CHALLENGES FOR GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF BRAZILIAN RESEARCHERS

Abstract

The topic of Green Infrastructure (GI) has been debated with growing interest in Brazil as a tool to achieve more resilient cities, specially in terms of urban drainage and water supply. In Brazilian universities, the discussion was brought by professors influenced by the ideas of Ian McHarg expressed in his iconic work Design with Nature, which has recently had a new impulse after the publication of the studies from Mark Benedict and Edward McMahon. In 2019 there was a certain amount of Brazilian researches on the field of GI, but it is still difficult to apply and develop GI concepts in a tropical weather and with economically poor conditions. This article aims to bring advances and challenges GI studies are facing now in Brazil, from the perspective of the workshop entitled Rethinking the Green City, held in April 2019 in Brasilia, which promoted the meeting of 36 British and Brazilian researchers. The topics highlighted from the presentations and discussions from the workshop were: the weakness of the State to plan and provide solutions for water pollution, drainage and urban forms; the lack of awareness in general on the importance to incorporate the natural processes on planning strategies; and the need for strategies to change patterns (and thoughts) to incorporate GI concepts. Researchers have to figure out how to present GI in these conditions in the time to come.