Volunteers from companies in Belén used a tool to diagnose walkability and accessibility

Improving mobility and accessibility conditions in Belén de Heredia is one of the objectives set by the El Cafetal Corporate Center, the San Antonio Business Park corporate project and the Costa Rica Marriott Hacienda Belén Hotel, founders of the Sustainable Mobility Business Plan (PEMS ) in this canton. Nine companies later joined this private initiative, which has the support of the Municipality of Belén, and as part of their work plan for 2023, this Thursday 42 employees participated in the first inter-company sustainable mobility volunteering.

Currently, there are about 25,000 inhabitants in Belén, while according to data collected from the same companies, there is a floating population of another 25,000 people who come to work in this Heredian canton, a scenario that makes it a priority to take action in mobility, to provide quality of life to workers, customers and residents of the area, in addition to mitigating the environmental footprint.

The team of volunteers worked with a digital tool called the Active Mobility Index (IMA); This is a platform developed by the Institute for Municipal Development and Advisory (IFAM) with the support of the German Agency for Development Cooperation (GIZ), which makes it possible to trace the most necessary actions in terms of sustainable mobility. With the Municipality of Belén, there are already 43 municipalities that use the IMA.

This platform calculates automatically and in real time, the degree of walkability and universal accessibility of a study area, for example: streets, sidewalks, parks, etc. Then, with this information, projects can be designed to better intervene in public spaces. It is expected that even during this year there will be a public module for any citizen to contribute and receive information.

Jorge Ocampo Sánchez, executive president of IFAM, indicated that the IMA is part of the different technological solutions provided by the Institute for the improvement of municipalities. "This is a support to the municipal management for the fulfillment of different binding legislations, among which are the Cycling Mobility Plans and Five-Year Road Development and Conservation Plans, since the information it generates allows the municipal authorities and those in charge of manage and plan land use planning, prioritize and protect public investment, in addition to supporting the country in its international commitment to implement concrete actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions”.

During this day, the collaborators of some of the 12 companies that are part of PEMS Belén such as Intel, Grupo CIISA El Arreo, Grupo ANC, Experian, DHL, Cargill, El Cafetal Corporate Center, San Antonio Business Park and Hotel Costa Rica Marriott Hacienda Belén, helped identify and document the need for improvements in issues such as signage, condition of the sidewalks, light and thermal comfort, in a range of 2.7 kilometers of public roads, within the area's business hub.

“This volunteering has a great impact because the safety of all the people who use the roads of the canton is involved. The objective is to safeguard the integrity of all employees when it comes to commuting to their jobs and at the same time provide the appropriate conditions,” said Wendy Barboza, a volunteer from the Experian company.

Advisors from the European Union also joined the activity through its mUEve program, which seeks the urban improvement of the cantons that are in the area of ​​influence of the metropolitan train, in accordance with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The PEMS stages

The PEMS is carried out in three stages. In the first, a diagnosis was made that included analysis of territorial, business, and accessibility policies, as well as a mobility survey; the second stage established actions and measures to be implemented, while the third stage is the execution of the work plan.

“This volunteer activity is part of the PEMS objectives and it is the first time that we have executed a specific project outside the internal spectrum of business policies to get involved in matters related to strengthening mobility schemes and modernizing public infrastructure. This, together with inter-institutional coordination, are the pillars of the business plan, so contributing with our time so that the municipality has a road map on opportunities for improvement, allows us to see the tangibility of the effort", highlighted Karol Hernández , sustainability manager of the Costa Rica Marriott Hacienda Belén Hotel, a company that together with El Cafetal Corporate Center and San Antonio Business Park, lead the PEMS in Belén.

The information that emerges from this public-private effort will be registered on the IFAM platform and will allow the Municipality of Belén to have an instrument that makes visible the need for improvements on the road that includes the public transport stop at Firestone. with the business pole. For their part, companies may also establish opportunities for improvement within the plan.