São Paulo’s Augusta Park completes one year and exceeds the mark of 1.6 million people.
From the lawn with “beach” status to the bleachers for street artists, the space in downtown São Paulo has established itself as a spot both for residents from different city regions and for activities proposed by the neighborhood, from flirting to meditation circles.
“Everybody wants to know about it, which is quite significant for a 23,000 square meter space,” comments park manager Heraldo Guiaro, 63.
In 2022, the space attracted a public more than five times larger than the neighboring Buenos Aires Park, of similar dimensions (18,700 m²), and equivalent to the Aclimação Park (112.2 m²), both also in the central region, according to the City Hall.
“FRIEND”
Previously a manager of Ibirapuera Park, Guiaro noticed some similarities in the public’s affective relationship with the two spaces, despite the differences in size.
“People used to talk about Ibirapuera as a friend, and I think Augusta is heading this way,” he compares.
He cites the case of a 5-year-old child who drew the park as the backyard of his nearby school.
The administrator comments that the park attracts about 20,000 people on Sundays, most of them lounging on the grass, sunbathing, picnicking, and with groups of friends.
In addition, cultural, sports, and wellness-oriented activities are held next to the bleachers and other points. All of these are voluntary and are partly offered by the neighborhood residents themself.
On social networks, pictures and photos of groups arranged on the “beach” (lawn) on weekends are spread, sometimes in swimsuits.
The democratic and diverse atmosphere is often cited by regulars, who say they feel more at ease in Augusta than in other parks, especially in the case of women and the LGBT+ community.
Some who don’t live so close often take trips to other surrounding spaces, such as bars, parties, and restaurants in Baixo Augusta, Vila Buarque, and Roosevelt Square.
On the other hand, new buildings have multiplied in the region recently, attracting new residents and tourists and changing the characteristic flow on the sidewalks, with less commerce. It is open from 5 AM to 9 PM.
“We spread out kanga on the ground, sit, talk, and sometimes have a drink. I usually go there to meet friends or on a date,” says student Merques Rodrigues de Lima, 21.
He lives in Vila Nova Cachoeirinha, in the North Zone, and says that Augusta has become the park he visits most often, about once a month.
“It’s comfortable; it has a little space for sunbathing. Besides, it’s a park well-geared towards the LGBT public, so the community usually gathers there.”
RIGHT THERE
A park’s neighbor, make-up artist Vitória Ribeiro, 27, often goes there with her flatmate to relax and “get some tan.”
“I go there because it’s close by, and we can put on bikinis to sunbathe,” she says. “We stay there, chatting, take lots of pictures, and then post them on social media.”
Architect Julio Dantès, 57, goes to the park mainly to do physical activities. Although he lives closer to Paulista Avenue, he chooses to go to Augusta Park.
“By doctor’s orders, I need to walk every day. I was told to choose a place I like,” she explains. “I like the place; I think it’s cheap, people sunbathing on the grass; I feel like I’m in New York’s Central Park.”
Professor at Mackenzie, urban planner Matheus Casimiro comments that Augusta is a park with peculiarities that help explain the high demand.
One of them is that it became known even before the opening due to the wide repercussion of the implementation movements.
In addition, the park is located near subway stations and bus corridors, which facilitates access and popular public spaces in the city, such as Baixo Augusta, Roosevelt Square, and Minhocão.
“It’s a power that Parque Buenos Aires, for example, doesn’t have.”
COSTS
In 2018, City Hall agreed with the owner developers to install the park for R$11 million (US$2.2 million), and the following year signed the transfer term.
The companies won credits to erect buildings above the basic limit in other city areas without paying additional fees.
The boulevard that is part of the implementation agreement is still on paper. The proposal is to connect Augusta Park to Roosevelt Square via Gravataí Street.
According to a note from the City Hall, the amount of R$250,000 was deposited by the construction companies, and the Ricardo Nunes (MDB) administration is “negotiating with condominiums in the region to start the execution”.
The work will involve the reform of sidewalks and the implementation of landscaping.
The project is not related to the belvedere that the City Hall intends to adopt on Augusta Street, in front of Roosevelt Square, with a view to the East-West Connection.
With information from O Estado de S. Paulo