2022
MCHAP.emerge
Grand Canal Linear Park
128 Architecture and Urban Design
Mexico City, Mexico
February 2020
PRIMARY AUTHOR
Fernando TepichÃn Jasso, Ricardo Pérez González
CONTRIBUTING AUTHOR
Angélica Moreno, MarÃa Fernanda Lozano, Enrique Zenón, Delfino Segura, Rodrigo Juan Canjay
CLIENT
Tania Carro Toledo (MEXICO CITY URBAN SERVICES OFFICE. DIRECTOR)
PHOTOGRAPHER
Onnis Luque
OBJECTIVE
The New park gross floor is 73,000 square meters (7.3 Ha) on the phase one of development. The spatial ligne de force is the historic unevenness of the canal, and the walled condition, that structured a border felling. This condition used to isolate more than 20 boroughs and almost 100,000 inhabitants. Today this wall doesn`t exist anymore.
The environmental restoration is one of the project conceptual core based on the reforestation, the substitution of new soil, and the increase of humidity levels on 16%. The new canopy will shade and is expected to mitigate 4ª to 5ª the heat island effect.
New activities of the park are focused on open space social programs like elder people, children and family pavilions along the park.
The new geometry remembers the lineal repetition of the pre-Columbian city broadways and improves rhythm and scale to the gardened slopes that integrates ramps and stairs along the park.
CONTEXT
Mexico’s city canal infrastructure has an evolution up to pre-Columbian times, which commenced with the Lake and flood control of the ancient city. Today, the past channels turned in highways, sewage or disappeared.
On 2019, the city council initiated a challenging reconversion program focused on the abandoned canals, turned in - terrain vague-, and all the undesirable consequences to the urban fabric like social fragmentation.
The new green infrastructure looks forward to increase public space quality which has been proved its successful retributions on life quality. The empty space, filled up with human activity.
PERFORMANCE
This first stage of the project encouraged to continue the transformation. The second stage was finished on fall 2021, and the third stage is programmed this year.
People from different ages visits the park every day, especially on weekends
The metropolitan bike route connected a new line to give an alternative access.
Around 3000 people weekly visits the park for different purposes sport dance or simply walk through between neighborhoods, separated before.