Expansión urbana, humedales y evolución en los usos del suelo en el Gran La Plata

Together with the foundation of the city of La Plata, agricultural activities were planned in the surrounding lands that were of very good quality. This productive belt does not supply neighbourhood fairs to date but also provides fresh products to Great La Plata and the Metropolitan Region of Buenos Aires. The technology used for food production has changed, as well as the use of the land, in which urbanized pressure and horticultural and floristic activities are extremely competitive. The planning instruments in the city did not accompany the development of intensive production, and the urban environment spread over the rural, causing the loss of diversity in crops and the deterioration of valuable ecosystems, such as the wetlands. The main objective of this article is to unravel the environmental conflicts that resulted in the damage of ecosystems and soil in the city, considering the sub-basins of streams as environmental-territorial units, addressing the strategies that could be used to improve the quality of life in peri-urban and rural areas. The contiguity in the form of a diffuse city from urban planning on wetlands that give rise to streams, as well as the use of agrochemicals and the lack of basic services, increases environmental degradation and the risk of flooding due to lack of infiltration surface, nullifies ecosystem services and causes wetlands to reduce or disappear. It is necessary to promote the coexistence of both areas, since the rural can benefit from the accessibility that the urban provides through communication routes and public transport.