City in the River: Regeneration of the Santa Catarina River as an Intermittent Urban River

Abstract

Full of dichotomies, the Santa Catarina River is both dry and wet, present but forgotten, central yet disconnected, valued yet feared. How should an intermittent river in a dense urban context be regenerated? This thesis reimagines its ecological, hydrological, and public potential. Set in Monterrey, Mexico, this research addresses the urgent need to rethink water management in the face of the intensifying climate crisis through different urban systems and regeneration strategies within the river basin. Focusing on the Santa Catarina River, long dismissed as a plot, void, or threat, this work proposes how an intermittent river might be re-understood not as an absence of activities or function but as a space of seasonal abundance, ecological possibility, and urban interaction. Historically engineered for control, the river has been used as a flood channel, markets, sports complexes, transportation corridors, and more. However, rarely has it been seen, treated, or protected as a river. Through the development of a pilot zone, this research suggests a replicable framework of regenerative strategies to slow down, retain, and absorb water flows, supporting both dry and wet season dynamics. These include restoring riparian ecologies, reintroducing soft edges, enabling groundwater recharge, and designing permeable, public, and accessible urban interventions that reconnect the city with the riverbed. This thesis is not a fixed proposal but a living toolkit, an adaptable model to be tested, expanded, and reimagined in the pilot as time and nature take over. At stake is not only the river’s future but also the city’s capacity to shift from resistance to relation, becoming one with it, becoming a city in the river.