In various urban contexts across Latin America and Southern Europe, the management of stormwater faces a structural paradox: the physical and symbolic invisibilization of temporary watercourses — quebradas, barrancos, ramblas — coincides with an increasing exposure to hydrogeological risk Quito (Ecuador) and Valencia (Spain) do not represent case studies to be compared, but rather emblematic conditions of a recurring fragility that manifests through similar patterns in geographically and culturally distinct settings. The material and perceptual erasure of intermittent hydrological systems — a consequence of urban development models disconnected from local geography and memory — has produced widespread vulnerability, further exacerbated by the intensification of extreme weather events linked to climate change. Within this framework, the research proposes a paradigm shift: how can the underlying causes of contemporary catastrophic effects be transformed into design variables? How can we move beyond reactive, emergency-driven, and sectoral approaches, towards transformation processes capable of acting systemically across time and space? The proposed transition is grounded in a processual and adaptive perspective, integrating interdisciplinary and interscalar dimensions. The new paradigm is not structured around fixed stages but rather conceived as a flexible method that recognizes and intervenes in systems of fragility, preparing territories to coexist with risk and outlining a “morphogenetic geography of resilience.” The methodological framework is articulated in three phases: i) Analytical-descriptive: the development of an etymological taxonomy of terms related to catastrophe and an analysis of current approaches to risk management; ii) Critical-interpretive: the identification of key aspects of the proposed paradigm and the methodological steps required for its implementation; iii) Propositional-operative: the testing and evaluation of the approach through emblematic contexts, interpreted not as exceptions, but as symptomatic expressions of a structurally exposed urban condition.
Echarri et al. (Wed,) studied this question.