The Wetland City: A Green Future for Salvador

This project details the futures of 10,000 towns and cities across the globe as though they've somehow overcome all environmental challenges and become super-ecofriendly. This week, we highlight the future of Salvador, Brazil.

The coastal city of Salvador has long been defined by the meeting of land, forest, and sea. Built along the shores of the great bay of Baía de Todos os Santos, Salvador historically developed among mangroves, wetlands, and dense Atlantic forests that once covered much of the coastline. In the coming century, the city has the opportunity to become a global model of ecological urbanism by restoring these natural landscapes and integrating them into its future development.

A major step in this transformation would be the large-scale restoration of the region’s native coastal ecosystem known as the Atlantic Forest. Once one of the most biodiverse forests on Earth, it originally stretched across much of eastern Brazil but was heavily reduced through centuries of urban growth and agriculture. Replanting this forest around the metropolitan edges of Salvador would create a protective green belt that stabilizes soil, reduces flooding, absorbs carbon, and restores wildlife corridors. Native trees such as pau-brasil, jacaranda, and jequitibá could once again dominate the hills and coastal slopes surrounding the city.

Equally important would be the revival of the wetlands and mangrove systems that once filled the lowlands around the bay and river mouths. These wetlands function as natural water filters, removing pollutants before they reach the ocean while also protecting the city from storm surges and rising sea levels. Restored marshes and mangrove forests would provide habitats for birds, fish, and crustaceans while supporting local fishing communities. Carefully designed eco-villages and stilt houses could be built along these wetlands, allowing human habitation while preserving the natural water flow and biodiversity.

Within the urban area itself, Salvador could weave these ecosystems directly into its infrastructure. Wetland parks, canal gardens, and forest corridors could connect neighborhoods to the surrounding wilderness, creating a continuous landscape of green space. Buildings might incorporate wood and natural ventilation inspired by traditional coastal architecture, while waterways and restored marshes would regulate the city’s climate and water quality. Such an approach would blend modern urban life with the ecological patterns that originally shaped the region.

By rebuilding its wetlands and surrounding itself with regenerated Atlantic forest, Salvador could become a powerful example of how tropical cities can grow while healing their environments. The city’s future skyline might rise behind a living foreground of mangroves, wetlands, and forest villages, demonstrating that the path toward prosperity does not require separating cities from nature but rather restoring the landscapes that sustain them.