CO-DESIGNING BIXIGA PARK WITH THE LOCAL COMMUNITY
Co-design of public space
Participatory Process
Community Engagement
Estúdio Aberto & IAB-SP
Public Sector
Defining local community guidelines
to orient Bixiga Municipal Park's project through a participatory approach
This project aimed to define community guidelines for the construction of the future Bixiga Municipal Park in the city of São Paulo, Brazil.
The project was conducted by Estúdio Aberto, of which I was a part of the team, in partnership with the Institute of Architects of Brazil - São Paulo Department (IAB-SP), organiser of the National Public Call for Architecture, Urbanism and Landscaping for
the Bixiga Municipal Park, promoted by the São Paulo Municipality through the Municipal Secretariat for Green and Environment (SVMA).
The project was conducted using a participatory and territory-oriented approach, carried out through three workshops open to the public. At these workshops, collaborative activities were conducted to explore the perceptions, imaginations, desires, and concerns of the local community about the Bixiga neighbourhood
and the future park.
The participatory process aimed to ensure that all voices present were heard in the development of the new municipal park.
The three workshops were attended by residents and representatives of social movements and collectives from Bixiga neighbourhood – central to its historical social identity – as well as teams from the main stakeholders in the project: the Secretariat for Green and Environment (São Paulo Municipality), IAB-SP and the
Park Management Council. This ensured that throughout this process, the institutions that will continue to mediate the population's relationship with the
park, from its conception to its implementation and use, were also present.
Stakeholder engagement
Turning the Approach into Practice
In summary, the three participatory workshops were planned to complement
each other in developing guidelines based on a collective view of the park's future.
At the first workshop, the park's relationship with the historical and social context
of the Bixiga's neighbourhood was mapped from the perspective of the local community. Participants marked on a map the positive and negative aspects
of the park's surroundings, and a timeline of Bixiga was built collaboratively.
In the second workshop, participants discussed and expressed what they
want and do not want for the park, drawing together the park they would like,
considering its spaces, physical elements and uses.
Finally, in the last workshop, the consolidation of the proposals and topics
discussed in the previous workshops was presented in the format of
guidelines to the participants which discussed and validated it collectively.
- The site of Bixiga Municipal Park, in São Paulo, Brazil -
My role
Analysis and synthesis of data generated by participatory workshops and consolidation of the Report of Local Community Guidelines for Bixiga Municipal Park's project
. Support in facilitation of the three participatory workshops
. Documentation and systematisation of data generated during the workshops
. Analysis and synthesis of the results of each workshop
. Representation of results in visual materials, such as timelines, graphs and maps
. Presentation of results for validation with participants during the workshops
. Planning and writing of the final deliverable: the Report of Local Community Guidelines
for Bixiga Municipal Park's public call
- Presentation of consolidated guidelines for validation with participants during the last participatory workshop -
Map and timeline of Bixiga's neighbourhood
which I consolidated from the analysis and synthesis of the collaborative activities of the first participatory workshop
All materials produced in the project are public
and can be accessed on the public call website:
www.concursoparquedobixiga.org.br
Results
1 Report of Local Community Guidelines for
Bixiga Municipal Park's project
The main deliverable of the project for IAB-SP and São Paulo Municipality was the report, consolidating all contributions from the population into a narrative document that serves as advisory and reference material for the development of proposals for Bixiga Municipal Park's public call, based on the perspective of the local community.
10 Cocreated guidelines by the population
The 10 guidelines are recommendations from the population regarding the spaces, uses, and management of the park. They summarise and make actionable the
desires and proposals brought by participants during the workshops for the entities responsible for project planning, implementation, and management of the public space.
167 participants, including 71 residents of Bixiga
and 32 social movements involved
Other participants included residents of nearby neighbourhoods in São Paulo, as well
as specialists such as architects and archaeologists. The third workshop, besides being held in person, was also live-streamed on the IAB-SP YouTube channel and had 178 views on the day it took place.
'So may these guidelines arise in such a way that architects, landscape designers, engineers (...) various professionals, biologists, ecologists, sociologists... May these take shape in a way
that expresses everything that is here.'
- Representative of a social movement participating in the participatory workshops
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- Participants gathered, drawing and presenting their proposals for the park during the second participatory workshop -
'Agradeço esse espaço da gente poder trocar.
Ainda tenho muitas ansiedades, medos e sonhos também.'
- Moradora do Bixiga participante dos encontros participativos
Food for thought
The importante of embracing the social and historical context for a successful co-design process
Bixiga is one of São Paulo’s most emblematic neighbourhoods, where Afro-Brazilian
and quilombola heritage intersects with the history of Italian immigration, shaping a culturally diverse and vibrant territory defined by collective practices, artistic
expression and community-led initiatives.
Symbolic places and long-standing social movements continue to play a central role in sustaining this identity. The diversity of perspectives among residents and movement representatives, often non-aligned, was a core challenge in the project and underscored the importance of stakeholder management. Adopting a co-design approach capable
of sharing power and remaining flexible was fundamental, in order for us to include multiple voices and negotiate interests in a sensitive and structured manner.
'I appreciate this space where we can
exchange our views. I still have many
anxieties, fears and dreams too.'
- Bixiga resident participating in participatory workshops
Related links
All project materials are public and can be accessed on the public call official website:
Promoted by the Institute of Architects of
Brazil - SP and the Secretariat of Green and Environment (SVMA) of the City of São Paulo.
Livestream of the 3rd participatory workshop on IAB-SP's YouTube
channel:
Do you live, frequent, or are you interested in the life of Bixiga? SVMA and IABsp invite you
to participate in the Participatory Workshops of Bixiga Municipal Park, which are part of the...
Approach
3 participatory workshops
open to the general public, residents and social movements in the Bixiga neighbourhood
ongoing cocreation and validation with the community
of collective proposals
throughout the workshops
transforming learnings into a guidelines report
that shall orient the Public Call for the
park's project