Doca Linear Park | COP 30 Brazil
BELÉM – PARÁ
Urban requalification and the memory of water
The Doca Park is located in the city of Belém do Pará, in a low and floodable area, on the site of the former Igarapé das Almas, a branch of the river that was part of the Reduto hydrographic basin.
The former Igarapé is currently an artificialized canal contained in the center of Visconde de Sousa Franco Avenue, located between the neighborhoods of Reduto and Umarizal.
Landscapes are formed by ecosystems, which are responsible for the ecological sustainability, balance, and physical stability of the territory. In an urban context such as that of Belém do Pará, it is evident how this structure — which should be continuous and harmonious with the place — is disrupted by the city.
Its previous configuration is the result of a combination of pragmatism and urban practicality aimed strictly at meeting functional demands, ultimately erasing the main structuring elements of the natural landscape — along with its memory, identity, and potentialities.
Currently, the surroundings of the approximately 1.2 km-long canal are characterized by a diversity of uses (institutional, commercial, and residential) along Visconde de Souza Franco Avenue, as well as by the absence of public spaces, an urban design oriented toward cars, fragmented, and lacking shade.
The Doca Linear Park emerges in the context of COP30, aiming to reconcile the urban and natural environments through the creation of a continuous linear park that integrates the uses of the territory and offers spaces for leisure, sports, and contemplation.
The project proposes to recover the memory of water, along with its original experiences and reference ecosystems.
To achieve this, it promotes active, sustainable, and healthy urban development through the structuring of a multifunctional green urban corridor that aims to:
- Raise public awareness of the existence and importance of the watercourse through design strategies that bring people closer to the canal.
- Create high-quality public spaces that enhance the existing built heritage and establish a sense of post-COP30 memory, leaving positive marks on the landscape;
- Strengthen pedestrian, cycling, and environmental circulation and connection systems;
- Promote the recovery of memory, the requalification and ecological conservation of the pre-existing landscape, and the increase of biodiversity. The proposals incorporate devices that foster the resilience of the water body and associated ecosystems, expanding the canal’s ecological functions;
“May these rivers, which are far older than we are, grant us wisdom and guide us in improving our existence without continuing to trample on the life around us. The rivers hold wisdom; they can teach us. Let’s learn from them!”
Ailton Krenak
To achieve the objectives described above, the project employed the following strategies:
- Changing the paving to implement a vegetative layer, increasing biodiversity and the roughness of the canal;
- Nature-based solutions as a strategy for phytoremediation, improving micro-drainage, and reducing diffuse pollution;
- Mitigating the impact of floods through improvements to the hydraulic structure and raising the level of new visitor-support infrastructures;
- Expanding the permeable soil area, contributing to the microclimate and drainage of the site;
- Enhancing and activating public space through the introduction of diverse uses for the residents of Belém and visitors.
The linear park comprises a program of uses that interacts with the preexisting vocation of its surroundings. Along the axis, various activities take place, such as a lookout, elevated walkway, food kiosks, playgrounds, dog park, shaded areas, bike path, seating and contemplation gardens, play areas, among others.
