Last updated: October 2024
In the city of Ciudad Juárez, the municipality, in collaboration with UN-Habitat, aims to design and create a park that encompasses the yards and unmaintained areas surrounding the railway station, transforming these spaces into an accessible and safe public area. This project covers over 500,000 square meters and addresses not only degraded areas but also several public squares. Described as "a coordinated urban recycling strategy," this initiative seeks to repurpose existing public squares and rehabilitate neglected spaces into vibrant green areas that feature universal accessibility, native vegetation, and urban furniture designed to enhance safety. The project also aims to provide increased recreational opportunities, improve permeability, and introduce additional shaded areas. A key component of improving permeability involves the restoration and incorporation of acequias—traditional historical irrigation systems that absorb and manage excess rainwater, thereby reducing the likelihood of flash floods. Additionally, the project focuses on the restoration and promotion of significant historical buildings, such as the old railway station and the whiskey factory, integrating them into a larger cultural and sports facility area at the municipal scale. The overarching goal is to revitalize the site through effective coordination with the relevant authorities responsible for the spaces adjacent to the railway station, stretching from Plaza Misión de Guadalupe to Blvd. Municipio Libre. This collaborative effort aims to accommodate both sports and cultural facilities while also creating a green corridor. Furthermore, the project intends to reforest, redesign, and enhance Plaza Misión de Guadalupe, Plaza Monumento a Benito Juárez, and other residual public spaces and gardens. This initiative aligns with its Public Space Strategy, which emphasizes the development of gender-inclusive and resilient public spaces.(Ref 1, 3, 4).
View of an area of the yard
Screenshot from Google maps: https://www.google.es/maps/@31.7276999,-106.4763858,3a,75y,245.15h,78.01t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s1MAU8LjGDH7WdgCcfSe1QQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?coh=205409&entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI0MDgyMS4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D
Overview
Nature-based solution
- Green areas for water management
- Sustainable urban drainage systems
- Grey infrastructure featuring greens
- Railroad bank and track greens
- Parks and urban forests
- Large urban parks or forests
- Green corridors and green belts
Key challenges
- Climate action for adaptation, resilience and mitigation (SDG 13)
- Climate change adaptation
- Environmental quality
- Air quality improvement
- Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
- Green space creation and/or management
- Habitat and biodiversity restoration
- Regeneration, land-use and urban development
- Regulation of built environment
- Conversion of former industrial areas
- Water management (SDG 6)
- Flood protection
- Stormwater and rainfall management and storage
- Cultural heritage and cultural diversity
- Protection of historic and cultural landscape/infrastructure
- Preservation of historic traditions
- Health and well-being (SDG 3)
- Creation of opportunities for recreation
- Inclusive and effective governance (SDG 16)
- Inclusive governance
- Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
- Social justice and equity
- Economic development and employment (SDG 8)
- Tourism support
Principal problems in Functional Urban Area (FUA)
- Climate-Related Hazards
- Urban flooding (stormwater)
- Heat stress & Extreme temperatures
- Environmental Degradation
- Physical water retention and availability
- Land use and Socio-economic change
- Economic losses due to disasters and environmental degradation
- Health, Well-being and Social cohesion
- Inadequate access to recreational opportunities
- Insecurity in public spaces
Key priorities
Climate action (adaptation and/or mitigation), Biodiversity (conservation and/or restoration), Social Justice and community
Focus
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, Maintenance and management of urban nature, Maintenance or upgrade of exisiting green spaces (e.g. parks), Transformation of previously derelict areas, Post-industrial site regeneration, Transformation of vacant land into green spaces, Improved governance of green or blue areas, Establishment of inclusive governance mechanisms involving local communities
Project objectives
To transform the area surrounding the railway yards into a public space and integrate the industrial heritage into the city's cultural opportunities (Ref 1).
To align with Ciudad Juárez's Public Space Strategy, enhancing ecosystem services, accessibility, safety, and functionality of public spaces through specific criteria.
To improve livability for residents in the area by creating accessible public spaces that offer recreational and cultural activities while implementing measures to enhance the safety of public space users.
To incorporate endemic plants to increase biodiversity, improve air quality, and enhance vegetation cover and permeability to reduce exposure to floods and extreme heat.
To restore a historical water management practice (acequia) and include it in the park's functionality
To preserve cultural sites and historical landmarks, integrating them into the city's public spaces to strengthen local identity and enhance tourist attraction (Ref 3).
To pay attention to indicators of marginalization and include citizens in the project's creation (Ref 1).
Implementation activities
Between September 2022 and May 2023, "studies, analyses, webinars, design of strategies and urban plans were carried out; as well as participatory actions to improve and rehabilitate public spaces in different parts of the city" (Ref 4). This involved:
-A participatory cycle where the priorities for Juarez 2040 were discussed with citizens.
-A webinar where the territory was characterised and proposals were made with citizens.
-Interviews with strategic actors who provided information on existing projects.
-Then a collaborative session was organsied where a shortlist of 10 projects was made and an order of priority was given. This was complemented with a technical consultation which provided input on prioritisation (Ref 1).
Climate-focused activities
Climate change adaptation:
- Increase urban vegetation cover to reduce urban heat island effect
- Implement sustainable urban drainage schemes to manage stormwater
Communities vulnerable to environmental hazards or climate change impacts
Yes
Specification of climate or environmentally vulnerable communities
Low-income neighborhoods, Informal settlements or slums, Communities located in floodplains
Biodiversity conservation or restoration-focused activities
Biodiversity restoration:
- Restore native species
Main beneficiaries
- Citizens or community groups
- Young people and children
- Marginalized groups: Children, young people or youth groups , Elderly people, Women, People with invisible disabilities, Socio-economically disadvantaged populations (e.g. low-income households, unemployed), Indigenous communities, Vulnerable populations in disaster-prone areas
Governance
Management set-up
- Co-governance with government and non-government actors
Type of initiating organisation
- Local government/municipality
Participatory approaches/ community involvement
- Co-planning (e.g. stakeholder workshops, focus groups, participatory mapping)
- Deliberative decision-making processes (e.g., consensus building, deliberative polling)
- Taskforce groups
- Consultation (e.g. workshop, surveys, community meetings, town halls)
Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project
The municipality has been working towards the rehabilitation of its public spaces for a while, conducting research and implementing strategies. UNHabitat collaborates with municipal services in the framework of Juarez 2030 and 2040, it provides help with community engagement and consultation, with securing financing, capacity building of municipal staff and performs policy research/analysis. Citizens were involved in webinars and consultations on future plans. Technical meetings were organized with experts representing the stakeholders. The North American Development Bank (NADB), the Canadian International Development Agency and the not-for-profit 'Adaptation Fund' are said to be financially supporting the project at this early stage of planning (Ref 1).
Project implemented in response to ...
... an EU policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a national policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a local policy or strategy?
Yes
(The plan is a continuation of pre-existing municipal initiatives. At least the "The Master plan for the urban development of the historical center of Ciudad Juárez (IMIP, 2014)"; "The Plan for Urban Renovation and Recuperation of the Seven Historical Neighbourhoods (IMIP, 2020)" (Ref 1, 41). )
Type of enablers
Governance innovations (such as public private partnerships), Funds, subsidies or investment for GI/NBS in the city (available for the city or provided by the city)
Financing
Total cost
Unknown
Source(s) of funding
- Funds provided by non-governmental organization (NGO)
- Multilateral funds/international funding
- National or regional development bank
Type of funding
- Loan
- Donations
Non-financial contribution
Unknown
Impacts and Monitoring
Environmental impacts
- Climate change
- Lowered local temperature
- Expected lowered local temperature
- Prevent the frequency and/or intensity of heatwaves
- Expected prevent the frequency and/or intensity of heatwaves
- Environmental quality
- Improved air quality
- Expected improved air quality
- Water management and blue areas
- Increased protection against flooding
- Expected increased protection against flooding
- Green space and habitat
- Increased green space area
- Expected increased green space area
- Increased number of species present
- Expected increased number of species present
- Restoration of derelict areas
- Expected restoration of derelict areas
Economic impacts
- Unknown
Socio-cultural impacts
- Social justice and cohesion
- Improved liveability
- Expected improved liveability
- Improved access to urban green space
- Expected improved access to urban green space
- Health and wellbeing
- Gain in activities for recreation and exercise
- Expected gain in activities for recreation and exercise
- Cultural heritage and sense of place
- Protection of historic and cultural landscape / infrastructure
- Expected protection of historic and cultural landscape / infrastructure
- Increased sense of place identity, memory and belonging
- Expected increased sense of place identity, memory and belonging
- Safety
- Increased perception of safety
- Expected increased perception of safety
Type of reported impacts
Presence of formal monitoring system
Yes
Presence of indicators used in reporting
Yes
Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports
No evidence in public records
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No evidence in public records
Potential risks of implementation and trade-offs
Unknown
References
1.
Ayuntamiento de Ciudad Juarez (2023). CARTERA DE PROYECTOS ESTRATÉGICOS. Juarez 2040 Ciudad Juarez: UNHabitat, Accessed on August 23, 2024,;
2.
Instituto Municipal de Investigación y Planeación Coordinación de Planes y Programas (2020). Plan de renovación y recuperación urbana de los siete barrios historicos. Ciudad Juarez: Gobierno 2018-2021, Accessed on August 23, 2024, [Source link];
3.
Ayuntamiento de Ciudad Juarez (2023). ESTRATEGIA DE ESPACIOS PÚBLICOS. Juarez 2040 Ciudad Juarez: UNHabitat, Accessed on August 23, 2024, [Source link];
4.
Hernández, F. (2023). Publican estrategia de desarrollo urbano sostenible de Cd. Juárez. Ciudad Juarez: centrourbano, Accessed on August 24, 2024, [Source link];
Information about this nature-based solution was collected as part of the Naturescapes project funded by the European Union under Grant Agreement No 101084341.