IN-HABIT Bogotá in EcoUrban Forum Bogotá, July 22, 23 y 24, 2024

IN-HABIT Bogotá researchers, Olga Ceballos and Jaime Hernández-Garcia, participated in the EcoUrban forum, organised by sister project euPOLIS, Universidad de Los Andes and RenoBo (Urban Renewal and Urban Development Office of Bogotá); where they made presentations on what IN-HABIT is working on, and shared with researchers from other Horizon 2020 projects.

First day: July 22nd 

The introductory session featured three presentations on the context of progress towards sustainable development and climate action in the city of Bogotá. The Universidad de los Andes opened the event with a presentation on the role of academia in the consolidation of sustainable cities, highlighting the contribution of research in developing strategies to address current challenges and enriching contextualised knowledge. RenoBo gave an account of urban renewal in Bogotá, assessing challenges, progress and results of projects in recent years. The inclusion of Bogotá in the CDP list as one of the leading cities worldwide in environmental action on climate change was highlighted.

The second session dealt with the implementation of Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) to address biodiversity loss and the climate crisis in different environments. Presentations were given by the participating Horizon 2020 projects based in Colombia: euPOLIS, SALURBAL, IN-HABIT, CONEXUS, INTERLACE and URBAN GREEN-UP. Finally, the session concluded with the workshop “Urban Development in Bogotá: NBS to catalyse urban revitalisation processes”, where participants discussed the effects, implementation and participatory processes involved in practical experiences of BDS and well-being in cities.

Second day: July 23rd 

Author: Ingrid Novoa.

The opening session included a live virtual presentation by Stanislava Boskovici on the objectives and methodologies of the euPOLIS Project, followed by Sandra Baki’s presentation on BDS Selection Tools for Urban Environments. The second session, presented by Mikolaj Biesaga, focused on the empowerment of communities and other stakeholders in urban planning processes that include BDS, emphasising the importance of citizen participation from differential approaches. Anja Randjelovic presented on the construction and monitoring of BDS, addressing data collection instruments and technical, social, environmental and governance challenges.

The last session included a practical workshop where participants were able to access the web-based tool for site selection and BNS actions at https://eupolis-nbs-tool.uwmh.eu/. A short virtual presentation on the dissemination strategies of the euPOLIS project was also presented. The Forum’s academic programme closed with a panel on the opportunities and challenges of NBS for urban health and well-being. The panel participants were researchers from some projects, where IN-HABIT researcher Jaime Hernández-Garcia took part.

Third day: July 24th  

Author: Ingrid Novoa.

Two visits were organised to initiatives in Bogotá that promote nature in urban environments, inviting reflection on the impact and potential of NBS. The first visit was to the Aula Ambiental  of the Córdoba wetland, in Suba, where representatives of the aqueduct led a tour with educational activities, interesting facts and bird watching. They also shared the process that has been carried out to be able to offer these tours as a “pilot project” in phase 2 of the wetland. Finally, all participants filled out an evaluation survey about the experience before boarding the bus to go to the next site.

The second visit was to a RenoBo property on street 26 with Caracas avenue, where a representative of the company presented a Temporary Urbanism project in which they collaborated with the Botanical Garden of Bogotá to make an underutilised but strategically located property into a small green oasis within the city. The idea is to house a nursery of more than 2,000 trees on this site, consolidating a benchmark for temporary ways of using land to contribute to the quality and enjoyment of urban spaces. Participants discussed the challenges, replicability and related opportunities, ending with a tour of the nursery.

Conclusions

1. Interdisciplinarity: There is a need to further encourage collaboration between different sectors and disciplines to address urban challenges in a holistic manner.
2. Participation and transparency: Promoting the trust and participation of local communities in the planning and implementation of projects is crucial to ensure appropriate and sustainable solutions, always recognising the trade-offs involved.
3. Adaptive innovation: It is advisable to use innovative tools to adapt BDS to specific local conditions and needs. Although many of these are still under development, they can contribute significantly to the planning and support of BDS proposals.
4. Dissemination and replicability: Disseminating good practices and successful experiences is important to raise awareness of the benefits of NBS in relation to inclusive health and well-being, to encourage the participation of other actors, to promote similar proposals and to improve existing models.
5. Monitoring and evaluation: Implementing monitoring and evaluation systems is necessary to measure the impact of NBS and adjust strategies in a timely manner. Public management plays a decisive role in improving the availability and variety of official data for each city, overcoming the current difficulties in data collection in the local context.