Ocupação Anchieta Avança! Embracing Housing and Environmental Conflicts in a São Paulo Land Occupation

Ocupação Anchieta Avança! Embracing Housing and Environmental Conflicts in a São Paulo Land Occupation

Ocupação Anchieta is a 4-year-old land occupation located 17 miles southwest of São Paulo city center in the Grajaú district. Families thatno longer can afford to pay rent in more centrally located favelas have been occupying and deforesting Primary Atlantic Forest in Grajaú to secure housing. Led by the housing rights organization Movimento Anchieta (capstone-studio’s client-partner), this land occupation is home to approximately 650 families living below the poverty line. Environmental degradation threats land occupiers’ tenure security. The initial deforestation for the construction of the shacks along with the lack of sewage infrastructure and a proper waste management plan, has resulted in the severe pollution of the water bodies.

 Ocupação Anchieta Avança! plan aims to reconcile the right to a healthy environment and adequate housing, both of which are secured by the 1988 Brazilian Federal Constitution. Students developed targeted interventions to improve informal dwellers’ quality of life, whileminimizing their environmental impact, and restoring natural resources. The action plan includes alternative solutions for upgraded, but low environmental impact housing and sewage infrastructure; creek and springs restoration efforts; a waste management plan, and the building of a recreational hub. With the support of Dow Sustainability Award, two students will present the final report over the summer to the client-partners in Brazil. Thus, all your feedback to further improve these recommendations is extremely valuable.  

MUP Students: Michelle Bohrson, Cheng Cheng, Sophie Jantz, Grant Hong, Sara Pizzo, Alexandra Ramirez, Charisma Thapa, Isaac Wolf, Lihang Wu, and ARCH Students: Ashish Bhandari; Ashish Abhishek Alark Desai, Ning Ding, and Antonela Sallaku.