Rehabilitation of empty buildings in São Paulo's downtown and its conversion to social housing: public policies and architectural solutions

Abstract

The main objective of this investigation is understand social housing public policies that established, in recent years, rehabilitation of empty buildings located in São Paulo's downtown, identifying also, in this context, the resultant architectural solutions. Thus these policies are considered as alternatives to current housing provisions and they show new models of production, public or private market. This subject is according, on the one hand, with the candidate's academic background, who researched apartment buildings in the last eight years and, on the other hand, it is part of the research interests of the LABHAB-FAU-USP group, coordinated by João Sette Whitaker Ferreira, where this investigation will be developed. The studied housing provision is alternative to housing policies historically used, as the construction of extensive housing estates in distant suburbs and, therefore, it shows other results, as full access to housing and centralities already established, as downtown. This investigation is supported by different methodological procedures, as literature review, collect, organization and analysis graphic elements, technical visits to rehabilitated buildings and interview with person of different profiles. Besides, this investigation will provide forums for discussion, valuation and diffusion of research, as a seminar. One of the intentions of proposed investigation is to understand institutional possibilities to apply more fully basic recommendations of the Brazilian legislation. They are express, for example, in the Federal Constitution and the Statute of de City, which qualify the social function of property and determine ways for urban reform.