Asunción Coastal Defense & Costanera Plan
Core idea
Flood defense with urban realm
Why it matters
River city climate adaptation
Description
A combined flood defence and urban waterfront programme for Asunción, led by Paraguay's Ministry of Public Works (MOPC) from the 2010s. The plan builds embankment defences along the Paraguay River and, on top of them, the Costanera avenue and associated parkland and development land, protecting low-lying districts from recurrent flooding while giving the capital a formal riverfront it had historically lacked. The works are linked to the reorganisation and resettlement of flood-prone informal settlements in the Bañados.
Significance
The Costanera programme is a Latin American example of climate adaptation pursued through hybrid infrastructure, joining flood engineering to public realm and urban development ambitions. It has drawn attention both as a pragmatic model for river cities facing intensifying floods and as a contested project, since the fate of the Bañado communities raises enduring questions about who bears the costs of waterfront transformation.
What shaped it
- The linear park / greenway (1878 / 2009 revival)
- Global financial crisis (2007–2009)
Sources
- https://mopc.gov.py/mopc-impulsa-la-transformacion-urbana-con-obra-clave-en-la-costanera-de-asun
- https://www.iagua.es/noticias/paraguay/mopc/17/07/04/paraguay-encara-soluciones-inundaciones-pro