Last updated: May 2025
Over the past 10 years, Lima's population has grown from 8.2 to 9.6 million people. As the city's urban sprawl and population density have increased, green spaces have been replaced by grey infrastructure. Consequently, it has become challenging to ensure that residents enjoy a good quality of life (1, 2, 3). In December 2019, Lima City Hall launched "Limeños al Bicentenario," an initiative to revitalise the city's public spaces (1, 3). This program seeks to transform public areas through low-cost interventions, based on criteria such as vulnerability, citizen participation, and catalytic potential, among others (3). It also aims to foster social cohesion by involving residents in the maintenance of these newly renovated areas, while improving the city's resilience to climate change (1, 2, 3). Since its inception, the project has reclaimed 17 public spaces, covering an area of 41,000 m² (3). 430 trees have been planted, and the project has benefited from the collaboration of civil society and private sector partners (3). The programme also focuses on addressing climate change. Heat waves, droughts, floods and mass migration are the main climate-related risks affecting the city. In particular, the expansion of grey infrastructure at the expense of green spaces has exacerbated the risk of heat waves, causing temperatures to rise by up to 3.5 °C in certain areas of Lima (3). One of the projects involved the recovery of public spaces in Teniente Pavia. For many years, the space was used as a public parking lot, and at night it accumulated garbage, there was alcohol consumption, drug use, and other problematic issues. There was no vegetation, benches or infrastructure for recreation. The neighbours, especially children, did not have access to green areas or recreational spaces (5). For this reason, in 2020 the project was initiated to repair sidewalks, plant vegetation, create gardens, and install infrastructure for play, rest, and exercise (3, 4).
Teniente Paiva passage
Lima's Municipality
Overview
Nature-based solution
- Community gardens and allotments
- Community gardens
- Grey infrastructure featuring greens
- Alley or street trees and other street vegetation
- Parks and urban forests
- Pocket parks/neighbourhood green spaces
Key challenges
- Climate action for adaptation, resilience and mitigation (SDG 13)
- Climate change adaptation
- Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
- Green space creation and/or management
- Regeneration, land-use and urban development
- Promote natural styles of landscape design for urban development
- Health and well-being (SDG 3)
- Creation of opportunities for recreation
- Inclusive and effective governance (SDG 16)
- Combatting crime and corruption
- Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
- Social cohesion
- Social interaction
Principal problems in Functional Urban Area (FUA)
- Climate-Related Hazards
- Heat stress & Extreme temperatures
- Land use and Socio-economic change
- Rapid urbanization
- Unequal availability and access to public green spaces
- Health, Well-being and Social cohesion
- Physical health harm (from pollution, wildfire, extreme temperature)
- Inadequate access to recreational opportunities
- Disconnection from nature
- Social fragmentation and isolation
- Insecurity in public spaces
Key priorities
Social Justice and community
Focus
Creation of new green areas, Creation of areas for food production (community gardens, allotments), Creation of any other green urban spaces, Strategy, plan or policy development, Community-based programs (e.g. "Green Your Laneway Program")
Project objectives
- Fostering social cohesion by involving residents in the maintenance of these newly renovated areas (1)
- Implementing climate change adaptation measures (1)
- Recovering public spaces in deteriorating, abandoned or unsafe conditions in prioritised areas of Lima (1, 2, 4)
- Increasing urban green spaces, ensuring they are safe and inclusive, and promoting their active use (3)
- Providing public space for residents and children, and preserving the history of the place (3)
- Promoting behavioural change by encouraging neighbours to park their cars in formal garages and not to litter (3)
- Encouraging neighbours to take care of the plants and gardens (3)
- Reducing to zero the presence of people consuming alcohol, drugs or other unsafe issues (3)
Implementation activities
The passageway was turned into a pedestrian space with murals and wooden street furniture that children and adults can enjoy (1, 5). In addition to planting 13 trees and 900 plants, 7 small plots for public use where vegetables are grown are planted so residents can participate in planting and harvesting (1). An elevated crossing was installed to promote accessibility and traffic calming (5, 6).
The programme uses ‘tactical urbanism’ approaches involving citizens through training and support for community initiatives (1, 2, 3, 6), and generates alliances with private and civil society partners to channel donations of materials to build street furniture, playground equipment and planters in regenerated public spaces (3, 6).
On the other hand, neighbours have organised themselves to carry out different activities, including public events on special dates. In addition, each tree has been adopted by a family that takes care of its maintenance (5).
To mitigate the urban heat island effect, trees were planted and green areas were increased by using plant species that grow well in Lima's climate. Thus, the use of native vegetation with low water requirements has been encouraged (1, 3).
Climate-focused activities
Climate change adaptation:
- Increase urban vegetation cover to reduce urban heat island effect
Communities vulnerable to environmental hazards or climate change impacts
Yes
Specification of climate or environmentally vulnerable communities
Urban heat islands
Main beneficiaries
- Citizens or community groups
- Young people and children
- Marginalized groups: Children, young people or youth groups , Elderly people, People with functional diversities, Other
Governance
Management set-up
- Government-led
Type of initiating organisation
- Local government/municipality
Participatory approaches/ community involvement
- Co-planning (e.g. stakeholder workshops, focus groups, participatory mapping)
- Taskforce groups
- Dissemination of information and education
- Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)
- Co-management/Joint management
- Citizen monitoring and review
Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project
Initiated by Limeños al Bicentenario, a programme developed by Lima's Municipality (1, 6). Who has also been in charge of providing training to residents through its Promotoría Ambiental Comunitaria and Recicla Lima programme (6).
Supported by neighbours of the Teniente Paiva passage (1, 5, 6). It has also had a participatory component, as it has sought the involvement of the local population in the planning process and its long-term ownership and management (3).
Developed by Municipalidad Metropolitana de Lima (5)
With the support of the NGO Bernard van Leer Foundation and its Urban95 initiative, which focuses on the development of child-friendly urban areas (5)
Alliances have been developed with private and civil society partners to channel donations of materials (5)
Project implemented in response to ...
... an EU policy or strategy?
No
... a national policy or strategy?
No
... a local policy or strategy?
Yes
(This project is part of the Limeños al Bicentenario programme, which is linked to the achievement of the green public spaces objectives of Lima's climate action plan (5).)
Type of enablers
Capacity-building projects, Governance innovations (such as public private partnerships), Change agents (individual with major role influence on launching), Funds, subsidies or investment for GI/NBS in the city (available for the city or provided by the city)
Financing
Total cost
€10,000 - €50,000
Source(s) of funding
- Public local authority budget
Type of funding
- Earmarked public budget
Non-financial contribution
Type of non-financial contribution
- Provision of goods
- Provision of labour
Who provided the non-financial contribution?
- Citizens (e.g. volunteering)
- Private sector (businesses, financial institution)
Impacts and Monitoring
Environmental impacts
- Climate change
- Lowered local temperature
- Expected lowered local temperature
- Environmental quality
- Improved air quality
- Expected improved air quality
- Green space and habitat
- Increased green space area
- Achieved increased green space area
- Increased number of species present
- Achieved increased number of species present
Economic impacts
- Generation of other type of work opportunities (e.g. voluntary, work for rehabilitation)
- Achieved generation of other type of work opportunities (e.g. voluntary, work for rehabilitation)
- Increase in agricultural production (for profit or not)
- Achieved increase in agricultural production (for profit or not)
Socio-cultural impacts
- Social justice and cohesion
- Improved access to urban green space
- Achieved improved access to urban green space
- Increased opportunities for social interaction
- Achieved increased opportunities for social interaction
- Increased access to healthy/affordable food
- Achieved increased access to healthy/affordable food
- Health and wellbeing
- Gain in activities for recreation and exercise
- Achieved gain in activities for recreation and exercise
- Cultural heritage and sense of place
- Increased sense of place identity, memory and belonging
- Achieved increased sense of place identity, memory and belonging
- Safety
- Increased perception of safety
- Achieved 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
Yes
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No evidence in public records
Potential risks of implementation and trade-offs
Unknown
References
1.
Muñóz, J., Giraldo, X., Garaycochea, M., Vega, C. (2021). Recuperación de espacios verdes en Lima. Accessed on September 3, 2024, [Source link];
2.
Peru Green Building Council (n.d.). Programa Limeños al Bicentenario. Accessed on September 3, 2024, [Source link];
3.
Urban Shift (2023). Ampliación participativa y de bajo coste de las zonas verdes públicas de Lima. Accessed on September 3, 2024, [Source link];
4.
Municipalidad de Lima (n.d.). Limeños al Bicentenario. Accessed on September 3, 2024, [Source link];
5.
Sistema Urbano (2023). Ciudades para las Infancias Consideraciones para el diseño del entorno urbano para niñas y niños. Accessed on September 3, 2024, [Source link];
6.
Ser Peruano (2021). Día Mundial de la Tierra: Recuperado Pasaje Paiva ahora cuenta con Árboles, Plantas y Biohuertos. Accessed on September 3, 2024, [Source link];
7.
Instituto Nacional de Estadística e Informática (2020). Planos Estratificados de Lima Metropolitana a Nivel de Manzanas 2020. Accessed on September 3, 2024, [Source link];
8.
REUNIS - Repositorio Único Nacional de Información en Salud (2024). Estadística Poblacional. Accessed on September 3, 2024, [Source link];
View of the renovated street in the Teniente Paiva passage.
Lima's Municipality
Information about this nature-based solution was collected as part of the Naturescapes project funded by the European Union under Grant Agreement No 101084341.