2024 Award "Best Practice in Citizen Participation"

18th Edition

Phase 6 of 7

Publication Preparation 08/09/2024 - 15/10/2024

Process phases

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São Paulo: Praça Viva

Official proposal

17/05/2024 16:24

The Praça Viva Programme has significantly helped thousands of people in its two years of existence in an extremely efficient way, starting with the low-income population, who used to work illegally on the streets with no way of supporting themselves, being street vendors and selling their products without any security, and today have a legal and well-structured space.

A space that was once abandoned, poorly cared for and managed only by the government with scarce resources, it is now full of life with its flowering gardens, community gardens in which the residents look after the place, which is now not only commercial but also frequented by families who have taken back this public space.

The families who have now appropriated this space were conventionally those who didn't have cultural, leisure or gastronomic spaces close to their homes that were compatible with their family reality, and who, in order to have moments of fun like these, would have to travel long distances to regions where leisure spaces were located, but which were totally out of their financial reality. With Praça Viva, the population now has a space that is close to them, with quality both in terms of family and financial reality that fits in their pockets, as well as having the opportunity to get in touch with artists from their region who are not recognised by the mainstream media.

These artists, in turn, did not previously have their space recognised, nor did they have the chance to perform in the city's major venues, an aggravating factor in the financial challenges faced by many performers. With Praça Viva, these professionals now have the chance and the space to show their work, to be paid fairly by the street vendors themselves, in a legalised way, and even to be recognised more widely by the neighbourhood newspapers and the social media of the residents who frequent the space.

In summary, spaces that were once idle, dilapidated, poorly cared for and lifeless, through the Praça Viva Programme, have been transformed by the public authorities and the population into a place full of life, planned, cared for, and without constant maintenance costs for the public administration, because in addition to giving everyone involved the opportunity to grow in various spheres, it has a direct partnership with its main beneficiary and user, which is its population, which with Praça Viva has better public administration and quality of life.