Evaluating the Quality Standard of Oscar Freire Street Public Space, in São Paulo, Brazil

Journal of Multidisciplinary Engineering Science and Technology (JMEST) ISSN: 2458-9403 Vol. 3 Issue 4, April - 2016 Evaluating the quality standard of Oscar Freire Street public space, in São Paulo, Brazil Ana Maria Sala Minucci Dr. Roberto Righi Doctor‟s degree in Architecture at Mackenzie Architecture and Urbanism Full Professor at Presbyterian University – UPM Mackenzie Presbyterian University São Paulo - Brazil São Paulo - Brazil [email protected] [email protected] Abstract - This article evaluates the quality urbanization away from the floodplains of standard of Oscar Freire Street public space Tamanduateí and Tietê rivers and redirected it to the located in São Paulo, Brazil. In 2006, the street high and healthy lands located southwest of underwent the reconfiguration of the public space downtown [2]. Higienópolis District and Paulista consisting of five commercial blocks, through a Avenue, with new streets were formed according to public-private partnership. Twelve quality criteria, best urban standards. The importance of the elite proposed by Jan Gehl in his book "Cities for location for the establishment of local patterns of the People" related to comfort, safety and pedestrian most important activities in the city, in developing delight, were used to analyze the quality of the countries, is explained by the large share of public space. The study shows that the street participation of this social segment in the composition already met some urban quality criteria even of aggregate consumption demand and its political before the urban intervention and passed to meet importance in the location of private companies and other quality criteria, in addition to the previous public facilities [3]. ones. Finally, conclusions are presented through table and text, which shows significant improvement of urban performance and demonstrate the validity of the methodology employed. Keywords—public space, city planning; urban design; public life I. INTRODUCTION This article aims to evaluate the Oscar Freire Street urban space quality. The street is located in the southwestern region of São Paulo city, a high and middle-income area. The development of the São Paulo city urbanization took place from an initial historical core. From this core, trails propagated Fig 1. São Paulo city in 1841. Source: METRÔ de São Paulo. radially limited by hills and regional watersheds. It was only with the advent of the railway, from the 1860s, that the urban expansion had accelerated and The elite districts were located in the southwest of exceeded these limits (fig.1). The railroad brought the the historical center since the end of nineteenth coffee grower elite and settled them in the city, century. Oscar Freire Street is located in this oriented developing a tertiary core to conduct institutional, elite urban growth. Two maps, one from 1897 and the administrative and financial functions of the agro- other from 1914, clearly show the original export model. This formed aesthetically qualified configuration of the street and its final appearance, spaces for this new prestigious position brought to the three kilometers long, respectively. In the first map development of the economy [1]. In parallel, with the (fig.2), the street originally named Santo Antonio increased wealth of the proceeds from the coffee- Street ends at Rebouças Avenue. In the second map growing activities, the industry was established along (fig. 3), the Oscar Freire Street appears completed, the railroad and the floodplains of Tamanduateí River, heading to nearby Jardim America District, one of the east of the center, along with the popular classes. most important initiatives of Cia. City (City of São Urbanization focused on elite began to the north, next Paulo Improvements and Freehold Land Company to the Luz Station. However, epidemics of the late Limited), of English origin, geared for residential use nineteenth century changed the direction of the by the elite. www.jmest.org JMESTN42351551 4644 Journal of Multidisciplinary Engineering Science and Technology (JMEST) ISSN: 2458-9403 Vol. 3 Issue 4, April - 2016 the requalification of Oscar Freire Street. It was developed through public and private partnership involving the public space of five commercial blocks. The project, designed by the architecture office design Hector Vigliecca & Associates, proposed an intervention that addressed 6 aspects related to the public realm: replacement of poles and overhead wiring system by underground networks and cable system; new urban paving; landscape setting; lighting; street benches, and reorganization of the parking lots. The assessments of current quality of the public space of Oscar Freire Street was carried out through Figure 2. São Paulo city in 1897. field work with site visits, photographs, and analysis of Source: Arquivo histórico da cidade de São Paulo. the urban requalification project. Twelve quality criteria defined by Jean Gehl, were considered, as follows: protection against traffic and accidents; protection against crime and uncomfortable sensorial experiences; opportunities to walk, to remain standing, to sit, to see, to listen and to talk, to play and play sports; scale; opportunities to enjoy the weather; and positive sensorial experiences [6]. II. CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK The discussion about the quality of public space is an important issue for the city and urban planning in general. In 1956, Joseph Luis Sert proposed the creation of the discipline of Urban Design as "a part of Figure 3. São Paulo city in 1914. the urban planning that deals with the physical form of Source: Arquivo histórico da cidade de São Paulo. the city”, [7]. Three significant publications occurred in the 60s that highlighted the importance of public spaces and its relation with the men. Kevin Lynch in Articles on Oscar Freire Street appear in the archives "The image of the city", the perception of space by the of São Paulo newspapers starting from 1880. But it man; Gordon Cullen in "Urban Landscape", the was only 70 years later that the street began to stand analysis of the urban landscape, and Jane Jacobs in out as a meeting point for leisure and sophisticated "Life and death of the great American cities", the businesses in São Paulo: urban vitality concept. “In 1959, even the sidewalk with cobblestones, has seen In more than half a century that has passed, there crowded shops. In the early 70s, the city government was a scientific breakthrough in the issue of public wanted the area to become strictly residential, but local space in the city. Several urban design qualities such businesses resisted. As a result, Oscar Freire ended up us: vitality, legibility, imageability, human scale, stealing the Glamour of Augusta Street. The nightclubs that lived its glory days in the Center also migrated to enclosure, among others, where extensively Oscar Freire Street that now is busy day and night. The researched. Of the many qualities observed, the old facades of the 50s gave way to the windows of vitality is a quality that can only exist where other pre- famous brands, transforming Oscar Freire Street in one of the fashion runways in the Jardins Districts. At night the conditions are established. Maybe that is why Jan street is one of the busiest points of the region.” [4] Gehl has taken up the issue of the urban landscape also from the standpoint of vitality. In the 80s, the street was consolidated as the most Contemporaneously the works of Jan Gehl have upscale fashion-shopping street of the city: emerged as the main reference regarding urban projects aimed at improving the quality of public “With the opening scheduled by the end of the month, space. the boutiques Giorgio Armany and Hugo Boss promise to further refine a colorful street of the Jardins Districts that It has been observed, from the 50s, in Europe and already hosts the highest elite consumption rate per square meter in the city (...)” [5] later the United States, in the 60s, a tendency of creating designs or redesigning existing streets In 2006, it was implemented a paradigmatic urban focusing on its pedestrianization, “i.e.” car traffic ban. project, that gave the priority to pedestrians, which is The interventions included, in general, new paving, street furniture, tree planting and installation of www.jmest.org JMESTN42351551 4645 Journal of Multidisciplinary Engineering Science and Technology (JMEST) ISSN: 2458-9403 Vol. 3 Issue 4, April - 2016 infrastructure equipment. In the United States, the first B. “Soft edges”and “Hard edges” pedestrian street known to date is the Burdick Street, Other fundamental concept is the edge and its in downtown Kalamazoo, Michigan. Victor Grüen, a important occurrence on the ground level. Activities of specialist in shopping centers, designed it in 1958. the ground floor and its functional interaction with life The pedestrian streets - dubbed boardwalks - were on the street have a considerable impact on city life. If introduced in Brazil in the 70s, first in Curitiba, in the the public space is interesting at eye level, the whole XV de Novembro Street, which is now called Rua das area will be interesting. The upper floors have far less Flores. In sequence, they were created in São Paulo, importance, both functionally and visually. The Rio de Janeiro, and then in many other Brazilian cities opportunity for experiences on the ground level may [8]. vary from two extremes, which is called "soft edge" and "hard edge” [14]. In 1980, it was created in São Paulo the largest pedestrian area of the Brazilian country. The boardwalk of São Paulo is located in the oldest part of The street with a "soft edge" offer so many things to the city, occupying part of two Districts: Sé and see and touch, and provides many good reasons for República. Over time the pathways were increased pedestrian to slow down and even to stop. This kind of and received benches. The pathways were opened street has shops lined up, transparent facades, large only to public transportation and service vehicles.

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