Rediscovering the
River Creating a new relationship between the people and the Fucha River in Bogotรก, Colombia
2
Rediscovering the Fucha River Creating a new relationship between the people and the Fucha River in Bogotรก, Colombia
Prepared for: The Department of Landscape Architecture University of Florida
Prepared By: Viviana Castro Department of Landscape Architecture College of Design, Construction, and Planning University of Florida Spring 2014
Faculty Advisor: Kay Williams Department of Landscape Architecture 3
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Acknowledgements I would like to thank the faculty for their mentoring and dedication in these college years.
My studio friends; nights working in studio were special because of you all. My family that has supported me through it all— You have been my energy and my motivation. Las oraciones de mis papas son invaluables. My sister, THANK YOU. You have been there through it all, including the long nights in studio. My teacher and wise woman. And above all, God. He is my rock, my foundation.
I would like to dedicate this book to my family in Colombia. I could not have a more supportive group of aunts, uncles, and cousins. And of couse, the grandparents that are so wise.
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Motivation Missing a bus stop led me to stumble upon this river—a block south of my home. My reaction to this first encounter was to run away from the place, full of industries, walls, and debris everywhere. However, I missed the bus stop a second time and began to see how powerful this river was for the city. In the middle of the noise of car horns, trucks, and motorcycles, its waters moved silently through the city, constrained within concrete barriers, with plants trying to sprout from small cracks. A small sign said Fucha River. Its name was confusing enough. Why would a river be named with a word that is belittling? Yet, as I researched about the river, I found its name to be a treasure of our roots. For this reason I decided to explore a section of the Fucha River through my capstone as a graduating landscape architecture student. This was my chance to take the challenge of learning about water, its significance, and the many processes. However, I learned beyond what I expected including history, water issues, and getting in contact with public offices while being overseas. This is why the title is Rediscovering the Fucha River, where goal is not only to illustrate its future but reveal its past and its significance today. If this book helps readers to get to know a river in Bogotå and see its potential, I will consider that as a progress toward the river’s recuperation. 7
“...El hombre tierra fue, vasija, párpado del barro trémulo, forma de la arcilla, fue cántaro caribe, piedra chibcha, copa imperial o sílice araucana. Tierno y sangriento fue, pero en la empuñadura de su arma de cristal humedecido, las iniciales de la tierra estaban escritas. Nadie pudo recordarlas después: el viento las olvidó, el idioma del agua fue enterrado, las claves se perdieron o se inundaron de silencio o sangre...” “...The man was land, vessel, eyelid Of the tremulous loam, form of the clay, he was the Caribbean jug, the Chibcha stone, imperial cup,or Araucan silica. Tender and bloody it was, but in the grip of its crystal moistened weapon, the initials of the earth were written. Nobody could remember later: the wind forgot them later, the language of water was buried, the keys were lost or flooded in silence or blood... “
Excerpt from La lámpara en la Tierra By Pablo Neruda Translated by Viviana Castro http://www.neruda.uchile.cl/obra/obracantogeneral1.html
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Contents Introduction The River and The Site The Situation
11 12 14
Goals and Objectives
17
Background Research
19 25
The Human Element Case Study: Park Use in Parque Simon Bolivar Community Input
29
Contextual Inventory
43
Site Analysis
47
Synthesis
53
Program
56
The Vision The Neighborhood Space The Industrial Experience Adapted Truck Parking The River Sponge
59 62 66 70 72
The Vision Thorugh Time
79
Conclusion
83
References
87
Appendix A
89
30 34
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Introduction Fucha—Muyscubum for The Great Female. Fucha, fuchi—Vernacular or slang form to describe a bad smell.
The Fucha River was one of the sources of life for the Muysca tribe in the area of Bacata. They had a close relationship with the river, seeing it as the place of birth for all life forms. However, as Spanish settlement began to take place, the river was used for transportation and later on as a hydraulic source for industries developing in the twentieth century. With this change, the waters began to degrade and the river began to be seen as a source of disposal. Today, the Fucha River is a concrete channel to which city dwellers have turned their backs. This has increased the neglect from citizens who do not see the river as a natural resource, but as sewage transported in a channel. The way people avoid or disregard its condition contributes to its degradation, while industries and new residences continue releasing their waste. The purpose of this project, Rediscovering the Fucha River, aims to recognize the river as a valuable resource and explore the ways that public space can contribute to creating a new relationship between the people and the river, where users become involved in the aspiration and process of its regeneration.
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The River The Fucha River is located at the center of Bogotรก, Colombia. The river runs 13 miles in a northwest direction, beginning at the summit of the eastern mountain ranges and crossing the center of the city until it meets the Bogotรก River. The center of Bogota is part of the Fucha sub-watershed and the Fucha sub-watershed is part of the Bogotรก River watershed.1 The river begins with high water quality as it flows down the steep mountain ranges, but begins to degrade as it enters the urban core. By the time it reaches its last stretch, in the neighborhoods of Fontibon and Kennedy, the river has lost its oxygen levels and received waste from multiple polluting sources.
The Site This project focuses on one mile within the last stretch of the river in the municipality of Fontibon, between the primary streets of Avenida Boyaca and Avenida Ciudad de Cali. This stretch was chosen as an area of focus because it reflects the tipping point of the degrading river due to several factors: - A large industrial sector surrounds the northwest side of the river, due to its proximity to the entrance of the city through Calle 13. - Previously informal residences have occupied the southeast side of the river. - New, high rise residences are in the process of developing northward of the river, reducing impervious grounds and increasing the flow and volume of the river in this sector. - The river widens more as it receives the waters from the San Francisco channel, creating a large physical barrier between the north and the south. - This stretch of the river was channelized between 2009 and 2010 to control increasing occurrences of flooding. This section also contains instances of the different scenarios that repeat along the entire stretch, such as walled industries and residences protected by levees. By focusing on this one mile section of the river, a prototypical vision can be made to regenerate the river as a whole, especially with this area that reflects all the neglect that has accumulated towards the river. 1
12
CAR , 2009
Bogotรก River watershed
Bogotรก, Colombia
Fucha sub-watershed
Fontibon
Kennedy
13
The Situation Contamination is a major concern within the Fucha River, where the blackwaters (industrial and residential waste) and greywaters (stormwater runoff) are still directly discharged and mixed within the river. Recent studies have revealed that industrial and sewage disposal in the river have led to high levels of copper, zinc, and lead in the water. 2 The city is working to redirect the current point sources of pollution to a primary treatment plant, and trying to enforce the zone of protection around the rivers. Yet pollution also comes from garbage being dumped by citizens, including large elements such as furniture, as facilities for these types of disposals are not easily available. The plan to redirect the blackwaters may still take years to be fully approved and established. In the meantime, the river will continue to receive the discharge from the industrial areas, trash from people, and be avoided by many. There are many elements to urban river restoration that need to be approached by ecologists, geologists, engineers, and soil and water scientists. As a landscape architect, I will create a vision of how the river can be used as a public space and how this public space can contribute to the improvement of the river. This approach will focus on the social component of regenerating the river, demonstrating the potential and the value that the Fucha has once it is seen as a natural resource again. This vision may contribute to a new behavior with the river, one in which people can become involved and active in its improvement. This vision will first present the role of Bogota and its development with its rivers; introduce precedents and case studies that involve urban ecological restoration and public space; gather input from community members around the Fucha River; analyze and synthesize the elements that can help or hinder the concept of river regeneration; and illustrate the opportunities of public space along the river.
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CAR , 2009
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Goals and Objectives Invite
Adapt
Revive
- Identify the local cultural behavior towards leisure and recreation, and the local needs and desires for public spaces - Create spaces along the river that become destination points, providing opportunities for seating, gathering events, and social interaction - Provide opportunities to come in contact with nature - Offer a feeling of safety along the river
- Evaluate the different land uses around the river, and how they can serve as part of the river’s public greenway. - Assess the opportunity for biotope filtration to treat water entering the river from the urban environment - Propose a way to integrate the city’s vision of having bicycle networks along the river
- Create opportunities to view and approach the river as it regenerates - Provide opportunities for people to express their historical or current awareness of the river - Provide spaces that can allow traditional river activities to be possible within the urban city
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Background The City of Bogotá Bogotá lies at an altitude of 8,660 ft above sea level over a plateau within the Cordillera Oriental (eastern mountain range). The city has the mountain ranges as the eastern limit and the Bogotá River as the western limit. Three primary rivers cross the city in an overall east-west direction, flowing from the mountain ranges and crossing the savannah until they meet the Bogotá River: the Salitre River in the north, the Fucha River in the center, and the Tunjuelo River in the south of the city. The city receives an average rainfall of 39 inches and maintains at a mean temperature of 57º F. Flora and fauna vary within the grasslands, wetlands, and alpine ecosystems. 3
History
3 Secretaría Distrital del Ambiente, 2010 4
Villegas, 2003
Originally known as Bacatá, the area was the home to the Muysca, a populous tribe. For the Muysca, life originated from the waters and they used lakes and rivers as sacred places for bathing and rites. Their art reflected their admiration and respect for the water, illustrating the snake of the waters, along with lizards, frogs, and snails that lived in them. The Savannah of Bogotá was then encountered by Spanish settlers led by Gonzalo Jimenez de Quezada, who arrived to the area via an expedition along the Magdalena River. The Spaniards settled upstream, near the mountain ranges, and began to use the rivers as the primary sources for agriculture, transportation, and aqueducts. The rivers were also used to dispose human waste, which affected their quality and impacted the health of the Muysca people that bathed in them further downstream. The Muysca had to stop bathing in the rivers, and they began to be used primarily for the transportation of goods and access to the city.4 Bogotá has seen rapid increases in development and population since the 1950s, primarily because of its economic attractions and violent oppressions in the countryside. Its population increased from 648,000 in 1950 to 2.8 million in 19705 to approximately 7 million inhabitants in 20056 . This increase led to many self-constructed homes and informal settlements, and a city that had to carry on with the increasing demand for infrastructure.
5 Uyaban, 2008 6 UNdata, 2014
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Towards a Progressive City Today, Bogotá continues to supply the demands of the increasing population while making progress as a city. Since the 1990s, the city has been working to improve its physical and social structure and recover its natural environment. Some of the innovative and successful programs in the city include the bus rapid transit system of TransMilenio, the CicloRuta bike network, the pedestrian street of Carrera Séptima, and the architectural examples of libraries and institutions throughout all income levels. The Plan de Ordenamiento Territorial (POT) and development plans have also contributed to the progress of the city. The land use plan has separated lands for conservation and public space. According to one of its decrees, 30 meters (approximately 98 feet) around all natural bodies of water should be separated for ecological protection7. According to the recent development plan, the goal is to recuperate in the next years the lands around the Fucha River and other bodies of water for environmental recovery and landscape enhancement.8 These development plans have been useful to aid in the restoration of natural resources, and is a useful component of support to the idea of regenerating the Fucha River.
7 Alcaldía Mayor de Bogotá, Acuerdo 6 de1990 8 Bogotá Humana, Acuerdo 489 del 2012
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TransMilenio System
CicloRuta Bike Network
Virgilio Barco Library
http://metrolab.co/
http://lugarq.com/
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Birth
Conquer
Decay
Rediscovering
Used by the Muyscas to spiritually and physically cleanse and perform rites of passage. The river was considered the source of birth.
Spanish colonization was made possible by the connection of the river to the ocean. The river also provided water and a source of energy for the new settlement.
Industries developed along the river, where they could also dispose off their residues. This led to the degradation of the water and a new perception of the river as a ca単o, or sewage, and its channelization.
New campaigns are encouraging to become aware of the river as an important part of our history and ecosystem, working to improve the quality of the water through education, enforcing protection policies, and programs that pick up the trash along the river.
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Research Precedents Urban River restoration is an approach that is taking place in many cities, especially in countries within North America,9 Europe,10 and Asia.11 Spaces around rivers are being restored to bring people back to the waterfront, emphasizing the river as a public space and a natural amenity. With channels reaching their life expectancy, the concept of restoring them by dechannelizing has been introduced.12 Many rivers that have been restored used to be industrial areas or transportation centers in the industrial period. After this industrial period, the quality of rivers became a concern, and now the industrial spaces have redeveloped to become public spaces where people can interact in the waterfront. 13 Urban regeneration is a term to describe when sites are recuperated to bring back and integrate ecological systems within the urban built environment. This process includes people and their attitudes toward natural resources such as wetlands, rivers, or green spaces, and their relationship to urban elements such as buildings and infrastructure.14
9 Gobster and Westphal, 2004 10 Darby & Sear, 2008 11 Yu, 2010 12 Dreiseitl & Grau, 2009 13 Yu, 2010
These two terms will be explored in the case of Bogotรก, Colombia: how can urban river restoration and urban ecological regeneration be applied in the local site and local culture? The following case sites are precedents in restoration or regeneration efforts that have included the social aspect to promote a new attitude toward the natural resources, and serve as models of what is possible in Bogotรก.
14 White, 1993
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sghardtruth.com
labsofwea.com
vcpd.cvut.cz
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landezine.com
kzet.org
courses.umass.edu
landezine.com
www.landscapeonline.com
en.landschaftspark.de
Kallang River at Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park Originally a park next to the channelized Kallang River, the Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park is now a park with an integrated, natural waterway. The Active, Beautiful, Clean Waters Programme (ABC waters) of the Public Utilities board launched the restoration project in 2002 and was completed in 2012. Today, the park provides recreational activities such as playgrounds and walkways, as well as environmental learning opportunities such as a cleansing biotope and the recycle hill constructed with the concrete from the old channel. The park also serves to hold the floods when the reservoir reaches its peak level. 15
Los Angeles River The Los Angeles River began to get channelized in 1935 to protect the city of Los Angeles from floods. However, channelization was recognized as not beneficial to the river itself 16 and communities began to form to find ways to recover the river. Groups such as Friends of the Los Angeles River were established in 1985, and restoration efforts began in 1990 with the County of Los Angeles River Task Force. The restoration efforts began by integrating parks, walkways, and bike trails. Today, the Los Angeles River is still working in sections to bring back vegetation and recreation to the channelized waterway. 17
Diusburg-Nord Landscape Park
15 Dreiseitl & Grau, 2009 16 The Times Editorial Board, 2014 17 LARiver.org 18 Berens, 2011
What used to be one of the most intensive industrial sectors in Germany has been preserved while it is slowly being remediated. The park retains the elements of the old factories and has integrated a landscape that has slowly taken over the site. This has maintained the recognition of the industrial past while revealing the way that the natural landscape takes over. At the same time, social activities have been integrated, such as elevated walking rail lines and climbing walls along the old bunkers, bike paths, and stages for events by the former furnaces. 18
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Precedents - Discussion These examples demonstrate the potential of restoring and regenerating natural resources within the urban built environment. While the Fucha River was recently channelized and its industrial sector is still active, visions toward its opportunities for restoration should be taken into consideration. Still, how can we begin to regenerate the Fucha River at its current condition? These precedents brought into consideration different programs that can be integrated along the river, including parks and trails that become starting points of revitalizing the space, active recreation and large gathering spaces that invite different types of users, ways to approach the natural resources, and opportunities for environmental education. These elements will be further explored, seeing how each can be applied within the local culture.
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The Human Element
Understanding local stance is vital to identify the opportunities and approach to public spaces. The human component for this vision analyzes two aspects: the way people use a comparable public space and the attitude toward the Fucha River. The results from these two studies are useful tools to picture how public spaces will be used, what local people value, and how public space can serve local needs.
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Case Study: Park Use in Parque Simón Bolivar Parque Simón Bolívar was designed to provide multi-functional spaces that can be used by different people. This study examines the features provided in the park and how they are used by the different age groups with the aim of understanding user behavior within a public space in Bogotá, Colombia. Context The Parque Simón Bolívar is located at the heart of Bogotá, and is composed of several adjacent green spaces that make up the metropolitan park. The central park, which is the site of focus, has different nodes that are connected by paths: three playgrounds intended for young children, a stage for events, the Eucharistic stage, and all features surrounding the lake, including the beaches. Natural features are primarily trees that are distributed throughout the park. Behavioral/ Demographic observation I observed the way that different age groups used the features that were provided in the park. The park was largely used in pairs, friend groups, or families. The pairs tended to be young couples, or an infant with the caretaker. Friend groups were usually teenagers that use the park to play a sport, skateboard, or ride bikes. Families were the groups with all the age ranges, with the primary activity of eating together. Paths were used by all age ranges. However, the greatest diversity was seen in the widest path, where younger adults rode their bikes and teenagers used the skateboards simultaneously with older adults that strolled with their company, the infant or toddlers. Playground areas were usually used as intended by young children with their caretakers standing by the playground equipment. A set of swings that was placed near the lake and far from the playground, however, had different users. These swings were used by a young child, a group of teenagers, and a young female adult. Seating benches appeared to be overused, many times with three people sitting in the small space, especially around the lake. Other users included individuals that sat to rest. The lawn was highly used for multiple activities. It was largely covered by blankets and camping tents, which was the way that couples and families appropriated their space. Couples would place their backpacks on the corners and take off their shoes, resting on the ground, 30
1m ile ra
2m ile rad ius
s diu
PARQUE SIMÓN BOLÍVAR
THE SITE
31
reading a book, or talking. Families were between 3 and 7 members and included different age generations, meeting together to eat. They brought their food and drinks, as well as soccer balls, kites, and play equipment. Umbrellas were also used for shade, resting them open over the blankets. One feature that was not used as intended was the gazebo. While it may have been constructed to provide a more private space with shade within the public park, people placed camping tents near the structure but did not use it as the shade itself. One reason may be because the structure just provides the shade but not the seating facilities, or people came with their belongings to appropriate the space at the location they desire instead of a prearranged one. Although fences may have been intended to separate a space, they were not as functional either. Unless the fences defined a cautionary limit by the water, teens and young adults used them as sitting features and children used them as climbing structures. Natural features provided additional activities. The shade of the trees was used to define the location of picnic settlements as well as goal posts for soccer games. Animals brought the opportunity to interact with nature, where people stopped to look at the ducks and the herons, as well as feed the fish in the channel.
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Conclusions and Implications This study revealed that flexible features are used by a wider range of users since it may give the opportunity to be used and adapted in different ways. For example, the wide paths allowed different forms of circulation to happen simultaneously as well as the large lawn spaces that allowed individual appropriation of space and multiple activities. Natural elements, such as trees, also are part of these flexible features that could be used as shade or as structural elements for play activities. This observation also revealed that sitting and passive resting are primary needs of park users in the city. This may imply that features in a park should provide this need before fulfilling other recreational services. The large presence of families and couples, and their appropriation of space may be by the fact that private open space in not widely available in the urban city of Bogotรก, where families tend to live in compact spaces. Public spaces, in this case, need to provide for these needs, serving as the shared outdoor living of the city. This study also revealed the interest of people to interact with nature. The way people gathered by the channel to feed the fish and stopped to admire the birds demonstrate the desire for more interaction with water, fauna, and natural ecosystems. All in all, program elements such as flexible spaces, seating, shade, and natural components are opportunities that can be integrated when working with public spaces along the Fucha River, seeing how successful it has been in a comparable urban park within the city.
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Community Input: Local Perception and Envisioning of the Fucha River Community input, during which people share their needs and concerns about a space, is now considered to be vital for the success of a public space. 19 The social role in natural restoration has also demonstrated benefits for humans.20 General benefits of community input and involvement for improving natural and public space includes reconnecting the people and the resources, meeting the needs of users, as well as increasing ownership, use, dignity, and personal efficacy. 21 Seeing the Fucha River as a public space entails understanding how the people see the river and what they would like to see in the space around it. How do users perceive the Fucha River and envision its built environment? Understanding how local users experience the river, and what they need, will increase their ownership, use, and involvement in the transformation of the river. With a space they value, people can create a new relationship with the river. Methods To answer this question, I conducted face to face surveys with people that were present around the Fucha River. To gather input from all age ranges and user types, participants were chosen from different sectors of the river, including the playgrounds, the bridges, the road along the industrial sector, and the roads along the residential sector. The user types were classified by age ranges: 10-20, 21-40, 41-60, and 61 and above. Users were also classified by their use of the area as residents, workers, or both. The area of Vision Colombia was chosen because of its accessibility and safety. Participants were given a survey that consisted of open ended questions, asking about their perception of the Fucha River, their personal references to rivers that provide activities, and their ideas about how the river and its public space can serve their needs (See appendix A) . All of the questions were asked verbally and their answers were recorded on video tape or on paper. At the end of the survey, participants were asked about additional thoughts that they would like to share about the Fucha River, leaving it open to any type of answer.
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19
Quin & Fiori, 2012
20
Casagrande, 1997
21
Casagrande, 1997; Quin and Fiori, 2012.
Results and Discussion I interviewed 20 participants in November of 2013. The participants were people that were present around the Fucha River on a Saturday at midday either because they lived nearby, worked nearby, or both lived and worked in the area. None of the participants expressed that they were just visiting the area. The following is a summary of the answers given to each of the open-ended questions that was asked. The questions and answered quotes have been translated to best represent their original answer in Spanish. Q1. When the Fucha River is mentioned to you, what do you relate it with? Perception 42%
Quality / Dirtiness Appearance
18%
Smell
18%
Danger Normal
18% 2%
All of the participants mentioned several descriptions, but all had negative associations. The primary description, with 48% of the answers, was related to its quality or dirtiness. Words to describe it included contamination, dirty, trash disposal, and sewage. The river was also described in an equal manner by its appearance (18%), its smell (18%), and was related to danger (18%), including floods. “With floods and dirtiness, with contamination and bad smell; It’s not a river, it’s a sewer or worse than a sewer” – Participant, age range 21-40
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“It was channelized three years ago, and now it’s a trash dump.” - Participant, age range 21-40 Two of the participants mentioned their negative associations, further commenting on their adaption to its state:
“With contamination and a strong smell; I still can’t get used to the smell.” – Participant, age range 10-20 “With the Bogotá River, contamination, but now it’s normal for us to live by the Fucha River. We have gotten used to the smell.” – Participant, age 41-60 The experiences shared by the people demonstrated that there is an overall negative perception of the Fucha River. Their descriptions relate to the human dimensions described by Gobster and Westphal, primarily cleanliness, aesthetic, and safety. In this case, the results reveal a lack of these human dimensions along the river, affecting the way people perceive and treat the river. One of the participants answered by declaring its state as a normal characteristic of rivers: “A typical river, [with] mosquitoes, rats, bad smell” – Participant, age 61+ While this was the answer of one person, the answer can relate to the responses where people mentioned adapting to the Fucha’s negative experience, such as the smell. These results reflect a perception of the river as not being part of nature, but a part of the city’s urban infrastructure that is serving its function of receiving human disposal and directing it elsewhere, through water.
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Q2. Do you know any river with public spaces, or where you can do activities around it? Out of the 20 participants, 11 answered that they did not know of a river with public spaces. The participants that did know of rivers with public spaces mentioned between two general categories: the countryside or urban parks in the city. Picnics in the countryside: Six participants mentioned rivers that were in smaller villages, relating them to bathing and eating activities, specifically the traditional paseo de olla, which includes gathering with the family to eat along the river edge. “The Suarez River (Santander, Colombia), it’s clean and you can do paseo de olla.” -Participant, age 21-40 “Yes, in a village. We can do paseo de olla, swim, [and] be with the family.” -Participant, age 21-40 “In a village, Mesitas del Colegio (Colombia). One can bathe, eat, and have a good time.” -Participant, age 41-60
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Exercise in the urban wetland: Three participants mentioned the Juan Amarillo Wetland, located in the north area of the city. The wetland has a linear plaza along the edge, consisting of circulation paths and seating areas. The participants associated the park with exercise activities, such as jogging and walking. “The Juan Amarillo Wetland, one can do athletic activity, biking, walking.” – Participant, age 21-40 “The Juan Amarillo Wetland, you can jog there.” –Participant, age 41-60 One of the younger participants mentioned the Parque Simón Bolivar. This may be because the park has a small channel and a lake at the center of the park. The answers reveal that there is a lack of public space around rivers within the city. While there is recognition by a small percentage that a public space is available around a wetland within the city, more participants referred to rivers that were not in urban areas as places where they can gather with the family and eat outdoors. This may be because of better water quality or the preference to a more natural environment.
The Juan Amarillo Wetland in the north of Bogotá
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Q3: If the Fucha River were restored and could become a public space, what activities would you like to see in it? Envisioning 27%
Paths Active Recreation Passive Recreation Ecological Interaction Socio-cultural opportunities
36% 9% 12% 18%
Participants answered with multiple responses, ranging from paths for circulation to active recreation, passive recreation, ecological interaction, and socio-cultural activities. Active recreation was the most common answer (36%) with suggestions such as sports activities, exercise opportunities, and playgrounds for children. Two elder participants stressed their desire to have opportunities to have exercise stations for their age along the river as well. Paths for circulation, mentioned in 27% of the answers, included a bike path, as well as spaces for walking and jogging. Socio-cultural activities were mentioned in 18% of the answers and included activities and spaces for family integration, festivals, and plazas to socialize. Activities that promote ecological interaction were suggested by 12% of the answers and included tree planting activities, ecological paths, and green spaces. A smaller response was for passive recreation, mentioned explicitly in 9% of the responses with suggestions such as places to sit, rest, and relax. Security was also a topic that was mentioned in 12% of the answers, referring to the need for vigilance as well as desiring activities that promote a safe environment. “Play soccer, ride bike, run. We want to feel safe.” –Participant, age 10-20 “To go out with the family to integrate with the family, to go out and rest” –Participant, age 21-40 “Sports to keep our children away from vices” – Participant, age 41-60 39
Question 3 was asked to better understand the activities that people can relate to if the river was to become a public space. The answers demonstrate that there are a variety of opportunities to make this river a useful place for its surrounding users. Providing a public space with features desired by the users, as stated in the literature (Quin & Fiori, 2012), will serve the needs of the people that currently use the space around the river. Increasing the use of the spaces along the river will also provide more participation and vigilance from the users themselves, helping to provide safety along the river. Q4. Do you want to make any additional remarks about the River? Nine out of the twenty participants made additional remarks as the surveys ended, most of them commenting on their desire to see the river clean. They proposed campaigns to clean the river, and expressed their worries about the waste entering the water. “The river can recover with the collaboration of the residents, with signs that let our neighbors know that they shouldn’t throw trash in the river. It can be recovered by stretches, decontaminate it by pieces.” –Participant, age 41-60 “The waters just need to be clean because the river is pretty already.” -Participant, age 41-60 “It would be a great joy if it was clean; we need to protect it, not fill it with trash. We need to keep it clean” –Participant, age 61+ 40
Conclusion This study was performed to understand the perception toward the Fucha River and how the river was envisioned by the people in the area. The results revealed that people have negative associations with the river, relating their perception to its dirtiness, smell, and lack of safety. However, they do envision the river as a place that can provide park-like services and opportunities for cultural development, basing the potential of the river upon the quality of its water. I asked these questions in response to recent trends toward restoring urban rivers across Europe, North America, and Asia, where channels have been transforming into public spaces where people can experience the river as a natural resource within the urban landscape.22 Projects such as the Chicago River and New Haven’s Memorial Park have gathered community input to understand if perceptions have changed, pointing out the need to understand the social component of these restoration processes.23 In Bogotá, community input has also emphasized understanding the needs of users and make successful public spaces. 24 The input given by the community along the Fucha River resembles some of the human dimensions provided by Gobster and Westphal, including cleanliness, aesthetics, appropriateness of development, and safety (2004), revealing that these human dimensions may be supported in other cultures, or are at least confirmed in this Colombian community, and suggesting that they should be considered in the design process of a public space.
22 Hölzer et al, 2008; Yu, 2010 23 Gobster & Westphal, 2004;
The experiences shared by the community members also speak to the tradition of interacting with the river through the paseo de olla, bringing families together as they spend time in a natural environment by the water. Acknowledging that this tradition continues is an opportunity to bring this experience to the urban environment, and a chance to maintain the relationship with the river through tradition and culture. The results also revealed that the local users care about the state of the river, and see its improvement as a collective goal, mentioning “we” in the cleaning process instead of leaving it to a larger authority. This means the in the process of restoration, public involvement will be essential to take ownership and care of the place.
Casagrande 1997
24 Quin & Fiori , 2012
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Contextual Inventory
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The Fucha River flows in a northwest direction, collecting waters from the urban core of the city as well as the Canal San Francisco, Canal de Boyaca, Canal de los Comuneros, and Canal de la Albania.
Open spaces increase as the river flows downstream, where development is more recent. The water quality improves in the middle stretch, correlating with the amount of open space surrounding the river.
Open Spaces Poor water quality Below average water quality
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Floods concentrate downstream of the Fucha River as it approaches the Bogotรก River as well. While the highest risk of flooding happens once the Fucha meets the Bogotรก River, the ten year flood risk and 100 year is along the site that is chosen. One concern may be the new development that is taking place within the 100 year flood area.
10 Year Floodplain 100 Year Floodplain
A large portion of the industrial sector has developed along the Fucha River and the San Francisco channel that eventually releases its waters to the Fucha. The site chosen becomes a point where the industrial mixes with the residential.
Industrial Residential
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Site Analysis
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Vacant spaces: Consistent with the 30 meter protection area stated in Bogotå’s territorial plan. The different size of spaces provide different opportunities as a green corridor for social and ecological improvement.
Land Use: Residential and industrial separately coexist. This leads to different interests in each side of the river.
Industrial Residential
Floods: The residences are within the 10 year floodplain and the undeveloped area is within the 100 year floodplain. In this site, the large undeveloped area can become an opportunity to mitigate the flood before the water reaches the residences. This plan would be more efficient if it is repeated upstream. 10 Year Flood Risk 100 Year Flood Risk
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Formal Circulation: The Cicloruta (bike network) reaches the site from the north-west and southeast. The network is planned to be connected along the river according to the land use plan.
Informal Circulation: Spaces along the river are used informally to shorten paths. New pedestrian bridges have formalized the connections and increased the access from the south to the north.
Walkability : The areas most suitable to walk are by the residential areas due to higher access to existing circulation, points of destinations, and higher visual permeability.
Most suitable
Least suitable
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User Experience The distant relationship leads to lack of awareness and attention of the river. Large space between the person and the river does not allow interaction between each other
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3
The large open space in this site holds together the new high rise development, the industrial sector, and the low income residential area. The expanded area, however, also contributes to a lack of connection or acknowledgement that the Fucha River is on the other side.
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Synthesis
Analyzing the site with a social purpose brought up two general factors that affect the approach to visioning the site: access and land use. Access is important to acknowledge the presence of the river and invite users to the site. It also becomes the primary point to create connections within internal circulation. Land use defines the built environment, the potential users, and can influence the attitude toward the river.
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Land Use
Residential - The levee is a visual barrier between the neighborhood and the river. - Opportunity to provide recreation and social space for families
Industrial - Contribute to pollution in the river, no visual permeability, lacking in perceived safety. - Need to bring social interaction through public space Truck Parking Lots - Informally parked, create a visual barrier - Need to assess opportunities of less impact parking opportunities for trucks.
Large Open Spaces - More flexibility to interact with the river. - Can serve to meet the higher demand for public green space as population increases.
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Access
Intersecting points with major roads can invite people to the river.
Circulating points of intersection can become social nodes with major points of destinations. Compact spaces along the edge limit the opportunities for public space around the river. Existing pedestrian bridge can provide access from the new residences; opportunity for social node. Adjacent bicycle networks can be opportunities for access, and can be integrated along the river. Large Open Spaces
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Program
Exercise for the elder
Active Recreation
Exercise for adults Adult Playgrounds Child Playgrounds Sports facilities
Circulation Interaction with the River Passive Recreation
Bicycle trail- connection to the CicloRuta network Walking trail Paths to approach the river Places to observe water treatment Seating to watch people and water Flexible spaces for resting and camping Picnic and BBQ spaces
Arts and Culture
Paseo de Olla Facilities Educational Pavilions Art exhibitions
Social Interaction
Stage for events Bike and equipment rental Small commercial shops Food vending
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Program Suitability
Suitable near the river
Suitable near buildings
The linear corridor along the river is estimated to be an average of 90 to 100 feet in width when the surrounding land is occupied 25. This compact, linear form of the river greenway will affect the suitability of certain programs. Active recreation, for example, is not suitable near the river in any scenario. Other programs, being more passive, can be suitable in any area along the river. The different land uses will then define the suitability for each feature or program element.
Active Recreation
Passive Recreation Social Interaction 25 This average was taken from the 98 feet of protected area
Arts and Culture
along the river, according to the resolution of 1990 (AlcaldĂa Mayor de BogotĂĄ, Acuerdo 6 de1990).
Interaction with the River
This measurement was indeed reflected in most of the protected open space along the river.
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The Vision
Rediscovering the Fucha River aims to use public space as the way to encourage a new attitude towards the river, one that is more aware and involves people in the ecological progress. This vision takes into account the four general scenarios found along the one mile stretch that repeat along the river edge: - Residences - Industries - Truck parking lots - Large open spaces Each scenario is analyzed for its relationship with the river and suggestions are made for how it can contribute, through its public space, to the rediscovery of the Fucha River.
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N 0
60
200
400 Feet
The Industrial Experience
The Neighborhood Space
Adapted Truck Parking
The River Sponge
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The Neighborhood Space The site presents low income residences that were previously informal. The neighborhood is currently being paved, and communities such as Vision Colombia have taken a further step to construct playgrounds for children along the river. According to the survey, community members desire more play areas that include recreation for children and exercise for the elderly. The space between the neighborhood residences and the river is extensive enough to provide park-like features, resembling shared outdoor spaces between residences. These outdoor living spaces can provide places to gather with the family or friends, cook outside, and stay connected to recreational areas for children. The spaces near the river can be more flexible, where people can enjoy more passive activities, such as resting or gathering in groups. Circulation connects all of these activities, and creates different space sizes to provide different opportunities for program elements along the river. At one point, active recreation can take a large space and alternate further along the road with a flexible area for passive recreation near the river. The neighborhood space would be located over the dike, with access facilitated by stairs and ramps. The higher elevation of the park will define the park space from the residential area and create a visual cue that the space between the neighborhood and the river is public.
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So ci
Re Pass cre ive atio n
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atio
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tion
rac
nte
Cir
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Ac
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Cir
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Re Pass cre ive atio n
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Stairs and ramps can invite residents to the park space. The park space can also be used to circulate within the neighborhood as it is informally done today.
Rain gardens adjacent to the homes help to retain and filter water in the neighborhood area. They also help to prevent people from walking in unseen areas.
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Park shades with corrugated metal and PVC pipes commonly found in the area. Small openings on the structural poles provide opportunities to grow herbs by local residents—a form of community gardening of low maintenance.
Seating elements can be flexible by providing a variety of seating options at once. Using long lasting materials such as concrete can help with lower maintenance.
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The Industrial Experience The industrial sector is currently underused due to lack of program in its public space. Bringing users and activities to the site will also help to ensure more safety and vigilance in this area. Opportunities for these spaces include active recreation, interaction with the river, and artistic expressions. The industrial environment has been part of the site, and can bring identity to the area through its materials, structures, and colors.
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The industrial sector presents two factors of concern: contribution of industrial waste to the river and lack of visual permeability.
Contribution to water quality While the industries remain functioning and the river continues mixing the blackwaters with greywaters, factories are encouraged to treat their wastewater on-site, releasing cleaner water into a series of additional treatment cells visible to park visitors. These natural treatment chains become a visual attraction, where people become aware of the process taking place through signage and advertising. Involving park users in viewing the water that is discharged into the river can encourage active participation towards water quality and express concern when water is being mistreated by an industrial facility.
Internal Treatment
To the River
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Visual permeability Public spaces along industrial sector of the river can use the large walls of factories and warehouses as elements for social interaction, recreation, or exhibition of art. Recreation can reflect the challenging environment by bringing active play, including wall climbing and challenging climbing structures for adults. Large murals can reflect the history of the river and the surrounding culture of residents, industrial work, and visitors.
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Adapted Truck Parking The site, located near one of the primary entrances of the city, receives most of the trade from surrounding cities. This is why many open areas along the Fucha River may have been taken over by truck parking lots. While the lots are not paved yet, drip from trucks contributes to the contamination in the river. While the industrial sector is functioning along the river, truck parking lots will be in demand. Where truck parking is necessary, a lower impact strategy should be approached. Truck parking lots can be arranged to manage stormwater runoff from the surrounding impervious area through bioretention strips that filter the water before it reaches the river. By making this process visible along the greenway, people can experience the adaptation of the industrial sector to the regeneration of the river. Signs that illustrate the process can become opportunities for environmental education while supplying for the need of industries.
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Trucks are formally arranged in a parking lot designed to filter truck pollutants through bioswales before they reach the river.
Signs that illustrate the process can become opportunities for environmental education while supplying for the need of industries.
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The River Sponge Large open spaces, public or private, run the risk of being developed formally or informally. These large open spaces along the river, however, provide more flexibility to interact and manage the water. In this vision, large open spaces can become filtering urban sponges that absorb waste from the river. Portions of the river can be treated as they divert into these spaces where the impervious surfaces help to slow down the flow, filter, and oxygenate the waters. By having multiple sponges, the river can continually regenerate and cleanse within the urban environment.
The site presents one of the large open spaces, becoming the ground that unifies the industrial sector, the river, lower income residences, and new high rise development. A practical solution to the recently channelized river can be to break off small sections of the concrete channel and allow portions of the river to divert into a set of treatment wetlands. This sponge can become a river park, where people can have access to the water and can experience the river at a smaller scale.
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The park will be based on the way the water is planned to settle and meander. This will define the areas that can fluctuate in water levels, leading them to be more flexible spaces for recreation. The dry areas can then be defined, and used to provide formal recreational facilities such as soccer fields, basketball courts, commercial centers, or educational pavilions.
Grounded Circulation Elevated Circulation
Formal recreational facility Flexible program, water fluctuation area
Elevated ground - dry area 100 year flood fluctuation 50 year flood fluctuation
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Water Fluctuation: The sponges will also serve to manage floods before they reach more delicate areas such as the residences downstream. Circulation will be formed around these functions, providing elevated paths where water levels could rise. This way, people can enjoy the park experience during all seasons and celebrate the river when it gets flooded, not fear it.
The water settles and allows more filtration before it is directed back to the river
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Water oxygenates as it meanders along the park A portion of the water is diverted to slow down and begin to settle in the forebay.
Raised paths allow people to experience the floods
Gathering spaces, like an amphitheater, can frame the water at its different levels
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River Sponge Elevation - N.T.S A’
A1’
100 year flood 50 year flood Base Flow
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Aquatic Bed
Emergent
Wet Meadow
Shrub Wetland
Forested Wetland
Upland Buffer
A’
Shrub Wetland
Forested Wetland
Shrub Wetland
Wet Meadow
Emergent
A1’
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The Vision Through Time
Urban and natural landscapes are dynamic elements that evolve with time. The Fucha River is experiencing rapid changes with new development, neighborhood improvements, new users, and a changing economy. The following illustrations portray the ways in which the river can evolve in time through the built environment, influencing a new relationship with people.
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5 - Year Vision Recognizing the River
Art and active recreation can be incorporated into the walls of the industrial areas
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Industries can show how they are treating their water through art and signage using artificial wetlands to release clean water into the river
People can begin to observe the changes taking place in the river
Recreational space is provided for the low income residences, creating a linear park
15 - Year Vision Adapting to the River
More access to the river as open spaces increase
Some warehouses and factories are retrofitted to provide social services
As the quality of the water improves, people begin to approach the river
Commercial services are established on both the residential and industrial areas
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30 -Year Vision Interacting with the River The post-industrial district can provide space for the river to be dechannelized. The framework of some of the warehouses can remind of the industrial history of the river
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Floods are celebrated and are part of the river as a whole
People can interact with the river, touch it, and appreciate its natural state within the urban environment.
Low income housing is protected from development around the river. The dechannelized river becomes the green connection between the high rise development and the initial settlement
Conclusion
The Fucha River runs the risk of losing its meaning and natural function if it continues to be treated as it is today. This project is meant to serve as a tool to illustrate the value of this river within the city and its potential as a public space. Rediscovering the Fucha River involves understanding its meaning from the past, its role today, and what it will mean for the future. In this project, recognizing its background and value helped to establish goals for the river and its surrounding as a public space. Focusing on one mile of the stretch gave an opportunity to approach local opportunities and constraints with the goal that similar situations along the river could be treated in a comparable manner.
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This vision takes into account the current state of the river and acknowledges the delicacy of the site, where local residents of the surrounding lower income neighborhoods do not widely accept the state of the river but have adapted to its degradation. At the same time, its industrial sector is still functioning while new high rise development is bringing an urban environment and a new audience. These factors were also considered to envision the Fucha River through the years, considering how the changes can affect the public space and the way people interact with the river. Planning the change of the river with its dynamic environment can also help establish the elements that can make regeneration possible. Overall, this project aims to serve as an advocating tool towards reconsidering the value of the Fucha River and the importance of recuperating this natural resource. This river was part of our historical values and can be restored to bring our close traditional relationship with rivers in to the city. In Bogotå, we can also have a paseo de olla. Let’s recuperate our Fucha River.
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Appendix A Original questions asked in the informal interviews 1. ¿Cuál es su razón de estar en esta área? a. Vivo aquí b. Trabajo c. Visita d. Otro __________________________________________ 2. ¿Conoce el Rio Fucha? a. Si b. No c. He escuchado sobre el rio, pero no lo conozco 3. ¿Cuando le mencionan el Rio Fucha, con que lo relaciona? 4. ¿Conoce algún rio que tenga espacios públicos, o uno que se realicen actividades a su alrededor? 5. ¿Si el Rio Fucha se recuperara y se transformara en un espacio público, que actividades quisiera ver ahí? 6. Desea comentar algo más sobre el rio? 7. Por favor seleccione su rango de edad a. Menor de 20 b. 21 - 40 c. 41 - 60 d. Mayor de 61
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