Sao Paulo is a city of millions. Ranked third in the world in population, it is a city of unprecedented growth. Its physical boundaries alone multiplied almost fifty times over in the last hundred years. How then are we to design urban interventions to keep up with the rapid pace of growth? And in regards to the question our studio sought to ask “What is the role of food in Sao Paulo and the urban environment?”.
I addressed the density of Sao Paulo by first identifying those spaces that were not dense, that were unused and neglected. In a city like Sao Paulo, any open unused space becomes of paramount importance. I concentrated on the space above the railroad because of its links to the existing infrastructure and extremely low surrounding density. By capitalizing on the unused, neglected space above the train, open green space for the city could be appropriated and maintained.
The newly created Farm_Park would provide a public amenity in the form of a park, as well as create a visual link to the process of food production. In a city the size of Sao Paulo, many Brazilians will never get outside of the concrete jungle. Reconnecting the inhabitants to the natural production of food serves to link them to the larger natural context which they are a part of.