Alcaldía de Santiago de Cali
The Pitch
The Mayor’s Office of Santiago de Cali’s (Alcaldía de Santiago de Cali) Cali EcoCrea program revitalized neighborhood green spaces, diverted plastic waste from landfills to create new urban furniture, and provided new job opportunities for youth.
The Problem
Densely populated neighborhoods in Santiago de Cali lacked green spaces and employment opportunities for youth, making youth vulnerable to neighborhood violence.
The Process
- Created Cali EcoCrea, an urban restoration program that employed vulnerable youth to provide them with green job opportunities and prevent involvement in neighborhood violence
- Deployed a new recycling system in partnership with private environmental groups: Employees separate plastic waste for processing into plastic wood which is then used to create outdoor urban furniture
- Identified public parks that needed to be revived
- Held workshops with community members to collaboratively redesign natural areas for local use and ecological health
- Planted low-maintenance plant species in parks
- Installed educational and locational signage to raise awareness about new public spaces, reduce littering and dumping, and create a sense of responsibility for maintaining the improved areas
The Impact
- Revitalized 20 public spaces and created 280,000 square meters of reusable areas; public spaces received new pots, fences and playgrounds made from recycled plastic
- Pedestrianized 1.5 kilometers of pathways, improving mobility options
- Trained and employed 125 youth to carry out the design installation process
- Generated income for youth, supporting them and their families
- Improved neighborhood coexistence by providing furnished green spaces for socialization
- Inspired community members to create new bicycle paths around the parks, increasing the number of people using bikes
- Increased the value of plastic waste (and the city’s income) by successfully using it to create plastic wood and build outdoor urban furniture
