Infrastructure, water courses and city. An analysis for La Plata city, Argentina

Infrastructure works constitute the material base of the city, and as such are elements with a great capacity for transforming the urban landscape. Hydraulic works also transform the physical-natural conditions of a site, given that it would no longer be a flood-prone. Del Gato stream basin is the most relevant in the city of La Plata (Buenos Aires Province), both for its size and its degree of urbanization, which is why it has been the subject of major infrastructure works since the founding of the city until today. The main objective of this article is to analyze the urban impact of three infrastructures developed in the basin. It will seek to clear up unknowns about the urban transformations associated with the works, about the social perceptions, and in relation to what an open stream represents in the city. A qualitative work is developed, based on surveys carried out in the sectors affected by the works. The main results refer to the differential effect of infrastructure works in central and peripheral areas of the city, the role in the urban development of the different areas and the role they play in the different perceptions of risk.