The Guaire River is Caracas' overlooked and misunderstood body of water that traverses the city from west to east. It is not only the city´s sewage channel, but it is also crowded by highways built adjacent to and around it, making it an inaccessible and inhospitable non-place in Caracas. While there had been attempts to clean it in 2005, little is known about the project or how much was accomplished. In 2020, Elisa Silva, director of Enlace Arquitectura and Ciudad Laboratorio, gave voice to a long-suppressed desire to change this reality. They hosted walks, created a lecture series with other river experiences in the world, researched the river´s history, collected articles from many disciplines, and designed and engaged in didactic games with elementary school children. The work reflects the knowledge and interests of a multidisciplinary team of collaborators, including designers, architects, urban planners, engineers, ecologists, journalists, cyclists, runners, and neighbors.

In 2023, an opportunity to begin articulating concrete interventions appeared, focusing on a 1.8 km segment within a larger possible 16 km stretch of public space along the river edge. And in 2025, what began as an experimental research project will become real as the first phase of the project will begin in May 2025 with the institutional support of the City of Baruta and the financial support of CAF Latin America and the Caribbean Development Bank, Banesco, and Fospuca. The project considers the transformation of one lane of a 4-lane road into a public space corridor with 150 trees, a bioswale, a bike path, a foot path, benches, and lighting. Debris from asphalt demolition will be reused as gravel in the project, significantly reducing construction waste, and the filtration drainage will help filter water into the ground and replenish aquifers. New infrastructure that can bring neighbors and citizens closer to the river will help raise awareness and urgency for its ultimate sanitation and re-naturalization.

More information can be found here: www.rioguaire.org

Area: 5,309 | Team: Enlace, Ciudad Laboratorio, CAF, Fospuca, Banesco |