City Lab Saltillo

Saltillo is located in northeastern Mexico in a semi-arid region and is prone to water shortages, droughts, heat waves, and heavy rainfall that leads to flooding. The city is growing rapidly but has few green spaces and permeable surfaces, which contributes to urban heat islands and flooding. The project in Saltillo aims to integrate Blue-Green Infrastructure (BGI) and Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) into the urban environment, implement BGI techniques to mitigate flood risks, and improve the microclimate. The goal is to create safe and comfortable spaces for local residents. The expected impacts and benefits include increasing urban green spaces, reducing pollution and urban heat islands, strengthening the connection between residents and the wider urban population, creating high-quality public spaces, and reducing damage to urban infrastructure caused by flooding.

The MGI project ran from December 2018 to June 2023. The overarching goal was to analyze and develop sustainable development strategies with a focus on climate change for the three participating cities: Kochi in India, Piura in Peru, and Saltillo in Mexico. Using the City-Lab method developed by Fraunhofer IAO, the key challenges and opportunities in each city were identified through participatory processes and interviews with key local stakeholders. The key findings from the analysis were incorporated into the development of three proposals for pilot projects (one for each participating city), which are intended to serve as test beds for improvements and innovations in the participating cities to address the identified challenges. Below is a summary of the challenges and the pilot project in each city.