Saturday, August 9, 2008

Project-Sky meets Sao Paulo



In the same way as Mexico city, Sao Paulo decided on an advertising nudeness for itself.
Nonetheless, the discovery came from the city-view from above. Its tighten and compact urban design reduces the sensation of skyscraper existence when walking down the street. High buildings are their own barriers from seeing more high buildings and you only realize it by reaching the top of any of them. The helicopter is the main means of transportation of the private sector, whereas the public transportation system remains stuck.
By the side of one of its stuck main highways a 45 degree parapet was covered with mirror so that citizens could recover the street as a living space, beyond urban security paranoia.

Never before had the sky had such an important presence like in this city.
Neither because of its clean air condition nor the small buildings.
The ultimate trend to end up with public space in Sao Paulo comes from HELICOPTERS.


Helipads in Sao Paulo

There are two clearly differentiated cities: the FORMAL and the INFORMAL, and "public space" as we know it, exists only in informal favelas -where everything has a more social condition-. On the contrary, the formal city, with its fear paranoia, decides to abandon the street to occupy the heights with concrete constructions. The higher somebody lives, the more powerful one becomes.
As a result of insecurity in the streets and of Mr. L.C. urbanism theories, it is hard to walk down the street. Public transportation gets stuck in endless traffic jams and the subway net is quite inefficient for this megalopolis.
Consequently, the city seen from above becomes a cloud of private H-helipads with infinite helicopters buzzing around these spots.

Fortunately, the government eliminated all kinds of advertising above Sao Paulo high buildings in 2007. As a paradox, some neighborhoods loose the only reference points whose dull urban planning could once offer.



















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