project detail

The project was developed in two stages: the first in 2018, working for the Inter-American Development Bank to structure and set up the project that was the subject of the loan; and the second in 2023, developing the conceptual design to bring the project to tender.

Human activity in the Juan Díaz River Basin has historically been environmentally aggressive. The river and its ecosystem have been undervalued despite being a natural element of the first order. Its basin has been encroached upon and colonized, diverted from its natural course, and stripped of its meanders and mangroves. The most aggressive intervention on the riverbed has been the construction of MetroPark, a linear elevated platform (2,000 m long, 500 m wide and 3 m high) built to prevent flooding — which in practice acts as a large dam, holding back water that floods the low-income neighbourhoods of Ciudad Radial and the surrounding area.

Across both phases, the work consisted of translating this engineering intervention into green infrastructure usable by the population.

The long-term vision for the resilient basin of the Juan Díaz River contemplates the river as a natural space and a linear, floodable river park that communicates and promotes social and territorial inclusion. The river ceases to be a physical barrier and becomes a linear element that brings the population closer to Line 2 of the Metro, avoiding long and costly journeys in private vehicles and reducing CO2 emissions.