In Bogotá, 1,657 illegal neighborhoods have been legalized, most of them in strata one and two

Many citizens of Bogotá dream of having their own roof, which has been the main reason for the creation of illegal urbanizations. It is also one of the cities in Latin America that has experienced very rapid urban growth in recent years, however, part of that growth has been done unplanned and informally through human settlements.

In the city, an organization is being made with Decree 555 of 2021, of the Territorial Planning Plan (POT), which categorizes, orders and classifies Bogotá's rurality into four parts, according to its geography and natural, social, economic and functional resources.

The District, through the subdirectorate of neighborhoods of the Secretariat of Habitat, has within its functions the legalization and regularization of neighborhoods in the city. With legalization, the District Administration recognizes, the existence of a human settlement consisting of social housing or a territory that developed informally to then approve the plot plans and issue urban regulations, this brings benefits to its inhabitants such as access to public services and tracks.

In the case of regularization, it is used to make the necessary urban adjustments in the neighborhoods of informal origin that were legalized, but which over the years, these neighborhoods have changed their areas of public space, making it difficult to access comprehensive neighborhood improvement programs, as well as inconvenience in carrying out urban planning procedures, such as building licenses.

According to the District Administration, in general between urban and rural areas, 1,657 illegal dwellings have now been legalized, which have the right to public services. In total there are 7,546 hectares, with 424,859 lots, most of them strata one and two.

The localities with the most legalizations were Bosa with 303, Suba with 255 and Usme with 183. In addition, 51 neighborhoods have been legalized in the Cerros, which were in the area of adaptation, distributed in Usaquén 19, San Cristobal 17, Chapinero 5, Santa Fe 5 and Usme 5.

The other 435 neighborhoods were incorporated into the urban perimeter, through urban legalization. In Bosa, there were 150; in Usme, 92; in Ciudad Bolivar, 61; in Kennedy, 54; in Suba, 36; in Usaquén, 10; in Engativá, 10; in Chapinero, 9; in Fontibon, 9; in San Cristobal, 8; Santa Fe, 3, and in Rafael Uribe, 1.

“Recognition of the existence of human settlements constituted by housing, in order to approve urban plans and issue urban regulations. The legalization of settlements implies incorporation into the urban perimeter and services, where appropriate, and the urban regularization of human settlement, without contemplating the legalization of property rights in favor of potential holders,” indicated the Habitat Secretariat.

What is the process to legalize a neighborhood in the city?

The requirements for a settlement to be legalized are as follows:

• To be consolidated urbanistically, that is, that they have an urban structure with existing roads and occupied lots, built.

• Consist of social housing located in strata 1 and 2.

• Not to be located in the categories of main ecological structure, protective soil, reserve areas for the construction of utility infrastructure, areas affected by general development and operation.