Contemporary Centralities in São Paulo. Study on the construction of the Berrini - Chucri Zaidan axis

Abstract

This article investigates the morphological and functional changes of Chucri Zaidan avenue and its relationship with the new axis of urban centrality of São Paulo, also composed of Berrini Avenue. The study seeks to reveal the construction logics and the process that has been transforming the area into a financial center and condenser axis of a mixture of uses, including leisure activities, services, commerce and culture that enrich the social life of the area. To study it, we will seek to identify the main urban transformations that have occurred throughout history, drawing the changes that have occurred at the ground level, the building typology, the uses and contours of public and collective spaces. The analyses will be based on official documents, drawings drawn from registration maps of the city, on data collected on site, and on the theoretical discussion about the way as a powerful element of condensation of collective spaces and their centrality and urbanity. As a result, it is verified that the axis is constructed as a linear centrality, through the implementation of mixed-use buildings, with predominance of office buildings, implanted in partially open blocks configured with paths and permeable free areas, with a wide offer of green areas. On the other hand, it lacks social mixing.

Keywords: Linear Centrality, Collective Spaces, Metropolis of São Paulo, Urban life.