1. General information
2. Objectives of the intervention
Goals of the intervention
In Quito (located at 2,800 meters above sea level and one of the highest capital cities in the world) environmental impacts such as greenhouse gas emissions coupled with unregulated urban growth led to an increase in natural threats such as earthquakes, landslides, and wildfires. To address many of these challenges, the municipality of Quito applied to an EU scheme, called the Clever Cities, and plans to fight the climate change effects and loss of biodiversity by implementing nature-based solutions. The intervention will focus on the neighbourhood of San Enrique de Velasco which is relatively deprived of vegetation and species diversity due to environmental degradation and a lack of connectivity resulting from surrounding ravines. More precisely the goals of the present intervention are (1,2,3,4):
1. To nurture equitable and regenerative climate action solutions through NBS;
2. To build capacity through targeted governance and raising awareness through targeted outreach activities.
3. To coordinate a widespread tree planting campaign with native tree species and the participation of locals, therefore, addressing biodiversity concerns
4. To improve citizens’ quality of life and alleviate detrimental environmental and climate impacts through innovative NBS and concrete legislative commitments.
5. To reduce the average daily temperature of the neighbourhood and a decrease in the number of days with high temperatures.
6. Restoring abandoned public plots with edible gardens, small urban forest, skate park and exterior theatre space (4)
7. Reducing the number of premature deaths associated with high temperatures by at least five deaths per year. (2,7)
1. To nurture equitable and regenerative climate action solutions through NBS;
2. To build capacity through targeted governance and raising awareness through targeted outreach activities.
3. To coordinate a widespread tree planting campaign with native tree species and the participation of locals, therefore, addressing biodiversity concerns
4. To improve citizens’ quality of life and alleviate detrimental environmental and climate impacts through innovative NBS and concrete legislative commitments.
5. To reduce the average daily temperature of the neighbourhood and a decrease in the number of days with high temperatures.
6. Restoring abandoned public plots with edible gardens, small urban forest, skate park and exterior theatre space (4)
7. Reducing the number of premature deaths associated with high temperatures by at least five deaths per year. (2,7)
Quantitative targets
Restoring 2 abandoned public plots with an edible garden, tiny forest, skate park and exterior theatre space (4)
Impacting 15000 inhabitants (the no of people in San Enrique de Velasco neighbourhood)
Implementing the intervention on a 66.73 hectares area (the San Enrique de Velasco neighbourhood) (1)
Planting 4380 native trees until 2030 in the Quito metropolitan area including the San Enrique de Velasco neighbourhood
Maintaining the 1500 community gardens of Quito and adding 250 gardens/year
Reduction of emissions with 43% by 2030
(2,7)
Impacting 15000 inhabitants (the no of people in San Enrique de Velasco neighbourhood)
Implementing the intervention on a 66.73 hectares area (the San Enrique de Velasco neighbourhood) (1)
Planting 4380 native trees until 2030 in the Quito metropolitan area including the San Enrique de Velasco neighbourhood
Maintaining the 1500 community gardens of Quito and adding 250 gardens/year
Reduction of emissions with 43% by 2030
(2,7)
Monitoring indicators defined
Number of people impacted
Size of the area benefiting from the implementation
Number of tress planned for planting
Number of garden planned
Number of abandoned spaces to be transformed (1,2,4)
Size of the area benefiting from the implementation
Number of tress planned for planting
Number of garden planned
Number of abandoned spaces to be transformed (1,2,4)
Sustainability challenge(s) addressed
Climate change adaptation: What were the goals of the NBS?
Climate change adaptation: What activities are implemented to realize the conservation goals and targets?
Climate change mitigation: What were the goals of the NBS?
Climate change mitigation: What activities are implemented to realize the conservation goals and targets?
What types of restoration goals are / were defined for the NBS intervention?
What activities are implemented to realize the restoration goals and targets?
Implementation activities
As this is a fairly new initiative and because of the impacts of Covid19 so far the implementation strategy focused on organising capacity-building workshops that can help strategise the prospective actions. In July 2020, a workshop was organised. In the workshop, Daniela Rizzi, Sustainable Resources, Climate and Resilience Officer of the ICLEI Europe city network, addressed in depth the issue of NBS and how the world's cities are changing. In addition, the Clever Cities team made up of the Ministry of Environment, the Environmental Fund, the Planning Secretariat (Resilience Directorate) and YES Innovation reported in-depth on the Clever Cities project at the global and local levels. The CLEVER Cities project in the city of Quito is executed in the neighbourhood of San Enrique de Velasco, located north of Quito, in which the co-creation and co-implementation of NBS is sought to improve the quality of life of citizens, thus creating a pilot neighbourhood of NBS that could be replicated in the city and in the region. Finally, in the workshop, through a collaborative dynamic, it was possible to generate an academic discussion that in order to promote cooperation between the Academy and Clever Cities for the development of NBS in the city of Quito. Furthermore, in 2020 the Municipality issued a Climate Change Action plan that includes the San Enrique de Velasco intervention and sets the policy basis for future implementations. In June and August 2020 the first urban community gardens were implemented in the neighbourhood (2,5,7)
3. NBS domains, ES and scale
4. Governance and financing
5. Innovation
Type of innovation
Novelty level of the innovation
Please specify novelty level of the innovation
It is mentioned that the intervention is derived from other initiatives in the Netherlands. The intervention is led by Milano, Hamburg and London and seeks to promote sustainable and inclusive urban regeneration through the co-creation, co-implementation and local management of Nature-Based Solutions (5)
Replicability/Transferability
Please specify Replicability/Transferability
It is ambiguous if the intervention will be replicated in other cities over Ecuador but it is mentioned that it aims to create a Regional Hub of Nature-based Solutions as a space for actors, both public and private, linked and interested in the issue of NBS, to interact and exchange experiences that can enhance the dissemination and implementation of NBS in South America. (2)
