Section across the horizontal field: a case study of the asymmetrical condition of Bogotás periphery

no issnThe Sabana de Bogotá is facing an increased contradiction between development (urban, agriculture, flower production or any or kind) and a saturated water management system. Heavy pollution, subsidence, flooding, drinkable water demand, and a loss of biodiversity are some of the most pressing issues. In order to develop an alternative vision for the ongoing unsustainable urbanization of the territory, in which the river, rather than being denied or just seen as an obstacle, is read as the backbone of the territory. This paper presents an interpretative mapping exercise that proposes the section as a “system of mediation” to analyse contemporary conditions of peripheral urban formation along the Bogotá River, and the rationalities of its correlative water system. The section also reveals the often contradictory conditions that shape the landscape of the Sabana (urban/rural, local/global, and formal/informal), especially between fragile ecosystems and the complex infrastructural network in which water is harvested, redistributed, recycled and transformed. It also incorporates the potential to develop a constructive interplay between water management and settlement development.status: publishe