Guanabara Bay faces ecosystem collapse. Historically, it was surrounded by diverse ecotones, transitional ecosystems between urban land and water, that supported a complex web of biodiversity, economy, and social infrastructure. However, the elimination of these ecotones (which were replaced by hard edges, sewage, waste, and the oil industry) has stripped the Bay of its long-term viability and sustainability. Our project boldly proposes to multiply the Bay’s ecotones to diversify its ecosystems, economy, and social relationships. The initiative constructs a range of typologies of edges, softening and diversifying the land-water interface, initially piloted through an inlet on Governador’s Island, to unlock the future of the Bay’s economy. Gradient slopes, vegetated shorelines, green energy infrastructure and jobs, habitat creation, fishing industry restoration, and ecotourism combine to restore habitat complexity for humans and marine life and co-design the future of Guanabara Bay.
