Quito Eco-Efficiency Tool

The Eco-Efficiency tool is an instrument that after two years of adjustments was institutionalized in 2016 through a municipal ordinance, which aims to achieve a dense, compact and diverse city by allowing the increase of the buildable area above that established in the current Land Use and Occupancy Plan (PUOS), in the lots located within the area of influence of the subway stations (100% increase) and the Integrated Metropolitan Transport System "Bus Rapid Transit" (BRT) (50% increase). In order to make the increase in buildability effective, the projects are rated based on the integration of concepts of efficiency in water consumption (34 points), energy (33 points) and landscape, environmental and technological contributions (33 points). Solutions based on Nature (SbN) are strongly integrated as allies in the achievement of permeable areas, capture and reuse of rainwater through green infrastructure (highest scores), and vegetation coverings on facades for thermal comfort, collaborating with the protection of the environment and the construction of urban resilience for the city of Quito.

Overview

Type of instrument:

Economic and fiscal instruments›Payments as rewards/for ecosystem services, subsidies, incentives

Challenges addressed

Water management (e.g. reuse)
Heat stress and heat island effect
Nature appropriation / stewardship
Human health, comfort and well-being

Consideration of nature-based solutions:

The policy instrument encourages the inclusion of green infrastructure for rainwater management and thermal comfort, being better scored or obtaining additional scores when included in the small and medium scales. In addition, it encourages the generation of vegetation cover to reduce urban heat islands and ensure permeable areas, with SbN being an excellent option.

Targeted (peri-)urban areas:

External building greens

Urban green space connected to grey infrastructure

Other

Good practice characteristics:

Potential to be replicated / upscaled

Innovative

Policy business case

Governance

Government body/bodies

Initiating body:

Municipality

Instrument design:

Details about how the instrument was designed:

The design of the instrument was led by the Municipality of Quito and focused on generating incentives for green infrastructure in line with government priorities. It began with a test phase and was finally institutionalized with an ordinance. In the process, a socialization effort was made with private actors to put it into practice.

Instrument implementation:

Type of involvement:

The tool was socialized with the groups and guilds of the construction sector, with the community and academia to make them aware of its benefits. CAE Quito, for its part, exposes in a 2018 article the generation of 3 workshops where they generated talks for the improvement of the tool where approximately 98 people attended, of which 5 were STHV technicians and 8 architects.

Type of non-governmental actors involved:

Implementation of NBS (e.g. with government funds)

Implementation of SbN in real estate projects within the framework of the eco-efficiency instrument.

Targeted actors:

Private: household, real estate developer, business , financial

Financing

Sources of funding:

Corporate investment

Budget:

Unknown

Details about instrument financing:

Although the design of the instrument was carried out and financed by the Municipality of Quito, it is applied via real estate projects in specific areas of the city. The application of the eco-efficiency criteria grants the right to a greater constructible surface in terms of number of floors allowed (up to 100% more). In this sense, the SbN implemented in these projects are financed by the developers, who in turn benefit from better building conditions.

Monitoring, evaluation and impacts

Is a monitoring framework in place?:

Did an evaluation take place?:

Achieved outcomes and impacts:

To date (2022), 16 buildings approved with increased buildability averaging 5 stories , approximately 1000 dwellings, raising approximately $3.5 million, for the purchase of increased buildability permit within walking distance of high capacity public transportation.

Success factors and lessons learned:

The design of the instrument and its different adaptations and adjustment processes have turned it into a tool that captures the attention of private investors. There is also an openness on the part of the Secretary of Territory, Habitat and Housing of the DMQ to participate in discussions convened by private organizations interested in urban issues in their city. The tool has opened a new field of sustainable practices for the construction of buildings in the city. The limit of the tool is that its application has remained in high-cost buildings and has generated important and criticized ruptures in the urban height profile of the city.

Sources and further information

References

List of references:

-Secretary of Territory, Habitat and Housing of the Metropolitan District of Quito, (undated). ECO-EFFICIENCY - STHV [online]. Secretary of Territory, Habitat and Housing. [Accessed August 10, 2022]. Available at: http://sthv.quito.gob.ec/portfolio/eco-eficiencia2/ -Urban Housing Practioners Hub (UHPH), (undated). Urban Housing Practioners Hub Eco-Efficiency Toolkit [online]. About Us | Urban Housing Practioners Hub. [Accessed August 10, 2022]. Available at: https://www.uhph.org/es/concurso/ganadores/herramienta-de-eco-eficiencia -Secretaría de Territorio Hábitat y Vivienda del Distrito Metropolitano de Quito, (2020). INSTRUCTIVO DE APLICACIÓN DE LOS PARÁMETROS DE ECO-EFICIENCIA STHV-034-2020 [online]. Quito. Available at: https://www.ecp.ec/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/ANEXO2-STHV-034-2020.pdf -Secretary of Environment of the Metropolitan District of Quito, (2020). Resumen Ejecutivo Plan de Acción de Cambio Climático de Quito [online]. Quito. Available at: http://www.quitoambiente.gob.ec/images/Secretaria_Ambiente/Cambio_Climatico/plan_accion_climatico_quito_2020/Folleto%20Resumen%20PACQ01_mar_21.pdf -Males de la Torre, F., (2020). Análisis de contribución que la herramienta de Ecoeficiencia de edificaciones del Distrito Metropolitano de Quito tiene en términos de sostenibilidad a la ciudad, bajo el parámetro internacional "Leadership in Energy And Environmental Design". Degree work, Universidad San Francisco de Quito. Disponible en: https://repositorio.usfq.edu.ec/bitstream/23000/8827/1/991473729506366.pdf

Further documents

Weblinks:

http://sthv.quito.gob.ec/portfolio/eco-eficiencia2/

Photos

@UyS