Cool cities are responsive cities: combining technology and biodiversity for climate change adaptation

The objective of this phase was to generate a compendium of tools to guide informed decision making on urban reforestation needs in five Mexican coastal cities (Boca del Rio, Veracruz; Merida, Yucatan; San Mateo del Mar, Oaxaca; Tepic, Nayarit; Tijuana, Baja California).

1. A compendium of landscape-scale tools was prepared with the products:

• Economic valuation of ecosystem services provided by urban trees.
• Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) map.
• Green View Index Map (GVI)
• Fixed Pollution Sources Map (FFC)
• Children's Access to Nature Equity Index Map.
• Urban Heat Islands (UHI) Map.

2. The baseline for the efficient management of urban trees was elaborated through the street-by-street detail component of a high-resolution digital inventory, representative of the axes and road islands of each city. This inventory not only recorded the existing trees and their maintenance needs, but also identified plantable spaces, identified and catalogued the available plantable spaces, specifying the appropriate characteristics of each area, as well as the type of tree that can be planted in each site. This integrated approach ensures more accurate and sustainable planning, optimizing species selection and improving the health and biodiversity of the urban tree stock.

3. In addition, educational and design tools were prepared. A practical guide for urban reforestation and two plant palettes for climate-smart reforestation were developed.

Once the areas with the greatest need for urban reforestation had been identified, schools with the potential to develop school reforestation interventions were selected. Subsequently, the project was shared with the corresponding Ministry of Education to verify the viability of the chosen schools. Thus, the Alfonso Arroyo Flores elementary school, located in the municipality of Boca del Río, was selected for this activity. A visit was made to the institute to present and socialize the initiative before the school authorities, ensuring their collaboration and support in the implementation of the reforestation activities.

The next step was the preparation of a diagnostic study of the intervention area to analyze soil fertility, complemented by a drone flight to generate the design of the interventions. This design, validated by the school community, was based on the Miyawaki Method, a high diversity and density afforestation approach that accelerates the development of vegetation and other ecological processes.

The implementation of the reforestation activities was divided into two stages. The first stage focused on environmental awareness and education. An explanation was given to the student community, including children, youth and teachers, about the importance of trees in urban environments and the principles of Miyawaki forests, as well as the critical points in the reforestation process. The language used was accessible and appropriate for the age group, promoting active participation to facilitate meaningful learning. In the second stage, the knowledge acquired during the previous stage was put into practice and the school reforestation was carried out together with the children.

This experience not only allowed for the tangible improvement of the green infrastructure, but also provided the opportunity to raise awareness among the students and allow them to experience the reforestation process in a sensory way.

To strengthen the technical and operational capacities of key stakeholders in the management of urban trees and green areas, three face-to-face workshops and one virtual course were held. These events were aimed at local governments, academics, private companies, non-governmental organizations and members of civil society with the capacity and interest to influence decision-making on the urban landscape of each city benefiting from the project.

The main objective was to increase capacities in the diagnosis and management of urban trees, providing knowledge and essential tools for efficient and sustainable management of green infrastructure. The following topics were addressed in each face-to-face event, with variations according to the participants' level of knowledge:

• Presentation of the Sembrando Ciudades project
• Green Infrastructure and Children Toolkit, results for each city.
• Integrated Tree Management Plan.
• Macro and micro diagnosis.
• Inventories and censuses.
• Regulations.
• Zoning of greening needs.
• Intervention area, strategies and objectives.
• Selection of species and nursery plants.
• Community involvement.
• Pilots that inspire: execution of interventions.
• Critical steps in urban reforestation.
• Evaluation and measures of success.
• Air quality and its relationship with green infrastructure.
• Appraisal and management recommendations for urban trees.

The virtual course has the same objective as the workshops, so they complement and reinforce each other. However, in this event it focuses on:

• Calculate and economically value the ecosystem services provided by urban trees.
• Generate information to promote an informed urban management, through the identification and characterization of trees, as well as the identification of plantable spaces.
• Know the regulations, the entities involved in urban tree management, as well as funding opportunities and resources to promote reforestation in urban areas.
• Develop a comprehensive urban tree management plan to ensure the conservation and sustainable development of the urban environment.

Dissemination and communication of the interventions took place through local press conferences organized by Colectivo Tomate as implementing partner, together with local governments, COMEX, GIZ and other strategic allies.

In addition, microsites were created on Google Sites that serve as hubs of accessible and updated information on the project. These microsites provide details of the interventions, methodologies employed, results obtained and next steps. They also offer educational resources such as guides and tools relevant to urban tree management and reforestation.