The Luis Paulo Conji promenade is conceived in the spirit of similar projects around the world - for the sake of convenient proximity to modern urban transport with pedestrian and bicycle traffic, and, of course, to create a flexible public space. The city center has brought back its historical connection with Guanabara Bay, reclaiming territory not only from a car, but also from several departments that blocked access to water. Renovated historic port buildings were revealed, and previously torn fragments of the city's fabric were connected by a single promenade, from which completely new views of the buildings and the ocean opened.
The transformation began with the demolition in 2014 of an automobile overpass that separated the coastal strip from the center back in the 1960s. The fact is that the embankment, the renovation of which was timed to coincide with the Olympic Games, is part of a larger project for the reconstruction of the central region of Rio - Porto Maravilla. The construction of several tunnels made it possible to remove cars from the adjacent streets underground. The embankment was built in parallel with the high-speed tram network in the city center and included part of its lines and four stops.
The 3.5 km long promenade connects a number of public spaces and cultural institutions. The first to complete was the Maua square, from which a pier with the Museum of Tomorrow of Santiago Calatrava located on it juts out into the bay. The famous Olympic Boulevard stretches to the west. At the other end of the embankment there is square XV, which was returned to its historical scale in memory of the fish market that existed here. In addition, the city received several new squares. One of them is located on the site of the first streets of Rio de Janeiro and recreates its original spirit.
The landscaping focuses on the use of local trees: this is a bright yellow tabebuya, endemic pau-brazil, red fruit pitanga, and many others. Several types of granite and concrete paving were used, as well as wooden flooring made of kumaru wood. Benches, urns, lanterns - according to the author's project. Pedestrian paths are duplicated by bike paths.
The two previously separated halves of the embankment are linked along the coast just above the water by a pedestrian bridge that "dives" under another bridge connecting the military territories: the Monastery of St. Benedict (Sao Bento) and the Serpent Island. In addition, in the area west of Maua Square, many buildings still have a customs status and limited access, but they are planned to gradually adapt to new functions - in particular, residential.
Construction of the Konja embankment with a total area of 250 thousand sq. m is an outstanding example of the use of public-private partnership mechanisms. To ensure the revitalization of the area, a special administrative consortium was established, which will manage the territory for 15 years. The purpose of infrastructure modernization is to increase the attractiveness of the center, the population of which is planned to be increased by more than three times.
