TY - JOUR
T1 - Pathways to Greening Border Cities
T2 - A Policy Analysis for Green Infrastructure in Ambos Nogales
AU - Schwartz, Patricia
AU - Zuniga-Teran, Adriana A.
AU - Lara-Valencia, Francisco
AU - García-Pérez, Hilda
AU - Díaz Montemayor, Gabriel
AU - Gil Anaya, Claudia
AU - Marruffo, Joaquin
AU - Rodriguez Ponce, Oscar A.
AU - Holtzman, Zoe
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 by the authors.
PY - 2023/4
Y1 - 2023/4
N2 - Green infrastructure (GI) has been proposed as a decentralized solution to complex urban water management issues. However, public policy remains a critical challenge for the wide adoption of GI, which is exacerbated in transboundary settings. We draw from public policy theory to analyze GI policies at the US–Mexico border. We examine the case of Ambos Nogales—two sister cities grappling with complex water management challenges. We examined existing policies and evaluated their impact on the implementation of GI at multiple levels (local, state, national, and binational). We also conducted interviews and a focus group with stakeholders. Our analysis unveils a set of barriers to the adoption of GI and a suite of opportunities for the enactment of GI policies. We outline five pathways for greening border cities, including (i) creating market-based GI incentives, (ii) adopting the net-zero urban water approach, (iii) engaging with existing institutions for greening efforts, (iv) planning for a GI network at the watershed scale, and (v) supporting local champions. By addressing shortcomings of policy and regulatory frameworks hindering local capacity, border cities will be more likely to adopt and widely implement GI solutions for more sustainable urban water management.
AB - Green infrastructure (GI) has been proposed as a decentralized solution to complex urban water management issues. However, public policy remains a critical challenge for the wide adoption of GI, which is exacerbated in transboundary settings. We draw from public policy theory to analyze GI policies at the US–Mexico border. We examine the case of Ambos Nogales—two sister cities grappling with complex water management challenges. We examined existing policies and evaluated their impact on the implementation of GI at multiple levels (local, state, national, and binational). We also conducted interviews and a focus group with stakeholders. Our analysis unveils a set of barriers to the adoption of GI and a suite of opportunities for the enactment of GI policies. We outline five pathways for greening border cities, including (i) creating market-based GI incentives, (ii) adopting the net-zero urban water approach, (iii) engaging with existing institutions for greening efforts, (iv) planning for a GI network at the watershed scale, and (v) supporting local champions. By addressing shortcomings of policy and regulatory frameworks hindering local capacity, border cities will be more likely to adopt and widely implement GI solutions for more sustainable urban water management.
KW - US-Mexico border
KW - environmental policy
KW - green infrastructure
KW - public policy
KW - stakeholder engagement
KW - stormwater management
KW - transboundary water management
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85156236266&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85156236266&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3390/land12040781
DO - 10.3390/land12040781
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85156236266
SN - 2073-445X
VL - 12
JO - Land
JF - Land
IS - 4
M1 - 781
ER -