The slum Nova Jaguaré, located in the Jaguaré district in the west zone of the city of São Paulo started to develop and consolidate before Second War II, initially chose to implement an industrial park due to its strategic location by the river and available lands in its surroundings. The initial urbanisation plan included zones for factories, residential areas, and institutional lands, covering 150 thousand square metres. However, during the 1950s, the local factories invaded the lots, leading to deforestation and soil removal.
Consequently, the environment has degraded over the years because of the exploitation of its natural elements. Nevertheless, considering its good location within the city, the once-abandoned lot attracted families seeking a better life. The occupation that first started with 10 families rapidly grew to 3 thousand in the 1970s, consequently by the end of the 1980s and 1990s the lot was extensively occupied, including the slopes, leading to vertical development as horizontal spaces were exhausted.
The very well-known aesthetic of a slum in South America was now part of the Jaguaré environment and induced several plans to control the constant development and prevent landslides in the location. To address these challenges, Boldarini Architects Associated developed a project intervention to the urbanisation plans to restore and revitalise the area, providing equitable living conditions, while preserving the local community’s connection to the space. The project focused mostly on demolishing buildings in hazardous areas and constructing structures to ensure the safety of the local inhabitants. Key infrastructure improvements included rainwater drainage and sewage systems while maintaining the symbolic and ludic view of the neighbourhood.
The Design Merging the Environment
It is possible to notice that the intervention is not only a radical intervention of the environment but as a trial to maintain the local community ties and local aesthetic and merge the new necessities, and safety of the environment, maintaining the connection that the community already has with the space. Boldarini emphasised that the interventions in critical areas of the city, independent of the location, scale, and necessity, should guarantee urbanisation following the recognition and access to adequate minimal living conditions and respect local identity.
A significant part of the process was to demolish the buildings located in risk situations, that means those located in slopes and landslide areas, enabling the construction of the structures to prevent future accidents and safety of the locals. Additionally, the urbanisation process considered the rain drainage system and sewerage and water system. It was an interdisciplinary process, creating a connection between engineers, local communities, and architects responsible, assuring the project would follow the necessities and limitations of the environment, physically and socially.
Another highlight of the project was the creation of a community centre designed to shelter a computer lab and lookout, despite the lot’s unevenness it is accessible to all. Following a strategic location in the middle of the lot, providing a structural performance of slope containment. Alternative accesses were designed to provide new possibilities of pathways and connections between the streets and alleys, facilitating public vehicle access.
To complement the intervention and local aesthetic, the mural painted by Maurício Adnoldi highlights different place levels with colours transitioning from earthy yellows to blues, successfully integrating art into public and urban spaces.
Material Strategy: Safety and Longevity
As the main structural choice, providing safety and long structural life, steel and concrete were the main choices for the project. Promoting a good balance between the robust appearance of the material and the fluid aesthetic of the pathway, working together to contribute to the playful urban environment result.
A central circulation axis connects the upper and lower areas of the neighbourhood, navigating the 35-metre slope, and connecting the various recreational zones provided by the project proposal, such as sports, lounge, and recreation. Mostly the pathway marks a ludic system that provides the walker with a stunning view from Vale do Rio Pinheiros, Pico do Jaraguá, and other scenes from the local environment, enhancing the community’s connection to their surroundings.
Social Sustainability
The urbanisation process developed inside the Jaguaré district can be seen as a success, not only for maintaining the local neighbourhood without the displacement of the local population to distant places. The new reality achieved the right to live, with decent infrastructure and cultural environment, being successful in removing the popular stigma of slums, while maintaining the local aesthetic, and providing a safe place where the local community could gather and create connections.
The new Jaguaré addition, provided the space for the development of a solid community, straightening social connections and friendships between the neighbours, being mentioned that they became a family, that also connects with the connection with the environment they live in. developing a collective identity that unites the habitants to participate in the act of socialising and helping each other. The new design takes the place of a new home for them.
Developing a project inside a slum can be a challenging process, considering the office is dealing with a solid internal culture. The favela Nova Jaguaré – Setor 3, stands as a testament to the power of inclusive and sensitive urban design. Where the architects tried to prioritise the needs and aspirations of the local community. The design provides physical safety and infrastructure, in addition to social cohesion while proposing cultural identity.
The intervention embraces different scales inside the Jaguaré environment and serves as a model for how to archive urban renewal without displacement and preserve the local community life while addressing the critical structural and environmental challenges. The main lessons from this project underscore the importance of interdisciplinary and participatory design processes. The intervention inside Nova Jaguaré by Boldarini’s office is not just a local victory; it’s an encouragement for local communities searching for their right to live within the city, resilience, and a better future.
References:
Fernandes Nazareth, Miguel Bustamante. (2021). From the upgraded favela to the urban space in Brazil. Brazilian Journal of Development, Volume 7, 112246-112263. Available from: https://ojs.brazilianjournals.com.br/ojs/index.php/BRJD/article/view/40738/pdf. [Accessed: 19/June/2024].
Boldarini Arquitetos Associados 2011. Favela Nova Jaguaré – Setor 3. 2008-2011. Available at: https://www.boldarini.com.br/projetos/favela-nova-jaguare-setor-3 [Accessed date: 19/Jun/2024].
