Transport terminal - between intermodality and disconnection in Itaquera, São Paulo, Brasil

Abstract

This article analyzes the construction of the Corinthians-Itaquera transport terminal, an important intermodal mass transit hub, located in a peripheral area of the metropolis of São Paulo, Brazil. To promote urban development, the neighborhood of Itaquera has received investment in housing and transportation consistent with the Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) proposal; however, the implementation process has made it difficult to articulate these uses. As architecture, the terminal questions the boundaries of the building and raises important questions about urban context and design. This article addresses the architecture of transport nodes in two simultaneous dimensions: on the one hand, as a node in the network (access to a set of mass transport points), and on the other, as a place in the city, in a particular type of public space. Despite its numerous connections to the city’s transportation networks (train, subway, and bus) and its proximity to a major housing complex, the Itaquera terminal has a precarious connection to its immediate urban context. Through the description of the case study, production of graphic material, and historical contextualization of the site, alongside a bibliographic discussion, this article aims to assess the gap between parameters in urban planning and those on a local architectural scale. It is argued that considering transit nodes as public buildings and spaces for collective use requires urban design and is fundamental to face the most critical urban challenges of peripheral metropolitan conditions.