The Tiquatira Linear Park is in the East Zone of São Paulo and is one of the most important green corridors in the region. Covering 320,000 square meters, it acts as a breath of Atlantic Forest in the heart of the capital, offering shade and leisure for the population.
Twenty years ago, however, the situation was very different. At that time, the park was nothing more than an abandoned lawn on the banks of the Tiquatira stream, which accumulated garbage and other debris. There were hardly any trees there, and the gray space scared away most of the population.
The change was only possible because of one resident: Hélio Silva, who often walked through the area and decided to turn it into a green stronghold in the capital. Have you heard this story?
From trash to luxury: learn about the history of the TiquatiraLinear Park
It was the early 2000s. “Seu” Hélio Silva, a resident of the East Zone, walked through Tiquatira every day before going to work, and noticed that the area – already quite degraded – was getting worse and worse. After all, as well as having almost no greenery, it received a lot of garbage and became a hotspot for drug use.
One day, in November 2003, he had an idea: to plant trees that, in ten years, would transform the area into an oasis in the capital. With his own money, he bought 200 seedlings of plants native to the Atlantic Forest, in order to restore the region’s biome.
His initiative didn’t go down well at first. A local businessman, who used the space as a parking lot and feared that the trees would take away from his business, destroyed all the seedlings. But this didn’t discourage Hélio Silva, who decided to buy twice as many saplings and plant them in the same place.
Once again, the Tree Planter – as Seu Hélio became known – had his 400 saplings destroyed, and this encouraged him to plant even more. Over time, he spread the word about the “new residents” of Tiquatira, and the population began to support his project. And the seedlings were finally able to take root in their new home!
Tiquatira Linear Park is one of the most important in the East Zone
The years went by and Hélio Silva continued planting saplings, which grew and became a great breath of Atlantic Forest in the middle of the Concrete Jungle. Until, in 2007, São Paulo City Hall transformed the area into the Tiquatira Linear Park. It was São Paulo’s first linear park and served as an inspiration for many that followed.
Today, the Tiquatira Linear Park is home to 32,000 trees of 160 different species, including jacarandas, jequitibás, pitangueiras, palms and jatobás. Together, they form a kind of urban forest that offers a better quality of life to the residents of the East Zone.
As well as the opportunity to connect with nature, the park has sports courts, walking and skateboarding tracks, children’s playgrounds and kiosks with drinks and snacks. In other words, a perfect option for the weekend!
How to visit?
The Tiquatira Linear Park is on Avenida Governador Carvalho Pinto, s/n, in Vila São Geraldo. The Cycle Lane runs around the park on Sundays and public holidays, from 7am to 4pm.
The nearest metro station is Vila Matilde, 2 kilometers away. To check out the bus routes that go to the park, check out the SPTrans website.
