“An outstanding example of how landscape design can be the most effective way to preserve a natural environment”

Project description by regional jury

The landscape design proposal for an intervention in the Jaboque wetland in Bogotá recuperates a very delicate area of transition between the urban fabric and the natural ecosystem. The consolidation of the 157,000m2 wetland is achieved via a 5.5km-long linear park that integrates recreational and natural areas, and also offers educational opportunities for the community. The selection of plants for the landscape is determined by each species’ impact on the ecosystem and ability to strengthen wetland flora and fauna.

The urban, environmental and landscape project thereby creates a live botanical collection that restores the ancestral values of plants that were made invisible by the trauma of colonization, while also contributing to the food security and economic viability of local populations. Beyond the benefits provided in the local context, the Jaboque Territory project also delivers a broader environmental contribution since wetlands are estimated to store over one-third of the world’s terrestrial carbon and their destruction has nefarious consequences at a planetary scale.

Regional jury appraisal

The proposal was recognized by the jury as an outstanding example of how landscape design can be the most effective way to preserve a natural environment – in this case a wetland system – and to create a dialogue with the urban fabric and its inhabitants. The project’s adroit approach to move beyond an environmental recovery intervention to include a social dimension that also recovers the identity of place was very much appreciated. The intervention remediates an ecosystem type that is vital for human survival and also upgrades the local community’s quality of life by offering inspiring spatial and cultural opportunities. Despite the large dimension of the project, the Holcim Awards jury Latin America was very impressed by the level of detail provided in the proposal and the refinement of the landscape design. The quality of the drawings was also highly commended.

Global jury appraisal

This project integrates a wise, sustainable, pluralistic and participatory logic, aiming to repair a long-lost relationship between humans and nature through wetland restoration. The jury was impressed by the holistic approach of the project that includes actions of environmental, social, spatial and cultural order. The level of detail of the landscape design as well as the quantity of information underpinning it demonstrates the maturity and quality of the proposal while supporting the feasibility of the intervention. The jury recognized the high potential for transferability of the project that will be able to serve as a “knowledge bank” for future interventions of this kind. The educational purpose embedded in the intervention, aimed at the promotion of more ethical and socially inclusive practices, was also considered exemplary.