Cidade Pedra Branca, a neighborhood-city created 20 years ago in Greater Florianópolis, is an international reference in sustainable urban planning. The neighborhood adopts the concept of new urbanism, receiving numerous awards for innovative practices that provide greater quality of life to residents, visitors and the community in general.
The creation of the neighborhood in a planned, balanced, creative, conscious and responsible way, transformed what was a family farm into a real city for people in the municipality of Palhoça, in Santa Catarina. Innovative initiative of the Gomes Family that followed the global movement of the real estate market and, since then, has invested in the development of a city focused on people.
Inspired by first world countries, the project of the planned neighborhood Cidade Pedra Branca counted on the consulting of the best specialists, among them the North American offices DPZ Latin America and Keystone, the Brazilian Jaime Lerner Associated Architects and the Danish Gehl Architects, specialist in creating cities for people.
New urbanism: inspiration for sustainable urban planning in Cidade Pedra Branca
The new urbanism is an innovative concept that aims to promote an urban planning focused on more humane urban spaces, creating environments that prioritize well-being and sustainable development.
Pedra Branca Creative City has implemented the concept of new urbanism since its conception, both in the creation of the new centrality of the neighborhood and in the planning of new developments. In 1999, the Gomes family donated part of the farm to the University of Southern Santa Catarina (Unisul). The following year, a multidisciplinary co-creation project was put into operation to build the master plan for Cidade Pedra Branca. The innovative collaborative method for the development of Cidade Pedra Branca resulted in creative solutions and efficient projects.
The initiative had commercial and institutional partners, studies and researches around the world and consultancy with specialists. The proposal got off the paper and came to life. Today it is recognized as a milestone in urban projects. A project planned to live, work, study and have fun at the same place.
In order to improve the project and plan the creation of new urban spaces focused on people, in 2018, managers and specialists from the Pedra Branca Group visited Copenhagen and Amsterdam for a technical visit. The group led by businessman Valério Gomes, creator of Cidade Pedra Branca, also brought together leaders from Greater Florianópolis with the objective of implementing the concept of cities for people locally and, thus, promoting the development of new urban projects for both public and private initiatives.
During the visit, it was possible to experience the benefits of adopting the concept of cities for people implemented by the Danish architect Jan Gehl, who is the main reference in themes related to urban design and humanized public spaces. The tourist itinerary was followed by bicycle, this way the visitors could experience culture and values in practice. We gathered the main learnings of this trip that became an inspiration for the sustainable urban development of Cidade Pedra Branca.
Concepts of new urbanism that inspire sustainable urban planning in Pedra Branca Creative City
Encouraging outdoor living
Stimulating the interaction between people through the sharing of urban space is what makes a city more humane. Therefore, it is necessary to invest in the creation of a friendly urban environment that promotes community life and encourages people to walk more and spend more time in public spaces, living in harmony with nature.
Reconnecting nature to the city and people’s lives by providing spaces for sports and leisure was one of the greatest inspirations for improving the Pedra Branca Creative City project. After the technical visit, the Pedra Branca Group created the Pedra Branca Arena.
The structure includes an outdoor sports space, open to the public, with beach tennis and foot volley courts, in addition to mountain bike and pump tracks, for cycling fans, made possible in partnership with storeowners and entrepreneurs in the region.
Architecture designed for people
Planning the development of cities focused on people to build projects with compact infrastructure and attractive and functional urban spaces is one of the precepts of the new urbanism. The creation of more humane urban spaces consists of the functional use of spaces and a compact infrastructure that guarantees putting people first in the use of urban spaces.
Propensity for bicycles and active modes
A compact and accessible infrastructure that prioritizes pedestrians, facilitating mobility and allowing travel in a comfortable walking distance or by active modes is the way to make cities more humanized. This is the concept of walkable cities adopted in the new urbanism to encourage the use of bicycles and other active modes instead of cars.
Rationality and effectiveness
It is essential that the urban space meets the needs of its inhabitants, promoting public policies that are geared towards the humanization of cities, making them more just, secure and democratic. For this, it is essential to adopt innovative solutions in the creation of public spaces designed for the effective use by people, as well as in the rational use of natural resources.
A strong trend is the development of projects that prioritize the quality of urban life, enabling the mixed use of the street for housing and commerce, transforming the public and private relationship. The more people use public spaces, the more respect and security for the city will be seen.