Asunción's streams transformed into linear parks and bike paths

A forward-thinking citizen initiative in Asunción, Paraguay, proposes a radical transformation of the city's urban landscape by converting the basins of the Mburicao and Ferreira streams into a network of linear parks and bike paths. This ambitious project aims to address the persistent issues of urban flooding and traffic gridlock that plague the capital.

The proposal envisions creating a 24-kilometer network of alternative mobility corridors along the edges of these two key waterways. This green infrastructure would not only serve as recreational spaces but also as vital components of the city's transportation system, offering sustainable alternatives to vehicular traffic. The plan also includes provisions for social housing, integrating community needs into the environmental redevelopment.

Asunción is characterized by a complex system of 25 water basins, 17 of which traverse its urban geography. However, decades of unchecked construction have led to the blockage and covering of many natural drainage channels. This has resulted in severe consequences, with heavy rainfall frequently causing rivers to overflow into streets built over the former stream beds, leading to widespread flooding and disruption.

Rosa Vacchetta, an attorney dedicated to environmental rights, has been a vocal critic of the city's historical approach to water management. "We have the very bad habit of building over our watercourses. The concept is that of a ditch that must be covered with debris, with waste, dumping sewage," she stated in an interview. Vacchetta highlights the Ferreira stream, the city's second-largest by volume, as particularly prone to overflow and collapse due to upstream canalization that intensifies water flow downstream.

The Mburicao stream, stretching over 16 kilometers through numerous neighborhoods, suffers from significant industrial and domestic pollution discharged directly into its lower basin. The proposed transformation seeks to reverse this environmental degradation, reclaiming these vital water resources for public use and ecological restoration, while simultaneously improving the quality of life for Asunción's residents.

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We have the very bad habit of building over our watercourses. The concept is that of a ditch that must be covered with debris, with waste, dumping sewage.