In recent days, a series of reports and articles correctly diagnosed the cause of the recent floods in the state capitals of Belo Horizonte, São Paulo and Porto Alegre, as well as in smaller cities such as Iconha, in Espírito Santo. The primary cause of these disasters was the urbanization of our cities—both planned and unplanned—which amplified the potential damage.
First, rivers that naturally receive stormwater runoff were culverted and, in many cases, paved over for vehicular traffic. The car-centric and developmentalist policies of the past—which still persist in many Brazilian cities—ignored the impact of urban development on nature and vice versa. Consequently, when these channels overflowed, many roads collapsed and reverted back to rivers, sweeping away everything in their path.
