Metropolitan Lineal Park

1. General information

Location and description of the intervention

City or FUA

La Paz (FUA)

Region

Latin America and the Caribbean

Native title of the NBS intervention

Parque Lineal Metropolitano

Short description of the intervention

The Metropolitan Linear Park is a project initiated by the national government of Bolivia, funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) (1-8). The proposed park will be located along a disused railway corridor between the cities of La Paz and El Alto, spanning 18.2 km (8, p. 8). The project involves the construction of a linear park, divided into five sections, each with distinct objectives, uses, and designs (8, p. 9). This large-scale initiative aims to improve access to public spaces in La Paz and El Alto, enhance connectivity between the two cities, protect surrounding biodiversity and natural spaces, and strengthen resilience to and mitigate the effects of climate change (3 & 8, pp. 11-12).
To achieve these goals, the project design includes outdoor sports and recreational facilities, pedestrian and cycling circuits, as well as the restoration of parks, squares, and public spaces adjacent to the park corridor (8, p. 9). Some features include balcony corridors, flower and food-producing urban gardens, and viewpoints (5). The project also plans for the re-vegetation of the area with native species and aims to stop the environmental degradation of surrounding natural environments, such as the Pura Pura forest, which has been suffering from ongoing deforestation and waste dumping (8, p. 9). These efforts are expected to increase and support biodiversity in the area (7 & 8, p. 12).
Additionally, the project emphasizes social inclusion, with policies designed to incorporate women, indigenous populations, and persons with disabilities (8, pp. 7-8). The park is intended to raise awareness about climate change and biodiversity, ultimately improving the quality of life and health of nearby residents and the citizens of La Paz and El Alto (8, p. 13).

Website of the intervention

https://www.iadb.org/es/proyecto/BO-L1212

Principal problems

Climate-Related Hazards

Heat stress & Extreme temperatures

Forest fires and wildfires

Landslides & mudslides

Environmental Degradation

Biodiversity loss

Deforestation and forest degradation

Soil degradation and loss

Air pollution

Land use and Socio-economic change

Rapid urbanization

Unequal availability and access to public green spaces

Health, Well-being and Social cohesion

Physical health harm (from pollution, wildfire, extreme temperature)

Inadequate access to recreational opportunities

Social fragmentation and isolation

Insecurity in public spaces

Other

Please specify other principal problem

-Gargabe dumbing, lack of waste management (8, p.5).

Implementation area characterization

Climate

Temperate ( Humid subtropical, Hot-summer Mediterranean, Warm-summer Mediterranean, Warm-temperate with dry winter)

Ecosystem

Mountain grasslands

Urban or built environment

Address

La Paz-El Alto
Bolivia

Location

The NBS is situated in an area, with clear delineation of boundaries and a specific shape (polygon). The NBS project can also have more than one area location (more than one polygon, situated close by).

Area boundary (map-based)

NBS area image

Source of NBS area image

Webpage: https://oficinaurbana.com.ar/project/parque-lineal-metropolitano-la-paz-el-alto-bolivia/

NBS area

350000.00m²

Area description

Urban (main city)

Other urban area outside city center (e.g. another municipality in the FUA, commuting zone)

Periurban (both urban and rural environments are present)

Type of area before implementation of the NBS

Roads / Roadsides

Vacant or abandoned land

Mixed-use development (combination of residential, commercial, and/or industrial)

Other

Please specify “other type of area” before implementation of the NBS

Abandoned railways (8, p. 8).

Timeline of intervention

Start date of the intervention (planning process)

2024

Start date of intervention (implementation process)

2024

End date of the intervention

2025

Present stage of the intervention

Ongoing

2. Objectives of the intervention

Objectives of the intervention

Goals of the intervention

To improve access to quality public spaces and sustainable connectivity between La Paz and El Alto (3 & 8, p. 11).
To promote the conservation of important natural environments for strengthening resilience and mitigating climate change in the area and control dump-wasting (1 & 3 & 4 & 8, p. 11).
To build capabilities for future park management, operating through a gender and diversity approach (8, p. 12).
To promote leisure and recreational activities to improve the health of local residents and citizens of the area (8, p. 8).
To improve social integration, cohesion and interaction by promoting greater urban equity (8, p. 8).
To foster healthier lifestyles through pedestrian and bike circuits, which are also expected to reduce emissions (8, p. 5).
To introduce vegetation that sequesters carbon, prevents landslides, floods, improves biodiversity (re-vegetation of the area with native species) , provides cleaner air, and enhances soil conditions damaged by environmental degradation (8, p. 3).
To educate and monitor flora and fauna through the construction of observation and education nodes (8, p. 12).
To create a new tourist attraction point (8)

Key Priorities

Climate action (adaptation and/or mitigation)

Biodiversity (conservation and/or restoration)

Social Justice and community

Sustainability challenge(s) addressed

Climate action for adaptation, resilience and mitigation (SDG 13)

Climate change adaptation

Climate change mitigation

Environmental quality

Air quality improvement

Soil quality improvement

Waste management

Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)

Green space creation and/or management

Habitat and biodiversity restoration

Habitat and biodiversity conservation

Regeneration, land-use and urban development

Promote natural styles of landscape design for urban development

Water management (SDG 6)

Flood protection

Health and well-being (SDG 3)

Creation of opportunities for recreation

Enabling opportunities for physical activity

Improving physical health

Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)

Social cohesion

Social justice and equity

Social interaction

Environmental education

Economic development and employment (SDG 8)

Tourism support

Climate change adaptation: What activities are implemented to realize the conservation goals and targets?

Implement measures that prevent/manage desertification, soil erosion and landslides

Reducing socio-economic vulnerability to climate impacts (e.g. awareness raising)

Climate change mitigation: What activities are implemented to realize the conservation goals and targets?

Increase the availability of green urban space for carbon storage (street tree cover)

Raise public awareness of behaviours, lifestyle and cultural changes with mitigation potential

Habitats and biodiversity conservation: What types of conservation goals are / were defined for the NBS intervention?

Ecosystem-focused

Habitats and biodiversity conservation: What activities are implemented to realize the conservation goals and targets?

Protect and enhance urban habitats

Preserve and strengthen existing habitats and ecosystems

Promote environmentally-sound development in and around protected areas

Preserve and strengthen habitat connectivity

Reduce negative impacts and avoid the alteration/damage of ecosystem

Protect species

Undertake specific measures to protect native species

Means for conservation governance

Raise public awareness

Public engagement

Capacity building

What types of restoration goals are / were defined for the NBS intervention?

Species-focused

What activities are implemented to realize the restoration goals and targets?

Restore native species

Implementation activities and NBS focus

Implementation activities

The project includes the construction and environmental and technical supervision of an 18.2 km linear park, designed to implement climate resilience criteria and solutions (8, p. 12). It will also involve the development of recreational and sports facilities, 21 viewpoints, rest areas, pedestrian and bike circuits, and security infrastructure (1 & 8). Additionally, the project aims to recover existing squares, parks, and public spaces adjacent to the urban corridor (8). Regarding existing green areas, the project plans to halt the environmental degradation of nearby natural areas like the Pura Pura forest, which has been impacted by continuous deforestation and waste dumping (8, p. 9).
A key focus is the prioritization and planting of native vegetation to support urban biodiversity, along with the incorporation of innovative green solutions (8). The project will also include the construction of plant nurseries, irrigation systems, artificial wetlands and ponds, and urban vegetable gardens (8).
Furthermore, monitoring and educational infrastructure will be built to study and educate the public on the flora and fauna of the area (8). The initiative also emphasizes building capacity for future park managers, with a focus on social management and integration, biodiversity conservation, climate resilience, and action (8).

Type of NBS project

Creation of new green areas

Creation of green corridors (including connectivity between urban and rural ecosystems)

Creation of large parks and urban and peri-urban forests

Creation of areas for food production (community gardens, allotments)

Ecological restoration of ecosystems

Soil remediation and revegetation

Remediation activities of sites with very poor environmental quality

Ecological restoration of existing green spaces

Protection of natural ecosystems

Habitat restoration

Habitat conservation

Transformation of previously derelict areas

Transformation of vacant land into green spaces

Knowledge creation and awareness raising

Educational and awareness raising programs

Improved governance of green or blue areas

Introduction of NBS governance practices involving marginalised groups

Monitoring and maintenance of habitats and/or biodiversity

Species-specific monitoring and conservation programs

3. NBS domains, ES and scale

NBS domain and interventions

Ecological domain(s) where the NBS intervention(s) is/are implemented

Community gardens and allotments

Community gardens

Parks and urban forests

Large urban parks or forests

Green corridors and green belts

Amenities offered by the NBS

Benches and drinking water stations

Playgrounds

Sports areas and equipment

Educational and research amenities (nature protection centre, monitoring stations)

Viewing and outlook points

Design elements for well-being

Visual elements (e.g., expansive views, scenic views, natural light, diverse vegetation)

Olfactory elements (e.g., floral scents, earthy smells)

Services

Expected ecosystem services delivered

Provisioning services

Food for human consumption (crops, vegetables)

Regulating services

Air quality regulation

Carbon storage/sequestration

Habitat and supporting services

Habitats for species

Cultural services

Tourism

Mental and physical health and wellbeing

Intellectual interactions (scientific and / or educational)

Social and community interactions

Scale

Spatial scale

Meso-scale: Regional, metropolitan and urban level

Beneficiaries

Demographics in implementation area

La Paz has 956, 732 inhabitants (10, p.6). "The incidence of poverty in the municipio of La Paz is 33.8%" (8, p. 7). "The municipio has an employment rate of 57% (63% men and 51.6% women) and an inactivity rate of 41%" (35.2% men and 46.4% women)" (8, p. 7)." In the municipio of La Paz, 28% of the population has a sense of belonging to the Aymara people and maintains its traditional worldview" (8, p. 12). El Alto has a population of 1,109, 148 inhabitants (10, p.6). In El Alto, 60, 3 % of the population is less than 30 years old (9, p.2).

The project report identifies 177,463 residents directly benefiting from the project but no further data on them is presented (8, p. 13).

Socio-economic profile of the area

Unknown

Communities vulnerable to environmental hazards or climate change impacts

Unknown

Primary Beneficiaries

Citizens or community groups

Marginalized groups

Specify primary beneficiaries

-Citizens or community groups: "The direct beneficiaries of the operation will be the 177,463 residents, and the indirect beneficiaries will be the inhabitants of La Paz and El Alto" (8, p. 13).
-Marginalized groups: "this system of public spaces will help promote leisure activities, recreation, and the health of the people of La Paz and El Alto,49 as well as social integration with greater urban equity, especially targeting women, children, older adults, and persons with disabilities" (8, p. 8 & 9).

Marginalized groups

Children, young people or youth groups

Women

People with functional diversities

Indigenous communities

Measures for inclusion of marginalised groups

One of the components of the project establishes financing for the strenghtening of the management capacities of the park with a gender and diversity approach, such a "strategic plan to manage and operate with a focus on social engagement and integration (...) gender and diversity activities (8, p. 12).
More concretely: This operation will integrate gender and diversity issues when implementing: (i) a linear park program for La Paz and El Alto, “Safe Public Space Free of Violence against Women and Girls”; (ii) a program for the Indigenous population living in La Paz and El Alto benefiting from cultural and productive entrepreneurship initiatives, prioritizing women and youth in the Espacio Público del Parque Lineal (Linear Park Public Space) for La Paz and El Alto; and (iii) a linear park program for La Paz and El Alto with universal accessibility for persons with disabilities" (8, p. 8).

Specify measures taken for vulnerable or marginalized communities

Implementation of specific programs to address the needs of these communities

Other beneficiaries

Local wildlife (e.g., birds, pollinators)

Native plant vegetation

Natural habitats (e.g. wetland, forests, coastal areas)

Ecosystem services (e.g. improved air quality, water purification)

Public health (e.g. increased physical activity opportunities, reduced stress)

4. Governance and financing

Governance

Governance arrangements

Government-led

Please specify the roles of the specific government and non-government actor groups involved in the initiative

The national government of Bolivia planned and announced the project that will be implemented with the support of the 2 local municipalities, La Paz and El Alto (1 & 11). A public consultation was carried out for stakeholder participation in 22 September 2023 and it was reported that the project had the acceptance of the interest groups (8, p. 18). The project received fundings from the the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), who also prepared reports related to the project and showed the financial and technical documents related to it (3 & 8). The national government also announced the licitation of the project for private companies to overlook and implement the project (12).

Key actors - initiating organization

National government

Key actors - Other stakeholders involved (besides initiating actors)

Local government/municipality

Private sector/corporate actor/company

Financial institution

Stages of citizen and community engagement

Planning and design (e.g. site selection, identification of key priorities)

Level of citizen and community engagement

Moderate

Community empowerment or capacity-building initiatives

Support of local entrepreneurs or small business development related to the project

Participatory methods/forms of stakeholder involvement (all stakeholders)

Co-planning (e.g. stakeholder workshops, focus groups, participatory mapping)

Dissemination of information and education

Consultation (e.g. workshop, surveys, community meetings, town halls)

Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)

Uncommon actors ("Missing actors")

Unknown

Land owners

Public space owned by the city

Policy drivers

NBS intervention implemented in response to a Regional Directive/Strategy

Yes

Please specify the "Regional Directive/Strategy"

World Health Organisation standard of 10 m2 of green space per inhabitant (8, p. 2). Sustainable Development Goals (8, p. 2).

NBS intervention implemented in response to a national regulations/strategy/plan

Yes

Please specify the national regulations/strategy/plan

National Determined Contribution updated for 2021-2030 of Bolivia (8, p. 6).

If there is a relevant strategy or plan, please specify the theme/type of the plan

Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC)

NBS intervention implemented in response to a local regulation/strategy/plan

Yes

Please specify the "local regulation/strategy/plan"

Plan Territorial de Desarrollo Integral para Vivir Bien del Municipio de La Paz 2021-2025 (Land-use Plan for Comprehensive Development for Living Well in the Municipio of La Paz 2021-2025). (8, p. 3).

Relevant strategy or plan

General municipal plan

Mandatory or voluntary intervention

Mandatory (based on policy)

Intervention is mandatory

Spatial planning guidance

Environmental regulation

Enablers & Barriers

Type of enablers

Governance innovations (such as public private partnerships)

Support from transitional governance actors

Please provide details (e.g, name of the plan or strategy) for the selected policies or initiatives.

Governance innovation: The national government also announced the licitation of the project for private companies to overlook and implement the project (12).
Support from transnational actors: the project received fundings from the the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), who also prepared reports related to the project and showed the financial and technical documents related to it (3 & 8).

Governace and decison-making instruments

Legislative and regulatory instruments (e.g. laws, strategies, regulations or restrictions)

Strategic instruments (e.g. GI strategies, green space strategy or plans)

Standards, certifications or guidelines (e.g. standards for accessible green space; biodiversity standards)

Economic and fiscal instruments (e.g. subsidies or grants, charges or fees, payments for ecosystem services (PES))

Public - private business agreement (e.g. public private collaborations, public-private-partnerships (PPP))

Arrangements for governance cooperation

Information-sharing platforms or networks (e.g. websites for sharing best practices, data or resources pertinent to the project)

Capacity-building initiatives for governance actors (e.g. training workshops for local government officials/ community leaders)

Performance monitoring and evaluation frameworks (e.g. adoption of KPIs, or establishment or monitoring and evaluation processes)

Barriers

Unknown.

Financing

Total cost

More than €4,000,000

Please specify total cost (EUR)

27,251,174.07 (3).

What is/was the Cost/Budget (EUR) of the NBS or green infrastructure elements?

Unknown.

Source(s) of funding

Public national budget

Multilateral funds/international funding

Type of fund(s) used

Earmarked public budget

Loan

Non-financial contribution

Co-finance for NBS

Yes

Co-governance arrangement

A fund / grant

Entrepreneurship opportunities

Unknown

Business models

Risk reduction model

Green densification model

Which of the involved actors was motivated by this model?

Public actor (e.g. municipality)

5. Evaluation and learning

Impacts, benefits

Environmental impacts

Climate change

Strengthened capacity to address climate hazards/natural disasters

Expected strengthened capacity to address climate hazards/natural disasters

Enhanced carbon sequestration

Expected enhanced carbon sequestration

Reduced emissions

Expected reduced emissions

Environmental quality

Improved air quality

Expected improved air quality

Improved waste management

Expected improved waste management

Improved soil quality

Expected improved soil quality

Water management and blue areas

Improved water quality

Expected improved water quality

Increased protection against flooding

Expected increased protection against flooding

Green space and habitat

Increased green space area

Expected increased green space area

Increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems

Expected increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems

Increased ecological connectivity across regeneration sites and scales

Expected increased ecological connectivity across regeneration sites and scales

Increased conversion of degraded land or soil

Expected increased conversion of degraded land or soil

Reduced biodiversity loss

Expected reduced biodiversity loss

Restoration of derelict areas

Expected restoration of derelict areas

Description of environmental benefits

-Expected strengthened capacity to address climate hazards/natural disasters: "beneficiaries of increased resilience to disasters and climate change effects through the operation’s activities" (8, p. 13).
-Expected enhanced carbon sequestration: "CO2 emissions captured associated with the planting of native species (...) Target: 6,153 tons CO2/Ha" (8, Annex II, p. 1).
-Expected reduced emissions: "The installation of bike paths is a basic measure to improve mobility, reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and promote healthy lifestyles" (8, p. 5).
-Expected improved air quality: "Green spaces (...) help combat air pollution" (8, p. 3).
-Expected increased protection against flooding: " Afforestation interventions with native species will enhance resilience to disasters and climate change effects, contributing to improved soil cover and soil absorption capacity and reduced water runoff into residential areas and/or flooding" (8, p. 8).
-Expected increased green space area: "Green areas in theBosquecillo de Pura Pura andareas complementary to themetropolitan linear park improved with native species: 35 h" (8, p. 33).
-Expected increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems: "expand green areas by planting native species, thus improving the ecological conservation of areas currently in a state of environmental degradation and increasing the soil’s absorption capacity" (8, p. 8).
-Expected increased ecological connectivity across regeneration sites and scales: "Turning this former stretch of railway into an innovative bioclimatic corridor will significantly boost the area’s biodiversity while also improving the habitat for various species of native flora and fauna" (8, p. 8).
-Expected increased conversion of degraded land or soil: "The complementary areas are degraded green areas that will be improved by planting native species and will be included in the park circuit" (8, Annex II, p. 7).
-Expected reduced biodiversity loss: "Turning this former stretch of railway into an innovative bioclimatic corridor will significantly boost the area’s biodiversity while also improving the habitat for various species of native flora and fauna" (8, p. 8).
-Expected restoration of derelict areas: "Currently unused and in a state of disuse, the entire route of the railway line is not occupied. (...) This space represents a unique opportunity to create a new system of quality public spaces, i.e. a continuous natural corridor" (8, p. 8).

Environmental impact indicators

Green space area created (in ha)

Carbon storage (kg carbon/m2)

6,153 tons CO2/Ha

Economic impacts

Increase of green jobs (e.g. paid employment positions)

Expected increase of green jobs (e.g. paid employment positions)

More sustainable tourism

Expected more sustainable tourism

Increased property prices

Expected increased property prices

Description of economic benefits

-Expected increase of green jobs (e.g. paid employment positions): "percentage of executing agency and execution unit personnel trained in park management and operation" (8, p. 13).
-Expected more sustainable tourism: "this system will help foster the integration of 30 neighborhoods, access to quality public spaces, active mobility (pedestrian and bicycle) on a metropolitan scale, and a new tourist attraction on an international scale." (8, p. 8).
-Expected increased property prices: "Variation in the average value per square meter of properties adjacent to the park" (8, Annex II, p. 1).

Economic impact indicators

Increase in property values or real estate prices in neighborhoods with improved access to green spaces & natural amenities (%)

Social and cultural impact indicators

Number of people and/or communities whose climate vulnerability is reduced

177,463

Other indicators

There are other indicators in source (8).

Evidence for use of assessment

Presence of an assessment, evaluation and/or monitoring process

Yes

Actors involved in the assessment, monitoring or evaluation of NBS impacts

Financial institution

Presence of indicators used in reporting

Yes

Type of indicators

Outcome indicators

Presence of monitoring/evaluation reports

Yes

Link to monitoring/evaluation reports

https://www.iadb.org/es/proyecto/BO-L1212

Availability of a web-based monitoring tool

No evidence in public records

Name of any specific impact assessment tools

Unknown.

Use of GIS in mapping impacts

No evidence in public records

Cost-benefit analysis

Yes

Transparency

Meetings with stakeholders’ representatives

Inclusion of diverse stakeholders in project governance processes (e.g. planning, implementation, monitoring, etc.)

Public disclosure of project funding sources and/or budgets

Online disclosure of technical reports (e.g. project documents, reports, or data)

Justice

Community satisfaction

Unknown

Trade-offs & Negative impacts

Unknown

Measures to prevent gentrification or displacement

No initiatives or policies were implemented

High-quality & Transformative NBS

Multiple impacts delivery (climate, biodiversity, just community)

Yes

Goal setting and impacts delivery

Yes, from the planning phase the project aimed to address issues in these three key priority areas and it also delivered benefits across these three areas.

Reaching original project goals

Inconclusive as the project is still undergoing implementation, or is still on its planning stages

Please specify the achievements of the project goals

The project is still undergoing implementation and is expected that by 2025 it will be fully operational.

Long-term perspective

Unknown: No information about the project's long-term sustainability.

Cost-effective solutions

Unknown

Equitable impacts

C. Unknown

Transformative capacity

Ecological change (e.g. ecosystem functions and their distribution)

Magnitude of change

Incremental: shallow; that is, mostly maintaining business-as-usual approaches to adaptation

Application of lessons learned

Unknown

Perception of Environmental Change

Unknown

6. Sources

References

Ministerio de Obras Públicas, Servicios y Vivienda (2024). Gobierno nacional inicia la construcción del Parque Lineal Metropolitano – MOPSV. Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia , Accessed on September 12, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];

Flores, R. (2024). Comienzan obras del Parque Lineal Metropolitano. La Razón , Accessed on September 12, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];

Inter-American Development Bank (2023). BID _ Programa de Integración Urbana_ Parque Lineal para La Paz y El Alto. Accessed on September 12, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];

Oficina Urbana (n.d.). PARQUE LINEAL METROPOLITANOCORDILLERA DE LOS ANDES. BOLIVIA – Oficina Urbana. Accessed on September 12, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];

Guimaraes, L. (2023). El Parque Lineal Metropolitano estará listo en 2025 - Construcción LatinoAmericana. Construcción Latinoamericana , Accessed on September 12, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];

Sanjinas Ordoñez, M. (2024). El Gobierno autorizó crédito del BID para construir el parque metropolitano que unirá La Paz y El Alto. Boliva.com , Accessed on September 12, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];

Inter-American Development Bank (2023 ). BID _ Bolivia impulsa el desarrollo urbano sostenible en La Paz y El Alto con apoyo del BID. Accessed on September 12, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];

Inter-American Development Bank (2023). Bolivia. Loan Proposal _Urban Integration Program Linear Park for La Paz and El Alto. Accessed on September 12, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];

Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Bolivia (2021). El Alto en cifras. p. 2. Accessed on September 12, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];

10.

Dirección General de Análisis Productivo (2022). Informe productivo del municipio del alto . p. 6. Accessed on September 12, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];

11.

ATB Digital (2023). Parque Lineal Metropolitano_ La obra tendrá cinco tramos, con un costo de construcción de casi $us 30 millones - ATB Digital. Accessed on September 12, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];

12.

Viceministerio de Transporte (2024). Gobierno licita por Bs 24.806.806 un nuevo tramo del Parque Lineal Metropolitano – MOPSV. Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia , Accessed on September 12, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];

Comments and notes

Public Images