PARK DOM PEDRO AS AN URBAN ARCHIPELAGO “An investigation of alternative design strategies for shaping the landscape of the city

Project idea

São Paulo is the most populous city of Brazil ,full of contradiction nuzzled with lot of problems and solving these problems are not easy. But it is high time to reclaim the lost city space and proposing some design strategies that can shape the future development. To achieve a comprehensible urban life a restructuring between all the organisms is needed. The original settlement of São Paulo laid beside Tamanduateí’s River’ banks.The urban expansion of São Paulo has always been the reason for manipulating the watercourses of the city. Due to rapid and unplanned urbanization the existence of Tamanduatei River is no longer connected with the city life. The banks of Tamanduatei, for a long time were used for baths, laundresses, and fights but nowadays this river does not have any connection with the city. Therefore the city suffers from flooding problem especially in this floodplain.
The design research is not necessarily generalizable to other case because of the uniqueness of various situations. However, it was an attempt to identify the problems and come across with some design proposition that can create a new urbanity which is more toward a combination of water and green. The proposal presented here will increase the ecological value of the area as well as pledge a sustainable urbanism. Design proposition shows how water urbanism can shape the city and how the area of Tamanduatei can be integrated with the city that also address the problem of flooding. The combination of new water system, soft landscape, and cityscape will bring back the reminiscence of Tamanduatei River.
This design studio intended to look for alternative design approaches to address the flood problems as well as to revive the segregated Tamanduatei River’s basin. Apart from the strategic design strategies for the whole area, particular design intervention were proposed for individual site.

Project description

The master plan is articulated through small and strategic operations that can be inserted through time. The idea of insertion of these parts are intended to recover forgotten and unfulfilled citizen’s desires such as taking a bath in the river, walking in the forest, enjoying clean water and experience - directly- the island’s wild environments in the metropolitan node of Brasil, Sau Paulo. The design scheme for the whole Tamanduatei river basin proposes a new river, a new parallel water system starting from Corrego Dos Meninos all the way to Tiete. The design strategies for new water system are as follows: Collecting, Leading, Treating, Revealing, Releasing. In the whole strategic plan, the location of intervention for my design intervention is upward towards north known as Park Dom Pedro.Park Dom Pedro is located on the floodplain of Rio Tamanduateí, one of the most important rivers of the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil. This area used to be a significant place for everyday life of people which is now just a place of passage and abandonment. The idea is to revitalize the area, proposing archipelago concept that will make space for the river as well as provide public realm with functional islands. The concept of developing the park as an archipelago is very suitable. The new islands will be created along new river in order to revitalize the area. Some parts of highways and viaducts will be turned in to boulevards which are downgraded to have more spaces for pedestrians and merged with green systems. With the concept of archipelago, the city will have a chance to reconnect with the river and adapt with flooding. The River and the island would be formed following four principles:
01. Following the topography and Water flow 02. Trying to keep the existing house and buildings 03. Keeping the vehicular traffic peripheral 04. Green as buffer.
Design strategies are Re-naturalization,Reintroducing water through flow of water Producing Public Realm through Archipelago Preserving History, Culture and Heritage,Green corridor

Technical information

River Design Criteria:
-To design the new water system, flood management was placed as a top priority. The new water system is designed to respond the increasing events of floods and heavy volume of torrential summer shower and can secure the river capacity for 50 years capacity rainfall.
-Install sidewalks along the river
-lower terraces with activity in the islands to access water
-Minimum amount of overpass were planned in order to flow maximum amount of water.
- Follow the urban grid and the keeping the existing trees.