Credit: Serge Salat, Urban Morphology Institute, based on material produced by Gehl architects.

This project facilitates a dialogue process to develop the concept design for Anhangabaú Square and best practice projects in neighbouring downtown areas. The team initially conducted workshops with city agencies, local universities and a whole series of NGOs and community representatives. Then, the information gathered was incorporated in four pilot projects to give people the chance to experience change on a 1:1 scale. All four of the pilot projects in São Paulo focused on temporary spaces and solutions. These can improve the relationship between the built environment and people’s quality of life – turning places for cars into places for people. This process created a sense of ownership and engaged local people in political decision-making, building a foundation for commitment to future change.

Introduction

Brazil has a proud architectural history. In the 1970s its largest city São Paulo was at the forefront of visionary urban planning, with car-free zones and places where people could sit, relax and enjoy the city. But with the end of the dictatorship in the 1980s, city planning ceased to function. The river that had once run through the main square of Vale do Anhangabaú had been driven into a tunnel to build a highway, and as in so many BRIC nations rapid development had resulted in random urban sprawl. In November 2012 the people of São Paulo elected Fernando Haddad as their new mayor. On taking office one of his first initiatives was to set the ambitious goal of rejuvenating a city that no longer functioned for its people. Gehl was commissioned to facilitate a dialogue process to develop the concept design for Anhangabaú Square and best practice projects in neighbouring downtown areas.

São Paulo is the economic driver of Brazil, generating 1/3 of the vast nation’s GNP. The downtown areas of thriving economies are usually prosperous and in high demand, but in São Paulo exploding traffic had driven people and businesses out of the city centre, leaving empty buildings, discount outlets and parking lots in their wake. The main square sits above a highway and is bypassed by pedestrian flyovers, and there’s nothing to invite people to come down to the square. It’s run down, there’s nowhere to sit, and very little to enjoy.

Reaching out to people

Gehl conducted a series of workshops with city agencies, local universities and a whole series of NGOs and community representatives. In April 2003 we got everyone – from the head of city planning to the local mayor’s office – around the same table and on board to identify the problems and potential of their city. In addition to this knowledge sharing, we also provide cities with surveying and mapping methods to improve public space and public life. Being at street level is at the heart of our approach to design development, and just 3 months later we returned to São Paulo to do the first Public Space/Public Life survey. Talking to people and watching how and where they move gave us an on-site basis for defining the qualities we were aiming for. The resulting design of Anhangabaú Square is based on 4 goals: to improve access, create smaller human-scale spaces, make a more flexible city space for big events and everyday life, and activate the edges of the square by opening its building facades.

piloting change

Different elements and strategies of this concept design have been incorporated in 4 carefully designed pilot projects to give the people of the city the chance to experience change on a 1:1 scale. Their reactions and responses can then feed directly into the design of more permanent projects. ‘Before-and-after’ surveys of pilot projects provide a way to evaluate and measure the effects of change. In our work in cities worldwide this measure-test-refine method has proven key to the long-term process of creating sustainable urban design. It also creates a sense of ownership, engaging local people in political decision making and building a foundation for commitment to future change.

1. Rejuvenation of Largo de São Francisco

São Francisco – a historical, busy district with a nearby university, is just a short walk from the central bus terminal Bandeira. Just opposite the square Largo de São Francisco, lies the street Praça Ouvidor Pachêco e Silva in direct connection to the many miles of pedestrianized downtown shopping streets and a number of cultural institutions.

Prior to Gehl’s work the two ends of the square were disconnected resulting in frequent jaywalking and unsafe traffic situations for everyone. Trucks unloading goods and parked cars created a barrier between the squares, and fences around a metro ventilation shaft blocked off the larger part of the space. Although this was in a university area, not a lot was going on, the squares functioned mostly as a passageway and were perceived by the people as unsafe and generally unattractive.

However, small kiosks and street vendors setting up along the edges indicated that there were in fact people. As was the case for the downtown area, there was even less activity in the evenings, despite the fact that many students would often stay late at the university to avoid rush hour. This meant that they would be walking to the bus through poorly lit and empty streets in the evenings.

Before the changes to the square, hundreds of people would cross the street on an hourly basis under very unsafe conditions. Now the two squares are much better connected by a pedestrian crossing placed in a direct desire line. Besides the fact that it is now much safer to cross the street, the number of pedestrians passing between the two squares has gone up by 230%, signifying that people now wish to cross the street from the university square to the newly implemented public space just across the street.

Left: before pictures of Largo de São Francisco. Right: after pictures of Largo de São Francisco. Source: Gehl Architects

A public space that offers a variety of invitations to spend time, access to free WI-FI, public toilets or a space to rest in a shady spot under trees or umbrellas. Bike lanes run along the square, the bus stop has been moved and it is now placed in direct connection to the new crossing to increase the feeling of safety in the area. Today more people are spending time in the area than before implementation of the pilot project.  The amount of people staying in general has increased by 122% and when we look at peak hours around lunch and in the evening, this amount has gone up 237%. To create attention around the projects in Largo do São Francisco, the city hosted an opening party, with a gastronomic festival and a visit from the Mayor Haddad. The site is referred to as São Paulo’s ‘Urban Beaches’ both by the media and the public, and it has become a popular destination in the city supporting people’s everyday lives. Unscheduled pop up events now take place with everything from small private birthday parties to large block parties involving music and dancing.

2. Largo do Paissandú & Avenida São João São Francisco

Largo Paissandú is a centrally located square in São Paulo; just a few steps from Vale do Anhangabau, miles of pedestrianized shopping streets and lots of workplaces. Thousands of people pass through the area commuting to and from the downtown area on a daily basis. This is where another of our pilot projects has now been implemented. 

Before Gehl’s pilot project at Largo do Paissandú started, most of the activity in the square took place along the edges, were the bus stops are located. Seating or other facilities to support bus commuters were lacking. Now wooden decks create smaller areas within the square, with movable chairs and shade, a play area is attracting people of all ages. Largo do Paissandú is no longer just a transit area, but has become a destination in the city. The square is now filled with everyday life and offer frequent events and entertainment.

A global role model

These pilot designs are ready to be implemented by local design teams in early 2014. The first step is the pedestrianization of Rua 25 de Março. The street is usually closed to traffic at Christmas, so the design builds on a local tradition, just as Gehl’s continuing urban consultancy in São Paulo builds on the history of the city and the needs of its people.

To address the large-scale issues facing the city and its people, both the pilot projects and design of Anhangabaú Square need to be embedded in an overall strategy for the entire downtown area – a masterplan with people in mind. In the meantime, they can help people see what their city can become and envision the historic downtown of São Paulo as lively, safe and attractive to people. Something that can be a source of local inspiration, but also a global precedent for the rapidly developing and expanding cities of the new world economy.