Honduras, like many Central American countries, has its share of economic and societal challenges. Among them are high instances of corruption, drug-related violence and an unstable political situation resulting from a 2009 coup. Of course there are no quick fixes to these longstanding problems, and I’m not about to pretend to have figured out a plausible solution. I do know, however, that building cities from scratch will not solve the problems that Honduras is looking to address.

The Honduran government just signed a $15 million agreement to create three private cities, locally known as RED – Regiones Especiales de Desarollo. Construction for the first city is supposed to create 5,000 jobs with 200,000 projected for the future. The cities will establish their own governance model, tax structure, legal system and police force. They will even set their own immigration policies and have the autonomy to engage in international trade agreements. MKG is the United States firm that has been contracted for this project.

The very notion of ‘private cities’ is disturbing, in that cities ought to be owned by the communities who inhabit them, not by foreign entities. Though it can be difficult, I am not naïve in suggesting that a better approach is one that looks to strategically build communities from within. For example, construction on these new cities is slated to begin in six months even though industries for them have yet to be identified. The government would have more to gain by conducting an assessment of current cities to identify regions that could support economic growth. Afterwards, it could consider which industries would be best suited to meet the needs of those populations. Since there is no indication of how residents will be acquired or what their needs will be, it seems counterintuitive to build in pure hope that the right people come (or be recruited).

Additionally, it is problematic that these private cities are being herald by the Honduran government as a public-private partnership. In an earlier piece, I commented on the elements necessary to maximize the potential that public-private relationships are capable of. Having a solid institutional structure – one that is already in existence – is key to upholding this type of partnership. If an external company is establishing all of the laws and institutions, outside of a grounded context no less, it remains to be seen to whom these cities will be accountable to exactly and what safeguards will be in place to limit their influence.

The blatant disregard for existing cities, at the moment, sends a troubling sign that Honduran national leaders are not willing to uplift struggling communities and one cannot help but wonder if present cities will languish indefinitely while additional private cities are proposed. The government should take an active stance in rebuilding current communities while these three private cities are being built.

If these cuidades modelos are not integrated with the rest of the country, it is unclear how this initiative will improve Honduras in its entirety and spur much needed economic growth.

As originally featured in the Urban Times.

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