The global pandemic caused by the coronavirus has demanded emergency actions to save lives, which, in turn, require complementary measures to preserve jobs and income, especially for the most vulnerable segment of the population. The field of architecture and urbanism is no exception: the precarity facing a significant portion of professionals is worsening due to social isolation measures, which are absolutely essential to combat the pandemic. Left without financial reserves to guarantee basic survival, many architects are left with no alternatives. Emergency measures currently being discussed in Congress, such as a basic income, are urgent. While they rightly focus on low-income populations, the scale of the crisis demands additional actions.
In this context, we present a proposal for an Emergency Plan for the Field of Architecture. The plan has two goals. The first is to improve housing quality for low-income populations who lack access to quality architecture—a condition that facilitates the transmission of diseases like COVID-19. To achieve this, we advocate for promoting ATHIS (Technical Assistance for Social Interest Housing) to improve conditions in more than 20,000 homes, directly impacting the health of at least 72,000 Brazilians. Through broad public debate, other actions can be integrated into the plan, such as developing emergency projects to transform idle facilities into temporary hospitals or shelters.
The second goal of the plan is to generate a virtuous cycle of economic recovery, positively impacting the architecture and construction sectors. Through public calls launched by the Council of Architecture and Urbanism (CAU), it is possible to immediately begin developing more than 20,000 social interest housing projects, generating R$ 100 million (R$ 4,500.00 per project) in income for architecture professionals. The projects can be selected through CAU emergency calls, funded in part by its reserves. Once quarantine is over, public authorities would then invest R$ 570 million in emergency works, creating around 22,000 jobs (7,000 formal and 15,000 informal, both direct and indirect). This scenario would benefit around 23,000 precarious households, especially those inhabited by at-risk populations. Municipalities, states, or the federal government would finance these emergency interventions.
We propose an Emergency Plan for the Field of Architecture consisting of four actions:
1. Funding social interest housing projects through emergency public calls using CAU's 2020 surplus
The average annual surplus of CAU-SP between 2012 and 2019, unadjusted for inflation, was R$ 9 million. Even with a projected reduction in revenue from Technical Responsibility Registrations (which account for 50% of CAU-SP's income), there will also be a decrease in expenses related to per diems, travel, and third-party corporate services. Importantly, even during the worst years of the economic crisis (2015 and 2016), there was still a significant surplus (see chart below).
Like CAU-SP, both CAU-BR and several state chapters (CAU-UF) have historically shown annual surpluses—resources that could be mobilized, at least in part, during this crisis. We estimate that the combined surplus of CAUs, excluding CAU-SP, amounts to approximately R$ 5 million.
We propose, therefore, that R$ 14 million collected by CAU—funds that would otherwise not be invested in 2020—be allocated to finance ATHIS projects.
2. Funding social interest housing projects through emergency public calls using CAU's allocated assets
The Council of Architecture and Urbanism's remaining annual resources are restricted to equity investments. However, a specific rule allowed 25% of these funds to be applied to special projects. Given the current crisis, we propose amending this rule for this year only, allowing 60% of available resources to be utilized. Consequently, we estimate that approximately R$ 104 million could be invested in special projects. Based on an average cost of R$ 4,500.00 per project, it would be possible to commission 20,000 projects. For ATHIS, funds would be made available immediately in three monthly installments. Nevertheless, due to the quarantine period, delivery deadlines should be extended until the end of the year.
3. Registering priority demand through agreements with municipalities and states
In tandem with the two actions described above, we propose issuing a call for municipalities and states to register their priority demands (precarious housing in vulnerable areas, particularly those with residents considered at risk). Similar cooperative agreements already exist, meaning these procedures can simply be replicated to reach the initial goal of assisting 20,000 households.
4. Funding renovations through the Federal Government
Once special projects are developed to meet priority demands—such as renovating substandard housing (ATHIS) and setting up emergency shelters for at-risk individuals—funding for construction must be secured. To this end, and assuming an average cost of R$ 25,000.00 per ATHIS unit (allowing for regional cost variations), the Federal Government should contribute approximately R$ 570 million. Priority would be given to smaller construction companies undergoing economic recovery.
To implement these four actions, we believe the planning and management of the plan should be spearheaded by the CEAUs (Colleges of Architecture and Urbanism Entities), which consist of Brazilian architecture and urbanism organizations structured at both national and regional levels.
In light of the crisis, we recognize the importance of CAU's decision to postpone the due date for 2020 annual fees. However, we believe the Council is capable of implementing other significant actions to minimize the negative impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on architects and urban planners, as it has already indicated. In doing so, the Council would also contribute to addressing the country's housing challenges, yielding positive public health benefits in the medium and long term. We expect a similar collaborative effort from the other stakeholders crucial to this proposal: municipalities, by organizing priority demand and contributing funds when possible; the Federal Government, by financing the construction; and finally, civil society, by helping formulate and monitor these initiatives.
We invite architecture and urban planning organizations, professionals, and other stakeholders to publicly debate these measures as a matter of urgency.
Authors
- Fernando Túlio, architect and urban planner, holds a master's in public management and policy from EAESP-FGV and is a PhD candidate in urban and regional planning at FAU-USP. He is the president of the Institute of Architects of Brazil - São Paulo;
- Gabriela de Matos, architect and urban planner and specialist in sustainability and built environment management from UFMG. She is the founder of the Arquitetas Negras project. She researches structural racism and its influences on urban planning, and contemporary architecture produced in Africa and its diaspora. She is the vice president of the Institute of Architects of Brazil - São Paulo;
- Hannah Machado, architect and urban planner from FAU-USP and holds a master's in public management and policy from EAESP-FGV. She is the second vice president of the Institute of Architects of Brazil - São Paulo.
We invite you to check out ArchDaily's coverage related to COVID-19, read our tips and articles on productivity when working from home, and learn about technical recommendations for healthcare projects. Remember to also check the latest advice and information on COVID-19 on the Pan American Health Organization PAHO/WHO Brazil website.
This article was written by IABsp. The translation is powered by AI.
