RISING WITH THE TIDE: SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE OF FLOATING PUBLIC SPACE “THE CASE OF AQUAPRAÇA, BELÉM” Climate change increases the vulnerability of coastal, riverine and delta towns to flooding, sea level rise and other water related problems. In response, floating architecture has received increased interest as a possible adaptive technique. Existing work, however, has concentrated primarily on technical performance, engineering solutions and residential applications, with rather less emphasis being given to the social dimensions of floating public spaces. This thesis addresses this gap by assessing AquaPraça, a floating public platform developed in Belém, Brazil. Situated in the Amazon region, and influenced by a long relationship with water, Belém offers a particularly suitable context for examining the role of floating public space in climate sensitive urban contexts.