The Rediacción Grassroot movement is a metropolitan regional research and action network, whose organizers act politically in the Sabana de Bogotá. The region located in the geographic center of Colombia has more than 4 thousand km² with very different socio-environmental aspects, such as high altitudes (average of 2,600m) and steep topography that facilitate the capture of humidity from the air and act in the creation of lakes and wetlands; and a large urban population in the fifth most populous city in the Americas: Bogotá.
By dedicating itself to advocacy on land use planning, based on respect for the main ecological structure, the Rediacción involves knowledge and proposals for adaptation to climate change that includes everything from participation in public policies to governance processes, environmental education, planting and ecological restorations. Thus benefiting natural environments, the local population and public entities that manage socio-environmental conflicts.
In the midst of so many social actors, the collective’s objectives are centered on mediating between them in order to influence the formulation of municipal and regional policies, plans and projects; forge alliances with different social and institutional actors in favor of the resolution of socio-environmental conflicts; and disseminate information related to the Sabana de Bogotá to qualify the debate on land use planning and public policies.
Non-profit making, nor governmental or party ties, the members of Rediacción believe that urban planning and land use planning are suitable instruments to guide the development of the region and should be used for the benefit of the population, always above the interests of real estate capital. They perceive the surroundings of Bogotá as a set of living beings, physical elements and their ecological processes that need to be protected and used in a sustainable way. These assumptions were suggested by Thomas van der Hammen in his Main Ecological Structure concept in the 1990s. One of Rediacción’s areas of action is the Thomas van der Hammen North Bogota Producing Regional Forest Reserve, in honor of the scientist.
For them, the vision of regional and municipal development cannot be economically based and must respond to the particularities and needs of the local level in coordination, but not subject to the agendas of Bogotá or of corporate actors. For that, they understand internet social networks as a fundamental instrument for the dissemination of knowledge, high-level debate and the construction of relationships of solidarity and collaboration. Therefore, they are interested in participating in an informed and argued way in the local and regional public debate, without partisan interests, as citizens.
The movement was born in February 2020, from the interest in the analysis and understanding of the territorial dynamics of the municipalities of the Sabana de Bogotá, especially those that have metropolitan relations with the capital. In this process, they seek to position themselves as a representative actor, capable of qualifying the public debate and influencing the processes of public policy formulation related to different aspects in the region. Some examples were the technical suggestions in the process of creation of the Metropolitan Region, Bogotá Cundinamarca, the Multitemporal Study as a basis for discussion on the change of route of the trunk of the Andes on its site (https://rediaccion.wixsite.com/ rediaccion) and the dissemination of academic research for the general public on a YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCm-3sPqZYrzpjLIgbgpIEYA).
The actors involved have a strong interdisciplinary perspective of the humanities and natural sciences centralized in the city. Luz Marina Rincón is a sociologist and has a master’s degree in Regional Development Planning. She is interested in the analysis of the creation of the Bogotá – Cundinamarca Metropolitan Region and the territorial and environmental planning of Chía and the region, she is currently a member of the Chía Territorial Council (2008 – 2016). Javier Muñoz Reyes is an architect with a master’s degree in Urban Design, a master’s degree in Territorial Planning and Environmental Management. He has experience in Design, Consultant of urban projects, Advisor in projects of Land Management. Giselle Andrea Osorio Ardila is an anthropologist, doctor in urban and regional planning. Johanna González Calderón is an environmental administrator, audiovisual and plastic artist, and farmer, with experience in participatory ecological restoration, environmental education, processes of social appropriation of strategic ecosystems and socio-environmental research. Sergio Burgos is an environmental engineer with a master’s degree in Regional Urban Planning. Iris Laverde Bohórquez is an environmental administrator and a master’s student in Environment and Development. Nixon Eduardo Mora Caicedo is an admirer and caregiver of nature, and a student at the University of Cundinamarca. Ana Milena Sastoque Herrera is a sociologist, interested in rural, labor, environment and gender issues, and is doing her master’s degree in Environment and Development.
While Rediacción’s work is bearing fruit, its ideas, resolutions and proposals are held back by social groups with conflicting interests. The greatest difficulty experienced is the reluctance of decision makers to effectively incorporate contributions and suggestions into public policies and planning instruments.
Still, they realize that their actions can be replicable in other contexts. According to Giselle Osorio: “It is replicable because we act within the framework of national norms for citizen participation, using the tools they provide us with. Our group is made up of professionals who contribute to common objectives from their fields of knowledge, so similar initiatives can arise anywhere there is a will”.
In the short-medium term, Rediacción plans to have its actions in projects and documents such as the Organic Law of the Bogotá-Cundinamarca Metropolitan Region; the Formulation of Municipal Land Use Plans; the creation and consolidation of a green belt to contain the Bogotá-Sabana conurbation; future actions for the ecological restoration of the Bogotá River ring road; and the constitution of a Natural Reserve for civil society in the Los Andes wetland.