Munis Disruptivas: A Call for Proposals to Transform Costa Rica's Cantons With Innovative and Sustainable Ideas
Costa Rica already has its three "Munis Disruptivas" that, thanks to their innovative proposals, were the winners of the contest.
Cañas: one of the winning teams of "Munis Disruptivas". © Melisa Jerez / ACCIÓN Clima
Local governments in Costa Rica are facing challenges that they will now be able to address thanks to the tools obtained in the Munis Disruptivas program: a call for proposals that invited municipalities to devise and propose innovative projects to strengthen capacities for climate change resilience, improve public spaces by integrating biodiversity, and enhance competitiveness through advisory services and methodologies such as design thinking.
The objective of Munis Disruptivas is to promote the fulfillment of climate goals, boost urban development and enhance competitiveness.
Munis Disruptivas is a product of the strategic alliance between the Hub for Innovation, Climate and Biodiversity of the ACCIÓN Clima IKI project of the German Development Cooperation (GIZ) in Costa Rica, the National Cluster Program of the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Commerce (MEIC) and the Institute for Municipal Development and Advisory Services (IFAM).
The Three Winning Teams of Munis Disruptivas
|
Proyecto |
Municipalidad |
Categoría |
| Sistema de monitoreo y alerta temprana hidroambiental - SIMATH | Cañas | Climate change resilient cantons |
| Turri Circular | Turrialba | Competitiveness and internal management |
| La avenida verde | Monteverde | Biodiverse and inclusive public spaces |
Turrialba: one of the winning teams of Munis Disruptivas. © Melisa Jerez / ACCIÓN Clima
Selection Process of Participating Teams
In order to select the three disruptive municipalities, the first step was an evaluation process of more than 90 proposals received.
The technical criteria led to the selection of 12 teams that, with their disruptive ideas, participated in a process of training and technical support from the end of 2023 to gather the necessary knowledge to enable them to formulate and implement their proposals.
The Experience
Ideation, prototyping and idea formulation. These are the three phases that summarize the four months experienced by the 12 municipal teams.
The categories were:
- Competitiveness and internal management: The development of a canton's capacity to attract and retain investments, companies and talent, offering a favorable environment through disruptive ideas.
- Public spaces: biodiversity and inclusion: Disruptive ideas in public spaces through infrastructure intervention, remodeling, activation and management of parks, streets, sidewalks, pedestrian areas, riverbanks and others.
- Climate change resilient cantons: Projects that promote the resilience of communities, their ecosystems and infrastructure through technically justified solutions, based on science and the needs of the canton.
A specialized team facilitated workshops and sessions for the teams to develop their ideas.
The Final Choice
After those four months of hard work, the teams presented their projects to a technical jury, made up of representatives from Costa Rican ministries and other organizations such as the United Nations Environment Programme and the European Union Delegation in Costa Rica.
More information is available at www.munisdisruptivas.com.
Monteverde: uno de los equipos ganadores de Munis Disruptivas. © Melisa Jerez / ACCIÓN Clima
- Country: Costa Rica
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