Women under the frame: The Female Presence in Urban Planning in New York and São Paulo in the 1940s

• Grant number: 24/15362-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Post-doctor
• Start date: January 01, 2025
• End date: November 20, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Applied Social Sciences - Architecture and Town Planning
• Principal Investigator: Fernando Atique
• Grantee: Maíra Cunha Rosin
• Supervisor: Barbara Sue Weinstein
• Host Institution: Escola de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas (EFLCH). Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). Campus Guarulhos. Guarulhos , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: New York University, United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 22/08155-2 - When the women go: the avenues plan and the political-cultural clashes with women in São Paulo (1938-1945), BP.PD

Abstract

This research investigates how the "Plano de Avenidas" (Avenues Plan, in English), implemented in the city of São Paulo, Brazil, between 1938 and 1945 during the administration of Francisco Prestes Maia, was conceived about the circulation of women in the city. Despite the predominant discourse of modernity, which favored the presence of women in the streets, transportation, and workplaces, the urban dynamics implemented in São Paulo included policies that confined and marginalized women deemed undesirable for the city's image. Although social resistance, they continued to circulate in public life, despite their experiences varied according to social class. While women from the middle and upper classes began to occupy space in various spheres, women from lower classes had long been part of the urban landscape, working in multiple trades. The urban transformations in São Paulo parallels those in New York, where planner Robert Moses promoted automobile-centered development. These projects often marginalized pedestrians, particularly women. Therefore, this project aims to draw parallels between São Paulo and New York, observing how similar urban policies affected women in both cities during the 1940s. By examining these historical contexts, this project sheds light on the broader implications of urban planning on women's mobility and presence in public spaces.