FIELD : URBAN PLANNING

STATUS : COMPETETITION

LOCATION : MEXICO

TEAM : ELIF KARAKOSE / EDGAR JESE RODRIGUEZ

 

"Thousands have lived without love, not one without water. "           
W. H. Auden
 

The transformation of (future ex) International Airport Benito Juárez aims to redefine an obsolete airport site by converting it into a wetland- hub park. Our vision intends to connect the airport site with Mexico City and to reconceive the zone as a vibrant urban center.

Strategies for the site are based on geography, sedimentation, sutures, blocks, buildings, ecology, energy, economy, sociology and community participation. Wetland- Hub Park converges the urban land, water and landscape. The lake, located between the imprints of the former airport tracks, processes the water, which will be used for different purposes. By increasing the wetland and vegetation, the water is able to drainage naturally, which prevents the inundation and it completes its cycle in the nature. Airport terminal buildings are kept and upgraded to cultural and expo centers. The existing urban fabric extends and fades into the park, while new buildings are dissolving into the park and the city. Bridges that contain facilities connect the park with Colonia Moctezuma. Two soft circulation axes join the site with the bordering neighborhoods and existing public transport service.

Repopulating this new center will be a catalyst for engaging new urbanism, shortening daily commutes, saving energy, creating new high-density housing, attractive business centers and cultural facilities also providing open space to everyone in equal terms. By broadening access to the park and rearranging the density of the zone, the Wetland-Hub Park aims to become an urban and ecological model for rearranging the density on the east part of the city and revitalizing Texcoco Lake.