Change by Activism: Insurgency, Autonomy, and Political Activism in Potosí-Jerusalén, Bogotá, Colombia

Cities today face a context in which traditional politics and policies struggle to cope with increasing urbanisation rates and growing inequalities. Meanwhile, social movements and political activists are rising up and inhabiting urban spaces as sites of contestation. However, through their practices, urban activists do more than just occupy spaces; they are fundamental drivers of urban transformation as they constantly face - and contest - spatial manifestations of power. This article aims to contribute to ongoing discussions on the role of activism in the field of urban design, by engaging with two concepts coming from the Global South: insurgency and autonomy. Through a historical account of the building of the Potosí-Jerusalén neighbourhood in Bogotá in the 1980s, it illustrates how both concepts can provide new insight into urban change by activism. On the one hand, the concept of insurgency helps unpack a mode of bottom-up action that inaugurates political spaces of contestation with the state; autonomy, on the other hand, helps reveal the complex nature of political action and the visions of urban transformation it entails. Although they were developed at the margins of conventional design theory and practice, both concepts are instrumental in advancing our understanding of how cities are shaped by activist practices. Thus, this article is part of a broader effort to (re)locate political activism in discussions about urban transformation, and rethink activism as a form of urban design practice

The production of space through practices of self-reliance: the spatiality of refugee integration in Berlin after the 2015 refugee crisis

The dramatic increase in the number of asylum seekers arriving in Europe since 2012 has generated a humanitarian challenge for both national and local governments, as their displacement is slowly becoming protracted. This has generated a transition from an emergency response, to new policies, programmes and projects that aim for the integration of refugees in cities. Within this context, Berlin is celebrated as a case of innovation in strategies for hosting refugees; an innovation that comes in contrast to refugee protests and contestation in different sites in the city.This paper will explore processes of refugee integration in Berlin, arguing that refugee self-reliance (whether practiced or enacted) is producing spaces of integration in the city. To do so, it will bring theories on space developed by Henri Lefebvre and Jacques Rancière to discussions on self-reliance and integration drawn from literature on sociology, cultural studies, humanitarian action and political science. A theoretical framework built from this will guide the analysis of two specific sites in the city where spaces of integration are being produced: the Tempelhof and Oranienplatz. As a conclusion, policy implications will be outlined to suggest that self-reliance should be understood as a spatial practice that produces different types of spaces of integration in the city. It is hoped that bringing space to the discussion on refugee integration and self-reliance might contribute to on-going debates on these topics. Furthermore, in a broader context, this aims to build on the argument that space is both a product and a precondition of society

The production of space through practices of self-reliance: the spatiality of refugee integration in Berlin after the 2015 refugee crisis

The dramatic increase in the number of asylum seekers arriving in Europe since 2012 has generated a humanitarian challenge for both national and local governments, as their displacement is slowly becoming protracted. This has generated a transition from an emergency response, to new policies, programmes and projects that aim for the integration of refugees in cities. Within this context, Berlin is celebrated as a case of innovation in strategies for hosting refugees; an innovation that comes in contrast to refugee protests and contestation in different sites in the city.This paper will explore processes of refugee integration in Berlin, arguing that refugee self-reliance (whether practiced or enacted) is producing spaces of integration in the city. To do so, it will bring theories on space developed by Henri Lefebvre and Jacques Rancière to discussions on self-reliance and integration drawn from literature on sociology, cultural studies, humanitarian action and political science. A theoretical framework built from this will guide the analysis of two specific sites in the city where spaces of integration are being produced: the Tempelhof and Oranienplatz. As a conclusion, policy implications will be outlined to suggest that self-reliance should be understood as a spatial practice that produces different types of spaces of integration in the city. It is hoped that bringing space to the discussion on refugee integration and self-reliance might contribute to on-going debates on these topics. Furthermore, in a broader context, this aims to build on the argument that space is both a product and a precondition of society

Implementing the contextual safeguarding approach: a study in one local authority

Purpose This study aims to explore how local authority child and family practitioners understood and implement the contextual safeguarding approach focusing, in particular, on what practitioners felt supported and hindered implementation. Design/methodology/approach This qualitative study drew upon semi-structured interviews and focus groups to explore the perspectives of 18 frontline workers, team managers and senior managers in a London authority. The transcribed accounts were analysed using thematic analysis. Findings Participants reported that the strain on services because of sustained budget cuts was overwhelming, even without the additional challenge of implementing this new approach. Further challenges in relation to implementation included parental-capacity focused legislation and conflicting perspectives between stakeholders. This study recommends that proper funding must be committed to safeguarding partnerships if contextual safeguarding is to be successfully implemented. Additionally, child protection practitioners should aim to develop a collaborative and child-welfare focused network of community agencies and organisations if young people are to be safeguarded in their communities. Research limitations/implications As the sample required specialist knowledge to participate in this study, this study cannot claim that the findings are generalisable to all social workers. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first external evaluation of the implementation of the contextual safeguarding approach in a local authority independent of the contextual safeguarding team at the University of Bedfordshire since the evaluation of Hackney

How are policies implemented in children's services? Developing an initial programme theory to evaluate the implementation of the new Child Sexual Exploitation guidance in Wales

Although children's social care is an area rich in guidance, there is very little research looking at the implementation of new policies in the United Kingdom. In this article, we report on the first stage of a realist evaluation of the implementation of the new Safeguarding Children from Child Sexual Exploitation guidance in Wales. We discuss the development of an initial programme theory, for which we conducted semi-structured interviews with practitioners and managers in three local authorities. We developed programme theories across three areas: policy nature and development, implementation plans and organizational context. Findings suggest that, for policies to produce a significant impact on practice, they need to be sufficiently different to social workers' current perceptions of practice. Second, we found that the coordination between national and local policies is critical for successful implementation as contradictions between them might lead to confusion in what local teams should prioritize. Finally, our findings highlight the importance of effective communication of policy changes, as well as a supportive organizational culture to strengthen implementation in local contexts. These findings illustrate the complexity of policy implementation and the need for policymakers to consider the meaningful involvement of local practitioners in national policy development

A Phytochemical Analysis of Espeletia nana Cuatrec. a Midget Espeletiinae from Paramo Ortiz, Venezuela

Espeletia nana Cuatrec is a resinous plant, member of the Espeletiinae Subtribe. It is a small size frailejón, 25cm high, found at Páramo Ortiz, Trujillo State, Venezuela. Leaves and roots were separately extracted with a 3:1 mixture of hexane-diethyl ether. Aliquotes of the acidic fractions were methylated and inspected by GC-MS. It was found that the resin from the leaves contained kaurenic acid (1a, 34.6%), grandiflorenic acid (2a, 40.1%), 15-ent-acetoxy-kaur-16-en-19-oic acid (3a, 8%), and 15-hidroxy- ent-kaur-16-en-19-oic acid (3a, 13%). The roots acid fraction contained 38% 1a, 39,6% 2b, 8.5% 3a, and 13.9% 4a. The GC-MS analysis of the leaves neutral fraction yielded 43% kaurenal (5), 3% kaurenol (6), 13% ruilopeziol (7a), 7% epi-ruilopeziol, 25% of nonacontane and 8% of entriacontane. On the other hand the roots resin contained 88%, 5.7% of 6, 2.5% 7a, 1.0% 7b, but only 1.5% of waxes. The bulk extracts were submitted to flash chromatography, leading to the isolation of pure kaurenes which were identified by direct comparison with authentic samples

Characteristics of newborns with necrotizing enterocolitis in a third-level university hospital in Colombia

Introducción: La enterocolitis necrotizante (ECN) es, de todas las afecciones quirúrgicas del período neonatal, la de mayor mortalidad, siendo la causa más frecuente de alteración del tracto gastrointestinal severa en unidades de cuidados intensivos neonatales y una emergencia médico-quirúrgica en la cual el diagnóstico precoz y el tratamiento oportuno pueden disminuir la necesidad de cirugía y la letalidad. Objetivo: Describir las características de los pacientes con enterocolitis necrotizante atendidos durante el año 2006 en una unidad de cuidado intensivo neonatal de un hospital nivel III de la ciudad de Cali. Materiales y métodos: Se realizó un estudio descriptivo piloto retrospectivo donde se incluyeron 32 historias clínicas de neonatos con ECN quienes llegaron a Cuidados Intensivos de Recién Nacidos (CIRENA) del Hospital Universitario del Valle (HUV) con este diagnóstico o desarrollaron la enfermedad durante su estancia en la unidad. Finalmente, se realizó un análisis descriptivo utilizando el paquete estadístico Epi-Info. Resultados: En el año 2006 ingresaron a CIRENA del HUV 1555 neonatos, de los cuales 32 (2%) desarrollaron enterocolitis necrotizante, porcentaje que es similar al registrado en otros países; la mitad tenía un peso menor a 1500 gramos y solo 3 gestantes tuvieron adecuado control prenatal. Fueron diagnosticados con ECN, 17 (53.1%) de sexo femenino y 15 (46.9%) de sexo masculino. Conclusión: A pesar de que la mayoría de casos de ECN se presentan en niños prematuros y/o de muy bajo peso al nacer, se encontró en este estudio un número importante de casos en recién nacidos a término tanto por edad gestacional como por peso que desarrollaron ECN temprana. Existe una relación visible entre el bajo peso al nacer, la prematurez y el desarrollo de ECN, sobre todo en los grados más avanzados de esta enfermedad, en los que la tendencia es el desarrollo de la fase tardía. Introduction: Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is, over all newborn surgical afflictions, the most deathly, representing the main GI problem in neonatal intensive care units (NICU) and a medical/surgical emergency in which early diagnosis and opportune treatment may diminish surgical needs and mortality. Objective: To describe the features of patients with NEC attended at a third-level hospital NICU in the city of Cali in 2006. Method and materials: We conducted a pilot descriptive retrospective study that included 32 clinical records of newborns in the NICU (named CIRENA) from the Hospital Universitario del Valle (HUV) with NEC diagnosis. Finally, we made a descriptive analysis of the data by using the Epi-Info statistics program. Results: In 2006, 1555 newborns were admitted to HUV-CIRENA and 32 (2%) of them were diagnosed with NEC, a percentage that is similar to that of other countries; half of which weighed less than 1500 grams and only three pregnant women had adequate prenatal care, 17(53.1%) of these newborns were female and 15(46.9%) were male. Conclusions: Although the majority of NEC cases occurs in premature and/or very low weight children, it is outstanding the number of full-term newborns, either on gestational age and weight, that developed early NEC. There is a visible relationship among low birth weight, prematurity, and the development of NEC, especially in the higher degrees of the disease, where the tendency is the presentation of late NEC