LA QUEBRADORA HYDRAULIC PARK

Mexico City, Mexico
Lorena Castro

Mexico City frequently faces two opposing problems: flooding and drought. The city is located in a basin surrounded by five mountain ranges, and has built a network of tunnels to disperse excess rainfall and sewage in the absence of a river outlet or ocean that provides natural drainage. To provide water for the city, water is pumped from underground aquifers, sinking the foundation of the city by up to 8 inches a year. Itztapalapa is a low income neighborhood in Mexico City that is severely underfunded. The borough is home to a four hectare flood basin that collects rainwater from nearby hillsides, but is polluted from its use as an illegal dumping ground. La Quebradora Hydraulic Park will create volcanic stone terraces that funnel water into basins and constructed wetlands, with a small sewage treatment plant that will cleanse water to supply water for public bathrooms, a community center and outdoor recreational facilities that are an investment in the local residents. Two roads serve as stormwater channels that filter water back into the surrounding soil to replenish groundwater reserves, while civic amenities, including an outdoor theater and usable green spaces above ground create a place for safe city gathering. Despite being supported by the former Mayor of Mexico City, after city-wide elections the park’s development was stopped, and the design was reconfigured to more closely align with the incoming mayor’s vision of a “utopia” program, including replacing shade trees with a membrane roof and adding an outdoor public pool. The project is an example of the political reality of public space implementation, and the flexibility required by designers when working with several constituents to realize design work.

2018
10 acres
7402 feet above sea level

References:

Links: