The Mountain trail for land preservation and urban demarcation is a comprehensive landscape management strategy for the Eastern Hills area of Bogotá. The project aims to connect the city’s eight million inhabitants to their natural environment and provide a boundary for future urban growth. 

The project was approved by government in November 2007 and improves social mix and cohesion while establishing a boundary between built space and forest reserve. 

In many landscape architecture projects, however, the design does not progress beyond paper, and is rarely implemented – causing considerable frustration for designers and eroding their effectiveness in following projects through to completion. “It is of critical importance in terms of project management that the designer ensures not only the viability of the concept, but also engages with stakeholders to build political momentum in support of the project’s implementation”, Diana Wiesner says.

After six years of trying to make the much-applauded project one of the political priorities of the local authorities to no avail, Diana Wiesner decided to use the prize money from the Holcim Awards competition to create Fundación Cerros de Bogotá (Hills Foundation of Bogotá) together with a group of professionals willing to support implementation of the project.

The project has three main elements:

• Social strategy: interlink and integrate communities in the area, providing sustainable handling, environmental, and cultural education programs along with communication networks and enhanced security.
• Biophysics strategy: increase biodiversity by providing space for native species through ecological corridors, riparian corridors, as well as restoration, recovery and sustainable management of water resources.
• Spatial strategy: provide a series of parks, water parks, conservation areas of native species, learning stations, and viewing platforms to encourage visitors using recreation facilities to increase their awareness of the system, create a physical delineation of the city.

The perpetual work of the foundation and the engagement of the community was a success: it was not only much recognized by media, but also by the government. In June 2013, a land protection pact was approved by the mayor, and ratified by government in November 2013. The legislation acknowledges stakeholder rights and protects an area of 415 hectares of the green belt for ecological preservation and recreation. The project focuses upon building social interaction and engagement which will then benefit from the construction of new infrastructure. 

Sowing the seeds of social change

Establishing mechanisms for social change was considered a precondition to the successful implementation of the project. This long-term project places importance on consolidating support for the project in the hearts and minds of stakeholders first. Six years into the project, residents, universities, schools and private landholders in the area have been established and will ensure the success of the physical infrastructure:

• North Unity – Usaquén: school engagement; local government cultural activities; stream remediation from Usaquén; “Horizontes” property pilot project; La Vieja stream recovery group led by “Amigos de la Montaña” and “Aquavieja”, recovery of Las Delicias stream.
• Center – North Unity: recovery of Arzobispo stream.
• Center Unity: San Franciso river ecological restoration; recovery of La Leona stream; pilot project from Humboldt Institute.
• South Unity: San Cristobal river ecological restoration; ecology action group citizen initiative