I riverfront park
Orla do Guaíba Urban Park A historical riverfront thrives again in the Brazilian City of Porto Alegre By: Jimena Martignoni Porto Alegre is the largest metropolis in Southern Brazil, with 4.3 million people living in the metropolitan area and 1.5 million in the city proper. The city is located at the northern end of the Lagoon of the Ducks, a large coastal lagoon adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean and connected to the junction of five different rivers. This junction forms the Guaíba River which is also referred to as Guaíba Lake by locals. The name Guaíba was given by the aboriginal Guaraní, the first inhabitants of this region, and means “bay of all waters” (baía de todas as águas in Portuguese).
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Today, after the completion of the waterfront renovation’s first two stages, this urban green piece is the most visited and, especially, the most beloved by both locals and tourists. Since the early 1940s, when the city was hit by a devastating flood and a wall was built around most part of the natural waterfront as a potential solution, the close connection between the water surface and the green border with the city grid was erased. Locals kept visiting and spontaneously using the remaining natural areas in front of the water for gathering,
