ASOCIACIÓN VECINAL UNIÓN Y ESPERANZA

AVUE is a Neighbourhood Association created in 2015 in the Las Palmeras neighbourhood. The Association was created by local inhabitants as a bottom-up reaction to the existing marginalisation situation. Las Palmeras is one of the most marginal neighbourhoods in Cordoba which has been excluded from Cordoba's growth and development path. The neighbourhood is characterised by segregation and disconnection, high dependence on social subsidies (low rent social housing, social canteens), unstructured families and gender violence, absence of role models, failure of educational models, and other delinquency problems.

AVUE members are local people rooted in Las Palmeras, aware of the disadvantages they face but fully convinced that they can play a role in the future of their neighbourhood. Since its creation, AVUE has been very active in promoting the involvement of different institutions and organisations in the cultural and socio-economic re-activation of the neighbourhood. As a result of this approach, in 2017 they gathered a good number of civic organisations to support them in the elaboration of Las Palmeras Integrated Action Plan, in which local people expressed their views on how to address the problems they face.

The action plan has been presented to local and regional authorities and also to local institutions such as the Universidad de Córdoba (UCO). Since the beginning, UCO has committed itself to supporting this plan and several initiatives have already been launched in this respect. The social and economic wellbeing of Las Palmeras’s inhabitants is now part of the IN-HABIT project and of the UCO’s strategy to support the inclusive and integrated development of the city of Cordoba.

Based on the integrated action plan, different visionary and integrated solutions (VIS) will be co-designed and co-deployed in Las Palmeras with the involvement of local inhabitants, the wider group of stakeholders and the general public, as essential actors in IN-HABIT implementation and performance. AVUE members are fully committed to being part of the project and taking actions towards an inclusive health and wellbeing model in the neighbourhood. There are huge expectations regarding the changes and opportunities that IN-HABIT could bring to this neglected neighbourhood. On its side, UCO commits to supporting AVUE with all language, management and information problems that may arise, since local knowledge and embeddedness are key aspects for the successful fulfilment of IN-HABIT's objective of promoting inclusive health and wellbeing in the neighbourhood.

AVUE will mainly be involved in WP1 on Sustainable mobility and creative square in Cordoba.