Housing Complexes in Itaim Paulista

Exploratory Research in Stream Areas

Abstract

Objective – To investigate, through case studies, the current condition of streams located within housing complexes built by CDHU between 1989 and 2014 in Itaim Paulista, São Paulo, for which green areas and protective buffer zones were originally planned.

Methodology – Literature review on floods and housing in risk areas, focusing on the Global South. Survey of CDHU housing complexes using: maps and drawings provided by the Company, data obtained from Geosampa, aerial imagery, photos, and site visits. Verification of the current condition of the areas adjacent to streams in the selected housing complexes. Quantification and discussion of the results. Cross-analysis of the empirical findings with the theoretical framework.

Originality/Relevance – The research addresses a concrete urban problem in a stream-permeated region of São Paulo: the Itaim Paulista district. Occupations were found in risk areas within housing complexes produced by the State, with populations settled in critical zones whose situation is likely to worsen with climate emergencies. The study addresses the complex and contradictory process regarding the origin and development of these areas. It contrasts the implementation of the housing program which, from the design sector's perspective, included solutions to preserve green areas and stream protection zones, and the subsequent developments and transformations that occurred after the housing complexes were completed. These later changes involved the occupation of many areas, with critical points being identified.

Results – The findings demonstrate that the open spaces originally planned within the housing complexes, which were located in the protected buffer zones along streams and rivers, were occupied in the majority of the cases studied. These areas often represent the only available alternative for a segment of the population to build housing, leading them to settle in high-risk zones. The research highlights a dual failure: the lack of a comprehensive housing policy to accommodate the most vulnerable population, coupled with the State's inability to manage and maintain the green areas that were initially demarcated in the project for environmental protection alongside rivers and streams. Within these settlements, the lack of basic sanitation and the population's proximity to the stream banks contribute to water pollution and soil impermeability and increase the risk of the population contracting diseases and suffering from episodes of overflow and the ruin of their homes. Public management's leniency in caring for green areas, combined with the absence of a housing policy that served the entire population, contributed to the consolidation of an unfavorable urban scenario, which is further aggravated by climate change.

Theoretical/Methodological Contributions – This research consolidates its theoretical contribution by validating, within a specific context, the relationship between state-produced housing and the production of environmental risk in urban areas. The literature review engaged with authors who have conducted systematic surveys of the scholarly production on precarious urbanization and flooding in Global South cities. The empirical investigation conducted here confirms that several causal factors identified in this foundational literature manifest in the studied areas. Furthermore, the study advances the field through its precise methodological framework, which selected CDHU housing complexes built between 1989 and 2014 in a district on São Paulo's east side, enabling a detailed verification of the condition of the streams that intersect these spaces.

Social and Environmental Contributions – This research engages directly with the UN Sustainable Development Goals—specifically SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), and SDG 13 (Climate Action). It provides critical insights to understand the processes of riverbank occupation in communities living under risk, identifying a recurring pattern in housing complex areas. It thus points to the necessity of seeking an integrated solution between housing policies and environmental policies with an emphasis on urban drainage, once the majority of open space destined for water preservation and accommodation is being contested by populations not served by housing programs for the construction of their homes.