UNIVERSITY OF SÃO PAULO | FACULTY OF ARCHITECTURE AND URBANISM | PROJECT DEPARTMENT | AUTHOR: GABRIELLA ROESLER RADOLL | ADVISOR: EULER SANDEVILLE JR.

LANDSCAPE AND PUBLIC SPACE TRANSFORMATIONS IN THE SUB-BASIN OF EMBU-MIRIM RIVER IN EMBU - SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL

The presented research is a case study that discusses the landscape transformations and conflicts in a sub-basin of Embu, municipality of metropolitan São Paulo. As proposed by SANDEVILLE (2005), understands landscape as a vast field of meanings, tensions and social contradictions, perceiving the inhabitants as fundamental corpus in the transformation process. From observation and experience searches to approach the landscape’ intrinsic dynamic nature, to understand the landscape valuation processes in exclusion situations and in environmental fragile areas. From a broader perspective the research aims to contribute for concrete actions in management, design and education activities.

Embu city’s dynamics was impacted by the expansion of São Paulo metropolitan area. This had large impact on areas responsible for São Paulo’s water supply, especially due to peripheral urbanization, industrial and real estate development. The sub-basin study area is part of the Guarapiranga basin, the most endangered basin of Greater São Paulo (ISA) and the second biggest system responsible for São Paulo’s metropolitan water supply – representing 20% of the total supply. The water source protection law created in 1975 “didn’t modify the pattern of settlements in this areas neither did isolate the water system as whished.”(MARTINS, 2006:57). The lack of housing policies that reached the lower income levels of population together with the protection law that has “frost” the land in this areas, had contributed to the their occupation. The Guarapiranga water source protection area created in 1997 and its specific law from 2006 has established directives and normatives to the basins that have regional interest to the State and was considered a mark in the basins politic management.

The Régis Bittencourt Highway that connects São Paulo to the south of Brazil was constructed over part of the Embu-Mirim River watershed, and the Ring Road opened in 2010 passes near the other part, compromising in the near future the quality of Guarapiranga reservoir. This damage can be even more extensive – such roads lead to a higher degree of occupation and urbanization. Such phenomenon has already been seen in the other part of the road ring, which was constructed before. “The ring road projects concretely a concern intra-urban scenario – because not planned – for the peripheral metropolitan areas in conurbation” (BARROSO, apud LABHAB, 2005).

The study area is marked by residential use, where the house typology resembles the São Paulo metropolitan periphery pattern. It is remarkable that the auto construction and few storey units on small plots bring to quite high density levels. The houses are in different stages of construction, in which the “refuge” passes through constant evolution until resulting in the brick house. Is the “bricolage refuge” (JACQUES, 2001) producing the temporary, the provisory, even if it lasts forever.

The bibliographical study and the landscape analysis methodology generated by maps and photos, which howsoever can generate hypotheses of the local dynamic, are “static” products. For that reason, the research reached for the local experience, not as a stranger to the landscape but based on the inhabitants’ way of seeing its landscape – the experienced space. To that end, in the addition to collecting data on the main stakeholders of the area and interviewing some of them, workshops, free interviews and semi-elaborated questionnaires were used in understanding the valuation processes of the landscape with the eyes of the local community.

The main projects that are influencing the study area by the time of the research: 1. South Ring Road – interference area on the municipality of Embu – 27,6%2. PAC (federal project program – means acceleration development program) ísis Cristina and Jardim do Colégio: focus on the improvement of infra structure3. Embu Park – part of the environmental compensation plan for the construction of the south ring road

Guarapiranga Reservoir Protection

Area

*Guarapiranga

Billings

São Paulo

Highways Compensation areas

Study area*Railroad

Map 1 - The urban area of São PauloOrganization: Gabriella Roesler RadollSource: Google Maps, ISA and CeSAD

The alleys, staircases and bridges tend to have an important role in the sub-basin area; a great part of the local population depends on these shortcuts and tends to build them because of the necessity to establish nearest links or more appropriate ones than the formal system. Because of the topographical features of the site, the staircases tend to be the fastest shortcuts for the population. The alleys form small access to the houses, and because of their characteristics (size, declination) they can not be substituted by formal road system (the drawing from a local child can exemplify how they conceive this connections - see drawing 1). The trails allow shortening the distances.

On the scale of the city, the metropolitan influence is remarkable, especially with the expansion of the highway system, to what the municipality responded by creating room for new development, clearing part of the territory to new industrial and business areas, contradicting the importance of these natural resources and open public space to the city.

On the contrary, the water bodies are seen as potential connectors between the existing open spaces and the ones to be appropriate, especially the valley of the Embu-Mirim River that would connect the urban parks in the city. The sketch exemplifies how the council could use the floodplain to redesign its green open space system, aiming at the improvement of life quality and the understanding and enjoyment of these

environments. They could provide new recreational areas for the inhabitants on the scale of the neighbourhood to the regional scale – if the space were adequate. The connectors, green corridors to be formed by the water bodies itself, apart from its environmental importance, would allow connections through paths and sidewalks. This would allow the mobility of the pedestrian or cyclist, perceived them as potential spectators of these spaces and encouraging other forms of locomotion.

At the site level the inhabitants perceive themselves as builder of their own residence but not the set of transformations resulting from it, at least by the time of the research. On the other hand it is observed that the population takes ownership of unordinary elements in traditional urban planning. The alleys, which are seen as problems in traditional urbanism, in the study area become living spaces, establish neighbourhood relations, and emerge as a recreational area alternative to the streets with their traditional risks or the squares of poor design, which do not attract population. The inhabitants appropriate themselves also of the transformed nature establishing them as recreational natural attractions areas of the region: the lake “Doda” (saw in another local child drawing - see drawing 2), the Embu-Mirim River, the trails through the woods. Spaces devoid of formal design were established through the daily life of the community. These spaces - the alleys, trails, natural attractions can lose their importance in traditional design for the peripheral regions, where the technique offers a finished model without appropriating the qualities of the region.

The research will continue as a project design in the next months and pretends to stimulate a collaborative construction of a green open space plan, in order to explore the social participation aspects design of the city, the awareness of the local population, proposition and evaluation workshops, so that the inhabitants can identify themselves with the site and have a sense of responsibility and ownership of the common space.

SOUTH RING ROAD

STUDY AREA

Map 2 - Considerations about the Embu sub-basins Organization: Gabriella Roesler RadollSource: Emplasa, Embu Municipality, Atlas Socioambiental

Guarapiranga reservoir protection area limitsSouth ring roadStudy area

-Rural areas with some urban nucleis-Significant Atlantic Forest and some “capoeira” snippets-Permanent Protection Area - established in 2008

-Region with similar occupation characteristics to the occupation in the Pirajuçara sub-basin (known as the concrete basin) in São Paulo and Taboão da Serra - disordely occupation and lack of infra-structure-Urban occupation in sensible environmental areas-Concrete Basin: intensive impermeabilization process

-Embu-Mirim River floodplain: Régis Bittencourt, industrial areas and allotments-Embu city center: better infra-structure-East: predominance of densely urbanized areas, while maintaining the characteristics of the sub-basin Pirajuçara

1. floodplain or low declivity area with low density occupation

Map 3 - Landscape unitsOrganization: Gabriella Roesler RadollSource: Emplasa 2005, Embu Municipality, Google Maps

South ring roadStudy area

2. old mining site 3. hills with springs and low density occupation

4. occupations without adequate infra-structure

6. smooth topography with rural plots

8. city center

7. floodplain without urban occupation

5. occupations over the floodplain - without adequate infra-structure

9. floodplain area or low declivity area with industrial areas and allotments

10. mining site

11. floodplain area - consolidated occupation

12. soft topography with low density occupation - some small urban nucleis

Map 4 - Natural resources and urban occupation impacts Organization: Gabriella Roesler RadollSource: Emplasa 2005

DENSEFOREST

“CAPOEIRA”

FOREST

FLOODPLAIN

disordely protected areas occupation

recent occupation in former forest areas

Map 5 - Study area Organization: Gabriella Roesler RadollSource: Emplasa 2005, Google Maps

Map 6 - Simulation of the study area after the projects Organization: Gabriella Roesler RadollSource: Emplasa 2005, Google Maps, Embu Municipality

SOUTH RING ROAD

FUTURE PARK AREA - Embu-Mirim River

Floodplain

PAC

Future Embu-Mirim River Park

Area

preservation areas to be implanted

active leisure activities

exhisting green spaces

preservation areas to be implanted

green corridors

Neighbourhood open spaces to be

implanted

preservation areas to be implanted

Map 8 - Sketch of open spaces system for the study areaOrganization: Gabriella Roesler RadollSource: Emplasa 2005, Embu municipality, Google Maps

areas to be regenerate

urbanization +active leisure

activities

Photos and drawings - personal archive

Drawing 1

Drawing 2

BIBLIOGRAPHY

JACQUES, Paola Berenstein. Estética das favelas. Arquitextos junho de 2001. Available in: http://www.vitruvius.com.br/arquitextos/arq000/esp078.asp.MARTINS, Maria Lucia Refinetti Rodrigues. Moradia e mananciais: tensão e diálogo na metrópole. São Paulo: Fauusp/Fapesp, 2006.MCHARG, Ian L. Design with nature. New York : John Wiley, 1992.SANDEVILLE JR, Euler. In: Paisagens e Métodos. Algumas considerações para a elaboração de roteiros de estudo na paisagem intra-urbana. Paisagens, São Paulo. _____. Um roteiro para estudo da paisagem intra-urbana. Paisagens em Debate, 2004.VILLAÇA, Flávio. Espaço intra-urbano no Brasil. São Paulo: Nobel: Fapesp: Lincoln Institute, 2001, 2nd edition, 1988.SANTOS, Milton. Espaço e Método. São Paulo: Nobel, 1985.

Guarapiranga reservoir protection area limits

South ring road (under construction by the time of the research)

city center

RégisBittencourt

Embu-Mirim river sub-basin

Cotia river sub-basin

Pirajuçara river sub-basin

Pedestrian and cyclist transpositions

Exhisting parks or parks to be implantedStudy areaSouth ring road

Map 7 - Sketch of open green spaces systemOrganization: Gabriella Roesler RadollSource: Emplasa 2005, Embu municipality, Google Maps

rural areas

areas that can suffer

urbanization in a near future

Francisco Rizzo Park

Embu-MirimRiver Park

Roque ValenteForest

Proposed open green spaces

Corridors