Bringing a Quarry Back to Life

Campinas was once called the ‘Princess of the West’ mainly because it was the productive centre of the region being rich in citrus, coffee and sugarcane plantations. 

It also became an industrial hub where foundries, factories of machine parts, various machinery and textile mills flourished and continue to this day.

One remnant of the original boom is a quarry called Praça Ulysses Guimarães130,000 square metres which was transformed in 1994 into a  park. 

The green space includes some striking red public art and the large area is a popular spot for family outings including places to eat, bicycle paths and hiking lanes. 

The city invested $1.3 million in 2013 and a year of work to add more trees, two playgrounds, sports grounds, three kiosks a skateboard area, and event space that is now an added green space for the residents of Campinas. 

The city also still boasts quite a few working coffee plantations which serve as attractions for visitors.

Looking towards long term resilience the City of Campinas has chosen to embrace the OECD’s Resilient CIties programme which looks to make cities ready to absorb, recover and prepare for future shocks (economic, environmental, social & institutional), especially designed for cities which may have heavily relied on industry.