Floodable parks: Medellín's new idea to face the rains
Medellín would have to invent a time machine to solve the problems it has with ravines at their root. During the rains of the last few weeks, floods such as those that occurred in El Poblado, where the La Presidenta ravine caused havoc, the urgency of implementing solutions to mitigate these disasters has once again taken center stage.
TL;DR
- Medellín is investing at least $663 billion in a plan to adapt to new realities of floods, landslides, and erosion.
- The strategy includes implementing floodable parks, a concept tested in cities like Copenhagen, Berlin, Munich, and Hamburg.
- Medellín has 4,217 ravines, totaling approximately 2,400 kilometers in length.
- Urban expansion, particularly since the late 19th century, has led to the canalization or covering of many water bodies.
- Obsolete drainage systems and a century of urbanization, with much of the land now covered by buildings instead of vegetation, contribute to increased water runoff.
- The plan aims to intervene in 350 critical points in 91 ravines by 2027, create 40,000 square meters of public space, and build 21 new hydraulic works.
- Interventions include naturalizing channels, using nature-based solutions like wider slopes, and constructing floodable gardens and parks.
- Examples of implemented projects include a large water retention tank under a future soccer field at Parques del Río Norte and interventions at Gran Parque Medellín.
- The plan draws on successful cases from European cities like Copenhagen, Berlin, Munich, and Hamburg.
- Works are scheduled for completion in various phases through 2028, targeting numerous ravines and critical points.
- The initiative is part of the 'Mi Río, mis Quebradas' project, aiming to recover long-term strategies for water source protection.