Niterói Experiences: Orla Piratininga Park – Nature-Based Solutions, and Caminho Niemeyer

Dionê Marinho Castro and Carlos Krykhtine (Niterói City Hall)

Piratininga Waterfront Park (POP) represents a milestone in urban planning and environmental management in Brazil, serving as both an urban public park and a living laboratory of sustainability. Its innovative design is based on the adoption of Nature-Based Solutions (NbS), a strategy that combines green infrastructure with ecological restoration to aid in the recovery of Piratininga Lagoon.
To this end, three large constructed wetland systems were implemented, capable of naturally filtering water from the urban basins of the Cafubá River, the Arrozal River, and the Jacaré River. These systems occupy an area of approximately 35,000 m² spread over two linear kilometers along the lagoon. They treat water from the main contributing rivers, as well as surface runoff and drainage from neighborhoods, reducing the input of sediment and pollutants into the water body and promoting the gradual recovery of the lagoon's environmental quality.

Associated with this solution, there is also the restoration of Atlantic Forest connectors in surrounding wetlands, which reinforce ecological connectivity, expand habitats for local fauna, and strengthen ecosystem services provided to the population.
In addition to environmental restoration, the park was also designed as a space for social and cultural integration. The Ecocultural Center, a facility dedicated to environmental education and cultural activities, seeks to raise awareness of the importance of preservation.

The Park also includes cycle paths, piers for fishing and contemplation, leisure areas and sports centers, constituting a multifunctional infrastructure that promotes health, mobility, tourism and quality of life.

The POP's overall objective is ambitious: to restore environmental systems and rehabilitate the area surrounding Piratininga Lagoon, enhancing its scenic heritage and promoting urban sustainability. Its specific objectives include reversing the lagoon's environmental degradation; implementing NBS for water treatment; stimulating biodiversity and preserving native flora and fauna. More than just a public project, the POP is a concrete example of the potential for reconciling urban infrastructure, environmental restoration, and social inclusion. With its implementation, an area that was previously a source of socio-environmental exclusion has been transformed into a context for environmental justice. Its existence reinforces the need for integrated urban thinking, with a public management process based on systemic thinking, creating solutions that increase city resilience and offer direct benefits to the population. This project is a benchmark in innovation and socio-environmental justice, transforming a historically degraded space into a hub for ecological regeneration, community gathering, and cultural appreciation. Caminho Niemeyer was conceived as a cultural and landscape axis in the city of Niterói, including the Teatro Popular, the Museum of Contemporary Art, among others.

Free

Registration

Registrations must be made here.

Selection will be made in order of registration.

Registration will be open until the start of the activity, on site, as long as there are spaces available.

Participate in the program of debates, workshops and associated activities!

TODAY (10.10)

2:30 pm – table Risk-Free Periphery in the Context of Climate Change

4pm – table Knowing to Transform: Community Climate Risk Reduction and Adaptation Plans

6:30 pm – table Inclusive Adaptation: Nature-Based Solutions in the Peripheries

9am – Drawing Workshop: Oscar Niemeyer's Architecture in Ibirapuera Park and the Climate Challenge

IN THE NEXT DAYS (11 to 14.10)

ATTENTION the table Palmas: For 36 years, the ecological capital of Tocantins which would be held on 10/11 | 7pm was canceled.

11.10 and 12.10 | 9am – workshop Inventa(rio) Fronteiras: Playing for Multispecies Cities

11.10 | 10am – workshop Elémenterre teaching bag

11.10 | 11am – table Learning to inhabit the Anthropocene: the crisis of architecture

11.10 | 2pm – table Architecture for Learning and Civic Use

11.10 | 3pm – table Culture and Public Architecture

11.10 – 15h – workshop Elémenterre teaching bag

11.10 | 4pm – table Reconnecting with Nature & Circular Design

11.10 | 5pm – table Architecture of Belonging: Interpreting Heritage Through Place

12.10 | 10am – table Experience: Climate Refuges and Naturalized Public Spaces, with Eco-Neighborhood

12.10 | 10:30 am – table Childhoods and Climate: Climate Justice in Vulnerable Territories

12.10 | 10:30 am – Windsock Workshop with the Floating Collective 

12.10 | 3pm – table Doing a lot with a little: architectures for a planet in transition with Esteban Benavides from Al Borde office

12.10 | 4:30 pm – table Earth – building a sustainable and democratic future 

12.10 | 6pm – table Living With – French Pavilion at the Venice Biennale and AJAP – Albums of Young Architects and Landscape Architects

13.10 – activity Pantanal Action at IABsp

10/14 | 10am – table Urgent Panorama! Space as an act of permanence

14.10 | 6pm – Launch of the “Nature-Based Education” Guide

JOIN! IT'S ALL FREE!

And there's much more until October 19th!

NOTE OF CONDOLENCE

With deep sorrow, the Brazilian Institute of Architects – São Paulo Department (IABsp) mourns the passing of architect and landscape architect Kongjian Yu, a global leader in ecological urbanism, and the members of his team who accompanied him, tragically killed during the filming of a documentary. The institute is honored to have had him as a participant in the 14th São Paulo International Architecture Biennial, where his transformative vision strengthened the dialogue between global challenges and local realities. IABsp emphasizes that Yu's contribution, which transcends borders, will remain an inspiration for generations and expresses its condolences to China, to the families of all the deceased, to his friends, and to all those impacted by his genius and dedication. Read the full note here.