Downtown areas in major cities are targeted by various public and private agents. Usually boasting comprehensive urban infrastructure, these central districts concentrate multiple layers of complexity: from a significant number of vacant properties to phenomena like gentrification, which drives up the local cost of living and pushes low-income residents to far-flung neighborhoods, creating a host of municipal issues.
These issues are nothing new. In response, several initiatives have emerged in recent years to combat them by facilitating and building new affordable housing. Below, we present two such projects currently underway in São Paulo:
FICA
