Landscape Information
Connecting the inland Carpintero Lagoon with the Pánuco River that flows to the Gulf coast, this winding, one-mile-long, linear park covers approximately sixteen acres. Situated near the city’s historic center in the port city of Tampico, the park was the focus of a four-phase master plan (2004–2017). City authorities hired Mario Schjetnan and Grupo de Diseño Urbano (GDU) to redesign the Cortadura Canal (Canal de la Cortadura) as a promenade (paseo) transforming a marginalized industrial area into an inviting, continuous waterfront.
The canal, created in 1832, provided lagoon access and mitigated swamp-like conditions that contributed to malaria. For the next 70 years, ships utilized it as a safe harbor. The petroleum-industry boom (ca. 1910–1950s) and the construction of a sewage plant at the lagoon caused significant water pollution. The redesign represents a pioneering public-private partnership for a large-scale civic project in Mexico. The first phase focused on infrastructure: canal widening, rehabilitation of existing bridges and construction of new ones to improve neighborhood connectivity, and the reconfiguration of systems handling contaminated wastewater. The canal’s redesign not only supported water quality improvements, but expanded wildlife habitat and improved access and movement between the canal and the city.
The revitalized canal is flanked by two curvilinear promenades, intermittently edged by railings. The promenades are defined by rows and groupings of palm and canopy trees, hanging vines, and low shrubbery set amid stretches of lawn, flagstone terraces. Tensile fabric pavilions provide shade and visitor orientation serving as beacons along the canal. Play areas are also parsed throughout and include splash pads and spray fountains as well as playground equipment. Multiple opportunities have been created to provide access to the water’s edge including generous steps (where one can also sit) or ramped areas that slope downward for launching small boats. Boats also animate the waterway, while moveable seats and stationary benches provide opportunities to linger. Murals by local artists provide a vibrant backdrop to the corridor in their depiction of otters, crabs, dolphins, and other marine animals.
