Within the framework of implementing green infrastructure projects for water management in the Basin of Mexico, utilizing existing public spaces, La Quebradora Water Park emerges as the first proposal for hydro-urban acupuncture. The project, developed by the team from the Institute of Social Research at UNAM, coordinated by Manuel Perló Cohen and Loreta Castro Reguera Mancera, aims to transform the site’s infiltration into a landmark of good water management, public space creation, and strengthening of the social fabric through four levels: infrastructure, park, city, and viewpoint. Addressing part of the water and social issues facing the area, the proposal transforms urban infrastructure into a public and recreational space for the community in a densely populated area with scarce public spaces.
Now then, what is hydro-urban acupuncture? What are its key objectives? As defined by Jaime Lerner, “Without interfering in general planning, quick improvements can be made in specific areas, which is what I call urban acupuncture.” Meanwhile, Kongjian Yu speaks about the role of sponge cities in retaining and reducing water flow through terraces, ponds, and dikes. In this way, the urban landscape becomes an active system that, through open spaces, can absorb excess water, retain it, filter it during rains, and gradually release it.
Day by day, Mexico City faces serious problems that make it increasingly precarious and difficult to live in, with water management being one of its main issues for years. Faced with a paradox of water stress and excessive rainfall, the Basin of the Valley of Mexico presents severe problems related to both the urban and natural environment, as well as its inhabitants. In some parts of the city, this situation worsens, such as in the Iztapalapa Borough, the most populated in Mexico City, which concentrates many people in poverty, segregation, and with few public spaces. Due to its geographical situation, which includes part of the Sierra Santa Catarina and what used to be Lake Texcoco, overcrowding, lack of urban planning, and the abundance of informal housing, have historically suffered from floods and water shortages.
La Quebradora Water Park is situated on the site according to the traditional way of working with the landscape in Mexico, using platforms made of local volcanic stone walls. In a north-south and east-west orientation, a series of platforms, plazas, and walkways create various routes through a 3.8-hectare site, accompanied by a palette of endemic or locally adapted vegetation. Additionally, the platforms contain several buildings that complement the program, including a bookstore/library, workshops, sports facilities, and a community center.
The project operates on different levels, seeking to solve many of the problems generated in the area and benefiting 28,000 inhabitants. Additionally, it aims to mitigate floods, improve water quality by infiltrating it into the subsoil, triple the number of trees using endemic species, facilitate pedestrian mobility, and improve accessibility to public transportation, among other issues.
Developed by UNAM between 2013 and 2017, the proposal involved an intense research program, incorporating collaboration between different disciplines and facing the complexity of the political environment. Its construction began in 2017 but was halted after the 2018 elections. However, due to the efforts made during the design phase to involve the community in the project, the work resumed in 2019, and after two years, it was inaugurated. Although some important components of the project were omitted, such as the wastewater treatment system with a PTAR and wetlands for reuse in restrooms or the elimination of solar panels to achieve energy sustainability, the project set an important precedent.
La Quebradora changed its name to Utopía Atzintli, becoming part of the local government program of the Iztapalapa district from 2018 to 2024, which promotes the transformation of abandoned areas into similar projects. Receiving around 7,000 visitors per week, the park functions as a space for regulating and infiltrating rainwater runoff. Additionally, it serves as a gathering place for cultural, sports, and recreational activities and includes a space for the protection and assistance of women victims of violence. In 2018, it was awarded the Global Gold Medal and the Latin America Region Gold Medal of the Holcim Awards for Sustainable Construction and has also received several recognitions from CAF and other institutions.
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