Río Ciudad Monterrey: Space Production, Ecology and Culture

The book proceeds from the Río Ciudad interdisciplinary study conducted at the CRGS of the Universidad de Monterrey. Directed by Peter G. Rowe, Roberto Pasini and Patricio Ortiz Silva, the study addresses the status of the Santa Catarina River within the metropolitan area of Monterrey, Mexico and the relationship between the two entities. The book is organized in five sections. The first is a general introduction with an overview of the work conducted. The second section provides a historical analysis of the urban genesis and metropolitan evolution of the five-million people settlement of Monterrey. A hybrid apparatus of natural platform and anthropic structure has been forming through the incessant dialectics between the Río Santa Catarina corridor and the physical construction of the built infrastructure. The third section provides a contemporary characterization of the area by identifying the most relevant systems, urgent problems, and latent potentials. The fourth section presents a set of scenarios of strategic action cast by the work team into the possible future of the area. A fifth section synthesizes general conclusions. The study envisions programs aiming to increase sustainability and public space provision, with emphasis on improving the identity of the city.