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Living, working, studying and having fun within reach of a walk has been the trend pointed to the “new living” that is established from the pandemic situation. Comfort, convenience, coexistence with safety, proximity to nature and quality of life are among the priorities when choosing a place to live. This preference, which has already been strengthening planned communities around the world in recent years, is confirmed in Cidade Pedra Branca, a neighborhood created 20 years ago in Palhoça, in Greater Florianópolis (SC), an international reference in sustainable urban planning.
Pátio Civitas, Cidade Pedra Branca’s most recent project, was inaugurated in June 2020, in an event format fully adapted for digital, without losing the essence of Pedra Branca. With residential and commercial units, distributed in two towers, with 11 floors each, the main difference is in the central patio, with outdoor leisure spaces, vegetable garden, bicycle storage, party room, toy library and spaces for collective use, such as laundry and workshop. Another important attraction is precisely the location: the building is a few steps from Passeio Pedra Branca, the open-air mall in the neighborhood, with more than 40 options between gastronomy, shops and services, in addition to a gym, pharmacy, PetShop and supermarket.
Passeio Pedra Branca is the heart of Cidade Pedra Branca, connecting residential, corporate and commercial buildings to the university campus, schools, squares and leisure areas, valuing walkability and urban mobility based on wide sidewalks, qualified urban furniture and shared street. The place meets, in practice, the concept of “15-minute city” that has been adopted by the city hall of Paris. Co-created by the Franco-Colombian researcher Carlos Moreno, inspired by the thinking of the writer Jane Jacobs, this concept proposes the creation of more sustainable places, offering amenities and options for work, leisure and coexistence close to homes.
It is “living, working, studying and having fun within walking distance” that the architect and urban planner from Santa Catarina, Silvia Lenzi, summarized in the planning phase of Cidade Pedra Branca, in the early 2000s, together with the architects and urban planners of the main architecture offices in Santa Catarina that were hired to create “the ideal neighborhood to live in”.
This concept defined the planned neighborhood as an example to be followed, guaranteeing awards and international recognition for the model adopted, inspired by the concepts of “eyes on the street”, by Jane Jacobs, and guided by the principles of New Urbanism, disseminated by DPZ; from Cities for People, by Jan Gehl; and Urban Acupuncture, defined by Jaime Lerner, consultants for the project.
“Community life is our greatest asset. Urban life is our greatest pride. We bet on the so-called placemaking, creating spaces that promote health and well-being and connect people. We strengthen the sense of collectivity and encourage coexistence as guiding principles of our practices, which gain even more meaning and importance today”, says businessman Marcelo Gomes, president of Cidade Pedra Branca.
Innovation and sustainability
This “new living” that has been confirmed is, in fact, a growing interest since before the pandemic in Cidade Pedra Branca. This fact can be confirmed by the numbers presented by Reserva da Pedra – a condominium of lots with 275 thousand square meters of area, with 30 thousand square meters of green area, a complete club and dozens of outdoor leisure spaces. Surrounded by the exuberant nature of the region, it has, as a great attraction, an artificial beach and lakes along the development, especially designed for contemplation. Launched in August 2019, the 390+ lots were sold out in just three hours. And about 100 people present at the launch registered interest in the waiting list for the expansion of the project, announced on that same “D-Day” of sales.
The creation of a compact, complex, diverse and creative centrality made Cidade Pedra Branca an attractive place also for the business sector. Proof of this is the growing demand for the leasing of rooms and stores and the occupation of coworking spaces in the neighborhood. And also for the lots of Aeropark, a commercial development that offers lots with private hangars connected to the Santa Catarina Aeroclub, integrated to the urban center of Cidade Pedra Branca. In total, there are 331 business lots and 44 lots for hangars – 70% of them have already been sold.
“The entrepreneur’s time is very valuable. And many of them chose to set up their companies in the Aeropark for this advantage, because the entrepreneur can come from São Paulo in his plane, for example, land at the aeroclub and continue walking to a company located there”, says Marcelo Bonnassis, commercial manager of Pedra Branca Real Estate Developments. The company launched Aeropark in 2016, in a pioneering initiative in the South region. The first stage was delivered in 2018 and the second in August 2020.
Click on the link below and check out the testimonials of those who already live this reality: https://www.cidadepedrabranca.com.br/blog/documentarios-nossa-casa-pedra-branca