Canal Nacional

Canal Nacional is the last trace of the ancient Canal de la Viga, a waterway built during the New Spain era, as well as a testimony of the original lacustrine ecosystem. Initially, it ran from the Chinampa Zone of Xochimilco to the Historic Center of Mexico City, both UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

The public project covers 8.5 km in three stages, benefitting approximately 363 thousand inhabitants. Its general objective is to recover, preserve, conserve and restore the canal and its associated biodiversity through the practice of green and blue infrastructure, promoting the integral development of ecosystems, preserving its heritage and improving the quality of life of the surrounding neighborhoods.

The project recovered the socio-environmental services provided by the canal, such as runoff catchment and ecological and urban connectivity, as well as its function as a reservoir of migratory and resident biodiversity.

The comprehensive management of the riverbed included cleaning, desilting, sewage separation, channeling rainwater, leveling and reshaping the canal in its different sections, as well as the creation of dams and aerators for its oxygenation. Simultaneously, actions were carried out to expand and improve the green areas and to revegetate with native, pollinating, riparian and spontaneous plants.

Landscape architecture proposals were developed to improve the social fabric and to increase connectivity between traditional neighborhoods. Squares and seating areas were built where various activities take place, such as: dance classes, neighborhood meetings, cultural festivities, religious activities and outdoor exercising. An inclusive mobility circuit for bicycles and pedestrians was designed with ramps, a jogging track, and safe pedestrian bridges and crossings.

This intervention enhances the public space along the canal, highlighting its environmental, scenic and cultural beauty. This has increased its attractiveness and has generated spaces for social and tourist recreation, thus benefiting the local economy and the regional green infrastructure.