Prefecture provokes debate on more buildings on the edge of Guaíba

“Ricardo, do you think we should have more buildings on the waterfront?” The question was asked by the Secretary for the Environment, Urbanism and Sustainability of Porto Alegre, Germano Bremm, at the opening of a video on social networks, released a few days before the Porto Alegre Master Plan Conference, which began this Tuesday, March 7th, at Pucrs.

The deputy mayor of the Capital, Ricardo Gomes (PL), responds that the city originated on the banks of the Guaíba, then moved away from it, and now, with a new relationship with the river at the current moment, “the time to discuss this ( more buildings on the waterfront) is in the new Master Plan”.

“It’s time to discuss whether we’re going to have more buildings on the waterfront, the height (of buildings) which is always a taboo in urban planning”, completes Gomes. The deputy mayor concludes by inviting everyone to participate in the Master Plan Conference and decide what is best.

Secretary Bremm goes further and makes a new provocation in the video, before inviting the public to participate in the Master Plan Conference: “Do we have to bring the buildings a little closer to the shore? Do we have to keep these areas isolated? People travel around the world and see closer cities, there’s a shore all week long, not just on weekends”, concludes the head of Environment and Urbanism.

Asked why the city hall provoked the debate about more buildings on the waterfront and whether there is an Executive project on the subject, the mayor of Porto Alegre, Sebastião Melo (MDB), denied that there is anything beyond what is currently in place.

“We have 72 kilometers of waterfront, which comes from Cais Navegantes and goes to the border with Viamão/Itapuã. What is conceived here on the waterfront is the Master Plan that foresees urban changes and allows construction here near the Porto Alegre Bus Station ( Cais Mauá). It is already authorized and the bidding has not yet come out. The Pontal do Estaleiro is resolved. We still have the construction of towers at BarraShoppingSul that have not yet come out. After (these constructions), we are not seeing other projects on the Guaíba waterfront. . That’s what’s set”, he said. “There’s nothing left on the waterfront”, reinforced Melo during a press conference this Tuesday, before speaking at the MenuPoa lunch meeting of the Commercial Association of Porto Alegre (ACPA), at the Palácio do Comércio.

The deputy mayor of Porto Alegre, who was next to Melo at the press conference, said that his speech in the video about more buildings on the waterfront was a “provocation” to invite the public to participate in the debates on the revision of the Master Plan of Porto Alegre . “There is no proposal elaborated specifically by the City Hall in relation to the shore of the Guaíba. It was a provocation with the objective of calling for the Conference of the Master Plan”, reiterated Gomes.

Melo also evaluated that there is no ideal Master Plan for a city with so many different realities, there is a possible Master Plan. “Dialogue and construction are two fundamental pillars for you to draw up a Master Plan for many cities within one (city), as is the case of Porto Alegre. We have the cities of Restinga, Lami, Campo da Tuca and Sarandi , and we have to think about how they all work”, he pointed out.

The mayor stated that Porto Alegre already had a more powerful Carnival. “What is certain is that management has to support a festival of extreme importance. Denying Carnival is not correct, because it is a popular festival that moves an entire creative economy”, he explains.

Melo said that he is discussing with the Leagues of Samba Schools the use of Porto Seco for other activities. “We have to convince the business sector about the opportunities that may arise in an area of ​​80 thousand square meters and close to cities like Cachoerinha, Alvorada and Gravataí and the North Zone of Porto Alegre”, he pointed out.

The mayor said that perhaps the Terms of Permission to Use (TPUs) will be changed so that schools can use the space to hold other events such as a show or a food fair.