Lucas Terra Cardial

CPE II - Writing Task II

Background information
Vila Mariana was founded in September 3rd, 1925 in the in So Paulo south-central area. This borough is regarded as one of the richest of Sao Paulo, due to its good location, near hospitals (public and private), commerce centres, leisure areas, shopping malls, restaurants/bars and public transport - there are ve subway stations in Vila: Paraso, Ana Rosa, Vila Mariana, Santa Cruz and Chcara Klabin. Originally it had an Art Deco architectonic style, and nowadays the High-Tech and Deconstructive styles predominate.

Problems
Most of its issues are related to the visual and auditive pollution, once the irregular commerce tamper with the pavements, modifying its original purpose and hinder the people passage. Throwaways can be found on the streets, specially in the corners, which result in a drastic contrast with the borough architecture, transposing visual strangeness to those who pass by. Also, there is a lack of accessible and truly enjoyable parks, well maintained by a responsible and committed organ. Almost every street possess irregular pavements

Suggested Changes
It is suggested a reformulation of the borough urbanism, starting with the pavements accessibility and the lampposts disposal, thinking specially about the elder ones. The irregular commerce issue could be solved by selling/ giving a certain number of licenses and grouping the tradespeople in the same facility, reducing disorder, specially in Avenida Domingos de Morais, near Shopping Santa Cruz. To conclude, a new waste disposal programme is a must, such as better parks, forested and properly maintained.

Lucas Terra Cardial

CPE II - Writing Task II

Comments and Recommendations

In my view, the most urgent measure to be taken is to re-think the architecture in terms of ergonomy and accessibility so that people can take maximum advantage of the place they live. The neighbourhood has got too many harmful ramps and steps in almost every single sidewalk. On saturdays there are weekly reunions of blind people, who depend on the pavements quality to guide themselves.