Living parks laboratory - Asunción

@ Ministerio de Urbanismo, Vivienda y Habitat

The Asunción Metropolitan Area (AMA) in Paraguay has faced problems achieving Sustainable Development Goal 11, aiming to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. Challenges include a high flow of cars and transportation, irregular flooding (the capacity of the sewage system has already been exceeded for some time), and strong urban growth. In response, a coalition of stakeholders including the Municipality of Asuncion started the implementation of the „Asunción Green City of the Americas“ initiative in 2017, which focused on improving the quality of life in the AMA through green infrastructure in a sustainable and resilient city framework. The Living parks laboratory (“Laboratorio ¡Parques Vivos!”) initiative started in 2021 as part of this project and includes a series of education activities promoted by the Ministry of Urbanism, Housing and Habitat, which aims for central and local government officials to be trained in the sustainable management of public spaces, including education on nature-based solutions.

Overview

Type of instrument:

Legislative, regulatory and strategic instruments›Other, please specify

Challenges addressed

Soil quality
Water management (e.g. reuse)
Green space management (e.g. accessibility)
Flood risk: pluvial and fluvial / soil permeability
Air quality

Consideration of nature-based solutions:

The laboratories will provide information on different ways of influencing park management, organizational strategies and participatory design tools. The objective is participatory work in the design of parks and urban green spaces, in addition to improving the quality of life in the Asunción Metropolitan Area (AMA) and providing multiple benefits with equity criteria, through the integration of transportation, waste management and green infrastructure in a framework of a sustainable and resilient city.

Targeted (peri-)urban areas:

Parks and (semi)natural urban green areas

Allotments, community gardens or agricultural areas

Green areas for water management

External building greens

Urban green space connected to grey infrastructure

Good practice characteristics:

Locally appropriate

Potential to be replicated / upscaled

Governance

Government body/bodies

Initiating body:

Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development Paraguay

Instrument design:

Details about how the instrument was designed:

This initiative is implemented by the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development (MADES) as part of the Asunción Green City of the Americas project together with the UNDP, the Municipality of Asunción, the Ministry of Public Works and Communications (MOPC), the Technical Secretariat of Planning (STP), the National Emergency Secretariat (SEN) and the Paraguayan Network of Sustainable Cities and Guyra Paraguay.

Involvement of non-governmental actors:

Citizens or community groups / NGOs

Type of actor involvement:

Civil society consultation through e.g. workshops, surveys

Instrument implementation:

Type of involvement:

There were a series of laboratories for citizens in which neighborhood commissions, urban collectives, civil society organizations and independent individuals from all over the country could participate.

Targeted actors:

Public sector institution (e.g. school or hospital)

Private: household, real estate developer, business , financial

Financing

Budget:

Unknown

Details about instrument financing:

The initiative is mainly financed by the Global Environment Facility, the Worldbank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

Monitoring, evaluation and impacts

Is a monitoring framework in place?:

Did an evaluation take place?:

Achieved outcomes and impacts:

The initiative increased the societal awareness of nature-based solutions by educating both government officials and citizens on the importance of green infrastructure and elucidating how it can be integrated into urban planning.

Success factors and lessons learned:

The implementation of the initiative was facilitated by its integration in the framework of the Asunción Green City of the Americas project. The laboratories supported accompanying measures by increasing societal awareness of nature-based solutions. The project framework also helped with securing funding.

Sources and further information

References

List of references:

Global Environment Facility (2022). Asunción, green city of the Americas: joining efforts with citizens for urban sustainability. Available at: https://www.thegef.org/news/asuncion-green-city-americas-joining-efforts-citizens-urban-sustainability

Urban Nature Atlas (2021). Asunción Green City of the Americas - Pathways to Sustainability project. Available at: https://una.city/nbs/asuncion/asuncion-green-city-americas-pathways-sustainability-project

Ministerio de Urbanismo, Vivienda y Habitat (2022). Funcionarios y ciudadanía se capacitan en manejo de espacios públicos? Available at: https://www.muvh.gov.py/blog/2021/funcionarios-y-ciudadania-se-capacitan-en-manejo-de-espacios-publicos.html

Photos

@ Ministerio de Urbanismo, Vivienda y Habitat