Betting for a joint planning of the territory

“Sabana Centro, a sustainable territory” project rises up when the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) bring to Colombia the Emerging and Sustainable Cities Initiative (ESCI) through a financial institution called Findeter, that implemented it as the Sustainable and Competitive Cities (SCC) program, to contribute to the orderly growth of medium-sized cities; guaranteeing a sustainable development with job opportunities, education access, safety for their citizens, and the efficient use of natural resources.

This project established the begining of a joint venture among municipalities, private and social third parties, and became a pioneering initiative for the region. The traditional ESCI methodology for medium-sized cities takes into account four dimensions for the effective intervention of the territory: The environmental sustainability and climate change; the urban dimension; the economic and social dimension; and the financial sustainability and governance. The application of this adapted model on 11 small towns implied creating a new dimension called “Regional Sustainability” to measure and understand more appropriately the interrelated dynamics among the municipalities, generating a new model which is applicable to other regions in Colombia or worldwide.

“Sabana Centro, a sustainable territory” project discover this region’s environmental and economic potential to support Bogotá’s productive system; and evidence the region’s need to establish regional strategic alliances, to improve tax collection, as well as the implementation of financial instruments that increase resources to consolidate an infrastructure for competitiveness, multidimensional territorial management, and the access and management of information for decision takers. The project concluded by identifying 48 projects (worth approximately COP$1,4 billion) to guarantee the competitiveness and sustainability of Sabana Centro in the long term.