Zárate and the Delta Footprint, Towards a territory with Nature based Solutions

Master Plan and strategic projects

Zárate is located nearly 100 km from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Almost half of the area of ​​the municipality is on the mainland and the other half, about 650 km, is part of the insular sector of the Delta of the Paraná River. This delta experiences transformations which are comparable to other deltas in the world, along with similar challenges, such as ecological imbalance, urban invasions, and indiscriminate transformation of land use.

 

 


Partido de Zárate, ArgentinaZárate and the Delta Footprint, Towards a territory with Nature based Solutions

About this project

The great challenge of this project was to find a balance between nature and developments, agreed by most of the actors. In the project "Zárate and the Delta Footprint" we investigated and designed a sustainable development of the island sector by protecting and strengthening the unique natural and cultural characteristics of the Zarateño Delta.  For this, we used actions from the Nature Based Solutions philosophy (NBS), the methodologies of Building with Nature (BwN) and Spaces for the Rivers (RftR).  We developed different participatory design workshops with a wide spectrum of local actors involved with the Zarate delta, such as governmental agencies at the municipal, provincial and national levels, non-governmental organizations, and academia.  The final products of this project were a development vision for 65,000 ha, a master plan with strategic actions, a draft zoning of the islands for future regulations, a list of 40 possible projects, and three potential pilot projects.

With this project, we discovered and reinforced the great value of wetlands as a natural element, not only for the hydrological balance of the delta but also for triggering new opportunities to generate development. Also, we accepted the existence of the polders as cultural heritage and as an area of ​​economic empowerment. Finally, we reinforced connectivity with the mainland sector, improved living conditions on the islands and recovered the memory and identity of the delta.

 

 



Client:
Netherlands Enterprise Agency, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate.
Location:
Municipality of Zarate, Argentina
Period:
September 2019-March 2021
Partners
Guillermo Gulden Arquitectura
Document: