The revitalization of rivers in global cities: challenges for São Paulo and international experiences.

Abstract

The revitalization of urban rivers is one the biggest challenges for the improvement of life quality and sustainability in global cities. The bibliography about the issue indicates a range of well succeeded experiences of depollution of urban rivers in metropolis of the world and the emergence of innovative policies and practices integrating environmental, social, cultural and economic dimensions. However, in São Paulo, despite the advances in the last decades, the problem of pollution and sociocultural abandon of urban rivers is still far from being solved. This project proposes an interdisciplinary investigation about socioenvironmental policies and practices of governance for urban rivers in the metropolitan region of São Paulo and other global cities, being divided in three phases. In the first phase, research and analysis of the main advances and challenges of the "Project of Depollution of Tietê River" - which in 2020 completes 28 years old - municipal policies' and civil society's initiatives will be conducted. In the second phase, departing from identification and mapping of socioenvironmental policies in global cities, two case studies will be accomplished about governance and innovative processes for socioenvironmental revitalization of urban rivers in the world. In the third phase, the Forum "How to revitalize the Tietê River?" will be organized by gathering researchers, public and private managers and leaders of civil society, aiming to create dialogue and generate a document with proposals for the revitalization of Tietê and other urban rivers of São Paulo. The research integrates the Project FAPESP 2015/03804-9 "Environmental Governance of São Paulo Macrometropolis facing Climate Changes", coordinated by Prof. Pedro Jacobi, and USP Global Cities Program of the Institute for Advanced Studies of the University of São Paulo. It aims, in this context, to comprehend and analyze the situation of rivers in São Paulo, as well as to contribute to an innovative agenda of action and integration of different interfaces of water governance in São Paulo macrometropolis.