![São Paulo. Image by joao batista Shimoto licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. São Paulo. Image by joao batista Shimoto licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/6570/ce69/23c8/ee01/7cd2/7580/medium_jpg/acertos-e-contradicoes-no-retrofit-dos-centros-urbanos-o-caso-de-sao-paulo_2.jpg?1701891700)
São Paulo. Image by joao batista Shimoto licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
Considered the fifth most populous city in the world as of 2022, São Paulo is confronted with a multitude of challenges befitting its over 22 million inhabitants. Among the numerous urban issues faced, the depopulation of the city’s historic center has been a recurring topic for at least four decades, with governments announcing measures that could potentially reverse the situation. In the meantime, the same center has witnessed a rise in housing occupations in abandoned buildings, highlighting the importance of its redefinition and residential potential.