Social Actions In An Urban Park In The East Zone Of The City Of São Paulo During The Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The pandemic moment provided the strengthening of social actions aimed at communities with a high level of social vulnerability. Among the principles of urban sustainability is the mitigation of social disparities, a relevant issue in sustainable urban planning. The present research, in this context, is aimed to report the socio-environmental services offered by an urban park during the still current COVID-19 Pandemic; the chosen spatial cut-out, given the considerable availability of primary data, was the Jardim da Conquista Municipal Park (PMJC), located in the East Zone of the city of São Paulo. The present study means a descriptive and exploratory research that observed, registered, analyzed and correlated events and facts, in addition to using documental technical procedures to qualitatively describe the social actions carried out in and by the park. The social isolation, a consequence of the ongoing Pandemic, implied, as a rule, in the closure of urban parks, which closed, even so, the Municipal Park Jardim da Conquista PMJC (PMJC) did not interrupt the provision of socio-environmental services to citizens and went on to be the protagonist, in addition to these services, in specific social actions that benefited around six thousand families residing in slums in the East Zone of the city and the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo (RMSP). This fact pointed to the possibility of urban public parks also being spaces for the promotion of socio-environmental actions which mitigate the associated negative externalities with impacts related to the social vulnerability of residents of these regions. The partnerships with Central Única das Favelas (CUFA), with local Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and regional leaders, who acted as collaborators for the execution of the actions, made the aforementioned urban park the pioneer in the condition of the warehouse for receiving and distribution of donations (for example foodstuffs, blankets and gas canisters needed for cooking) to this typically vulnerable population.

Keywords: Green Spaces. Urban Parks. Sao Paulo City. COVID-19 Pandemic. Vulnerability. Urban Sustainability. Mitigation of Social Inequalities.