Real Parque is a favela located at São Paulo south zone, next to Marginal Pinheiros, a rich area of the city. Besides many particular factors, it is a place where we may find the biggest concentration of inhabitants and workers with Pankarary origins, which came mostly from Pernambuco.
Selma Pankararu, ancient resident of the place and a reference in the territory, left us a brief record on her life conditions, many fights and resiliency. This report can be heard on the link below, recorded for 13th BIA:
In addition to the identity and human aspects, the place is also characterized by receiving a historical process of architectural housing interventions, coordinated by the Municipality of São Paulo, by the Sehab (Secretaria de Habitação) Geni Sugai, a colleague and architect from the City Hall who worked on the site’s housing project, also left his records on the complexity of designing a social housing project and executing it, given the obvious need for follow-up by local residents. This report can be seen in the video recorded by her, available on YouTube:
Besides the information previously presented by one of those responsible for the housing condominium project, we can have contact with the final boards and photos of this proposal:
This analysis is interesting to think about how much we, architects with an academic background (traditional) and holders of this “power”, also as representatives of the State (public entity), can really establish a mutual process of collective construction. After some years of experience, I still haven’t really glimpsed this real and genuine approximation between all the involved parties, especially the comprehension of the real needs and cultures of the future residents of the housing projects; except with some incredible technical advisors, who develop methods of involvement and social participation in all stages of housing construction and also with experiences of collective efforts and organized housing movements.
Pedro Smith