Urban Marketplace & Boardwalk Proposal
November 2020 | Critic: Gustavo Crembil
Collaboration with Nayeli Henriquez
Ponte Urbana is a proposal for a mixed-use public structure located in Manaus, Brazil. The site is situated on the Rio Negro, a small river off of the city’s main water body. Conceived as a combined urban boardwalk and public marketplace, the primary intention of this project is the creation of accessible green space in the area formerly inhabited by impoverished neighborhoods, known as favelas. In addition, agricultural and economic productivity was given precedence in this masterplan, along with community garden land tracts and commercial jute fields.
A key facet of Ponte Urbana’s development surrounded the concept of “terra firma” and understanding what constitutes “dry land” as infrastructure is spatially deployed. The city park that lines the eastern shore of the site was designed with careful consideration to the varying water levels that area experiences . The creation of terraced “floodable program” allows for effective recreational land usage across seasons. As part of the efforts to create a new inland node of economic activity, a pier at the southern end of the primary structure links Ponte Urbana with the primary market zone of Manaus to the southeast.
