Parque da Orla do Guaíba, Waterfront park in Porto Alegre, Brazil
Parque da Orla do Guaíba is a waterfront park in Porto Alegre that features multiple levels, walking paths, sports facilities, and viewing areas distributed along the riverbank. The layout integrates different zones with paved sections, open green spaces, cafes, restrooms, and vendor stands housed in glass structures throughout the grounds.
The present shoreline results from landfills and flood defences that reshaped the city's original geography. The Cais do Porto works began in 1912 and were largely delivered by 1921, walling the centre off from the Guaíba. After the 1941 flood, when the water reached 4.76 metres, the DNOS built the flood-protection system, including the Muro da Mauá, erected between 1971 and 1974: 2.6 km long and 3 metres high.
The park's official name honours architect Jaime Lerner, hired in 2011 to redesign the waterfront; locals still call it simply Orla do Guaíba. The old Usina do Gasômetro power plant, closed in 1974 and reopened in 1991 as a cultural centre, anchors the first stretch, and its tall chimney is the landmark walkers orient themselves by.
The space is easily accessible with parking facilities and nearby public transportation connections. Multiple entrances and exits allow visitors to explore different sections based on their interests and mobility needs.
The 2.6 km Mauá Wall, built between 1971 and 1974 and about 3 metres high, still runs behind the waterfront and long cut the city centre off from the Guaíba; the park's redesigns were meant to mend that separation. Near the old Gasômetro power plant, the boardwalk and its landing were used in May 2024 as a rescue point for residents stranded in the Arquipélago.
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