Central Park Brasilândia: Designing centralities in informal de-industrialized landscapes

Abstract

How can the de-industrialization of the neighborhood, Brasilândia, provide an opportunity to design a new centrality? How can we transform an abandoned mine into a central park? How can this prototype be evaluated and upscaled into a city-scale green system? São Paulo, the second-largest city in the Western Hemisphere, is known for its diverse social, environmental, governmental, and architectonic inequalities. Socially, Brasilândia is a low-income neighborhood challenged by growing favelas, ongoing infrastructure projects, post-industrial abandoned factories, and minimal green spaces, resulting in the city’s lowest life expectancy rates for its citizens. Environmentally, this neighborhood is at risk of landslides and flooding, limiting access to public spaces and basic services. Regarding justice, the São Paulo Government is committed to the Climate Action Plan 2020-2050, aiming to reduce greenhouse gases, achieve net-zero emissions, and promote resilience in the most vulnerable areas, attempting to develop innovative and sustainable urban prototypes. The learning goal of Central Park Brasilândia is to design a public park addressing three adjacent areas: a zone of favelas along a river, new transport infrastructure, including a metro and highway, and a network of cultural and social facilities.