Center for Clean Air Policy : Transit-Oriented Development NAMA in Colombia

Transit-Oriented Development NAMA in Colombia

Working on the ground with Colombia

todCCAP has been working with leading Colombian stakeholders since 2012 to develop and implement a NAMA on Transit-Oriented Development (TOD). The NAMA is a comprehensive urban strategy that integrates sustainable mobility with land use development, and focuses public and private development around transit stations to create neighborhoods where people can safely walk, live, work, shop and play. The ultimate goal of the TOD NAMA is to transform Colombia’s urban development model from automobile-oriented urban sprawl to Transit Oriented Development that maximizes GHG reductions and the sustainable development co-benefits of investments in public transport and housing. By changing long-term land use patterns using the proven GHG-reduction “technology” of the TOD neighborhood (high-quality pedestrian amenities, frequent public transit service, and mixed-use development), the TOD NAMA will cut growth in driving by 25 percent, ensuring greenhouse gas emissions reductions for decades to come. The NAMA leverages over $10 billion of Colombian investments in public transport, social housing and GHG mitigation, increasing economic, environmental, and social returns. Through catalytic local projects and national policies for replication, the NAMA is projected to reduce annual GHG emissions by 3.6 to 5.5 MMTCO2 by 2040.

The TOD NAMA capitalizes on Colombia’s public-private partnership legislation, and provides additional incentives to develop vibrant transit neighborhoods that will:

CCAP began the effort by initiating a knowledge exchange surrounding best practices for sustainable urban development. CCAP hosted Colombian officials as part of a study tour that targeted areas of transit oriented development such as NoMa, the Rosslyn-Ballston Corridor and White Flint. CCAP worked closely with Findeter, the national ministries of transportation, environment, housing, and planning, as well as local governments and real estate developers to develop a NAMA concept with significant potential to implement and finance catalytic transit neighborhoods.

In December 2013 the TOD NAMA was pre-selected by the NAMA Facility during the first round of proposals and began an extensive appraisal process. This included further development of the structure and organization of the NAMA. Implementation started in late 2016 with €14.7M in funding from the NAMA Facility. CCAP serves as the Delivery Organization for Technical Cooperation (€3m) and the KfW German development bank is Delivery Organization for the Financial Cooperation (€11.7m).

IMG_1192At the core of this innovative NAMA was the creation of a new center for sustainable urban development,CIUDAT, housed within the national development bank, FINDETER. CIUDAT provides cities with technical and financial assistance on TOD implementation, based on locally-specified needs. CIUDAT also serves a policy advisory role to ensure replication of TOD across Colombian cites and harmonization of policies across ministries to advance national policy goals on urban transportation, housing, environment, economic development and social equity. CIUDAT is pursuing a comprehensive Monitoring and Evaluation strategy to track implementation progress, improve performance and establish the capacity to assess long-term impacts.

CCAP collaborated with FINDETER, the Colombian Ministries of Environment, Transportation and Housing, and the National Planning Department to design and launch CIUDAT. Colombia has inaugurated an Executive Board for CIUDAT consisting of senior officials of these 5 national agencies, with CCAP providing advisory input. The CIUDAT Technical Advisory Committee (made up of Board member organization staff) meets regularly to support NAMA implementation and policy development.

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