This Hillside City in South America Rebuilt Itself Around Nature — and Got Healthier

On most mornings, Cati Ochoa walks the green corridor along the Zamora River near her home in Loja, Ecuador, before starting work. The moment she steps beneath the trees, she feels her shoulders drop. “Green areas give us peace,” she said. “They bring calm, clean air, they help us feel alive.”

In Loja, it’s almost impossible to walk more than a few blocks without encountering a park, riverside trail or tree-lined hillside. Children ride bicycles along the water’s edge. Older residents stroll under shaded canopies. City workers prune, plant and clean these spaces every day, caring for more than 600 hectares (1,482 acres) of green areas that weave through this small city in South America’s Andes Mountains.

For Ochoa, and the 200,000 Loja residents, these natural spaces are part of the city’s identity. They are places to breathe, unwind and reconnect with nature. The spaces are also intentional — a public health strategy, mobility network, ecological buffer and a source of civic identity all wrapped into one connected system. 

A Green Transformation

Loja’s green transformation, which has become a living example of how nature-based solutions can transform quality of city life, strengthen resilience and create a shared sense of pride, did not happen all at once.

For decades, the city built parks across its neighborhoods, but these spaces remained isolated from one another. At the same time, its rivers were polluted and degraded, ravines were eroding, hillsides lacked from erosion and habitat loss, and footpaths were disconnected and vulnerable to floods. City officials recalled how ravines would overflow during seasonal rains, flooding nearby neighborhoods and underscoring the urgency of restoring — and connecting green areas into a coherent system.

In 2017, Loja partnered with the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) and researchers from the Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja (UTPL) that addressed urban sprawl and the ecological degradation. UTPL researchers and municipal planners viewed Loja as a layered ecological and social structure shaped by its rivers, ravines and slopes. By connecting these elements through green corridors, they knew it would help both people and nature flourish.

Together, they created the Sistema Verde Urbano (Spanish for urban green system), a strategy that stitched together previously isolated parks, ravines and river corridors into a unified network built around a simple guiding belief, described by Diego Ramon, Loja’s director of territorial management, as “it’s easier to prevent than to heal.”

Green Corridors Use Everyday Infrastructure for Well-Being

In Loja, green space has become a fundamental part of how the city works. Sistema Verde Urbano extends through three major ecological corridors linked by rivers, ravines, forests, neighborhood parks and tree-lined streets. These corridors reduce heat, absorb stormwater and give residents safe spaces to move.

In interviews, residents described improvements in their physical activity, emotional well-being and daily habits. They mentioned that children have safe trails to reach playgrounds and sports fields, while seniors can walk along shaded routes to socialize and exercise Bike paths are no longer flooded during storms, letting commuters easily pass by, while hiking paths now weave through culturally significant lands. Loja resident Rodrigo León explained the impact simply: “When you come to these green spaces, your whole life changes emotionally, physically and mentally.”

The ecological function is equally significant. Restored riparian buffers have stabilized riverbanks and reduced the severity of seasonal flooding. Tree cover has expanded, shading key corridors and lowering temperatures. Eighteen new species of amphibians and plants have been identified and described in the region, underscoring the value that Loja’s ecosystems bring towards enhancing biodiversity.

For a city vulnerable to climate impacts, especially flooding and heat, these ecological gains translate into real benefits for daily life.

For Loja, ‘Verde’ Means More than Just Green

Few cities in the region integrate water management as closely into city planning as Loja. Sistema Verde Urbano is designed to follow the natural flow of the Zamora and Malacatos rivers, which are not just the heart of the city but drain into 40 streams that impact the wider Andean watershed. The rivers connect the city, its hillsides, ravines and riverbanks into one continuous ecological system and were used to guide placements of parks, transportation routes and restoration zones. By treating the rivers as an integral part of the green system, Loja has turned them from once flood-prone and polluted sources of vulnerability into central elements of a safer and healthier city. 

Protecting the rivers also means managing what flows into them, a commitment reflected in Loja’s wastewater system. The municipality’s wastewater treatment plant, which processes nearly all wastewater using a biological percolation system, returns clean water to the Zamora and Malacatos rivers. Sludge is repurposed to regenerate soils in hillside reforestation zones. The plant has become a national training hub, inspiring other municipalities to adopt similarly integrated watershed approaches.

Residents see this entire water system not only as infrastructure but also as part of Loja’s cultural identity. Trails extend from the urban center into forested hillsides where people hike, reflect and reconnect with nature.

A Green Backbone for Mobility

One of Loja’s most distinctive achievements is the integration of mobility into its ecological plan. The city recognized early in its planning that walking and biking could only thrive if they were supported by nature, shade, safety, cooling and by streets designed for the people who use them most.

In Loja’s small city center, pedestrians outnumber vehicles by more than two to one, with women, children and older adults making up a large share of those walkers. Yet the streets were historically designed to prioritize cars. “Our data showed that the people walking were not the ones our streets were built for,” explained Maria Morales, a UTPL professor who worked on the mobility component of the Sistema Verde Urbano.

This evidence catalyzed the creation of wider sidewalks, temporary plazas and reclaimed road space that made pedestrian routes safer and more connected. “If there’s something that stresses citizens, it’s traffic,” said Luis Alonso Peña, Loja’s director of mobility. “Creating safer walking and transit routes helps reduce that stress.”

Loja is now applying the same logic to its growing cycling network. Although still under development, new segments already create continuous corridors that connect neighborhoods, parks and key destinations. These early links provide safer, cooler routes framed by the city’s expanding green infrastructure, an important step in a city where many residents rely on walking, biking and transit rather than private vehicles.

As the network expands, cycling is becoming a more viable option for everyday travel, complementing improvements in public transportation. “Inclusive transit connects the most vulnerable residents to work, education and health care,” Morales noted.

A City Designed for the People, by the People

One force behind Loja’s transformation is its strong civic culture. Neighborhoods are led by elected neighborhood presidents. Everyday conversations on the street reveal tight social networks: municipal staff reference former classmates, neighborhood leaders greet planners by name and residents introduce their neighbors as collaborators.

This closeness has translated into real stewardship: Communities help identify tree species for planting, install solar-power lighting along trails and organize cleanup days. Teachers also lead outdoor environmental classes and residents advocate for protecting hillsides from development. 

“Being next to a park has helped our families reconnect,” said Galo Caraguay, president of the Colinas de Cucará neighborhood. “We get to know each other, talk through problems, and build community again.”

UTPL’s credibility has also been essential in harnessing community involvement and ownership in the project. Because residents trust the university, they view Sistema Verde Urbano not as an external mandate but as a shared, locally-grounded project. Researchers continue to support monitoring, ecological design and long-term planning keeping the system tied to science as it expands. 

A New Way of Governing: Breaking Silos to Build a Unified Vision

Sistema Verde Urbano also created a more collaborative governance structure.

To coordinate the city’s ecological, mobility and land-use goals, Loja created a Technical Working Group, where municipal departments that previously worked in silos — such as planning, environment, mobility, public works and the water utility — met regularly with UTPL researchers to design, prioritize and deliver projects collaboratively. Through this process, a unified strategy was created ensuring continuity across three mayoral administrations, embedding green infrastructure into municipal planning and making Sistema Verde Urbano the city’s operating framework. The project is financed by a multi-source model that blends municipal revenue, citizen fees and international financing.

Sistema Verde Urbano is also formalized in Loja’s Land Use Plan, Climate Action Plan 2040, and Green Mobility Plan making it a critical component designed to guide the city for decades.

Maintenance is visible and constant. Residents often comment on the reliability of the city’s teams who sweep corridors, repair benches, plant trees and keep parks clean. This creates a sense of confidence that the green system is here to stay.

At the same time, there is still more to build: Sidewalks, pathways and roadways must be extended; additional ravines need restoration; new parks and neighborhood amenities are planned in underserved areas. But residents see these as steps in a long-term journey, not obstacles.

A Lighthouse for Other Andean Cities and Beyond

Despite being a city of just 200,000 people, Loja has become a reference point for integrated ecological planning throughout Ecuador. Cities such as Cuenca, Riobamba and Ambato are studying Sistema Verde Urbano as a model, and national programs led by GIZ have helped share Loja’s methodology across the Andean region. The appeal is clear: A system that protects water, cools neighborhoods, improves health, supports active mobility, strengthens community bonds and shapes land use brings value to residents and the city.

“You may have more money in bigger cities,” said Ochoa. “But we have a rich life here.”

Loja’s message to other cities is simple: Nature is not a luxury; it is the foundation for a healthier, more resilient and more connected future. 

Sistema Verde Urbano was selected as one of five finalists for the 2025-2026 WRI Ross Center Prize for Cities, which celebrates projects and initiatives catalyzing healthy cities. The Grand Prize Winner, which will be selected by an independent jury and receive a $250,000 grand prize, will be awarded in April 2026.