Density as Opportunity: Rethinking Housing Equality in São Paulo: Fid-Bau Portal

Density as Opportunity: Rethinking Housing Equality in São Paulo

Loureiro, Livia Catao Cartaxo / De Lima Vaz Xavier, Davi

This paper discusses using housing density infill as a strategy for equality. With an estimated population of nearly 12 million people, Sao Paulo, located in southwest Brazil, is one of the urban scenarios that exemplify the accelerated urbanization experienced in Latin American cities in the 1950s and 1960s. This condition helped shape cities where segregation and juxtaposition act not as opposite poles but as phenomena that entangles themselves in any space deemed urban. Paulista Avenue, one of the most iconic places in São Paulo, served as the ground for undergraduate architecture students to develop possibilities of urban density as a new ground for housing. The infill is usually seen as an empty area; however, in this vertical architecture and urban design studio, the infill was the site. The hypotheses were: if existent density and context are the hard edges of the current urban scenarios, how is the infill appropriated toward a healthy and more equitable future for cities? How can new urbanities develop on top of one another through commonality without neglecting each other or its inhabitants? The project methodology focused on theoretical and speculative phases. First, the students had a research seminar exploring relevant concepts situated at the base of the studio’s design philosophy, such as enablement, flexibility, open building, and self-help. Second, these elements of participation applied to housing production helped establish the stance of their projects related to density and user participation. Provocative housing scenarios surrounded by public space and contrasting cultures were developed in the study, targeting the United Nations New Urban Agenda (UNITED NATION (2017) New Urban Agenda. English) and Sustainable Development Goals as a contribution to how contemporary citizen architects enhance the resilience of cities through architecture. By positioning density as a pathway toward housing equality, design becomes more than an attribute; it becomes an active verb. Thus, housing becomes more than a shortage; it becomes the city’s embodiment of democracy.