Vale do Anhangabaú’s Rehabilitation Works Targeted by Legal Action

SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL – The “Associação Preserva SP” (Preserve SP Association) filed a petition for an immediate embargo on the Vale do Anhangabaú’s rehabilitation works in the center of São Paulo, budgeted at R$80 million (US$21 million).

According to the report submitted by the association, the project is comparable to the destruction of the remaining mansions on Avenida Paulista and was carried out without any discussions with the community.

In addition to calling for the immediate suspension of works, the association also challenges the lack of an environmental feasibility study and an archaeological survey encompassing the historical heritage, including the historic lamp posts.

Last week the tracks of the streetcars that traveled through the city over 50 years ago were found.

Traders in the area also complain about the works, claiming that they were not heard and that the public hearing on the matter was poorly conducted.

Another concern is the issue of fountains, which, according to experts, can serve for homeless people to bathe, which may contaminate the water and spread diseases.

In a note, the Secretariat of Urban Development informed that the water coming from the Anhangabaú fountains does not pose any health risks and that there will be a filtering and cleaning system. The document also states that all light posts have been preserved.