Atibaia River Park
PAULÍNIA – SÃO PAULO
Reframing the Atibaia River Waterfront and Creating a Network of Qualified Open Spaces
Within this territory, it is possible to identify dynamics commonly observed in Brazilian cities, whether in urban or rural areas, where development often turns its back on environmental assets. This condition is a consequence of traditional models of production and consumption, as well as land use and occupation patterns. For this reason, it is considered fundamental to integrate ecosystem services into territorial planning instruments and to adopt Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) to address urban challenges and foster coordinated local and regional actions.
Located in the city of Paulínia, São Paulo, near the borders with the municipalities of Americana and Nova Odessa, the study area comprises public and open spaces along an approximately 5-kilometer stretch of the Atibaia River, one of the main water bodies supplying the Campinas Metropolitan Region. Immediately beyond the municipal boundaries are the Salto Grande Reservoir and Hydroelectric Power Plant, with approximately 870 hectares of flooded area, which play a key role in supplying energy to several cities in the region.
In this context, analyses conducted at different scales revealed that the study area is located within one of the Connectivity Areas (CAs) proposed by the Reconecta RMC program, established through a Cooperation Agreement among the twenty municipalities of the Campinas Metropolitan Region. This agreement aims to promote collaboration through technical knowledge sharing and integrated actions. The Connectivity Areas were defined as strategic zones to support biodiversity conservation initiatives, the maintenance of ecological processes, the provision of ecosystem services, and landscape restoration in an integrated, regional-scale approach.
Based on these regional management and action strategies, a future vision for the study area was developed around four main intentions: Ecological Restoration, Reconnection with Water, Community Integration, and Low Impact. These intentions serve as tools for the valorization, protection, and regeneration of the Atibaia River and its banks as natural assets, while supporting the qualification of open spaces for public and tourism use and consolidating them as an integrated and connected network.
The project concept emerged from an understanding of the Atibaia River and its area of influence, as well as from the recognition of the lack of qualified open spaces directly connected to this environmental asset. This was followed by the identification of public spaces already qualified or with potential for qualification, as well as areas included in real estate development projects on public land within the immediate context of the river stretch. This reading was essential to identify areas of interest and potential connections with surrounding open spaces, enabling an understanding of fixed elements and flows and supporting the concept of a connected network.
The proposed zoning for the area identified possible uses and distributed them across the territory through four main hubs. The Bridge Hub encompasses the new cable-stayed bridge, one of Paulínia’s most recent and significant urban mobility projects, and seeks to qualify its surroundings as public spaces for leisure, commerce, and services. Along the river and its banks lies the Natural Park Hub, characterized by minimal interventions focused on walking paths, contemplative spaces, and low-impact leisure activities. On the edges and in areas with greater ease of connection to the consolidated urban fabric are the Urban Park Hubs, which include sports and leisure facilities, as well as structures for commerce, services, and events. Finally, the Gateway Hub qualifies the spaces at the border with the municipalities of Americana and Nova Odessa, signaling the connection to the Salto Grande Reservoir. This hub accommodates anchor cultural and institutional uses, such as a marina and fluvial terminal, in addition to walking paths, sports, and leisure activities.
The proposal seeks to provoke reflection on how architecture and landscape design can contribute to territorial regeneration and to redefining the relationship between cities and their natural assets, primarily through the strengthening of public and tourism uses and, consequently, through the enhancement of the local and regional economy and quality of life.
In this sense, the vision developed by the project demonstrates strong potential and applicability at different scales, based on the understanding that the qualification of open and public spaces and the promotion of their integration into the urban fabric reinforce the idea of a network of qualified and interconnected assets. This approach expands their areas of influence and supports the consolidation of cities that embrace their environmental assets and make them accessible to people.
