Capibaribe Park: re-weaving a city through green and public spaces

Artigo de Amanda Florêncio de Macêdo, Ana Raquel Santos de Meneses, Luiz Marcos de Carvalho Filho, Circe Maria Gama Monteiro

This paper deals with the research methodology and interventions proposed for a 30km linear park along the main watercourse of Recife, Northeast Brazil. The project was commissioned by the Municipality to a research group at the Federal University of Pernambuco dealing with multidisciplinary studies and innovative solutions for the city. The project is a strategic plan that tackles environmental, spatial and social issues. Such a change in the configuration of the city is perceived as a framework that will propel the transformation of Recife, a city with more than 30% of its surface covered by nature reserves of forest and mangroves, but where public spaces and parks represent only 0.5%. One of the main challenges in this project is how to reconnect citizens with the river. Nearly 500 years old, Recife has seen its relationship with the river change drastically over time, the advent of motorised transport in parallel with the expansion of the city having reversed its early integration with the river. The spaces along the riversides are no longer central but now part of the city’s periphery. The proposed park thus seeks a reinvention of the city, grounded in expanding the potential and qualities of existing public spaces and vacant areas, whilst prioritizing public and non-motorised means of transportation and structuring vital and sustainable places.

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