Inception report

URBAN DEVELOPMENT
(Focused on Land Readjustment Measure)
(JFY 2010)
INCEPTION REPORT

Name: ANA CECILIA ARBELÁEZ ARBOLEDA
Organization: METROPOLITAN AREA OF THE ABURRÁ VALLEY[1]
Country: COLOMBIA.

General description of the organization Metropolitan Area of the Aburrá Valley

The Aburrá Valley is located in the central region of Antioquia department, Colombia (South America).[pic]

Figure 1 Metropolitan Area of Aburrá Valley, located in national context.
Ref www.metropol.gov.co

The Aburrá Valley is conformed by ten municipalities: Barbosa, Girardota, Copacabana, Bello, Envigado, Sabaneta, Itagüí, La Estrella, Caldas and Medellín, the Antioquia department capital. This region integrates a territory with an extension of 1152 square kilometers, andconcentrates the 95% of the department industry, has a population of more than 3 million of inhabitants – half of the Antioquia department population. The region is the second more populated urban area in Colombia; the first one is Bogotá, the country capital[2].

Due to its close relationships of physical and socio-economical order, the regional management must be articulated and focus on integraldevelopment; this task is carried out by the Metropolitan Area of the Aburrá Valley, an entity conformed by the municipalities mentioned above less Envigado Municipality; the organization is a public entity of administrative type, that works in order to manage the articulated and comprehensive development of the municipalities that are under their jurisdiction.

The Metropolitan Area of the AburráValley is based on the principle of association and interdependence of the associated municipalities, from the acknowledgement of the metropolitan phenomenon that claims the integrated, articulated and coordinated administration of the metropolitan issues[3], that prevail over the local jurisdiction, with solutions of consensus that allow to answer the needs of the region and its municipalities.The chart organization of the Metropolitan Area of the Aburrá Valley is drawn in the figure 2. The roles and responsibilities are described below:

Metropolitan Board
The Metropolitan Board, the Metropolitan Mayor[4] and the Director of the Metropolitan Area are, as defined by law, administrative authorities of the institution. The Board consists of the Mayor of Medellin[5], who presidesit, and the mayors of other municipalities associated, a representative of Council of Medellin and one of the other municipal councils, and the Governor of the Antioquia department or his delegate.

General Director
The functions of the Direction of the Metropolitan Area of the Aburrá Valley are aimed at:

• Ensure the implementation of the Comprehensive Metropolitan Development Plan[6].• Command the Metropolitan Area administrative action subject to the law and metropolitan arrangements.
• Propose to the Metropolitan Board the agreements relating to the Comprehensive Metropolitan Development Plan, the organization investment plan and budget, and metropolitan issues
• Convene regular or special sessions of the Metropolitan Boards

General Secretary
The GeneralSecretary functions are designed primarily to:
• Provide information and legal assistance.
• Provide appropriate legal representation in all cases where the entity to be involved.
• Conduct effective legal management of the entity relationship with other governmental and nongovernmental organizations.
• Keep a proactive action before the National Congress and other publiccorporations and projects that are of the Institution’s interest.

Office of Internal Oversight

The functions of Office of Internal Oversight are designed primarily to:
• Coordinate the internal control system of the organization.
• Identify and implement the quality organization standards
• Contribute to the existence and implementation of management indicators.
• Ensure that...