The new Água Espraiada Operação Urbana urban planning program in Sao Paulo has taken a major approach to sustainability. With this plan in action, the Rochaverá Corporate Towers, a high profile mixed residential, office, and shopping complex, is a great example. The recently built project is located at a former industrial area along the Pinheiros River Basin. This enormous 1.2-million-square-foot development, designed by Aflalo and Gasperini Architects, was built to be highly energy efficient, control water usage, cut greenhouse gas emissions, and ease traffic congestion. With the success of the mentioned project, we can begin to ask ourselves, ‘How can a development accomplish all of those objectives?’ Start with urban planning that mitigates sprawl, one of biggest threats to the planet today. More information after the break.
Rochaverá Corporate Towers incentives that enabled them to cut through local municipal regulations and build in a way that did not contribute to sprawl. In exchange, the developers provided cutting edge sustainability technologies such as a new storm water management system. Many city planning codes developed in the last century took a fundamentally anti-urban approach to planning by separating areas where people lived from where they worked and from where they shopped. And these zoning codes are at cross purposes with contemporary environmental agendas. When people live in different areas from where they work and shop, they have to travel farther to take care of their daily business.
