Guatemala's Barrancos: Jungla Urbana

Maintenance and management of urban nature, Knowledge creation and awareness raising, Improved governance of green or blue areas

It was considered "that rapid urban growth and the absence of action to plan for the influx of residents properly, and their subsequent use of resources, has led to a disconnect between Guatemala City residents and their surrounding natural environment" (Ref. 4). The natural ravines which run throughout the city were considered to have negative connotations associated with them, "they are seen as unsafe areas as they house vulnerable informal settlements; they are seen to pose a sanitary risk as they are often used as dumping grounds; they are seen to limit mobility and to divide the city because of their geographical formation" (Ref. 2). They were considered a "physical and literal hierarchy, "segregat[ing] communication and exchange between socioeconomic classes (Ref. 4). The project, therefore, sought to: - convert the ravine into an ecological park and, therefore an "active territory within the urban functioning without compromising [its] environmental qualities" (Ref. 1); - shed light on the ecosystem services that the ravine(s) provide and bolster these impacts, "they are a natural reserve that produces a series of ecological services for the inhabitants of the city and its metropolitan area...these water reserves are biological corridors and can act as lungs for the city" (Ref. 2), and better understand these services, "to identify their productive potentialities, proposing practices and strategies for sustainable development that allow the ravines to be integrated into the city's metabolism" (Ref. 1); - increase residents' interaction with the natural environment and with one another, "...allows the peaceful meeting of people, the development of sustainability projects such as reforestation, urban gardens, physical activities, meditation and learning" (Ref. 1); - "educate people about the great diversity of flora and fauna species that exist in these spaces and the need for their conservation" (Ref. 5), and instil "the appropriate balance for the preservation and appreciation of the natural resources of the Jungle" (Ref. 1); and - underpin how ravines can be used as alternate mobility transport routes (Ref. 2), and promote "sustainable connectivity through bicycle-pedestrian means" (Ref. 1); - in combination with the wider Barranqueando movement, it is intended that actions such as the development of Jungla Urbana will see Guatemala City's "ravines...serve as natural reserves, as nodes and paths for sustainable mobility throughout the city [construction of bike & pedestrian lanes], as rainwater collectors, as crucial carbon sinks, as well as [locations capable of] purifying and cooling the air" (Ref3). Finally, whilst Jungla Urbana was developed as the first manifestation of an effort "to conserve and care for the ravines as ecological sites in and of themselves", the programme of works was - and will seemingly continue to be - also undertaken in "just as much an effort to conserve or reignite a piece of Guatemalan heritage, a shared space and proposition for the coalition" (Ref. 4).

Located between two segregated neighbourhoods, Zones 15 and 10 of Guatemala City, the park was developed "with the aim of activating it as an ecological park that allows the peaceful meeting of people, the development of sustainability projects such as reforestation, urban gardens, physical activities, meditation and learning, in addition to promoting sustainable connectivity through bicycle-pedestrian means, always with the appropriate balance for the preservation and appreciation of the natural resources of the Jungle" (Ref. 1). To achieve this, several specific implementation activities were undertaken: - a participatory and inclusive design process was executed, so that citizen feedback could be incorporated in the park, empowering the local community and helping to create a sense of belonging (Ref. 3); - the ravine was 'refurbished', with paths being purposefully trodden and "remnants of construction and rubble from the ravine’s past" being intentionally arranged (Ref. 4); - ecological routes were introduced, and events held, in order "to bring nature closer to people, to raise awareness about the natural wealth existing in the city and its surroundings" (Ref. 5), and "inform and educate people about the great diversity of flora and fauna species that exists in these spaces and the need for their conservation" (ref4); - signs were introduced which demarcate paths for visitors to follow (Ref. 4); and - landmarks were introduced into the park, "such as a mural with local art and a stage for community gatherings" (Ref. 4), with the space created facilitating "the development of sustainability projects such as reforestation [and] urban garden[ing]" (Ref. 3), and, as further explained below, the organisation of group activities being undertaken "to enrich the community and care for the ravine ecology" through activities such as gardening and litter-picking (Ref. 2). In undertaking the above, an emphasis was placed on leveraging visitors' "sensorial experience, evoking the history of ravines and offering imaginations of others who might have previously roamed the space" (Ref. 4). Marked paths were designed to resemble natural desire lines, and preservation of "the vast greenery of the ravine supports exploration in order to [instil] one’s own relationship to barranquear" (Ref. 4). Alluding to the cultural heritage of the site was approached as a method of conservation, intended to "inspire...a sustainable consciousness and support for sustainable city design", and ground the idea that ravines are specific ecological forms which "should be engaged for the betterment of residents in Guatemala City (as the city’s lungs), but as an opportunity to inspire an appreciation of environmental forms that are uniquely Guatemalan (the hopeful recovery of barranquear)" (Ref. 4). Following the redevelopment of the ravine into the ecological park, Amigos de la Jungla Urbana (Friends of the Urban Jungle), a multidisciplinary network of people working in the Jungla Urbana, now "promotes urban design initiatives that work in harmony with the natural environment", including development of plans to develop a cycleway through the ravines; providing education about the ravines’ biodiversity; and organisation of group activities to enrich the community and care for the ravine ecology, like gardening, litter-picking and eco-storytelling" (Ref. 2).

• Citizens or community groups