Urban Vulnerability in Lowland Areas

Belém is the capital of the Brazilian Federal State Pará. It is located in the Amazonas river delta estuary at the mouth of Guamá River close to the Guajará Bay. Geomorphologically, it is an alluvial plain less than four meters above sea level, suffering the effects of tides and creating difficulties to the urban drainage. Traditionally the occupation process took place in low areas close to the river and therefore highly vulnerable to floods, so called "ribeirinha", the typical small village structure close to rivers in the Amazonas region. This work is aimed to analyze the urban structure of Belém in order to propose flood control and mitigation strategies.