

The family resources were merely enough to cover the needs of a family and birthrights were applied with the consent of all, forcing the younger brothers and sisters to find, through marriage or expatriation, a host family.

All this has tremendously changed in the 30’s with the construction of a hydroelectric plant, which has brought power in all homes, and the building of a road opening the country to neighboring nations.

The communication means and the comfort brought about with the use of power, contributed to the growth of a small tourism business, already existing since the 19 th century through spa trips.

Gorgeous mountains combined with the cheer of summer festivity attracted many visitors who continuously showed interest in thermal water. A few small family hotels were built throughout the country. Snow, which was not then seen as a good thing, started to turn into an opportunity for entertainment and recreational activities : wooden skis with seal skin were used to go up the wild slopes, and fearless skiers did not waste any time going down the hills.

At the end of the 30’s, war would deeply disturb Spain, and soon the rest of Europe.

Andorra, a neutral country, without any army but the “caps de casa”, armed with guns, would become a shelter for those who fled their home country, persecuted by the regime in place. A few intellectuals finally settled here, and started to invest in cultural projects that would also benefit to tourism : “El Pessebre Viven”, “Esbart Santa Anna”, “Orfeó Andorrà”.

Trade was also another great cornerstone on which to build tourism in Andorra. We became suppliers for products that were not marketed or otherwise sold at prohibitive prices in neighboring countries. Alençon, Duralex, Nylon, Cocotte minute, Inox were all household names that attracted many buyers.

From the 50’s onward, but especially in the 60’s, many changes occurred that would disturb the country, and mark the beginning of an abundant growth. New stores opened every day, hotels grew bigger, and ski lifts appeared. During summer, mountains were.crowded with many tiny 4 x 4 buses allowing hundreds of visitors to bring back home these everlasting landscapes, using their cameras.

More tourists means more services to provide and, therefore, more staff. The population structure has changed: in half a century, the national population went from 5,385 to 65,884, that is 12 times more. The density increased from 12 inhabitants per square kilometer to 141. These people needed to find a home, and receive basic services such as : water, power, sanitation, health care, education, health insurance, and entertainment. Providing help to residents to allow them to live a decent life and spread their well-being and, at the same time, providing good services to those who stay with us on a temporary basis, was not an easy task.

This outstanding growth was handled as demand increased: the emergency prevailed in a situation that did not allow any planning since the needs were already existing.

In the 80’s, “el Consell General de les Valls” and then the Government, understood that this ongoing chaotic growth could not continue. Then came strategic plans ; new population census, White Papers. The best experts were brought in to analyze the situation, and suggest solutions. Unfortunately, most solutions suggested were left unused.

The call for action seemed to be impossible although residents started to question the situation, ponder the issues to which they related directly.

With this move from the citizens and the failure of expert plans – hardly supported by people –, Comú from Escaldes-Engordany initiated, in 1996, a process through which residents were consulted. First, we needed to know how people who lived in the parròquia viewed current issues like cleanliness, lighting, mobility, parks and gardens.

Respondents had to prioritize these issues from 0 to 9, and besides those, other themes of interest were featured to which they were likely to respond. Once all questions and suggestions were reviewed, we drew an action plan to boost the evaluation of most disapproved aspects.

On the same basis, the survey was conducted three times, six month apart, to enable the action plan to provide tangible results. This program triggered a dynamics between citizens and the government that is extremely significant for the Comú, given the fact that getting people involved is usually a challenge. With this in mind, we acknowledged the opportunity to launch a project through which citizens would not only act as mere players. It is at that particular time that we realized citizens were ready to start a project in which they would not only act as simple players but also as enablers and producers.

Thus, in 1998, a project was initiated to bring changes to our growth model, in effect for over thirty years. However, another major issue had yet to be resolved : how to keep the same level of commitment and involvement from citizens throughout the project planned to extend over several years? We have chosen a methodology that comes from a pool of European cities, applied in 1994. This is how the Local Agenda 21 of Escaldes-Engordany started.

But what is it exactly?

 

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