São Paulo: the concrete jungle
São Paulo, a city of 15 to 25 million, depending on who you ask, is the economic hub of South America. With most major businesses choosing to locate their Latin American headquarters within the SP metropolitan area it’s easy to understand why the city is so important. From the outside São Paulo appears a formidable fortress as it boasts thousands of concrete structures of the same melange grey. However, within lies a cosmopolitan city where lies endless opportunities should one put in the effort. Perhaps this characterizes in a sense the Brazilian market as a whole: formidable from the outside, yet lucrative. From an economic standpoint, “Sampa” is the engine on which the entire country runs. Paulistas or Paulistanos (depending if born in the state or city, respectively) are notorious in Brazil for being workaholics and career driven. Such a stigma is especially polarizing when compared with their Carioca counterparts in Rio de Janeiro. This is not to say Paulistas don’t know how to have fun in fact they tout some of the best nightlife this side of the hemisphere has to offer.
Being amongst the world’s 10 largest metropolitans, Sampa suffers from the typical constraints other cities of its magnitude face. Much like Mexico City, Shanghai, and Tokyo - São Paulo simply grew too fast for its own good while infra structure did not keep pace. Between 1950 and 2014 the metro’s population went from 2 to over 20 million people and currently houses 10% of Brazil’s population. Amongst the near parking lot traffic where residents battle up to 3 hour driving commutes a new market for helicopter transport was born. Boasting the worlds 2nd largest fleet of private helicopters (behind NYC), São Paulo’s business magnets take to the skies as a way of getting around (or above) the gridlock traffic. Yet, this solution is not feasible for nearly all the city’s residents.
Recently a rapidly depleting water supply caused by inefficiencies, pollution, overuse, and mismanagement has further exposed São Paulo’s infrastructure woes. The city Prefeitura has been debating a water rationing system where residents would have only 2 days of water. While this may soon be the city’s reality as of right now only few, select neighborhoods have experienced any sort of rationing. The rationing itself isn’t the end of the world as many buildings have water tanks (caixa’d agua) which can last weeks to months. Yet, this still presents a problem for Brazil and its crown jewel as the lack of basic public services is almost contradictory of the city’s top tier status.
Where inefficiencies exist also lies opportunities. Sustainable solutions in mass transit, public utilities, housing, and food are all noteworthy. While this could be said for nearly all of the world’s metropolises, what makes São Paulo unique is such shortcomings are holding back not only the city’s economic progress but Brazil’s. Thus, solving these problems is among the upmost importance, especially with a weak 0.8% growth and further inflation expected. Such economic conditions are a far cry from the 7.5% Brazil enjoyed in 2010 and could force residents further into the suburbs as property prices are already comparable to NYC. Making decisions on how to effectively allocate not only the current limited resources but those of the future is therefor invaluable. Enter “Big Data” analytics whereby educated decisions can be made to accomplish just that. By utilizing traffic patters to construct new roads or even re-route existing ones the city can become more agile. São Paulo recently implemented a bus corridor connecting both financial districts to the city center – drastically cutting commute times. Another role data analytics can play is mapping urban sprawl and quantifying population figures more accurately in aide of city planners. Many point to Curitiba as an example of how this smart model can be adapted to other Brazilian cities such as SP.
In short the short term São Paulo will continue to suffer from bleak economic growth and inadequate infrastructure. However, its inhabitants are both adapting and adopting solutions continually. It still remains one of the most underrated cities in the world and one full of opportunity should one put enough foot to the pavement.