Grand Canal Linear Park

The Grand Canal Linear Park is a regeneration project which targeted a vast public space spanning 1.5 km located in the Northeast side of Mexico City. The intervention focused on restoring the site which was formerly occupied by an artificial canal stemming from Lake Texcoco. The canal was built in order to prevent flooding by diverting water from the old Lake Texcoco into the River Tula. After the draining of the lake and consequently of the canal, the area has been replaced with roads and drains or has been left abandoned in some cases. Besides its abandonment, the Canal area physically divided several neighborhoods along its path, impeding connectivity between two important parts of the city. In order to reopen these abandoned spaces, the Municipality of Mexico City decided to restore the area of the old canal which covers a total surface of 74,900 sqm. The Grand Canal Linear Park is included within the municipal renovation initiative Sembrando Parques. The Sembrando Parques project of the Municipality of Mexico City targets the restoration of 16 underutilized or abandoned parks and public areas, including the area of the Grand Canal. This municipal-wide intervention aims to restore public areas and parks mainly to mitigate the climate change effect in Mexico City. The renovation of the Grand Canal Lineal Park has been promoted and entirely financed by the Municipality of Mexico City, employing around USD 10.3 million in government grants. Following the project developed by the studio 128 Arquitectura y Diseño Urbano, the construction and the implementation phase have been conducted by the local authority Secretariat for Works and Services. The construction works have been divided into two distinct phases. The first phase started in 2019 and ended in 2020, renovating an area of 41,000 sqm spanning for a length of 840 m. The construction works after the first phase implemented 17,120 sqm of green areas, solar photovoltaic panels to produce electricity, and 32 bike stations. The second phase started in 2021 and concluded in 2022, which renovated the remaining 34,900 sqm by implementing new green areas, public spaces for citizens and the completion of the new rainwater system. The renovation of the Grand Canal Lineal Park aims to renovate an important public area and provide the surrounding neighborhoods with a regenerated public park. In addition, the project provides residents with open spaces to host events and recreational activities, as well as several sport courts and children's playground areas. The initiative brought significant positive effects on the surrounding areas. The soil remediation increased the level of humidity by 16%, and the plantation of trees and provision of green areas reduced temperatures and mitigated the urban heat island effect. Moreover, the renovated area connected 135,000 residents and 27 neighborhoods by providing walking paths and open areas and promoted sustainable mobility by implementing bicycle paths and stations throughout the entire public area.