Project implementation: Brazil
Project development: Brazil
The project "City of Popular Cultures: Insurgent Crossroads" is an outreach initiative that proposes the urban and ecological redefinition of the São José neighborhood in Recife, Pernambuco. Developed by students and professors from the Architecture and Urban Planning program at the Catholic University of Pernambuco, the study responds to a demand from the Popular Culture League, made up of teachers, performers, and artists who mobilized to demand a permanent space to keep their traditions and cultural activities alive in the city.
Adopting a decolonial and participatory approach, the project uses local ancestry as a structuring axis to build an architecture focused on urban resilience and climate justice. Its methodology is based on active listening and ongoing dialogue with the community, whose experiences and expectations guided every stage of the work.
The architectural intervention envisages the adaptive reuse of decommissioned railway warehouses, converting them into multifunctional centers with a museum, a gastronomic hub, a training center for traditional knowledge, and spaces for making ornaments. The design of these spaces follows principles of sustainability, with minimal and reversible interventions, lightweight materials, translucent tiles, solar panels, and preservation of native vegetation.
The project also includes the Ancestral Axis, a symbolic corridor connecting the neighborhood to the Pina Basin, honoring Afro-Indigenous heritage, as well as spaces such as the Grande Encruzilhada and the Terreiros-Arena. Aligned with SDGs 8 and 11, the proposal was discussed in a public hearing and aims to be a replicable model for cultural appreciation and urban renewal, strengthening not only communities but the entire fabric of Recife.
Team of students: Clarice Souza Leão Araújo, Iara de Menezes Cavalcanti, Ingrid Filgueira Rolim, João Guilherme Lucena de Vasconcelos, Lucas Emanuel Melo do Nascimento, Maria Julia Feitosa de Macena, Salatyel Lameque Carlos dos Santos, Taísa Cardoso de Brito, Victor Polesky de Moura Almeida
Team of Teachers/Advisors: Andrea do Nascimento Dornelas Câmara, Andrea Melo Lins Storch, Dyego da Silva Digiandomenico, Igor Villares de Carvalho, Luiz Ricardo Fonseca Marcondes, Paula Maria Wanderley Maciel do Rego Silva, Rafael Campos Rangel, Vera Christine Cavalcanti Freire.
Technical Team: João Maria, Alex Costa, Furmiga DUB, Maria Goretti, Aelson da Hora, Francisco Neto, Adriano Sobral, Beto Figueiroa