Holcim Awards Acknowledgement prize 2011 Latin America

Urban transit corridor and river remediation master plan, Mexico City, Mexico

Type of project:	Landscape, urban design and infrastructure projects
Start of construction:	October 2013
Main author:	Elias Cattan, Taller13 Arquitectura Regenerativa, Mexico
Further authors:	Delfin Montañana, Lucie Nguyen, David Mandujano, and Miguel Mercado, Taller13 Arquitectura Regenerativa, Mexico

Members of the Holcim Awards Acknowledgement prize 2011 Latin America winning team for Urban transit corridor and river remediation master plan, Mexico City, Mexico (l-r): Lucie Nguyen and Delfin Montañana, Taller13 Arquitectura Regenerativa, Mexico.

Project description
Taking Mexico City as a tangible study case, Regenerating La Piedad River reflects on the growth of mega cities and societies’ reliance on individual motorized traffic systems, leading to the environmental degradation of ecosystems worldwide. What is intended is the regeneration of living systems to perpetuate self-renewing patterns instead of their contamination and rapid degradation – proposing a fundamental change in societies’ relationship with the environment. The river was enclosed in pipelines and heavily degraded with sewage, buried under traffic-choked roads. For Mexico City, the master plan promotes the regeneration of living systems and an integrated mobility strategy for the metropolis and its watershed, the Anáhuac Basin. For the Rio La Piedad the project suggests the conversion of roads into linear parks accompanied by efficient public transport (BRT: bus rapid transit) and cycle routes.

Comment of the Holcim Awards jury Latin America
The jury was fascinated by the visionary strength of the project, pointing to a fundamental issue of today’s metropolis, based on a sound study of Mexico City’s history and current demands, calling for strategic debates. Beyond the theoretical approach, practical proposals are elaborated, how the spaces currently used for roads could be redesigned into green corridors.

Descripción del proyecto y el comentario del jurado en español (PDF, 19KB)

Image gallery
Urban transit corridor and river remediation master plan, Mexico City, Mexico
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