Surrounded by iconic buildings, award-winning restaurants and notable tourist attractions, the historic center of São Paulo has been the essence of the city since its foundation. Starting in the 20th century, the São Paulo government made the growth of the city’s central area one of its plans.
During this period, various areas went through modernization. The constructions of Edifício Itália, Copan, and Hilton Hotel are some of many that contributed to the commercial development of the region. In the 1950s and 1960s, the center was a luxurious area where people reserved their weekends to enjoy the activities offered there.
Unfortunately, in recent years, this once prestigious area of São Paulo has become known for danger and deterioration. This situation can be explained by the thousands of people experiencing homelessness and the rise in crime. As a consequence, there has been a decline in investments in central businesses and an exodus of local residents to other localities of the city.
The need for revitalization is evident. Therefore, the city government has launched recent projects to improve the area, trying to repair the value of this important region of São Paulo. According to reports from the City Hall, plans are already in the process of being implemented.
Main projects on the way
The Project of Urban Intervention, PIU, is an urban intervention project that offers tax incentives and benefits to encourage the renovation of old buildings and the institution of new businesses in the city center. According to the notice “Gestão Urbana”, the project’s goal is to attract up to 220,000 new residents to the area and strengthen the economy. The latest proposal for the regulation was approved in April 2024.
The Retrofit Law was approved in 2021, with a proposal similar to PIU, encouraging the repairs of old buildings in the center. The best aspect of this law is that when the owner fixes up their building, they receive a five-year exemption from property tax (IPTU), as well as reduced bills.
Regulated in 2022, with construction starting in November of the same year, the Triângulo Retângulo e Quadrilátero Law includes the revitalization of 23 streets in the city center, including 7 de Abril Street, São João Avenue, and Ipiranga Avenue. Mayor Ricardo Nunes approved incentives in December 2023 for the expansion of the area, including partial exemption from property tax (IPTU) and a reduction in social security contributions (INSS) for certain activities. This way, the increase in the availability of businesses, services, and jobs may be good for the region.
Martinelli Building: Those who use social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram have probably come across many videos about the events and parties happening on top of the Martinelli building. This is due to the revitalization investments that try to bring events to the nearly 100-year-old building. The Tokyo Group plans to invest 50 million in the place, including a café, shops, a movie theater and a variety of other programs that are already taking place.
Where will the homeless people go?
This topic raises a variety of dilemmas and questions, because the city center is where thousands of homeless people and drug users gather every day. With the revitalization, would the solution simply be to expel them? That is a ruthless and an ineffective act.
Providing support to these individuals and offering housing assistance should be the priority. In a 2023 statement, Ricardo Nunes said that the city has expanded the availability of treatment for drug dependency and defended actions for involuntary hospitalization. In practice, it is clear that this is a complex and slow issue to fix. According to a survey conducted by the Federal University of Minas Gerais, in São Paulo there is an average of 80,000 people living on the streets, an exacerbated number that reflects the precariousness and abandonment of these people in society.
In reality, the homeless people have not received the necessary attention or concrete proposals from the authorities. The reports released by the city government online highlight infrastructure projects and revitalizations to commerce and the general public. However, support for the homeless, which faces extreme vulnerabilities, is almost always neglected. Few initiatives are directed toward this cause, and those that exist are insufficient to the local problem.
It is the government’s responsibility to implement effective measures to reduce homelessness, not just disperse these individuals to other areas, as this only shifts the problem to another region. Non-governmental organizations are also crucial in the process of supporting and assisting in these situations, offering services to help these vulnerable individuals. By working on building new life paths and involving the families of those affected, the situation could be fixed, though it is a slow process that requires collective efforts.
elections and the next steps
Guilherme Boulos, a candidate for mayor of São Paulo in 2024, recently stated in one of his electoral campaigns that revitalizing the city center is one of his main proposals. Boulos claims he will bring houses and jobs to the area through credit incentives for small and medium businesses, in order to attract more people to the region.
Tabata Amaral is another candidate who includes the revitalization of the center in her plans. In a recent interview, the candidate proposed developing new housing units in buildings that remain abandoned, creating new jobs to boost commerce, among other means of growth.
José Luiz Datena, journalist and current candidate, promises to improve the area’s security through police assistance and other public policies. Datena claims that the current mayor, Ricardo Nunes, has not implemented projects to improve the city center, which is covered by the crime.
The next steps for the revitalization are still uncertain, but significant changes are already visible, particularly in the commerce sectors. The main challenge of this project is to achieve a positive restructuring of the region while providing support and attention to the most vulnerable populations. Since these groups are the most at risk, it is essential that revitalization efforts include both structural improvements and social support for these individuals.
The upcoming election will likely determine the effects of the long revitalization of São Paulo city center proposal.
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The article above was edited by Isadora Mangueira.
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