The rise of buildings generates some discomfort in those who were used to a city with wide streets and a horizontal vocation. The advancement of verticalization also worries some people. But it is a one-way path and brings more collective benefits than problems. These are the words of those who have already built almost 100 towers in Campo Grande.
The vertical city is cheaper and safer, explains the civil engineer and regional superintendent of Plaenge, Valéria Gabas. In the reasoning of the representative of the construction company that arrived in the capital 35 years ago, based on what is studied in urban planning, verticalizing optimizes the expenses of the municipal administration, after all, several families will use the same water and electricity supply network, the same streets, and services such as public transportation and garbage collection. “This leaves room to invest in other areas, such as health and education. Right? There are several studies that show that densification is good, that a city that does not densify may have problems.”
On the list of complaints from those who built decades ago in neighborhoods such as Chácara Cachoeira and Vilas Boas, the devaluation of residential properties due to the loss of privacy, shade in the yards, and increased traffic is a concern. The superintendent rebuts, explaining that it depends on the point of view.
“If you occupy the empty lots that already exist, you can densify the city and it becomes smarter. People can come and go from small things – school, supermarket – on foot or without traveling as much. That’s why we understand that it improves mobility and the city gains in terms of sustainability,” explains Valéria Gabas.
Still about traffic, Plaenge has already set examples to the contrary. Municipal legislation requires construction companies to study the impact of the arrival of a vertical condominium on the neighborhood and also to make compensations, as is the case of the $25 million viaduct that will be built by the real estate giant in the Uniderp Agrárias region.
“Sometimes people at first have the perception that it will get much worse, but the legislation in Campo Grande is very demanding,” explains Valéria, pointing out that traffic lights and necessary road changes are paid for by the development, whenever the public authority imposes the condition.
On the other hand, the construction of buildings solves two of the main problems for society: the occupation of urban voids and security. “We end up improving around, don’t we? Imagine that when we open a development, dozens of new families move in. So, the gates, the entry and exit of people, the increase of movement, improve the sense of security.”
Another example that the arrival of buildings has benefited the region of the city collectively is in Jardim Bela Vista, another upscale neighborhood of the capital. There, an avenue built by Plaenge, precisely to solve the flow of entry and exit of vehicles in the Reserva Bela Vista and Rioja residential complexes, changed the face of Rua Nova Era, behind the Uniderp headquarters. The illuminated space, with fountains, benches, and imperial palms, became a meeting place, especially for the residents of the buildings, but also for anyone who frequents the area, once taken over by vacant lots.
Another positive point pointed out by Valéria Gabas is the attraction of companies to the region where buildings are installed, benefiting those who already lived in the neighborhood and creating jobs, as also happened in Bela Vista, a neighborhood that gained a giant supermarket, to serve the residents of the new towers.
Floods are also pointed out as a problem inherited from verticalization. The engineer explains that, in fact, vertical condominiums can help the city in containing floods because the constructions are obliged to provide for rainwater containment basins in the projects. “It’s as if you had an underground pool in the land that retains the water and slowly drains it into the drainage network.”
Plaenge arrived in Campo Grande in 1988 and has already built 99 buildings in the city. In addition, it has recently delivered two luxury developments. There are 7,700 apartments, commercial spaces, and lots, where approximately 23,000 people live and which generated $585 million in taxes for the public coffers.
The company currently has 1,100 employees and generates around 3,100 indirect jobs.
