Harbour Regeneration Activation

Rio de Janeiro’s Harbour area has caught international attention for its regeneration programme “Porto Maravilha”. While the western part of the site has seen siginificant development - especially in the run up to the Olympics of 2016, the rest of the vast site remains derelict since developing parties are hesitant to start realizing the projects planned already.
That transitory state can be seen as a problem - or an opportunity to use it differently and to activate it. We have been developing a plan that allows for that and helps removing some of the biggest obstacles for the area to thrive: connectivity and the lack of partners to activate it. While the former has been addressed by creating new local linkages over heavy transport infrastructue, the latter has been overcome by formulating a number of opportunties to get engaged: sports, makerspaces or festival and event locations. Initiated by the landowners and the local development cooperation this has attracted event producers, artists, local fashion industry, commercial sponsors, and public and philanthropic institutions.
The Activation Plan delivers more than a marketing initiative, because we look at the bigger, urban picture. In our practice as urbanists, as well as architects, space, people and contemporary themes are equally important. We bring them to together to create new and inspiring individual solutions for each property.