The Douro estuary waterfront between Jardim de Sobreiras - Cantareira and Foz

Having explored the paths of the water we drink, this edition turns to the routes carved by the Douro River along Porto’s riverside promenade, between Cantareira and Foz.

Along this stretch, there have been many human interventions, and many furious responses from the river in return. Some will remember news reports of the river and sea breaching their banks in winter, flooding houses and destroying whatever lay in their path. Many homes still bear the marks of those moments, serving as a lasting reminder of the force of nature and the respect it commands.

Today, it seems that nature and humanity have come to a truce. In winter, when the river swells and the sea grows fierce, the overflows are less invasive. This mutual respect has shaped the riverfront, a reflection of the scientific understanding of each era through interventions tailored to each circumstance.

Professor Fernando Veloso Gomes, researcher and full professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Porto and one of the leading experts in this specialised field of Hydraulics, explains in this edition how the river shaped the marginal as we know it today and why people chose to settle here. He reveals the many transformations, visible and submerged, that have made the river navigable and that now allow us to enjoy this harmonious meeting point between river and sea.