Delta City of the Future
Bio-engineered floating mangroves are envisaged as part of a holistic solution to improve the environment and manage the unregulated growth of the city. This holistic approach to city design enables the development of a sustainable Delta City, that addresses both local and global issues.
Santos is situated 2m above sea level where 6 rivers discharge into the Santos Estuary. A natural challenge facing the Delta City is the effect of rising sea levels on both the natural and man-made environment. The delta’s natural ecosystem is Mangrove - these coastline guardians, are an often neglected ecosystem acting as nurseries for fish and invertebrates, providing a refuge for wildlife, controlling water chemistry, managing coastal erosion, and serving as storm buffers.
Bio-engineered floating mangroves will form the base of the bio-engineered city. Platforms of plastic/bouyant waste in the proposals are imported to Santos by cargo ship into the busy port as well as using the refined waste from the city of São Paulo itself. These will form a buoyant base to support a bed of silt and estuarine mud just below the water level, in turn supporting growth of new mangroves above the existing riverbed.
At a larger scale the inland plateau provides potential for hydro power generation for the wider city, while collection from hills and buildings could provide more localized opportunity with less environmental impact. The ‘Floating Mangroves’ will gradually replace the mangrove lost to the rising sea, whilst retaining its functions of filtering water, harbouring communities and providing storm protection to the existing city.