Mexico develops its flood-prevention capacity using blue-green infrastructure capable of capturing rainwater and either retaining it for later use or ensuring it is absorbed slowly into the earth, rather than flooding.
Posted on 100 Resilient Cities
Mexico
For decades ranked as among the largest urban areas in the world, Mexico City is a vibrant metropolis and the oldest capital city in the Americas. As the city grew through the colonial era and into modern times to reach 21 million inhabitants, it was built directly on top of those lakes – a geographic legacy that creates unique and substantial risks and challenges to managing the city’s massive infrastructure.
Combined with a natural topography that hinders the absorption of water, the city faces constantly faces heavy flooding as a result of heavy rainfall, which climate change is making more frequent. Even minor flooding disrupts transportation systems and cause sewers to overflow, significantly impacting the city.
To address this its flood risk, one of the initiatives in Mexico City’s Resilience Strategy aims to develop its flood-prevention capacity using blue-green infrastructure capable of capturing rainwater and either retaining it for later use or ensuring it is absorbed slowly into the earth, rather than flooding. To further improve the resilience dividends of its flood management projects, and pursue other city goals around social cohesion and public spaces, the Strategy specifics that “such projects will also seek to build inclusive public spaces and promote education and awareness about water conservation in cities”.
To date, Mexico City has recovered 50 parks and installed 76 open-air gymnasiums as part of these efforts.
Read entire article Mexico City Builds Resilient Infrastructure that Brings the Community Together | 100 Resilient Cities