This is a paper written for the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies class "Cities and Sustainability in the Developing World" by Professor Ellen Brennan-Galvin. These are the lessons learned by the program Ecobarrios, implemented in Bogota from 2000-2004.

1. 1
Ecobarrios: a Bottom-Up Approach
to Building a Sustainable City
________________________________________________________________________
Anamaria Aristizabal
Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies
Cities and Sustainability in the Developing World
Professor Ellen Brennan-Galvin
December 2004

2. 2
Introduction
Cities face some of the greatest social and environmental challenges, especially the fast
growing third world metropolis. Poverty, a disintegrating social environment, a high rate
of ecosystem destruction, pollution, and over-exploitation of natural resources are
prevalent. How can we create neighborhoods in these cities that are environmentally
sound and community oriented? What are the challenges and opportunities of doing so in
Bogota, Colombia, a city crippled by poverty and environmental degradation?
Ecobarrios (Spanish for ‘econeighborhoods’ or urban ecovillages) as implemented in
Bogota represent an innovative and bold proposal for social and economic development
with an environmental focus. An Ecobarrios is defined by “a community of people with a
long term vision who voluntarily organizes itself to improve its quality of life in the
environmental, social, economic, and spiritual dimensions, this way increasing human
and environmental wellbeing”. Ecobarrios is a flexible and highly replicable model that
can significantly increase the quality of life in any city.
The Ecobarrios program had two main goals: 1) Promote neighborhoods to organize
themselves with the intention of seeking a holistic development with a long term vision;
and 2) Generate a model of neighborhood intervention that integrates the actions of
municipal departments as well as for NGOs, and other public and private actors.
In this paper I will describe the model of Ecobarrios as well as its origins, the
development and implementation of it in Bogota with its lessons learned at every level of
the program. I will then sketch out its future prospects, ending with valuable conclusions
stemming from the whole process.
Origin of Ecobarrios
Ecovillages
An Ecobarrio is the urban version of the Ecovillage. Ecovillages are intentional
communities that choose to develop holistically and to live sustainably, that is, with less
impact on the planet and for future generations. Robert Gilman defines Ecovillages as:
"human settlements conceived at human scale, that include all important aspects for life,
integrating them respectfully with their natural environment, and supporting healthy ways
to develop in a way that can persist in the indefinite future.”
The prefix “Eco” comes from the Greek word “Oikos” meaning home. In Ecovillages, as
well as Ecobarrios, the environment and the neighborhood are seen as part of the home.
Ecovillages give people a sense of family and belonging in today’s world, which is
fraught with individualism and isolation. Ecovillages have been implemented around the
world in every continent, and have received the support from United Nations, as a viable
solution for sustainable development1
.
1
Global Ecovillage Network. website

3. 3
Ecovillages are a type of “human urban ecosystem,” and as we know, organisms in
ecosystems are interdependent. In accord with this principle, the four dimensions of
Ecovillages (environmental, social, economic, and spiritual) are also interdependent.
Economic stability assures the basic needs of people, such as food and shelter. If these
needs are met, the individual can contribute to his community and care for it, which
constitutes the social dimension. If there is an awareness of environmental problems, and
basic needs are met, there is the caring for the environment. Otherwise, people who do
not have their basic needs met will not contribute to environmental protection. Finally,
the spiritual dimension appears if there is a higher sense of purpose and commitment to
the community. Values and moral principles begin to emerge and become an important
part of people’s lives.
All Ecovillages share a deep concern for the environment, which is manifested in the
lifestyles of its residents. Ecovillagers live more simply, share their resources, practice
recycling, conserve water and energy (i.e. using low-flush toilets), protect the land and its
biodiversity, and use technology that has a low impact on the planet (i.e. solar energy,
biogas and windmills).
Above all, Ecovillages are characterized by their sense of community. They create spaces
in their built environments to get together and share cultural events, workshops, spiritual
services, and food. This works especially well in rural areas, given the fact that people
usually work and live in the same place.
Philosophy of Ecobarrios
The same as Ecovillages, the Ecobarrios aim to develop in
four dimensions: Environmental, social, economic, and
spiritual. This is embodied by the image of the dragonfly,
the Ecobarrios symbol. In the dragonfly, each wing
represents a dimension. If any of the wings is missing, the
dragonfly cannot fly. In other words, the community
cannot develop. Each wing is important and part of the
health of the organism. Below is a description of each
dimension. (For a more thorough explanation of the
Ecobarrios philosophy, please see Appendix 1).
Environmental/Physical Dimension
The environmental/physical dimension’s goal is to provide the neighborhood with the
right green and physical infrastructure that enhances quality of life and environmental
health, as well as maintaining this infrastructure. As far as green infrastructure, because
large areas of open space are not always available in cities, Ecobarrios create green
spaces in non-traditional ways: Green roofs, green streets, interior gardens, roof gardens,
and green walls. There is a strong emphasis in protecting and restoring waterways, as
well as in tree planting, to protect the soil and the water, as well as for shade, oxygen, and
beauty. Other elements of green infrastructure include edible landscapes, recycling,
small-scale water treatment facilities, and storm water recycling. Green infrastructure is
Economic
Spiritual Social
Environmental

4. 4
complemented by environmental education so that neighborhood residents develop
stewardship of their natural resources.
As far as physical infrastructure, projects are conceived, planned and implemented by
members of the community. Creating infrastructure projects is an opportunity to work as
a team and learn from the process. The residents are advised by architects and engineers
that have sensitivity to appropriate technologies and to ecological health. This way
projects will be easy to maintain, and the result is more in tune with the landscape.
Social Dimension
Is difficult to find a community in a neighborhood that chooses to live together from the
start. In general, neighborhoods already exist, and people subsequently choose to live as a
community. The dedication and intensity of community life will be different in a city
than in rural areas, since there are more obligations and less time. There needs to be
flexibility in the concept of community that accommodates cases
Ecobarrios’ residents strive to build a sense of community. Neighborhoods can do this in
different ways, such as by offering services and opportunities for interaction (i.e.
childcare, car co-op, recreational and cultural activities), which enhance the health and
quality of life of its residents. Ecobarrios promotes a sense of solidarity and conviviality,
and builds the capacity of its residents to lead and be good members of a team. The social
dimension makes sure that children, elders, handicaps, and other vulnerable populations
are taken care of.
Economic Dimension
In Ecovillages, the residents usually have an economic activity that they manage
cooperatively, for which they use infrastructure and practices that minimize impacts on
the environment. This might not be the case in a city, as most of the residents work
outside of their neighborhood. Community microenterprises are a good solution in poor
neighborhoods where unemployment or sub-employment is prevalent. This could start by
capacitating residents in entrepreneurship and business management, in order to assure
the sustainability of their economic activity. In other neighborhoods it might mean
inventorying the talents and services available to make exchanges more agile, creating
savings programs, microcredit initiatives, or a service to share resources with other
neighbors.
Spiritual Dimension
Ecobarrios also offer the opportunity to collectively agree on a set of values that become
pillars of community life. The hope is that Ecobarrios will promote a new culture of
peace and environmental stewardship at the grassroots level, based on a sense of place
and respect for self, others, and our environment. As Ecobarrios develop and consolidate,
a mosaic of these communities starts to form the pattern of a more humane and ecological
city.

5. 5
Implementation of the Ecobarrios model in Bogota
As an undergraduate at Mount Holyoke College, advised by Rutherford Platt, director of
the Ecological Cities Project (University of Massachusetts, Amherst), I wrote my thesis
on the opportunities and challenges of adapting the Ecovillage model to my native city,
Bogotá. My research led me to speak to many government officials in my city’s local
government about the feasibility of my idea. One of these people, the director of the
Bogotá Community Development Department, decided to adopt the Ecovillage model
and turn it into a local government program called “Ecobarrios”.
Organizational Setting
Ecobarrios lasted for three years (2001-2004) during the tenure of Mayor Antanas
Mockus Sivikas, and was carried out by the Bogota Community Development
Department – DAACD (its acronym in Spanish). It is important to understand first what a
Community Development Board (CDB) is. There are around 1700 CDBs in Bogota and
they have been fundamental in Bogotá’s neighborhood scale development. The CDBs are
neighborhood organizations that legal status to represent at least 80 families in a
neighborhood. They are conformed by a president, secretary, and treasurer as well as any
other position that is needed. The DAACD is the umbrella organization that oversees all
the CDBs, and through them, provides neighborhoods the opportunity to develop and to
build capacity.
The Ecobarrios Team at the DAACD was made up of the DAACD director, the
Ecobarrios program director, a person heading each dimension (environmental, social,
economic, and spiritual), a dimensions coordinator, and this author, who was a volunteer.
During implementation of projects, this team was complemented with a group of
engineers, trainers and social workers who oversaw the different projects on the ground.
The program started by developing a participative methodology based on previous
successful community development projects. This methodology consisted of the
following steps: 1) publicizing the program through an international forum and small
community seminars in neighborhoods; 2) calling for proposals to CDBs and pre-secting
those in best standing to participate in the Ecobarrios program; 3) training CBD leaders in
drafting neighborhood development plans, as well as in the Ecobarrios model (as a
product of the trainings, neighborhood ended up with a long-term development plan
along with prioritized projects, agreed upon by members of their community); 4) funding
of $3,000 to $5,000 given to prioritized projects, as well as technical assistance to carry
out the project, which was mainly done by members of the neighborhood.
In the following paragraphs and tables, I will describe in more detail the different steps of
the methodology and point out important lessons that emerged. The program had some
modifications from the first to the second call for proposals (the first in 2001 and the
second in 2002). I will only mention the major changes resulting in what I consider
important lessons.

6. 6
Design of the Program
Description-Design of the Program Lessons learned- Design of the Program
The Ecobarrios program design emerged
after a series of meetings between the
Ecobarrios team. The design included the
definition of the different program steps,
the concept of “prototype of project2
” and a
list of project prototypes to be funded.
A key element of project design was to
take two previously existing programs,
“Obras con Saldo Pedagogico”
(Pedagogical Infrastructure Projects) and
“Acciones Para la Convivencia” (Actions
for Conviviality) and turn them into one
single program, which stimulated
neighborhoods to think in a more systemic
way.
In the first round of Ecobarrios (2001) the
focus was first to create a holistic
Neighborhood Development Plan including
the four dimensions of Ecobarrios, and
from this plan, neighborhoods had to
identify one project for each dimension,
among the list of prototypes.
The prototypes included3
:
Economic dimension: community
Laundromats, community internet cafes,
community restaurants.
Environmental/Physical dimension: Green
leaders4
,
Social Dimension: Music, crafts, dance,
and sports training.
Spiritual Dimension5
: Schools of
Forgiveness and Reconciliation, “Gyms for
the soul”
• The design was done in a rapid,
improvisational way, with the mentality of
learning on the road. This caused many
problems, for which the second year the
methodology was substantially changed.
• It is important to involve
community/neighborhood members in the
design as well as people with ample
community development experience
• The idea of prototype has problems and
benefits. It limits what communities can
dream up to do, but it also makes the
implementation and monitoring easier.
• In the second year of Ecobarrios, the
concept of Prototype was eliminated as in
the first year it generated too much
controversy. It was seen as contradicting
the principle of a bottom up approach and
of communities thinking of their own
solutions.
• The first year in which communities had to
formulate projects in four dimensions
created a lot of chaos and confusion in the
implementation. This was partly solved in
the second year, where communities only
had to formulate one project. However, it
was still too much diversity of projects for
the DAACD to follow up.
• Although there was an Ecobarrios director,
he was often absent resolving many legal
problems coming from the last
administration. As a result, there was a
lack of leadership and coordination. This
2
A prototype is a microproject that is in consonance with Ecobarrios’ philosophy, and responds to a
specific community need in one or more dimensions. (Power Point Presentation by Isabel Lonono, director
of DAACD -December 2001)
3
For a complete list of the prototypes please see Appendix 2
4
Green leaders is a training program for young people who go from house to house publicizing and
explaining the contents of the “Green Home Manual” published by the Bogota Environmental Department.
5
Spiritual dimension projects were devised by Leonel Narvaez, a Catholic priest specialized in conflict
resolution. Schools for forgiveness and reconciliation is a methodology to bring peace at neighborhood
level through a guided process of letting go of resentment and anger. With the use of role-play, music, and

7. 7
Description-Design of the Program Lessons learned- Design of the Program
The second round of Ecobarrios focused on
neighborhoods designing a single project
that is holistic in nature, that is part of one
of the six lines of work:
1. Strengthening of the community
and the CDB.
2. Environment
3. Communication
4. Productivity
5. Sports
6. Culture
For a complete list of project types please
see Appendix 2.
was exacerbated by the fact that the
DAACD has two offices. Staff was
divided which impeded a more fluent and
effective communication.
• Some Ecobarrios staff believe that the
neighborhood is not an appropriate scale
to address problems in the four
dimensions, particularly the economic and
the environmental. For them, it is
necessary to think at larger scale to make
an impact.
Communication Strategy- Setting up the Stage
The Ecobarrios team realized that this project needed wide support from different actors
in order to succeed. The following were identified as the main actors in Ecobarrios:
Community: neighborhood organizations and associations of all kinds committed with
the integral development of their community.
City Departments: They participate in the structuring, co-funding, orientation, and
coordination of efforts to develop neighborhoods.
Universities and NGOs: They provide the theoretical frameworks and concepts. They can
participate in joint research projects on holistic/integral sustainable development. Both
NGOs and universities can participate in training for neighborhoods, and NGOs with
experience can be involved in implementation of projects.
Private Sector: Companies and entrepreneurs who are committed with the development
of Bogota’s neighborhoods in a holistic fashion. They can provide technical assistance
for emerging neighborhood businesses as well as co-funding initiatives.
To harness support from the different actors, the DAACD decided to organize an
international forum and four community seminars. The Forum took place in a convention
center, and was a formal event with media presence, involving high level government
officials, international speakers, academics and interested people. The four seminars took
place in community centers, and were more informal, involving mostly community
leaders and residents and DAACD staff.
The objectives of the Forum the following6
:
1. Present the Ecobarrios program to other institutions as a viable model to achieve
a sustainable development.
journaling, anger and resentment are replaced with understanding and compassion. Gyms for the Soul refer
to gatherings that honor the deepest part of people, using story telling, music, physical practices (tai chi,
yoga, martial arts, etc), and ecumenical services.
6
As expressed in the Proposal for the Forum written by this author with the help of the DAACD Director
and the Environmental Dimension representative.

8. 8
2. Learn from international experiences that can inspire and inform the Ecobarrios
program.
3. Awaken interest for Ecobarrios in Bogota, particularly in the academia and
institucional communities.
4. Tighten the bonds between key City Departments, NGOs, Universities, the Media,
the Community, and key business representatives to facilitate and strengthen the
implementation of the Ecobarrios program in Bogota.
5. Promote a constructive reflection on the applicability of the Ecobarrios model in
Bogota.
6. Discuss the opportunities and challenges to implement the Ecobarrios model in
Bogota.
The purpose of the Neighborhood Seminars was to7
:
1. Present the Ecobarrios philosophy and methodology to neighborhood leaders and
members of CDBs.
2. See how much the idea of Ecobarrios resonated with neighborhood leaders and
CDB members.
3. Stimulate neighborhood CDBs to participate in Ecobarrios.
4. Establish a dialogue with neighborhood leaders and CDB members.
Description- Forum and Seminars Lessons learned- Forum and Seminars
An international forum and four
community seminars were organized to
publicize the Ecobarrios program. The
International Forum was targeted to the
academic community as well as to the other
City Departments (Environment
Department, Social Department, Education,
etc) in order to start coordinating their
actions. The Forum opened with three
international and three national speakers
we invited to share their experiences of
Rural and Urban Ecovillages. Their
purpose was to inspire the audience with
innovative community alternatives that are
currently working. The second panel meant
to illustrate the different levels of
government and how they interact
(national, regional, municipal, and local).
The panel was composed of the Ministry of
Environment (Department of Urban
Environmental Issues), the Regional
Planning Department, The Department of
Environmental Protection, and the
‘Proyecto Sur con Bogota’ (A small scale
International Forum
• A preliminary meeting was organized with
City Department and Ministry
representatives. The meeting was very
successful because representatives learned
beforehand what the Ecobarrios program
was about, and could tailor their
presentations to it more.
• However, the presentations they did were
still generic and did not explore how the
Departments could collaborate (something
that never happened as was hoped). In my
view, this is due to the fact that not enough
work was done to involve them before and
after forum in the Ecobarrios program.
Many more meetings needed to take place
to develop a joint program of work around
Ecobarrios.
• One of the main messages we wanted to
communicate though the Ecobarrios
program was not communicated: the
neighborhood development plans that
result from the Ecobarrios program can
7
Estimate of what this author remembers of the original document, as it is unavailable.

9. 9
neighborhood development program). The
last panel was entitled ‘DAACD’s partners
in the sustainable community
development’. This panel was made up by
the Recreation Department, the Botanic
Garden, the Secretary of the Interior, the
Water Department, and the Urban
Development Institute (all local
government agencies).
The Neighborhood Seminars started with a
formal welcome and presentation of either
the DAACD director or the Ecobarrios
Program Director. This was followed by a
presentation of the origins of Ecobarrios
(Ecovillages and Green Cities) and
examples that exist around the world. After
this, each dimension of Ecobarrios was
explained (environmental/physical, social,
economic, and spiritual) and the types of
projects that could be funded for each
dimension. Then, one or two City
Departments gave a presentation (the same
one as at the Forum) of how they could
collaborate in the Ecobarrios program. At
the end, two to three neighborhoods
participants of Ecobarrios 20018
trainings
gave testimonies of the types of projects
they were carrying out, in order to inspire
other neighborhoods.
provide a blueprint to guide municipal
departments’ actions in neighborhoods and
to prevent duplication of efforts.
• It would have been good to involve the
heads of the institutions, which have more
power to make decisions and often have a
more systemic understanding of the city,
as opposed to middle managers who often
only see their part.
• Objectives 1 and 2 were definitely
accomplished, although not all the
international and national speakers were so
relevant.
• The accomplishment of objectives 3 and 4
was unclear, as there were no set
indicators to measure success. Also, there
was no follow up with either Forum
speakers or participants to further involve
them in the program.
• As far as objective 5 and 6, because the
majority of the presentations by City
Departments were generic accounts of
what they do and the programs they have,
there was no grounds for the types of
discussions that were desired.
Neighborhood Seminars
• Neighborhood seminars were much more
successful than the International Forum, as
there was much more participation from
the public, more relevant questions, and
more thoughtful discussions. More interest
spurred through the seminars, as many
people came to the Ecobarrios team for
more information and to leave their
contacts.
• What arose the most interest were the
testimonies of neighborhoods. This shows
that the most important is to have
neighborhoods share themselves what they
have done.
Request for Proposals and Pre-selection
8
The Seminars occurred in December 2001, after the 2001 trainings which started in September 2001.

10. 10
Because there are more than 1700 CDBs in Bogota, it was impossible to handle a request
for proposals (RFP) with all of them, the Ecobarrios team decided to limit it to CDBs that
had not executed any project in the past eight years, under the DAACD. The RFP was
successful, as almost all of the CDBs who were invited to participate did so, which
showed the great interest in the program.
Description-RFP and Preselection Lessons learned-RFP and Preselection
The Ecobarrios call for proposals was
publicized by various means: city
newspaper, neighborhood newspapers, the
DAAC newspaper, radio, and television.
The RFP was not open to the 1.700 JAC
but only to 350 that had not been able to
participate in previous RFP’s. There were
also some administrative requierements,
such as :
• Consolidated accounts of their
CDB,
• Organized structure in the JAC:
named president, secretary, and
treasurer,
• Neighborhood is legalized (land
tenure established and documented)
335 CDBs presented documents to
participate in the program. Out of those,
180 were pre-selected in the first year to
participate in the training.
The second year 263 CDBs applied to the
program, and 95 were selected (in this case
there was no other screening process).
• In Bogota, no matter what the type of call
for proposals is, you will get a lot of
people, as any neighborhood is interested
in getting some funds!
• The problem with this is that it is not clear
if the neighborhood truly subscribe to the
idea of Ecobarrios, or they just
participated to receive the funds.
• Calls for proposals should somehow
screen CDBs who have a commitment to
work long term with the community.
Otherwise, the capacity built will be lost
when people migrate to another
neighborhood or decide not to be involved
anymore. (Rojas 2004)
• Another criteria to select neighborhoods
can be those who have commitment to
work with other CDBs. Horizontal
cooperation with other community
organizations is key to generate a strong
grassroots movement. Otherwise, the
result will be a number of isolated
projects. (Rojas 2004)
• The RFP did not consider organizations
other than CDBs. There are plenty of
NGOs, and other types of community
organizations that could have participated
in the program. (Rojas 2004)
Training Phase9
The Ecobarrios Team designed a manual the
Ecobarrios process, which was the central element
used in the trainings of CDB representatives.
Manuals consisted of the following information:
• The Philosophy of Ecobarrios (See Appendix 1)
• Methodology
9
Picture taken by the author of the training- A CDB delegate showing pictures of his neighborhood.

11. 11
• Theoretical Framework
• Description of Training Workshops
• Design of the Project
• Sources of Funding for Projects
• Evaluation of Project
The second year, the Ecobarrios team decided to redesign the training methodology, as
well as the manual. The team assigned this task to the University who was going to carry
out the training.
Description- Training Lessons learned- Training
The DAACD opened a RFP for universities
and education centers for adults to carry
out the trainings for CDB representatives.
The Ecobarrios team outlined terms of
reference that required previous experience
with CDBs and training people with low
education levels in planning. There are not
many institutions in Bogota with these
characteristics. During the first year of
trainings, only three institutions sent a
proposal, in spite of big efforts to publicize
the RPF and meetings with several
universities.10
The selected 180
neighborhoods were required to assign two
representatives each to participate in the
training program, which lasted two months.
The 2001 training was composed of the
following steps: (for each step,
neighborhood representatives went back to
their neighborhoods to replicate the
methodology with other community
members).
Workshop 1: Dreaming up an Ecobarrio:
Visualizing what is the ideal neighborhood
in each of the four dimensions.
Workshop 2: Bringing the dream on the
ground: Describing each of the four
dimensions of the neighborhood as it is
today, identifying problems and needs
Workshop 3: Studying the potentialities of
the neighborhood: Looking at the
opportunities of the neighborhood start
thinking of alternatives to the problems.
• Not many universities have experience
working with communities. There needs to
be a process to bring together universities
and community organizations.
• For some of the trainers, to train
community leaders the program was
challenging because this was a new type of
audience and a new type of process, one
where there were no grades. A lot of
motivation and facilitation were required
on their part.
• During the first training program (2001)
only a fraction of the neighborhoods that
were participating in the program would
be financed. This was both positive and
negative. It was positive because it
motivated neighborhoods to work harder
in order to obtain funding. It was negative
because it fostered competition among
neighborhood instead of collaboration.
• The 2001 trainers were critical with the
Program design, but at that stage it was
difficult to change substantially. The
Ecobarrios did incorporate a few of their
suggestions, i.e. in schedule, and in
emphasizing the political dimension more.
However, it would have been desirable to
include people like them (who have
community development experience) in
the project design from the start, as they
provided excellent feedback of what works
and what does not in community
development projects and trainings.
10
The first Ecobarrios training was carried out by the Javeriana University (2001). The second one was
carried out by Uniminuto (2002).

12. 12
Workshop 4: Planning and prioritization:
Creating a long term neighborhood
development plan prioritizing the problems
and presents possible solutions, taking into
account the four dimensions.
The prioritization was done with the
community members through a
participatory process. Then came a process
of project design with the technical
assistance of DAACD staff.
At the end of the process there was a
selection of the best plans and projects, and
only those neighborhoods (61 of them)
received funding.
In 2002 the training methodology was
different, although it still involved two
delegates for each CDB who then
replicated the work in their communities.
Aside from the difference in process, the
training was no longer a contest. In 2002,
all the 84 CDBs that participated in the
trainings obtained funding.
The process was the following:
Workshop 1: Neighborhood and
Surroundings: Mapping and describing
neighborhood characteristics, and
understanding connection with other
political levels: the UPZ and the locality.
Working on a collective vision of the
neighborhood.
Workshop 2: Diagnostic- defining what are
the most important issues and problems to
be dealt with in the neighborhood.
Workshop 3: Problem- Prioritizing one
problem in particular and designing a
project to address it after studying the
trends and policies at different levels.
Workshop 4: Costs- Analyzing costs and
needs to carry out the project, and
identifying alternative funding sources.
Workshop 5: Evaluation- Thorough
evaluation of the project’s feasibility and
pertinence in the following criteria:
viability, sustainability, equity and impact.
During this training program, CDBs had
• It was empowering for neighborhood
representatives to have the opportunity to
showcase their neighborhood. Each group
displayed surprising creativity by showing
pictures, maps, objects, that represented
their neighborhoods. This process also
creates considerable ownership and sense
of belonging to the neighborhood.
• The 2001 trainings were disconnected
from the rest of the city planning and
political structures. This was compensated
in the 2002 trainings, where trainees had
to read the existing plans for the city, their
locality and their UPZ (political
subdivision comprising a dozen
neighborhoods).
• The DAACD’s previous administration
had violated the CDBs’ trust: it had
promised it resources that it not yet have,
expecting that the city would sell the
utility company, which in the end it did
not do so. Because of this, there was a lot
of mistrust in the part of the community in
the first training program. It took
considerable time and energy from the
Ecobarrios staff to assure the community
that they did have the resources to carry
out the projects and to build trust again.
• In the 2001 trainings, the CDBs
complained that after they had been
enticed to dream and sketch their ideal
neighborhood, they had to conform to
carrying out a predetermined set of
prototypes. They were disillusioned that
they could not have more freedom. (Rojas
2004)
• As the 2001 trainings generated so much
controversy and disillusionment, the
Ecobarrios team decided to opt for more
technical language and clearer rules of the
game for the 2002 trainings. (Rojas 2004)
• Both Ecobarrios trainings, especially the
concept of four dimensions, was complex
and caused much difficulty for CDBs. The
theory could be made simpler for them.
• The DAACD needs to clearly define what

13. 13
much more guidance of trainers,
specifically for the workshops taking place
in neighborhoods themselves and for the
formulation of projects. The DAACD’s
contract with the university was different –
instead of just expecting the universities to
give training, it also gave the universities a
responsibility in making sure projects were
adequately formulated and viable.
The 2002 trainings took twice as long time
as the 2001, as they gave more time to the
delegates to convene their neighbors in
order to replicate the process with them in a
participatory fashion.
it can fund or what it cannot and
communicate it from the start to the
universities, as some of the projects, once
they were designed and taken to DAACD
for funding were turned away. The
community had to come up with a new
and different project. (Rojas 2004)
Program and Projects Funding
The funding for the first round of Ecobarrios (2001) came from the city’s budget,
assigned to the DAACD, specifically to the Ecobarrios Program, assigned by the City
Development Plan. The total amount for the 2001 round was $2,500 million pesos
(approx. US$1.000.000). The Ecobarrios Team along with other DAACD staff decided
upon the spending policies of this money. After covering administrative costs (salaries
for the Ecobarrios Team, administrative assistants, etc.) the total amount available was of
US$24,000 per neighborhood for thirty neighborhoods (US$720,000).
In 2002, the Ecobarrios program received money from the Inter American Development
Bank to carry out the Ecobarrios neighborhood. The amount was on average US$5,000
per neighborhood for 84 neighborhoods (around US$420,000). (Rojas 2004)
Description- Funding Lessons learned- Funding
The first year, 30 of the 180 neighborhoods
were to get funding (US$40,000 each).
During the training program, the DAACD
broke out the news that they would not
have as much funding as they expected for
each neighborhood due to a citywide
financial crisis. To compensate this, the
DAACD decided to fund more
neighborhoods (61 instead of 30), giving
each a smaller quantity of money. Each
neighborhood received between US$5000
and US$7000. This amount allowed them
to carry out projects that did not entail
infrastructure. For those who had
prioritized infrastructure projects, they
offered to fund the appropriate design of
• There were dramatic changes in the
financial structure of the program during
the 2001 trainings. This was a risky
situation that could have triggered lawsuits
and other types of problems, as the terms
of reference were described in the RFP.
• The decrease in funding available
discouraged delegates and neighborhood
participants, and contributed to more
distrust and distance between communities
and the DAACD.
• Although these circumstances like a
citywide deficit are difficult to predict, it is
important that the DAACD have a clearer
sense of the funding that will be available
for a program.

14. 14
the project but not its construction. The
money was allotted by dimension in the
following way:
Spiritual dimension: US$500
Economic dimension: US$2,000
Social dimension: US$3,000
Environmental dimension: between
US$1000 and US$3000
As the project progressed, other sources of
funding were added. Private enterprise and
NGOs contributed with money or
prototypes. For instance, a Spanish
telephone company donated equipment for
the internet café prototypes for
neighborhoods, through a joint program
with the Ministry of Communications.
Also, an NGO called Paz-Aporte donated
their methodology of peace building to
implement in the neighborhoods.
In 2002, the DAACD received support
from the Inter American Development
Bank.
Both in 2001 and 2002, funding was
usually spent in the following activities:
- Marketing of the project
- Training
- Materials and tools
- Support activities
- Contractual expenses
• In the 2002 trainings, the DAACD director
clearly outlined the funding limit of
US$5000 to the CDBs, after making sure
the DAACD did count with this money.
Also, the 2002 trainings were much clearer
with rules and expectations in order to
avoid disillusion.
• The funding structure of the 2002 trainings
(all the participants would be funded as
opposed to a few) generated an
atmosphere of cooperation instead of
competition, and fostered the formulation
of joint projects.
• The program became a framework for
other actors to contribute to neighborhood
scale development. This was especially
successful with the private enterprise. Not
so much with other City Departments,
which was the original intent. An
exception to this was the Urban
Development Institute (IDU), who with
the aid of DAACD, had neighborhoods
pave parts of bike paths.
• For future programs, it is necessary that
the DAACD clearly define what it funds
and what it does not fund within projects,
(it turned out that it does not fund
computers, and food for the events, for
example) as well as assign maximum
amounts for certain budgetary items, to
guide communities and avoid confusion
and disillusion as well as a considerable
amount of Ecobarrios staff spent adjusting
the budgets with the communities. (Rojas
2004)
Execution of Projects
The implementation structure grew progressively as the program developed. The
Ecobarrios team took advantage of the structures left over from the two previous
programs (Obras con Saldo Pedagogico and Acciones para la Convivencia). However, it
was necessary to hire new staff, train them and create new methodologies of intervention.
Description- Execution of Projects Lessons learned- Execution of Projects
The process of implementation began with • The process of signing the contract,

15. 15
a contract signed by the DAACD and the
CDB for the execution of the
Neighborhood Development Plan and four
projects (2001) in each of the dimensions,
or just one project taking into account the
dimensions (2002).
The DAACD hired seven professional full
time staff to supervise, monitor and
intervene in the projects when it was
necessary. Their function was dual:
supervise that the project was being
executed as planned, as well as accompany
and support the CDBs in the learning
process of project implementation.
The project supervisors did around two
visits per month to each neighborhood to
give CDBs support to implement the
project. They usually helped them in
logistical matters (getting quotations, “to
do lists”, revising their contracts with
trainers, etc).
Besides these visits, Ecobarrios staff and
supervisors organized a number of
meetings between neighborhoods doing
projects in similar lines of work
(environment, sports, culture,
dance/music/theater, etc). The purpose of
these meetings was to exchange
implementation ideas, and foster
collaboration between CDBs.
As there was not enough money to hire a
sufficient number of supervisors, a
volunteering program was established
made up mostly by university students.
This program was successful and was a
win/win situation for the students and for
the communities.
getting the funds, and implementing the
project is slow and difficult, as any action
with the government is not always the
most efficient.
• In the 2001 round, the contracts had many
flaws and in many cases had to be redone.
In 2002 the Ecobarrios team was able to
come up with a template for contracts that
made the process more efficient. (Rojas
2004).
• Supervisors were not sufficiently prepared
for the job; almost every situation that
arose was new, and there was no
knowledge of how to handle it.
Implementers had to learn how to work
with private enterprise, NGOs, and other
organizations with which joint prototypes
were being done.
• Because there were few supervisors, they
had too many neighborhoods to oversee.
This caused that they could only focus on
administrative and budgetary issues, as
opposed to having a more pedagogical,
motivational role geared to strengthen and
guide the CDBs through the process of
implementation.
• The Universities that carried out the
trainings did not have any role during the
implementation. Communication should
have been maintained with these
Universities to use their expertise, the trust
they gained with CDBs and exposure of
neighborhood issues to help during
implementation.
• The implementation should have been
done by an NGO who has more experience
doing community projects, and whose use
of funds will be more agile and efficient,
in part because they do not have to hire so
many controllers and auditors and because
they do not have to bear the costs
characteristic of government procedures.
• The CDBs themselves had challenges in
the implementation. They often lacked the
administrative capacity to manage and
keep track of funds. Also, they had a

16. 16
difficult time integrating the different
dimensions. It is always easier to focus on
one dimension at a given time. Ecobarrios
should have considered the strengthening
the CDBs themselves as a prototype.
(Rojas 2004)
Monitoring and Evaluation
Description- Evaluation Lessons learned- Evaluation
There used to be two separate supervisors
teams for Obras con Saldo Pedagogico
and for Acciones para la Convivencia.
With Ecobarrios, interventions in each
neighborhood were done in a holistic
manner. However, the DAACD support
team was not accustomed for this type of
work, for which it had to be trained.
As the implementation was so complex and
everything was so new, little monitoring
was done. The design process did not
incorporate an evaluation system, or create
a set of indicators for success, different
from the assignment of funds and the
number of projects executed. The
Ecobarrios Team and Staff were more
concerned with preventing lawsuits from
the controlling organisms than with
evaluating the results of the program in an
honest and clear way.
• Doing a true evaluation of a government
program is problematic, as if the entity
does not accomplish what it sets out to do
it can get into serious trouble with the
control entities. Government agencies are
forced to present their programs as
successful to prevent any negative
repercussions. This is a severe handicap in
the government agencies’ ability to learn
from their actions.
• The hectic and accelerated rhythm of work
with the neighborhoods impeded a more
reflexive and thoughtful process,
conducive to a thorough evaluation of the
projects.
Tree planting in the Tunuelito River, Barrio
La Esmeralda, Bosa.(Rojas 2003) Community Greenhouse, Bosques del
Madrigal, Ciudad Bolívar (Rojas 2003)

17. 17
Results of the Program
Ecobarrios bore significant results. Around 300 neighborhood leaders were trained in the
Ecobarrios methodology and 193 neighborhood projects were carried out, impacting the
lives of more than 38,000 people. More than 70% of projects were carried out in the
poorest areas of the city, and 70% of participants felt the Ecobarrios program contributed
to strengthening their organizations.
The following is a list of the most frequent projects funded by the Ecobarrios project (see
Appendix 2 and 3 for complete list of projects):
32 Sports clubs
21 Dance and theater groups
20 Productive projects (entrepreneurship training and community
microenterprises)
13 Centers of recreation and education support for kids.
12 Music Groups
11 Clubs for the elderly
11 Green infrastructure (open space restoration) and environmental education
projects.
7 Internet Cafes
6 Projects to strengthen community organizations and to enhance the sense of
commuity.
6 Urban Garden and Wormiculture Projects 6 Gimnasios comunitarios
5 Community Restaurants
Other Ecobarrios projects included the training of 70 young environmental leaders that
distributed 10,000 copies of the “Green Home Manual”, a document published by the
City Environmental Department. 55 schools of forgiveness and reconciliation were
created and directed by the priest and sociologist Leonel Narvaez, creator of a
methodology geared to reduce indices of violence at grassroots scale, which is now being
replicated in Brazil (Rojas et al. 2004).

18. 18
During the development of neighborhood projects, almost 15,000 people were trained in
topics as diverse as gardening to computers, and which are the base of multiple activities
that are the basis of Ecobarrios. The most popular training programs were in the arts
(music, theater, and dance) with 2,267 participants. Sports clubs accounted for 1,998
participants. Projects dealing with the strengthening of community groups involved 1,474
people and entrepreneurship and micro-enterprise training projects reached 2,600 people
(Rojas et al, 2004).
The program’s positive impact does not end with the projects themselves. The program
had a number of positive externalities that were in part captured through an evaluation
survey carried out by Ecobarrios staff (Rojas, et al 2004). The surveys found that 93% of
participating organizations increased their “horizontal alliances”, that is, they work more
with neighboring organizations. 73% of participating organizations reported that the
Ecobarrios process equipped them to better participate in local planning initiatives.
(Rojas, et al 2004)
It is important to mention that not all projects will be sustainable in the long term. The
surveys found that only 36% of projects will carry on without any kind of outside help.
The rest is reliant on outside funds to pay instructors or on outside expertise. This is the
case of most cultural and sports projects, entrepreneurship and microenterprise training.
Many neighborhoods, if not all, need further guidance and investment, as they are only
beginning in the long road towards more community oriented and environmentally
friendly neighborhood.
Microenterprise Training, La Azucena
Neighborhood, Bosa. (Rojas 2003).
Roof organoponics, Argelia, Kennedy
(Rojas 2003).

19. 19
All in all, I believe that Ecobarrios has enormous value as an alternative to build
community oriented, sustainable cities from the bottom up. The Ecobarrios model can
easily be adapted to other cities, as it has a relatively simple and flexible framework.
Summary of Lessons Learned and Conclusions
Before designing the program, the Ecobarrios team should have done a thorough
inventory of the actors who would participate in the different steps in the process, and
involve them in the design process. This is the case with representatives from universities
training programs, private enterprise, and other city departments.
The DAAC’s role should be redefined. Instead of being involved in project
implementation, it should concentrate in project design, convening organizations, giving
guidelines, getting the funding, and outsourcing implementation to a more agile
organization with experience on the ground.
In terms of coordination with other institutions, the DAACD should concentrate in
strengthening CDBs, convening and prioritizing projects, in preparation for other
institutions to implement projects. This was the case for the bike path project with the
IDU. The IDU had CDBs build parts of bike paths themselves after the DAACD helped
them get organized and define their preferred routes. (Rojas 2004)
The Ecobarrios process gave neighborhoods a direct relationship with the central level
and total autonomy to design and carry out projects independently from intermediate
levels of planning. The result is a disarticulated, scattered and isolated projects, as well as
duplication of actions. For example, in the Bachue neighborhood, there were two groups
for the elderly. (Rojas 2004)
It is quite problematic that government institutions are not able to honestly say that they
did not accomplish what they set out to do. This would result in serous problems with the
controlling agencies. This puts government agencies at a disadvantage as far as learning
and adapting to circumstances, as there is no incentive to monitor and learn from the
mistakes.
Sports club and community leaders, , Barrio
Santa Lucia, Rafael Uribe. (Rojas, 2003)
Dance group, Barrio Rincón del Porvenir,
Ciudad Bolívar (Rojas 2003)

20. 20
Although social, economic, and environmental problems transcend political boundaries at
all scales, significant progress can be achieved at the local or community level in spite of
the difficulties and challenges in the process. Communities have the power to apply
innovative solutions to intractable problems, through the creativity and ingenuity of its
residents. Ecobarrios, potentially established in any part of the world, challenge us to
create new ways of living sustainably.
Steps Forward
Bogota recently changed Mayors, for which the destiny of the Ecobarrios program is
uncertain. (The program has been discontinued for now). However, from the start of the
program, a vast support network has been created to support these kinds of initiatives,
called “the Bogota Network for Ecovillages and Ecobarrios”. This network, led by this
author, is comprised by professionals and students of all ages, interested in promoting
these kinds of sustainable lifestyles. The network was created in October 2001 and today
has more than 300 people in Bogota and a few hundred out of Bogota. Since its inception,
the network has been dedicated to exchange information in the areas of Ecovillages,
Ecobarrios, recycling, urban gardens, organic agriculture, natural building, natural
resource conservation, and similar topics. Many events have been organized such as tours
around the Ecobarrios, informative meetings with neighborhood leaders and other experts
in topics of interest, lectures given at environmental conferences, universities and
schools, exchange of information with organizations working in these issues, and creation
of alliances with organizations and individuals.
Currently, the Network is finalizing a book and a documentary about Ecobarrios, and is
thinking of continuing Ecobarrios through an NGO. This way, continuity would be given
to the processes began with the Ecobarrios program and take advantage of the critical
mass generated who is interested in this kind of holistic, sustainable development.
Through our Network and through the events we have participated in, we have witnessed
a growing interest among people who wish to redefine their relationship with nature and
their neighbors, and think a concrete step to do this is through an initiative like
Ecobarrios.

21. 21
Sources
Departamento Administrativo de Accion Comunal Distrital (DAACD) and Uniminuto.
2002. Cartilla Ecobarrios 2002. Editorial Codice, Ltda, Bogota.
Departamento Tecnico Administrativo del Medio Ambiente (DAMA). 2002. El Libro
Verde del Hogar: Comportamientos Voluntarios para Vivir, Manual. Bogota.
Ecobarrios Program. 2001. Forum Proposal, Unpublished.
Londono, Isabel. 2004. Personal Communication.
Rojas, Carlos, et al. 2004. Ecobarrios: Una Iniciativa Pionera Para Colombia para Crear
Ciudades Ecologicas de Adentro Hacia Afuera. Revista Ambiente,
http://www.revista-ambiente.com.ar/imagenes/94/proyecto%20ecobarrios.pdf
Rojas, Carlos. Dec 2004. Personal Communication.
Rojas, Carlos. 2004. El Proyecto Ecobarrios: Descripcion de sus Objetivos, Metodologia,
Impacto y Aprendizajes. Unpublished.

22. 22
Appendix 1: The Philosophy of Ecobarrios
With the Ecovillage characteristics in mind as well as a notion of what each
dimension entails, we can describe the Ecobarrios philosophy. The following text is
adapted from the Ecobarrios 2002 Guidebook.
In Nature, living beings, the air, water and soil need each other and are
intimately related. The same way, to make our neighborhoods and towns more habitable,
we need to interdependently work on environmental, economic, social, and spiritual
issues, as these dimensions complement and reinforce each other.
Ecobarrios are an opportunity to incorporate biodiversity, the integrity and
beauty of our surroundings, and to search for more sustainable habitats that help
improve the quality of life, reduce poverty, prevent physical sicknesses and transmit
ethical values of respect to all forms of life.
Ecobarrios and Ecovillages are recognizable because they:
• Have a development ideal, based on respect and harmony among people and the
environment.
• Dedicate the extra time and money to taking care of people and nature.
• Have a community or neighborhood organization, empowered to promote a new
kind of development in the neighborhood. Through this organization, the
community actively participates to design and carry out a long term plan.
• Intentionally pursue actions that involve and benefit the diverse social groups of
the neighborhood.
• Execute every project in a way that positively impacts the social, environmental,
economic, and spiritual reality. The projects have the following characteristics:
o Environmentally healthy, as they do not stress people, nor other living
beings.
o Economically possible, as they are feasible with existing resources.
o Take advantage of individual strengths.
o Are sustainable in the long term.
o Feed and enrich the spiritual dimension, meaning that they offer people
new opportunities or reasons to live happily.
Principles that inspire Ecobarrios
1. Human scale. An Ecobarrio has the ideal size to allow people to meet each other and
participate in community decisions that affect the surrounding environment. Ideally, in
an Ecobarrio everybody knows each other, and each person has a committed path of
personal development, and to be his/her best as a member of the community and the
planet.
In the Ecobarrios we look for:
• Favoring contact opportunities among neighbors, communication and community
decision-making to strengthen neighborhood sense of belonging and identity.

23. 23
• To ease access to local amenities and reduce need to use vehicles for
transportation.
• Regard public space as a space for multiple purposes such as recreation,
socialization, exchange, playground for kids, and ecological services
(groundwater recharging, biodiversity, shade).
2. Celebration. In an Ecobarrio, celebrations are considered to have a social and
economic benefit, as the objective of a healthy economy and society is happiness, safety
and sharing.
3. There is no personal gain if the projects do not benefit others and the environment.
Ecobarrios look to simultaneously benefit individuals and communities, making an effort
to include all possible members in projects: mothers, fathers, children, elders, animals,
plants and future generations.
4. Ecobarrios are inspired by nature. Nature has cycles, as for instance the organic
matter creation and decomposition or water source replenishment. In the Ecobarrios,
these cycles are imitated by recycling organic waste in order to support the growth of
new plants and animals.
5. In Ecobarrios everything flows. When water stagnates, it may become a source of
illness, but if we let it flow, it becomes a source of life. In the same way, Ecobarrio
members let ideas, initiatives and feelings flow freely, having respect for freedom of
expression and valuing open communication. In the same spirit, there must be freedom of
movement for everyone, particularly the handicapped, adults, parents carrying babies,
the sick and the wounded. In an Ecobarrio, streets do not have fences or other obstacles.
Pedestrian movement is privileged.
6. There is no development without appropriate technologies. The most modern and
costly technology is not always the best alternative. Using appropriate technologies is a
way of doing things in accordance to local needs. These appropriate technologies are
usually simple and require less maintenance and few technical inputs from distant places.
For instance, in the coffee growing region of Colombia, building houses and facilities
using ‘guadua’ (a local species of giant bamboo) is an appropriate technology because is
an abundant renewable resource of the region. Every place and ecosystem has
technologies that are better suited and develop local knowledge and economic
independence. The use of these technologies generates social processes that stimulate
identity, a strong culture and sense of belonging.
7. Diversity and respect on every level. Ecobarrios are diversity sanctuaries, as there is
respect for the diversity of activities, life forms, ethnic groups, cultures and spiritual
paths.
8. Every element works on different ways. In Ecobarrios, for instance, a park is not only
a place for practicing sports but also a place for cultivating spiritual values. A
community organization is not only a project administrator but also a motor for social

24. 24
life. Trees are planted not only for decoration but also for climate control and food
source.
9. Close connections. In an Ecobarrio, everything is connected. Water, soil, plants,
animals, waste, social issues, microclimates and human needs are considered
holistically. In an Ecobarrio, there is consciousness of where things come from, water,
food, energy, and other resources, and there is a strong sense of connection to the
community, the city, the land and nature.
10. Ecological homes make up ecological neighborhoods. Ecobarrios families make an
effort to turn their homes into ecological ones. This can be done by reducing the energy
and clean water consumption, purchasing environmentally friendly products (and less
toxic ones), recycling waste and using rain water appropriately.
11. Thinking before doing. In Ecobarrios, money and effort is saved by carefully and
thoroughly planning the steps of any project before executing it. There is however, great
adaptation for change, as more information becomes available.
12. It is better to have a lot of people doing a little than having a few people doing a lot.
Projects in Ecobarrios are made with massive participation of community, because this
way, efforts and gains are distributed better and the work done will be cared by many
people.
13. Ownership. People, families and groups leave their footprint in the territory. They
express themselves artistically by painting facades, doing wall painting and designing
public spaces in close work with authorities. The neighborhood is clearly lived in and
valued by the residents, in such a way that people feel more ownership and responsibility
for its care and development.
14. Sense of belonging. Men and women changed after the invention of industrial
agriculture. We no longer feel that we belong to the earth but that the earth belongs to
us. Because of this, we often forget that every product of nature is a gift. In Ecobarrios
we care for public spaces, parks, and the place where we live, not because they are our
domain or property, but because they are the skin of our Mother Earth, which we respect
and defend.
15. In the Ecobarrios, progress is measured in terms of satisfaction and harmony with
nature, not in terms of material goods accumulation.

25. 25
Appendix 2- 2001 PROTOTYPES
Environmental Dimension Economic Dimension
Improvements of parks, and open spaces
Tree planting
Green Leaders Program with DAMA
Urban Gardens
Recycling projects
Composting projects, wormiculture
Community restaurants
Laundromats
Internet Cafes
Training in entrepreneurship and
microenterprise
Social Dimension Human/Spiritual Dimension
Training programs in the arts, health,
recreation, etc.
Sports infrastructure
Groups for elderly, women, children,
sports, etc.
Safety fronts
Schools of Forgiveness and Reconciliation
Gyms for the Soul
Setting up conciliation committees
(Source: Power Point Presentation by Isabel Londono, director of DAACD -December
2001)
Appendix 3- 2002 PROJECTS
CULTURE STRENGTHENING AND CONVIVIALITY
Cinema Clubs 3 Clubs for the elderly 11
Dance groups 14 Neighborhood census 2
Break dance groups 2 Festivals (rock, and environment) 2
Music and dance groups 1 Strengthening of CBD committees and manuals of
community living
6
Dance and theater groups 4 Safety fronts 2
Music Groups 11 “Ludotecas” 13
Music and theater groups 1 Journeys for community 2
Theater and puppets group 1 Community Restaurants 5
Stone sculpture group 1 ‘Unidades vecinales funcionales’ 1
PRODUCTIVITY Schools for forgiveness and reconciliation 55
Productivity training 20 ENVIRONMENT
Community savings program 1 Urban gardens, greenhouse, wormiculture 6
Community Laundromat 1 Maintenance of green space and environmental
education.
11
Community micro-enterprises 17 Environmental plans 2
Community salon 1 Projects for improvement and design of public space 57
COMMUNICATIONS SPORTS
Community TV channel 1 Sports groups 32
Community radio station 2 Community gyms 6
Community Newspaper 3 Aerobics groups 1
Internet cafes 7
(Source: Rojas, 2004)