City Center Revitalization Project
San Francisco, Carlos de Carvalho, and Augusto Stresser streets will be revitalized including landscaping with 116 new Ipês trees. The suite of public work announced by the mayor continues the City revitalization project already underway on Riachuelo Street, which is changing the profile of the City.
The projects of the new work are being finalized by the Institute for Urban Research and Planning of Curitiba (IPPUC) and will be forwarded to the Urban Development Fund (UDF) of the State Government to obtain funds of approximately R$15 million.
Augusto Stresser Street will get new asphalt, sidewalks and landscaping as well as improved road lighting. There will be three lanes, two going downtown and one going out of town, with parking spaces on both sides.
The revitalization will be conducted from Nossa Senhora da Luz Avenue to Almirante Tamandaré Street, better organizing the traffic and pedestrian flow for a total of 1,300 meters. The change has been made possible because of a change in the direction and traffic signaling of Dr. Goulin Street, becoming another option when traveling into and out of downtown. The sidewalks will be constructed of interspersed cement blocks, substantially improving accessibility. The project was discussed at a meeting at IPPUC with merchants on the street.
The City will revitalize São Francisco Street in the historic center of town also with UDF funds, which continues the New Downtown Program, which has already transformed Riachuelo Street and promoted renewal and growth in the neighborhood.
Without interfering in the historic character of the street, improvents on São Francisco Street will proceed from Presidente Farias to Barão do Cerro Azul. On that section, sidewalks on the right heading toward the Historic Downtown will be widened from 2 meters to about 3.5 meters. “The priority is the pedestrians,” said IPPUC president, Cléver de Almeida.
Sidewalks will be widened on the side of the street that has the most retail activity. Red-colored high resistance concrete pavers will be installed, the same model used in the revitalization of Riachuelo Street, which crosses São Francisco Street. Under the project, IPPUC preserved a strip of the historical surface of the street with its irregularly shaped stones. The cobblestone pavement will be maintained and leveled. The stones will be removed and replaced so that a new base can be constructed. IPPUC has suggested burying the electrical cables for the lighting sconces for the facades of 60 buildings, replacing the light poles.
The sidewalks of Carlos de Carvalho Street between Visconde de Nácar Avenue and Francisco Rocha Street will receive improvements on both sides of the road, enhancing the neighborhood’s landscape, accessibility and safety. The current uneven sidewalks will be replaced with a new and more beautiful design that features plates of high strength and interlocking concrete blocks. The IPPUC project complies with all the accessibility rules.
To clear the landscape, all telecommunications, power and fiber optic wiring will be placed underground, and wiring for street lamps will be reduced. In addition to improving the illumination of the road, special lighting for pedestrians will be installed, with lower fixtures directed downward onto the sidewalk.
Trees will be planted that will follow the guides stipulated in the Road Afforestation Master Plan of the Municipal Secretary of Environment. The existing trees will be retained with an increase of purple glory bushes, (Tibouchina granulosa) a native species with great landscaping potential. The landscaping will be complemented with flowerbeds, benches, trash bins and other street furniture. The new pavement will allow merchants to put out tables and dining chairs. “While simple, this activity will have a major effect on the area, especially in landscaping and accessibility,” says the adviser for Projects IPPUC, Celia Bim.
The street itself will also undergo improvements, including replacing of the old asphalt, demarcation of three lanes throughout the revitalized stretch, and parking on one side of the street. Along with the revitalization of Carlos de Carvalho Street, the City plans to renovate the Espanha Plaza. Without altering the original design of the plaza, the surface will be replaced with materials that allow better accessibility.
[Photo by Nani Gois]
