Ciudades Sensibles al Agua en Colombia: Cartilla para la adaptación de espacios públicos al cambio climático

Adapting cities and public spaces to climate change is crucial, especially in geographic contexts such as Colombia, where the El Niño and La Niña climate phenomena will further alter rainfall patterns in Colombia's regions, making urban and rural populations more vulnerable to flooding, landslides and sea level rise, or to droughts, lack of access to water and forest fires. Cities need to interact more harmoniously with their environment, especially in their relationship with water systems and the urban water cycle. Currently, design standards for public spaces in Colombia do not include Nature-Based Solutions (NBS), such as the capture and treatment of rainwater for reuse in buildings and in the irrigation of green areas, wasting valuable potable water in activities that do not require it. Integrated public space design with SBN can also help reduce urban temperatures, especially in dense and central areas, and reduce rain-related flooding risks. This study aims to evaluate the potential of public spaces for the adoption of SBNs and their performance in three Colombian cities with different altitudes, climates and urban morphologies: Bogota, Bucaramanga and Cartagena