General Program for the Revitalization of the Santos Harbor (Brasil)

Programa Xeral de Revitalizacao do Porto de Santos
The study was carried out in collaboration with a Spanish consultancy firm for the municipality of Santos in Brazil, to manage preliminary works and reorganize and regenerate the old Santos harbour. The harbour was located on an inner canal and transferred to the Municipality by the Harbour Authority. It is a nineteenth century piece of modest proportions and architecture, which at present hides the first grid plan settlement upon which the city was built. It is now in the process of abandonment due to the strong influence achieved by its back façade, in which there is a well-designed and urbanized promenade that is a real urban park, giving rise to new developments in front of it. This is aimed at a population with a higher purchasing power, and with tall buildings that include high quality shops and services.

This was a project of short length, which allowed the proposal of significant subsequent action as a complement to the small actions already carried out, such as the recovery of the railway station and the Coffee Museum. It allowed for establishments such as the Petrobras (the Brazilian petrol company) offices, and operations on a greater scale such as the burial of the railroad, which served the harbour and complemented the plan with the reorganization of heavy traffic. This made way for the recovery of the coastline in accordance to examples such as Puerto Madera and Barcelona. We considered such operation should be linked to the start of an urban regeneration program for this historic centre.