EcoZonas

The project “EcoZones: Piloting an Approach to Co-design, Scale Up, and Replicate Inclusive Climate Action at the Neighborhood Level” is funded by the International Climate Initiative (IKI) of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection (BMWK) and implemented by the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy (WI), through its Urban Living Lab Center (ULLC), and the World Resources Institute Mexico (WRI).

The EcoZones approach, understood as sustainable, resilient, and livable neighborhoods, is based on the concept of Urban Labs and is conceived as a practical tool for implementing small-scale, low-cost sustainable urban solutions focused on neighborhoods as a geographic scale. At this scale, an intersectoral and participatory approach is easily applied by simultaneously considering different dimensions of neighborhoods, such as the urban environment, environmental quality, socioeconomic well-being, and disaster risk.

Understanding the importance of cities in mitigating and adapting to climate change, the EcoZones project has focused on developing a methodology, a comprehensive evaluation framework, and a digital toolkit to facilitate the implementation and replication of this approach in different contexts and regions, with a focus on vulnerable communities in developing countries. These tools were tested, validated, and improved with the direct participation of the communities in the two vulnerable neighborhoods, Jardines de San Miguel in León, Guanajuato, and La Metalera in Hermosillo, Sonora, as well as by experts and organizations working on the issue.