WATERSHED PRODUCTIVE

The Juan Amarillo Wetland, like many other urban wetlands in Bogotá, represents a unique form of inland waterfront—an ecological edge where land and water meet, and where urban development must balance environmental sensitivity with social inclusion. Our project addresses this complex interface by reimagining the wetland’s edge not as a zone of exclusion, but as a site for regenerative waterfront development that integrates ecological stewardship with community empowerment.



Rather than relying on hard boundaries like fences to protect the wetland, we propose a soft, adaptive edge that promotes interaction, education, and shared responsibility. This living boundary invites residents to become active stewards of the wetland through hands-on care, ecological learning, and small-scale agricultural production. In doing so, the project transforms a formerly passive waterfront into a productive, participatory, and inclusive public landscape.



This approach redefines waterfront development beyond real estate or recreation—it becomes a framework for equitable resilience. By weaving in programs for food production, environmental education, and communal gathering, the design strengthens both the ecological health of the wetland and the social and economic vitality of the surrounding neighborhood. Residents are not displaced by conservation efforts; instead, they are empowered to co-create and co-sustain their waterfront environment.



The project serves as a replicable model for low-impact, high-engagement waterfront interventions in urban areas where water bodies are often seen as untouchable or inaccessible. Here, the wetland edge becomes a testing ground for new forms of ecological infrastructure—productive, inclusive, and culturally rooted.



Through this project, we envision a new paradigm of waterfront development: one that treats water not as a backdrop, but as a collaborator in the creation of just and sustainable urban futures.