Asunción

AREA:
117 km² (45.2 sq mi)
POPULATION:
462,241
Paraguay

Photo by Alan Martinez / Unsplash

Asunción, Paraguay’s capital and largest metropolitan area, participated in the GEF-6 Global Platform for Sustainable Cities (GPSC) to strengthen its transition toward an integrated, sustainable urban model. As the nation’s political, industrial, and cultural hub, Asunción faces mounting challenges linked to rapid metropolitan expansion, inefficient transport systems, inadequate solid waste management, and the degradation of critical ecosystem services. Through the GPSC-supported project, the city is developing an enabling framework for sustainable urban development that integrates sectoral planning and defines short-, medium-, and long-term sustainability goals across transport, waste, and green infrastructure sectors. The initiative also strengthens institutional capacity, promotes cross-sectoral coordination, and enhances engagement with civil society and the private sector. A new monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) platform will support evidence-based decision-making, ensuring adaptive urban management and guiding Asunción’s long-term transition toward a resilient, low-carbon, and inclusive metropolitan future.

Recent Initiatives

Transit-Oriented Development

Transit-Oriented Development integrates transport planning, land use, and urban design to create compact, connected, and livable cities.

Municipal PPP

Municipal Public-Private Partnerships are long-term collaborations between local governments and private entities to deliver infrastructure and public services.

Gender and Cities

Women and girls face disproportionate climate impacts in cities, making gender equality essential to achieving resilient, inclusive urban development.
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Best Practices and Lessons Learned: Urban Orchards in a Natural Reserve Asunción’s largest ecological reserve faces waste challenges, and communities are working with the Green City project to restore ecosystems.
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Best Practices and Lessons Learned: Tactical Urbanism to Design Cities for People Asunción’s car‑centric design strains mobility, and tactical urbanism can improve safety, support pedestrians, and encourage more sustainable transport choices.
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