Faculty Perspective: New Study Abroad Program in São Paulo City

Maria Arquero de Alarcon
Taubman College

This 3-credit Public Design Corps course investigated the anticipated impacts of the Jurubatuba Arch Urban Intervention Project (PIU-ACJ) on the transformation of the south zone of São Paulo City. This large strategic redevelopment project along the Pinheiros, Guarapiranga, and Jurubatuba Rivers aims to remake an area home to an estimated 150,000 residents, with many living in Special Zones of Social Interest (ZEIS) and confronting pressing housing and environmental challenges. Working with our local partners, PDC students engaged in the co-production of maps (and counter maps) and the documentation of sites and local narratives supporting community efforts to secure the right to housing and minimize displacement of vulnerable populations across the PIU-AJ. Our fieldwork in São Paulo took place from May 24 to June 1, 2024, and apart from the documentation of sites and communities across the PIU-ACJ, PDC students have focused on developing widely accessible visual materials, creating online platforms and educational media.

Project Partners
Union of Housing Movements (União dos Movimentos de Moradia de São Paulo), Human Rights Center Gaspar Garcia, and a network of community groups (Articulação da Vila Andrade, Comunidade Pantanal, Afetos), academic institutions (LabJUTA at Universidade Federal do ABC), and non-profit technical office Peabiru

Project Initiatives

• Documentated the impacts of the Jurubatuba Arch Urban Intervention Project in the Zones of Special Social Interest (ZEIS) and other precarious settlements in the area.
• Created visualizations of Vila Andrade, Jurubatuba, and Interlagos Urban Intervention Areas to showcase the     multilayered condition of the urban infrastructures, the river, and linear parks, demolitions, and new construction.
• Interviewed community leaders, documenting sites and community histories.
• Studied the relationship with two ongoing adjacent projects: the Tranporte Público Hidroviário and the Aquatic Terminals, and the Extension of the Marginal Pinheiros.
• Supported the organization of the 4th Encontro [meeting] de Favelas e Ocupações da Zona Sul by presenting the preliminary research findings to the communities and articulating the next steps in their organizing.

Learning Goals and Outcomes

• Were active participants in service learning and community engagement activities.
• Developed intercultural skills, gained social responsibility and global citizenship skills.
• Developed a comprehensive analytical framework for understanding and interpreting urban projects and their environmental, socio-spatial, political, economic, and temporal entanglements.
• Understood the key characteristics of the process of urban transformation driven by large urban renewal projects, and the mechanisms for public participation in place.
• Identified and engaged with different urban actors involved in housing and policy advocacy.
• Understood the ways local communities organize to respond to threats of displacement and evictions and fight for justice.