Urban functions in rural development : the case of the Potosi region in Bolivia; part II : preliminary evaluation

pilot project to test an urban-based model of regional development planning is herein presented. The study begins by describing Bolivia"s regional planning system - and its lack of coordination and of spatial planning - and the agencies involved. Next, a model of the planning process used in Potosi (data collection, problem analysis, plan-making, and project implementation and evaluation) is discussed and the impact, or lack of it, of the project"s approach on each of these elements described and exemplified. In light of the Potosi experience, the evolution of the project"s basic methodology is reviewed and recommendations to improve it proposed. Issues involved in replicating the project approach elsewhere (the region involved, institutional framework, the scope of work to be undertaken, available resources, and external support) are then discussed. A summary of the project"s main impact in Potosi - the shifts of emphases from public works to productive projects and from a purely sectoral to a more spatial approach to planning - and recommendations for follow-up USAID/Bolivia action conclude the report. An analysis of the use of a model based on accessibility to urban functions for evaluating project proposals - one of the key innovations of the Potosi project - is appended.