Participatory Master Plan for Neighborhood Improvement of La Peregrina and Las Magnolias

Abstract

In 2020, an urban regeneration plan was formulated for the neighborhood improvement of La Peregrina and Las Magnolias, in La Uruca District in San José, through a participatory diagnosis and planning process. The work contemplated a systemic approach in which the local neighborhood system and its environment were examined from components structured from the physical-spatial, physical-environmental, sociocultural, economic-productive and political-administrative subsystems. Multisectoral representations of a strategic network of entities, agents and people involved at the local, municipal and institutional level were involved throughout the process, which were permanently linked from a coordination core made up of four main parties (promoting international organization, involved municipalities, communities and technical consulting team). The circumstances of the context caused by the COVID-19 health emergency and the resulting restrictions, forced the incorporation of innovative consultation and participation strategies and mechanisms. As a result, a significant number of projects were articulated in order to comprehensively address and cover the needs and opportunities of the neighborhood and its natural, social and urban environment. These are linked to strategic guidelines, which in turn derive from three conceptual axes. The proposed interventions incorporate and prioritize nature-based solutions (NbS), the use and reinforcement of local capacities, and management processes through inter-neighborhood and inter-municipal dialogue and planning.