Guyana is significantly behind in the construction of housing, particularly very social housing, which is leading to the growing development of so-called “spontaneous” housing districts, that is to say of self-built housing without titles or rights, with major health, social, economic and environmental consequences. In this context, the Department of the Environment, Planning and Housing (Deal) of Guyana and the Municipality of Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni, commissioned the Groupement Gret / Pact de Guyane / Agir to design responses. innovative, less costly and complementary to existing public policies, to reduce and prevent “spontaneous” urbanization, when population growth is exceptionally high.

The mission, which took place in 2013 and 2014, aimed to:

1) design an innovative test operation (in terms of housing product, development and social support) for the rehousing of inhabitants of two spontaneous and precarious housing sectors

2) produce two pre-operational neighborhood consolidation / improvement plans on two spontaneous housing sectors of around fifteen hectares each.

These three operations were part of a comprehensive, medium-term reflection on the entire municipality of Saint-Laurent du Maroni.

The group produced the 3 pre-operational plans and made proposals for innovations in the areas of administrative and financial arrangements, access to land, social support, the housing product and development solutions. He also provided training for the Municipality’s social urban project management team.

This proposal materialized in particular with the publication of a new prefectural decree on home ownership aid in Guyana published in July 2015: Decree no.2015 212_0004_DEAL of July 31, 2015, relating to the specific conditions for the allocation of government aid. ‘State for very social home ownership in Guyana.

The operation, which has been the subject of studies, has not yet been implemented but a test of this housing product is underway as part of another operation led by the French Guyana Public Planning Agency Epag ) and the PACT in Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni in 2016 on land owned by Epag.

The design of the proposed solutions was based in particular on:

• on an in-depth study of local know-how, dynamic lifestyles and living, listening to and real involvement of residents from the feasibility and design study phase;
• on a set of technical, administrative, financial and land innovations based on a detailed study of regulations and standards and their adaptation.
• on the negotiation and construction of political, social and technical compromises with all the parties concerned.

Expected results:

• 3 pre-operational plans
• training materials for the MOUS team
• Different reflection notes
• a CD with everything that has been produced