The video game industry is one of the most profitable in the world, driven by a constant search for innovation and creativity. The field of game design involves creating and planning the elements, rules, and dynamics of video games. Part of this process involves conceptualizing the virtual environments where the game's action unfolds, placing players within detailed and character-rich virtual contexts. Whether replicating real, recognizable cities in meticulous detail or creating entirely new worlds, architecture and urban planning are vital tools for the game designer.

The original plan for the Várzea do Carmo Housing Complex, developed by a team from the Industrial Workers' Retirement and Pensions Institute (IAPI) and coordinated by the architect and urban planner Attilio Corrêa Lima, is one of the most avant-garde proposals of the period discussed in this book. Its urban planning, radically modern and rationalist, goes beyond established models of residential neighborhoods: it proposes creating an urban centrality with a working-class housing complex as its starting point.

The IAB-SP, organizer of the São Paulo International Architecture Biennial, following a public consultation on the open call guidelines from October 10 to 25, is launching a competition on November 4 to select the co-curatorial team for the 13th Biennial, which will take place in 2022. Proposals can be submitted through the Biennial's website until January 24, 2021. This edition features a 12-member committee, which includes IAB representatives from other Brazilian states to ensure a diverse perspective in overseeing the event, which has both national and international reach.

Organic urban agriculture, renewable energy, and a breathtaking landscape. All of these elements come together at Thammasat University in Bangkok, Thailand. TURF (Thammasat University Rooftop Farm) is the largest green roof in Asia, spanning over 70,000 square meters. Designed by the architecture and urbanism firm LANDPROCESS, the area was envisioned as a solution for green urban development.

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The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were established by the United Nations (UN) in 2015 as part of a global agenda aimed at implementing public policies to guide humanity toward a sustainable future by 2030.

According to the organization, the goals are a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that by 2030 all people enjoy peace and prosperity. They address a wide range of issues, including health, education, gender equality, reduced inequalities, sustainable consumption and production, the protection and sustainable use of oceans and terrestrial ecosystems, and inclusive economic growth.

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While there is a certain lack of theoretical definition regarding the limits and scope of the term "Brutalist," there are certain constants in its aesthetic parameters that allow us to establish a relatively concrete line of analysis. In this context, Brutalist buildings—a style of the Modern Movement that experienced its boom between the 1950s and 1970s—are characterized by their tectonic honesty, exposing the materials of construction along with their structural and building logic, geometric forms, and rough surfaces. Reinforced concrete emerges as the primary material of choice; both the textures left by rough timber formwork and the imperfections of the concrete itself are no longer concealed by plaster or paint, but are deliberately displayed to highlight the building processes.

Just like us, words have a history. The word cure comes from Latin and is linked to the act of caring. This same root gives rise to the word *curator*, the person responsible for a collection or an institution, for example. Meanwhile, care, in the medical sense, was perhaps first described by Celsus: In hoc casu medici cura esse debet, ut morbum mutet (In this case, medical care is indicated to change the course of the disease) [1]. Today, when we think of a cure, we often speak of it as an isolated event within a given treatment. A cure for the flu. A cure for cancer. A cure for the novel coronavirus. A finish line that ends a journey. However, it is important to think of healing as a process that depends on multiple factors.

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With a land area of over 8.5 million square kilometers, Brazil is a country of immense geographic diversity, with climates that vary from region to region. Consequently, natural ventilation strategies in architecture must be analyzed based on local specificities, requiring an analysis of topography, climate, surroundings, and wind patterns, alongside the study of the architectural design itself.

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Cities around the world are welcoming the colors and benefits of murals painted with photocatalytic paint, which is known for helping to clean the air. The murals are part of the Converse City Forests project, developed by the brand behind the famous All Star sneakers. The goal is to paint more than 14,000 square meters of murals worldwide by the end of this year. Together, they are equivalent to planting approximately 40,000 trees.

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Videos

Most real estate brochures proudly showcase a specific feature: the gourmet balcony. Have you ever stopped to think that perhaps these spaces, typically equipped with a barbecue grill, say more about real estate speculation than about the actual barbecue culture in Brazil?

The Covid-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented consequences for the global economy. In Brazil, it hit an economy that had barely recovered from the 2015–16 recession. However, responding to the crisis requires not only easing budget rules, but rethinking the very role of the state to address historical deficiencies that the pandemic has laid bare.

Guilherme Wisnik talks with Laura Carvalho, professor at the School of Economics and Administration of the University of São Paulo and holder of a PhD in economics from the New School for Social Research. She writes biweekly for the newspaper Nexo and is the author of "Valsa Brasileira: do boom ao caos econômico" (Todavia, 2018) and "Curto-Circuito: o vírus e a volta do Estado" (Todavia, 2020).

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated various sanitary and infrastructural deficiencies in developing nations, particularly Angola, which already bears the burden of successive economic recessions.

The outskirts of major urban centers, with Luanda as a paradigmatic case, are critical territories for the spread of the disease. Home to nearly one-third of the country's population—80% of whom live in highly precarious urban conditions—a combination of factors creates an incredibly complex scenario. These challenges include a lack of basic sanitation, high built and population densities, overcrowded housing (averaging three people per room), inaccessibility for urban services (such as firefighters, waste collection, and police), a lack of public spaces and green areas, unsanitary indoor conditions, heavy reliance on the informal sector, and limited access to food security and healthcare services.

The topic of mobility is inescapable when discussing urban policy—even more so in an election year. Public transit, congestion pricing, subways, dedicated bus lanes, and even what to do with electric scooters dominate the debate. Few, however, pay attention to one of the most critical municipal policies for urban mobility: public parking.

Combining analytical diagnosis with actionable recommendations, the study “A Cidade Estacionada” focused its lens on curb management in the city of São Paulo. By analyzing the discrepancies between public and private parking prices, as well as comparing these rates with the evolution of public transit fares, “A Cidade Estacionada” brought to light the negative social and environmental externalities of public policies that favor private motorized transport.

Although concrete is one of the most widely used building materials in the world, thanks to its durability, versatility, and weather resistance, we must not forget that the concrete industry is one of the largest CO2 emitters in the construction sector. Consequently, over the past few years, many architects have begun to experiment with new possibilities to optimize its performance, leveraging its technical advantages while seeking to address some of its environmental drawbacks. As a result, some designers have begun exploring the possibility of replacing traditional wooden formwork with more sustainable materials like bamboo—a plant that grows abundantly across most of the world and offers high-quality textured finishes with a low environmental impact.

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The struggle for the right to the city is deeply tied to the right to decent, permanent, and accessible housing. This involves downtown building revitalization projects driven by broad social participation, particularly by women who are heads of households—initiatives that serve as scalable models across the city. Guilherme Wisnik speaks with Carmen Silva, a Black woman from Northeast Brazil and an activist for the right to the city. A leader of the Movimento Sem-Teto do Centro (MSTC), she served as a Municipal Housing Councilor for two terms, and during the same period, she coordinated the Participatory Council of the Sé region.

The jury of the Maré-City International Competition, organized by the 27th World Congress of Architects – UIA2021RIO, has selected the three winning projects and three honorable mentions. The choice was not easy: out of 180 entries from places as diverse as Germany, China, Egypt, Brazil, Russia, Poland, Turkey, Colombia, France, Portugal, Oman, and Ukraine, the jury shortlisted 28 finalists before deciding on the winners. Chinese entrants represent the majority of the awardees, securing first and second place, as well as the Roberto Burle Marx and Demetre Anastassakis honorable mentions. Third place went to a project by Brazilian students from São Paulo, while the Luiz Paulo Conde honorable mention was awarded to a project by students from Bogotá, Colombia.

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October 16 marks World Food Day. On this same day in 1945, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) was established, and since 1981, the date has been observed to shed light on issues of food access and the promotion of healthy diets for all.

To draw an important parallel between architecture, urban planning, and food-related issues, we have curated a selection of articles demonstrating how architectural and urban design can promote greater food security. 

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Living, working, and experiencing cities with vibrant streets, downtowns, and parks, adequately sized sidewalks, efficient public transit, and low congestion levels are shared aspirations worldwide. Achieving these conditions is no easy task, and cities that offer them certainly did not do so through car-oriented planning.

With populations daily subjected to poor examples of how a city should function, certain paradigms, phenomena, and policies continue to hinder the planning and operation of “cities for people.”

A watercolor-illustrated tourist map, a mobile application available for Android and iOS, and two books gathering stories from the neighborhoods of Rio da Luz, in Jaraguá do Sul, and Testo Alto, in Pomerode—both in Santa Catarina—comprise the Projeto Lumiar. The initiative will launch these products online at 7:00 PM this Thursday, the 8th. The result of two years of research with local communities, the launch event is supported by the National Historic and Artistic Heritage Institute (Iphan).

This development, conceived and initiated during the administration of João Goulart, can be considered an example of the transition between the former management of the IAPB [Bank Workers' Retirement and Pension Institute] and the new housing policy that began to be implemented in 1964.

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Have you ever thought about walking? This is the question that GUIAPÉ SP — a guide presented here through an essay — asks its readers. From the cover on, it proposes walking through the city of São Paulo, charting a route that strategically passes through places where arriving on foot is precisely the point, revealing overlooked details, people, and urban life. This guide was not made for sightseeing, but rather to take its readers on a journey. Within its pages, the route and the sidewalks are not merely paths leading to destinations; they are part of the journey itself.

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Videos

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Five years after the Empena Viva project, Nitsche Arquitetos returns to artistically occupy the surroundings of the Minhocão. Through the Eclipse intervention, the team aims to illustrate the socioeconomic and temporal processes driven by São Paulo's urban dynamics using a simple gesture.

To talk about architecture and social media is to immediately think of Instagram. Launched in 2010, the app was characterized from the very beginning by combining photo sharing with typical social network features. Its success was extraordinary; within hours of its launch, it was already the most downloaded free photography app. Within two months, the number of registered users surpassed the one-million mark.

The study of architecture and its relationship to daily life and gender has prompted researchers to seek new sources and expand the analysis of their ideas and achievements. This essay explores the female presence in urban spaces through fragments of daily life gathered from columns, news reports, and advertisements published in the newspaper *O Estado de São Paulo*.

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