Dear Reader,
We live in challenging times. Cities grow, natural resources are depleted, extreme weather events become more frequent. Sometimes, everything seems too big, too complex, too urgent. And that's precisely why we need to stop, breathe—and look to the solutions that arise from care, listening, and nature. This book you hold in your hands is an invitation to active hope. It's not a naive hope, but one built with strong and efficient roots, like those of the plants that filter the water in Orla Piratininga Park (POP) in Niterói. Throughout the chapters, you'll learn a true story of transformation: that of a previously degraded urban area, now undergoing a recovery process through Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) and deep community engagement. You'll see that it's possible to reconcile environment, infrastructure, and social justice when we respect the intelligence of the territory and the knowledge of the people who live there. This is not just a technical account—it's a sensitive record of processes, challenges, lessons learned, and affections. Here, each planted garden is also a political choice; each excavated bioswales is a gesture of affection toward the city. You can read it linearly or by topic, depending on your interests. In the table of contents, you'll find the chapters organized clearly and visually. If you work in urban planning, environmental management, education, research, social movements, or simply care about the place you live, this book is for you. May each page inspire you to see your place with new eyes. May it make you ask: "What if my city could also regenerate?" And may you, upon finishing, feel compelled to take action—even if it's just taking the first step. Nature teaches us that everything begins with a seed. And this book is one of them.
The first 100 readers will receive the Parque Orla Book as a gift.
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