PAINT THE TOWN RED

Text description provided by the architects. The revitalization of Praça Mashiach Now has transformed a degraded space in the Northern Zone of São Paulo into an urban green infrastructure, coordinating environmental recovery, active mobility, and social activation in a territory historically dominated by automobiles.

Covering approximately 10,000 m², the square is located between important roads in the region and along the pedestrian route leading to the Portuguesa–Tietê station of the Line 1–Blue metro. For many years, the space remained underutilized, marked by a lack of maintenance, low lighting, and minimal appropriation by the population. In 2024, following an adoption agreement signed between Cidade Center Norte and the Santana/Tucuruvi Subprefecture, through the municipal program Adopt a Square, the area became part of a broader urban transformation project linked to the future Bairro Parque Cidade Center Norte.

Inserted in a fragmented urban context, with a strong predominance of automobiles and a scarcity of quality green areas, the intervention faced challenges related to safety, connectivity, and environmental demands associated with climate change. The project is based on the need to rescue the human scale, reconnect pedestrians to the landscape, and restore natural systems in the urban environment, considering the historical proximity of the territory to the Tietê River.

The concept developed by Natureza Urbana is structured in four layers of action — Living Landscape, Network of Elements, Activation of Free Spaces, and Intention — which guide both the design of the square and its integration into the neighborhood's system of open spaces. In Praça Mashiach Now, these guidelines materialize through the appreciation of native Atlantic Forest vegetation and the adoption of nature-based solutions. Winding paths and flowerbeds, inspired by the ancient watercourses of the Northern Zone, organize the space and contribute to environmental comfort, biodiversity, and urban drainage.

The design prioritizes pedestrians, with wide sidewalks, visually permeable pathways, and integration among circulation, gathering, and leisure areas. The bike lane crosses the square and connects to the city's bike path network, strengthening active mobility. Urban furniture — curved benches made of locally molded concrete, tables, bleachers, and resting areas — follows the organic geometry of the pavement, while different shades of concrete help organize flows and gatherings.

The activation of the space was defined through a process of active listening with local residents, the school community, and local agents. The resulting program includes a mini sports court, a skate park, ping-pong tables, outdoor gym equipment, with specific areas for the elderly and calisthenics, as well as a playground accessible to different age groups.

The preservation of the plant heritage was one of the project's pillars: all existing trees were retained, and 78 new native trees were planted, complemented by ground covers and shrubs that enhance plant diversity and attract local fauna. Completed in February 2025, the revitalization returns to the city a safer, more accessible, and environmentally qualified public space, consolidating the square as a leisure area and an urban cooling zone in a historically arid territory.

MASHIACH NOW SQUARE
LOCATION São Paulo, Brazil
ARCHITECT Natureza Urbana
PHOTOGRAPHY Victor Lucena and Rafaella Volpe