November 19th and 20th marked an important milestone in the process of updating Barichara's Territorial Planning Scheme (EOT). On the first day, Claudia Andrea Ramírez, Director of Urban and Territorial Planning, and Catalina Velásquez Parra, a professional from the Sub-Directorate of Technical Assistance and Integrated Urban Operations, both from the Ministry of Housing, City and Territory, visited the site. On the second day, Viviana Ortiz, Advisor to the Minister, joined them.
The purpose of this visit was to learn firsthand about the progress of the community process that has been consolidated through the Barichara 2025 Land Use Plan Citizen Forum, as well as to strengthen collaborative ties between the community, the municipal administration, and the national entities responsible for providing technical support. The Barichara Regenerative Foundation, along with MESETA and various local organizations and leaders, participated in the activities carried out during both days.
Meeting with the community: an open and participatory dialogue
The first activity took place at the San Lorenzo Foundation – Paper Workshop. There, community leaders, residents of the urban and rural areas, and participants in the Citizen Forum shared their experiences, concerns, and perspectives regarding the EOT update process.
In this dialogue, the Ministry representatives listened attentively to the participants' contributions and emphasized the importance of the participatory processes already underway, expressing their appreciation for the collaborative work that has mobilized citizens around fundamental questions about the future of Barichara. They also highlighted the participatory exercise, a pioneering effort in the country, both for its scope and its methodological depth.
Institutional coordination: presentation of the process to the Municipal Administration
On the second day, the Ministry representatives participated in the Dialogue for the Territory session with members of the Municipal Administration. During this session, they reviewed the steps the municipality must take to continue the process of updating the Territorial Planning Scheme.
At this meeting, Natalia Ortiz, Coordinator of the Barichara Regenerative Foundation, and representing MESETA, presented the Citizen Forum process: its objectives, work phases, methodology, participatory foundations, research architecture and achievements.
Through this presentation —based on technical information, community records and territorial analysis— the importance of integrating citizen participation as a key component of the formulation of the new EOT was highlighted.
“Voices of the Territory”: a journey to understand the collective feeling
The visit also included a guided tour of the Voices of the Territory exhibition, an exhibit installed as part of the Citizen Forum, where the results of the Affective Maps built by 25 villages and neighborhoods of Barichara and the township of Guane are displayed, as well as the Living Dreams created by girls, boys and young people from six educational institutions.
During the tour, the Ministry representatives were able to learn about the stories, memories, feelings, and aspirations that emerged from this community process. Each piece of the exhibition—from the Affective Maps that reveal environmental and urban conflicts to the Living Dreams that express the hopes of new generations—allowed for an understanding of the complexity of the territory and the depth of civic engagement.
This approach highlighted the methodology's potential: its capacity to gather valuable qualitative information, promote horizontal dialogue, and generate inputs that complement conventional technical analysis. In this regard, the possibility was raised of replicating this methodology in other municipalities across the country, especially those seeking to strengthen participatory processes at the community level.
A visit that opens up new possibilities
The presence of the Ministry of Housing in Barichara was a significant step toward strengthening co-responsible governance in the updating of the Territorial Planning Scheme (EOT). The dialogue between the community, the municipal administration, and national entities demonstrated a commitment to advancing toward fair and sustainable territorial planning. It also became clear that organized citizens had fully completed their participation phase, contributing rigorous and valuable input that now forms a solid basis for decision-making.
With the community process concluded, the responsibility for ensuring the continued and successful updating of the Territorial Planning Scheme (EOT) now rests with the Municipal Government. The challenge is to transform the collective learning and input provided by the community into actions and decisions that guide the municipality's development, ensuring that the territory—with its history, heritage, and diversity—remains central to future planning.
