If the PIU Arco Jurubatuba aims to remake the areas along the Pinheiros, Guarapiranga and Jurubatuba Rivers, the Linear Parks along the Billings Reservoir follow a similar pattern. Part of the Programa Mananciais for the protection of the Guarapiranga e Billings watersheds, the linear parks aim to turn the precarious settlements along the shorelands into parks, removing sewage discharges and upgrading infrastructure.
Following the blueprint of the Cantinho do Ceu Linear Park, the Linear Park Ribeirão Cocaia includes 9 stages and anticipates the displacement of more than 2,500 residents currently living in the area. While this project will bring sanitation and better transportation and recreational infrastructures, community members are anxious over the anticipated displacement and the lack of alternative housing options and proper compensation. Additional plans for the expansion of the water taxis and bus terminals will increase the number of displaced families in the area.
This is the common denominator for families in the large areas impacted by the Parque Linear do Ribeirão Cocaia and the PIU Arco Jurubatuba. The municipal government’s lack of communication and transparency regarding official plans add to the abandonment and uncertainty many families face. Land has become a commodity and housing a financial asset and the real estate pressures are starting to be felt in the South Periphery.