![\"Between](\"https:\/\/www.voyages-d-affaires.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/sao-paulo-Centro-Av-Ipiranga.jpg\")
<\/a><\/a>GOING GREEN<\/h2>\n
Among the initiatives demonstrating the extent to which Sao Paulo intends to align itself with the most advanced metropolises in terms of ecological policy is the development of 'Bike Sampa', a system equivalent to Paris's V\u00e9lib', sponsored mainly by banks such as Ita\u00fa Unibanco. As a result, cycle lanes were created a year ago, initially on ephemeral routes and streets temporarily closed to traffic. But the initiative was such a resounding success that an official network of 120 km was quickly opened, before reaching 400 km by the end of 2016. Similarly, the Minhoc\u00e3o viaduct, now closed to cars on Sundays, is to become a hanging garden.<\/p>\n
The list of urban projects is growing, widely welcomed by a population tired of seeing its city fall into disrepair, and entire areas abandoned or squatted. Even if the first aid measures may seem derisory - such as the installation of public benches - it's worth remembering that Sao Paulo has come a long way. The world's fifth largest megalopolis after Tokyo, Delhi, Shanghai and Mexico City, it is a city suffocated by car traffic. In 2012, there were 1.9 vehicles per inhabitant. This colossal figure is due to the strong growth in consumption by the middle classes over the last ten years; it is also due to alternating traffic based on registration numbers, perniciously encouraging Paulistans to own two cars.<\/p>\n
To counter this, the city is developing its public transport. The 200 km of bus lanes recently created should increase to 350 km by the end of 2016. \"Unfortunately, and this is one of Brazil's problems, its political system is divided into several levels, local and federal. This slows down the development of infrastructure<\/em>\"Cristina Afonso concludes. The Sao Paulo municipality is responsible for managing the buses, while the region is responsible for managing the metro: this real headache sometimes wastes time.<\/p>\n That's why the driving force behind urban renewal lies in the alliance between the State and the city, but also and above all... between new technologies and changing neighbourhoods. \"We realised that we needed to encourage young tech companies, of which there are an increasing number in Sao Paulo, to help them find innovative solutions that would not only create jobs, but also repopulate neighbourhoods that had become dangerous over the years.<\/em>\"says Michel Porcino, Technology Advisor at Sao Paulo City Council. \"We began with the Vai Tec programme in January 2015, offering a grant of 25,000 reais (editor's note: almost 8,000 euros at that date) to 67 entrepreneurs whose technologies aim to improve urban life.<\/em>\"continues the expert. In autumn 2015, the first edition of Tech Week was organised at the initiative of the city and brought together 25,000 people from all over Brazil, as well as Japan and the United States. \"It's a way of supporting the high-tech ecosystem and increasing the number of business angels, incubators, think tanks, etc.<\/em>\"explains Michel Porcino.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Tech Week is also the umbrella for a whole new urban development, with a new cluster in the heart of the Centro, the city's historic quarter. A fallen queen in its finery, its magnificent buildings from the 1900s are now shaky. And its cobbled streets, while lively during the day with bank and government employees, become much less frequented after dark. So offering start-ups the chance to set up in derelict buildings with tax breaks is a way of revitalising the centre and attracting a young population that is keen on culture and going out. \"There is already talk of a 'Digital Downtown' and we are gradually seeing the emergence of coworking spaces, as well as foundations for contemporary art, bars, restaurants and a vibrant city life,\" concludes Michel Porcino. \"We would like the Centro to become a kind of Airbnb for start-ups<\/em>It's a great place to invest,\" says Gustavo Assun\u00e7\u00e3o Faria, director of Sao Paulo Neg\u00f3cios, the agency responsible for promoting investment in the city. The aim is to attract around a hundred start-ups within the next two years, and eventually to attract a new type of resident.<\/p>\n Property prices are already starting to rise in the historic district. But other areas are also being targeted by this project to become South America's new Silicon Valley. In 2016, twelve fablabs, or digital manufacturing workshops, will be set up across the city, the first of them in the Centro, but most of them on the outskirts in order to educate the less privileged populations and offer them free access to technology. The east of Sao Paulo, where four million people live, is one of the priorities. \"Around 1.8 million people in the eastern suburbs commute long distances to work every day. So we want to create jobs in this area by offering tax breaks to large-scale companies that can offer a significant number of jobs with call and data centres, hospitals, universities, etc.<\/em>\" concludes Gustavo Assun\u00e7\u00e3o Faria. Reducing the daily commute and creating jobs: a double coup that could well accelerate Sao Paulo's beautiful urban metamorphosis.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Brazil is a land of contrasts, both attractive and worrying. Of the 50 most dangerous cities in the world, 16 are Brazilian. Laurent Serafini, a French police officer on leave, came to Brazil on assignment at the end of the 2000s, then returned to the private sector to offer high-level services to business travellers... For him, Brazil's number 1 problem is \"arrast\u00e3o\" - literally, the rush - a type of armed robbery carried out in groups in hotels, restaurants, residences or on beaches. \"The idea is to slow people down, surround them and then strip them of all their belongings...<\/em>It's all about safety,\" explains the safety expert, now at the helm of Velours International, which has offices in Sao Paulo and Rio.<\/p>\n Another problem, a cultural one, is that you don't feel unsafe, and you don't feel suspicious. The people are friendly and the atmosphere is often festive. \"And yet Brazil is the country with the highest number of homicides in the world: 60,000 a year, compared with around 700 in France, most of them linked to drug trafficking.<\/em>\"continues Laurent Serafini. With 4,000 homicides a year, the state of Sao Paulo is, paradoxically, the safest in Brazil. In every respect. You can hail a taxi in the street without running any risks. In Rio, on the other hand, illegal taxis are commonplace. So, to avoid confusion, take them from hotels, or download apps like 99 Taxis. But above all, avoid calling them from the street so as not to have your mobile phone snatched. By remaining vigilant, without becoming paranoid, you can approach your trip in \"tudo bem\" mode.<\/p>\n The 10 commandments of safety in Sao Paulo and Rio<\/strong><\/span> In the event of an attack<\/strong> More information : www.groupevelours.com<\/a><\/span><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<\/a><\/a>RESTORING THE SOUL OF THE CENTRO<\/h2>\n
<\/a>Security<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
Brasilian parano<\/h2>\n
\nTo protect yourself from danger<\/strong>
\n- Avoid areas considered dangerous, in particular by asking the hotel where to go and where not to go.
\n- If you spot pickpockets, usually operating in groups, immediately seek refuge in a caf\u00e9, restaurant or public place. If you see suspicious people outside your home, go around the building and call the police.
\n- When you hire a car, don't rely on the GPS, which may advise you to drive through dangerous favelas, and in general, make sure you know which roads to take and which not to take.
\n- Never leave your drink unattended in a bar, and never allow yourself to be offered a drink or food. GHB,
\nthe rapist's drug, circulates easily in Brazil.
\n- Make a photocopy of your passport and keep it with you, rather than your passport itself.
\n- Always have at least 50 or 100 reais in your pocket - not all your money - so that you have something to give if you run into trouble.
\n- Don't trust a misleading impression. The attackers may not appear violent at first sight, but they are always armed.<\/p>\n
\n- Never resist: hand over all your money and valuables.
\n- Do not attempt to flee.
\n- Don't try to reason with your attackers.
\n- Do not stare at attackers who might shoot, for fear of being recognised and reported to the police.<\/p>\n