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roup of the Technical Committee discusses the initiatives [Image/Guangzhou Award Secretariat]
The effort is hinged on stimulating SDG-based local its integrated approach to education, poverty
strategies, facilitating the exchange of knowledge, reduction, social inclusion with improvements to
building public-private partnerships, aligning water, land and natural resources management.
municipal policies to SDG indicators, and raising It is a comprehensive approach considering green
local awareness. Aside from partnering with the space, watershed management, and the role of
private sector, civic engagement is a fundamental ecological systems in lieu of hard infrastructure in
part of this process. the formation of an urban space and the mitigation
of risk. This community-led initiative has been
The story of Guadalajara (Mexico) is an recognized and adopted by the government in a
truly bottom-up approach to making a community
appropriate echo to the role of citizen involvement. more resilient.
The metropolitan area of Guadalajara, consisting
of 9 municipalities and 4.5 million inhabitants, is In neighboring Brazil, the city of Salvador,
taking a metropolitan approach to planning instead
of fragmented planning by each municipality. population 3 million, tells another tale of public
This is the first of its kind in Mexico and across participation in mitigating disaster risks. Salvador’s
Latin America. This is actually done through response to deforestation is to engage elementary
the community-led creation of a metropolitan schools and other partners in a holistic fightback.
planning authority, IMEPLAN. The central idea of It is an environmental protection initiative
IMEPLAN is to engage its inhabitants, experts, and that engages youth and targets traditionally
municipalities into a comprehensive participatory marginalized and at-risk communities most
planning process at the metropolitan scale through affected by deforestation. A special team within the
collaborative roundtables, workshops and an government teams up with the local communities
educational curriculum. in planting trees. Other components include waste
management practices such as the use of sludge
Several latitudes down, the initiative of as fertilizer in the reforestation process and the
conversion of a landfill into a public park.
Santa Fe, Argentina, is another example
Waste management in Surabaya, Indonesia
of a community-led program. In response to
a devastating flood in 2015, the initiative aims is another inspirational undertaking. This
to convert 142 hectares of reservoirs into a initiative takes on a public participatory approach
protected natural area. It directly benefits more and focuses on the 3R principle of reducing,
than 80,000 of the 400,000 inhabitants of the reusing, and recycling waste. The initiative draws
city. The innovation of this initiative lies on
SOUTH CHINA BUSINESS JOURNAL 39
The effort is hinged on stimulating SDG-based local its integrated approach to education, poverty
strategies, facilitating the exchange of knowledge, reduction, social inclusion with improvements to
building public-private partnerships, aligning water, land and natural resources management.
municipal policies to SDG indicators, and raising It is a comprehensive approach considering green
local awareness. Aside from partnering with the space, watershed management, and the role of
private sector, civic engagement is a fundamental ecological systems in lieu of hard infrastructure in
part of this process. the formation of an urban space and the mitigation
of risk. This community-led initiative has been
The story of Guadalajara (Mexico) is an recognized and adopted by the government in a
truly bottom-up approach to making a community
appropriate echo to the role of citizen involvement. more resilient.
The metropolitan area of Guadalajara, consisting
of 9 municipalities and 4.5 million inhabitants, is In neighboring Brazil, the city of Salvador,
taking a metropolitan approach to planning instead
of fragmented planning by each municipality. population 3 million, tells another tale of public
This is the first of its kind in Mexico and across participation in mitigating disaster risks. Salvador’s
Latin America. This is actually done through response to deforestation is to engage elementary
the community-led creation of a metropolitan schools and other partners in a holistic fightback.
planning authority, IMEPLAN. The central idea of It is an environmental protection initiative
IMEPLAN is to engage its inhabitants, experts, and that engages youth and targets traditionally
municipalities into a comprehensive participatory marginalized and at-risk communities most
planning process at the metropolitan scale through affected by deforestation. A special team within the
collaborative roundtables, workshops and an government teams up with the local communities
educational curriculum. in planting trees. Other components include waste
management practices such as the use of sludge
Several latitudes down, the initiative of as fertilizer in the reforestation process and the
conversion of a landfill into a public park.
Santa Fe, Argentina, is another example
Waste management in Surabaya, Indonesia
of a community-led program. In response to
a devastating flood in 2015, the initiative aims is another inspirational undertaking. This
to convert 142 hectares of reservoirs into a initiative takes on a public participatory approach
protected natural area. It directly benefits more and focuses on the 3R principle of reducing,
than 80,000 of the 400,000 inhabitants of the reusing, and recycling waste. The initiative draws
city. The innovation of this initiative lies on
SOUTH CHINA BUSINESS JOURNAL 39
