SUSTAINABLE MOBILITY - SIDEWALKS: INTENDED SPACES FOR THE URBAN PATHFINDERS IN SANTO AMARO DISTRICT

Abstract

Walking areas intended for pedestrians in the urban environment seem to have been the result of a great improvisation within the questions of the structure of transportation means in the City of São Paulo. Initially the sidewalks were not intended for pedestrian traffic but the streets. However, with the rise of the automobile industry, the streets began to be designed primarily for cars and the structures established for the movement of people were put in the second plan. The actions of the authorities were focused on the comfort of the cars for many years, leaving the responsibility of the sidewalks to the owners of lands, setting some basic regulations that are rarely followed even today, paths without continuation, disconnected and irregular. This transmission of responsibility clearly shows the value given to the pedestrian – basically nothing – because there is no concern to provide a decent way for a safe and comfortable walk. Santo Amaro District was chosen for this analysis because it is an extremely diverse territory on the use and occupation way as well as topographical characteristics and intense traffic of people. Thus, it was analysed the sidewalks by considering various types of pedestrian, aiming to identify specific and general mobility difficulties on that site. It was covered about 12 km of sidewalks in that district, where it was possible to group them into three main conditions: Adequate Sidewalks; Inadequate Sidewalks with Suitability Potential; and Inadequate Sidewalks without Suitability Potential. It was concluded that those areas with great potential seem to be waiting for awareness of their caretakers, i.e. the owners, or just the application and strict enforcement of laws in force. Finally, it is a citizen’s right not just come and go but to be served with quality whatever his paths are.