The winners of the ITDP and Secovi-SP Competition, “Our Cities Ourselves: Proposals for São Paulo 2030”, were announced by the Secretary of Urban Development Miguel Bucalém during an awards ceremony at Secovi-SP headquarters on the 20th of September. The top three entries were awarded US$5,500, US$4,300 and US$2,700, respectively, and two honorable mentions and a special highlight were also awarded.

The competition was inspired by ITDP’s “Our Cities Ourselves” urban visions, which include a vision of the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro in 2030 amongst the 10 cities featured. Following the success of the exhibition in Rio, ITDP and Secovi-SP held a similar urban visioning exercise and competition in São Paulo. The visions were based on ITDP’s “Principles of Transport in Urban Life.”

At the award ceremony, the Secretary congratulated ITDP and Secovi-SP for generating an exciting conversation about urbanism and mobility in São Paulo. He commended the choice of site for the competition, Praça da Bandeira, a former plaza in the center of São Paulo now converted into a bus terminal. This important transportation hub in the historical center of São Paulo is immediately adjacent to the Town Hall, multilevel, and near, but not connected to, a major metro station. The site was chosen under the guidance of Secretary Bucalém, who noted in his presentation that the area exemplifies many of the major accessibility and connectivity issues faced all over São Paulo.

The judging committee, chaired by Secretary Bucalém, commended the winning proposal for its attention to accessibility and an emphasis on pedestrian space and bike paths. They noted that the vision also recognized the historical importance of the site, and proposed in-fill, mixed-use buildings in vacant spaces.

The second place winner was notable to the judges because of its functional approach, which showed a strong understanding of the importance of the Praça da Bandeira to the city of São Paulo. The architects increased connectivity between modes, prioritized pedestrians and created spaces for commercial, service, leisure and cultural activities.

The “futuristic” third place winner gained the judges’ attention with its enhancement and prioritization of pedestrian spaces, diversification of uses, increased residential density, and use of ecological architecture. It was also noted for its strong analysis of of ITDP’s “Principles of Transport in Urban Life”.

The 9 judges included architects, engineers and urban planners from Secovi, ITDP, the City of São Paulo, prominent São Paulo Universities, and the Brazilian Institute of Architecture.

The winning entries are currently displayed at Secovi-SP’s headquarters in São Paulo, alongside an exhibition of ITDP’s “Principles of Transport in Urban Life”, which the competition was based on. Next the exhibition will be displayed at the São Paulo town hall, at the invitation of the President of the Town Hall, City Councilor José Police Neto, who was a judge for the competition.