Current Initiatives
ESD Learning Alliance – Bogotá
The ESD Learning Alliance is an initiative that creates spaces for dialogue and collective action among social movements, grassroots organizations, universities, local and national government institutions, and both local and international students, with the aim of advancing environmental, spatial, and social justice.
Drawing on an action-research approach, the Alliance promotes more just and human-centred forms of urban and territorial planning in which the protection of nature occupies a central place. It also encourages the rethinking of concepts such as health and care, among others, through a multidimensional, holistic, and rights-based perspective that challenges the anthropocentric, extractivist, and market-driven approaches that have historically shaped these fields.
Established by the Development Planning Unit (DPU) at University College London (UCL) and developed through the MSc Environment and Sustainable Development (ESD) programme, the ESD Learning Alliance has facilitated action-research and learning processes in cities across the Global South, including Mumbai, Accra, Lima, and Freetown, among others. The Alliance currently works in Bogotá with 25 local partner organizations and collaborates with institutions including the Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Universidad de los Andes, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, and Fundación Erigaie.
Strategic Areas
Urban Agriculture and Food Sovereignty
Promote sustainable urban agriculture and collective food practices to strengthen food sovereignty.
Ecobarrios (Eco-Neighbourhoods) Network
Strengthen Ecobarrios and build a network to promote transition processes toward alternatives to the development paradigm that foster sustainable urban living.
Wetlands and Rivers
Restore wetlands and rivers to promote collective health and well-being, restore ecological integrity, and enhance urban biodiversity.
Walkability, Nature and Ecological Corridors
Foster walkability and well-being in public spaces through connections with nature, via interconnected ecological corridors, to advance climate resilience and care agendas.
Vitendo Foundation 