Helen Klass-Warch, a second-year MCRP student in the Transportation Specialization, spent this past summer working with a team of students through the Resilient Urban Latin America Project in Mérida, Mexico!
Helen first heard about this experience from a friend who had participated in the same program in 2023 in Bogotá, Columbia. Having studied Spanish throughout high school and college, and having spent a semester abroad in Spain during her undergraduate studies, Helen was selected alongside other American students to collaborate with peers from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) Mérida.
Within a smaller cohort of 12 students, Helen sought to understand the impacts of flooding for people living in Juan Pablo II, a lower-income neighborhood in west Mérida. The team evaluated the potential of green infrastructure projects to solve these issues, and specifically focused on rain gardens: manmade landscape features which can mitigate the impacts of flooding in urban areas by providing natural drainage of stormwater. These gardens were piloted throughout the city in previous years, but funding largely diminished during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Using GIS and elevation data, the team identified flood-prone zones and created risk maps. They also involved residents in participatory mapping to pinpoint areas where water pooled after storms. Water and soil samples from the neighborhood informed their analysis.
After conducting these studies, Helen and the cohort pivoted their focus to engaging and educating the local community on the maintenance of these rain gardens. During a transect walk of the neighborhood, she and a colleague came across a municipal women’s institute, Instituto Municipal de la Mujer–a local women’s organization with whom they partnered and organized a participatory mapping workshop where they presented findings about the rain gardens and conducted focus groups to understand the women’s experiences with flooding. These efforts culminated in a participatory mapping project, where community members identified flood-prone areas of the neighborhood and educated on the benefits of rain gardens. The cohort concluded their studies by presenting their findings to participants from the women’s institute, faculty at UNAM, and members of the local government; including maps and interviews with locals to stress the importance of improving infrastructure and maintenance within the neighborhood.
Reflecting on her experience, Helen highlighted the importance of relationship building and putting community members in the driver’s seat of community decision-making processes. Helen plans to base her Master’s Project on the experience, travelling back to Mérida this fall to follow up with residents and maintain connections with community organizations.
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