São Paulo is a huge city, the core municipality of the 39 that build the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo.
Population: 11.604.366 (2017).
Area: 1.527 km².
GDP: US$ 125 billion (2017).
Main environmental challenges faced by the city
São Paulo is a huge city, the core Municipality of the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo. The main environmental challenges are linked to its size and the social and economic processes that oriented its growth: water availability, floods, landslides, lack of green areas. In the built environment, the main challenges are the lack of public services in the more distant and poor regions, mostly sanitation. Mobility issues and congestion bring air pollution, but probably the more difficult challenges to overcome are those related to social and economic issues, as income inequality.
NBS implemented or planned
Linear parks: implanted along rivers and creeks, providing an area to accommodate floods and increasing green areas for people’s use
Parks: increase of general and experimental NBS use.
Plans: the so-called four green plans:
a) Plan for Environmental Services Payment: sets the norms to the payment for environmental or ecosystem services in the Municipality. Time horizon: 2030;
b) Mata Atlântica Municipal Plan: this Plan sets guidelines for the recovery of native vegetation and biodiversity (biome Mata Atlântica) within the Municipality and for connecting relevant tree patches. Time horizon: 2030;
c) Street Tree Planting Plan: is a Plan to establish guidelines for a better street tree management, in a participative way. It counts with inventory, street tree planting prioritization, etc. Time horizon: 2040;
d) Municipal Plan for Protected Areas, Green Areas and Free Spaces: sets guidelines for the conservation of public and private green areas. Time horizon: not yet defined.