1st Architecture and Urbanism Forum discusses mobility, urban revitalization and social transformation at CASACOR São Paulo traduzido por: OPENROUTER

CASACOR brought together representatives from the public sector and the real estate market on the morning of August 5th for the 1st Architecture and Urbanism Forum, a qualified debate on the direction of urban development in the São Paulo capital. Three panels brought ten leaders to the stage to discuss mobility and urban infrastructure, the revitalization of central areas, and the ongoing transformation in Paraisópolis.

(Nadson Barbosa/RN Imagem/CASACOR)

The backdrop of the conversation is an expressive number: over the next ten years, São Paulo will need to generate 700,000 new housing units, according to an estimate from the Housing Union of the State of São Paulo (Secovi-SP). The demand results from the sum of different factors, from demographic growth to the need to reduce a property deficit in the capital — this despite the city having recorded a significant increase in annual launches, from 19,400 in 2016 to 139,000 in 2025.

(Nadson Barbosa/RN Imagem/CASACOR)

The difficulty represents a challenge, but also the opportunity to transform the lives of residents and entrepreneurs in the country's largest metropolis. And the current process of rescuing the city center — based on urban incentives, requalification of public spaces, and investments in housing — plays a fundamental role at this moment, as it would allow repositioning the occupation to a region that already offers infrastructure and jobs.

Jorge Cury Neto, presidente Secovi-SP (Nadson Barbosa/RN Imagem/CASACOR)

"No city is built alone. Urban development is the result of the ability to build together. This forum is a qualified space to reflect on the challenges of São Paulo's development and, above all, to formulate decisions based on a technical, serious, and plural debate," said Jorge Cury Neto, president of Secovi-SP, at the opening.

Mobility integrated with housing

Edy Wertheim, Presidente-executivo Secovi-SP (Nadson Barbosa/RN Imagem/CASACOR)

The executive president of the union, Ely Wertheim, reinforced: "In the last decade, more than 1 million people in the city of São Paulo have benefited from the construction of new properties through the Minha Casa Minha Vida program. There is space and demand to produce more."

Maria Teresa Diniz, Diretora de Projetos e Programas da CDHU. (Nadson Barbosa/RN Imagem/CASACOR)

"We work so that residents have not only housing, but also infrastructure and mobility, according to the different demands of each region," said Maria Teresa Diniz, director of projects and programs at the Housing and Urban Development Company (CDHU), at the opening panel. "It is not enough to carry out urban transformation within the lot, it is important to take advantage of the opportunity to transform the surroundings. To do this, different departments and agencies need to act in an integrated way."

Ao centro, Elisabete França, Secretária municipal de Urbanismo e Licenciamento, Arquiteta e Urbanista. (Nadson Barbosa/RN Imagem/CASACOR)

The architect and urban planner Elisabete França, municipal secretary of urbanism and licensing, cited an example of a road solution that supports residents of neighborhoods farther from the center: Aquático-SP, the first public waterway transportation system in São Paulo, which operates on the Billings Reservoir, in the South Zone, connecting the Cantinho do Céu terminal to Parque Mar Paulista Bruno Covas in about 17 minutes — a journey that, by bus, takes more than an hour. "As you qualify the structure and extend mobility, you bring more quality of life to families and enhance the surroundings where they live. The waterway plan can be expanded to our main rivers, the Tietê and the Pinheiros."

Sandra Santana, Vereadora do Município de SP, Advogada, pós-graduada em Urbanismo Social (Nadson Barbosa/RN Imagem/CASACOR)

The proposal, currently under review by the city hall, to install a cable car between the Brasilândia subway station and CEU Paz — a region with challenging terrain in the North Zone — was detailed by councilor Sandra Santana, lawyer and postgraduate in social urbanism. "The city has territories that have grown in a disorderly manner and in places where the public authorities have difficulty accessing. It is very difficult to bring a bus line to CEU Paz. Hence the proposal to install the cable car, along the lines of the initiative already carried out in Medellín, Colombia," she argued.

Claudio Bernardes, Vice-presidente do Secovi-SP, engenheiro civil (Nadson Barbosa/RN Imagem/CASACOR)

In this context, partnerships are strategic, recalled Claudio Bernardes, vice president of Urbanism at Secovi-SP: "Innovative cities cannot get major projects off the drawing board without partnerships between the public authorities and the private sector." For him, meeting housing demand with quality involves reappropriating poorly used territories. "There are not enough resources to implement, in peripheral areas, all the infrastructure that already exists in central areas. But it is possible to attract more residents to the center."

Works in the center

During his participation in the event, Elisabete França cited the Light Electric Vehicle (VLE) as a promising mobility solution, a project that seeks to reorganize mobility in the center and would have the capacity to serve more than 130,000 people per day — an initiative also mentioned throughout the second panel of the program.

Guilherme Afif Domingos, administrador e empresário, Secretário Extraordinário de Projetos Estratégicos do Estado de São Paulo. (Nadson Barbosa/RN Imagem/CASACOR)

Guilherme Afif Domingos, administrator and businessman, extraordinary secretary of strategic projects of the state of São Paulo, took part in the debate with civil engineer Marcos Monteiro, municipal secretary of urban infrastructure and works of the São Paulo city hall, and Fabrício Cobra, municipal secretary of sub-prefectures (SMSUB). "The state government is moving to the center, which will bring 22,000 employees to work in the region. In addition, security has improved. There is a major re-urbanization shock taking place in the region, which has the largest concentrated cultural facility in the city," Afif recalled.

Marcos Monteiro, Secretário Municipal de Infraestrutura Urbana e Obras da Prefeitura de São Paulo e Engenheiro Civil. (Nadson Barbosa/RN Imagem/CASACOR)

The region, in fact, has been receiving a series of investments in infrastructure. In República, the changes involve sidewalk renovation, installation of new urban furniture, new tourist signage, new functional and scenic lighting of historic buildings, restructuring of the underground drainage infrastructure and implementation of technical trenches to organize telecommunications networks. The investment is R$ 36.6 million, impacting 12 streets and 37,000 square meters of area, with delivery scheduled for June 2027.

Fabrício Cobra, Secretário Municipal das Subprefeituras (SMSUB) (Nadson Barbosa/RN Imagem/CASACOR)

In the historic triangle, the investment is R$ 89.6 million on 23 streets, covering 63,300 square meters, with completion scheduled for December 2026. Another R$ 75.5 million will be applied to Viaduto do Chá, Praça do Patriarca and the Theatro Municipal, with works in the final bidding phase and a 24-month execution period. An equivalent amount was used in the recovery and structural reinforcement of Viaduto Santa Ifigênia, delivered in October 2024. "The path is being paved," declared Monteiro. "Our goal is to bring 220,000 new people to live in the center," Cobra informed.

Urbanization of Paraisópolis

Fabio Silva, CEO da Rede Muda Mundo, reconhecida pela ONU como uma das principais plataformas de voluntariado do mundo. (Nadson Barbosa/RN Imagem/CASACOR)

Fabio Silva, CEO of Rede Muda Mundo — recognized by the UN as one of the leading volunteering platforms in the world —, detailed the implementation of Casa Zero 11, on Avenida Rio Branco, in the central region of the capital. "We started in Recife (PE). Now São Paulo is our showcase for Brazil. We propose an ecosystem that connects public authorities and social initiative by qualifying people to become entrepreneurs and access the job market."

Pedro Fernandes, Presidente da SP Urbanismo, arquiteto e urbanista, mestre em Gestão e Políticas Públicas. (Nadson Barbosa/RN Imagem/CASACOR)

When efforts come together — in housing, mobility, infrastructure and security —, entire areas of the city are strengthened. The case of Paraisópolis, which exemplifies this logic, was detailed in the third panel by architect and urban planner Pedro Fernandes, master's degree in management and public policy and president of SP Urbanismo. According to him, the region challenges traditional urban planning models and, even so, is experiencing progress that began with an urbanization process carried out 15 years ago.

"The transformation also involves generating more opportunities for qualified jobs. In this sense, the investment in Praça da Paz is strategic, representing a space for social, environmental and economic recovery," he said, referring to the project to implement a new urban facility of approximately 6,000 square meters at the intersection of Rua Herbert Spencer and the Antonico Stream, which will be requalified.

Service

The event was presented by the São Paulo City Hall and organized by CASACOR, CBN and Editora Globo, with institutional support from São Paulo Negócios and endorsement from the São Paulo state government as the host state. Parque da Água Branca, where the forum was held, also hosts the 39th edition of CASACOR São Paulo, until August 9, from Tuesday to Sunday (including holidays), from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Entry to Parque da Água Branca (Rua Dona Ana Pimentel, 37) is permitted until 8 p.m.; the on-site ticket office and access to the exhibition operate until 8:15 p.m.

traduzido por: OPENROUTER