The process of the EOT Barichara 2025 Citizen Forum demonstrated that convening and listening to citizens, using appropriate methodologies and an integrative approach —independent of political parties—, allows people to openly express their perceptions, needs and aspirations about the Barichara they dream of for the next twelve years.
The Territorial Planning Scheme (EOT) for Barichara is expected to be updated after a decade of neglect. Although this process could take up to two years, given Barichara's small size, with political will it could move forward more quickly.
According to Colombian regulations (Law 388 of 1997 and Decree 1077 of 2015), the process of an EOT is divided into four main phases: Preparation, Diagnosis, Formulation, Implementation and Monitoring.
The information gathered in the Citizen Forum enriches the Preparation phase, especially the participatory component, by raising public awareness of the importance of contributing their perspective to the update of the plan developed in 2003 and expired in 2015. If the EOT update project is approved during the current administration, it is expected that the contributions gathered through the Forum will be considered in the following phases, thus enabling citizens to actively contribute to the planning of the municipality.
So what's next?
The core team of the Citizen Forum continues working on systematizing all the information gathered. Based on community input regarding the six determinants of the Land Use Plan (EOT), a summary document is being prepared that will compile the proposals and priorities expressed by residents of the rural communities and neighborhoods of Barichara.
This document will be officially delivered to Mayor Milton Chaparro and the Planning Director, Fermín Quintanilla, who —in accordance with the Municipal Development Plan— have the responsibility to lead the updating of the EOT.
The broad citizen participation during the Citizen Forum and the EOT Academic Forum, held on September 21, opened new doors for institutional cooperation. The presence and commitment of officials from the Ministry of Housing, City and Territory, specially invited by the Forum team, have allowed for the initiation of processes for the Ministry to effectively support the Mayor's Office in updating the EOT.
The purpose is clear: that, with the will of the local government and national technical support, the contracting of the updating process can be finalized before the change of administration, allowing Barichara to have a new updated scheme within a maximum period of two years.
As part of this process, on October 4th, the Voices of the Territory meeting was held at La Colombiana – Fundación San Lorenzo, with the people who have led and supported the Forum process. This event provided an opportunity to share progress, clarify the scope of the process, and initiate a collective reflection on the role of citizens in building a territory of well-being. Following this meeting, the exhibition in the Paper Workshop opened to the public and will remain open until the end of October.
With the upcoming publication of the Forum's results—expected before the end of the year—and an increasingly involved community, new lines of community action are beginning to be drawn up that aim to strengthen, through collaboration and commitment, the future of our municipality.
The Barichara 2025 Territorial Planning Scheme Citizen Forum marked a turning point in how we think about and develop the territory. The Barichara Regenerative Foundation celebrates the commitment of rural and urban communities, institutions, collectives, and young people who contributed their voices and visions.
We will continue to support this process with the conviction that a truly vibrant community is born from dialogue, cooperation, and shared responsibility. The future of Barichara is built by all of us: step by step, with deep roots and shared vision.
