São Paulo City Hall republished, on January 20, through the Executive Secretariat for Privatization and Partnerships, the bidding notice for the Public-Private Partnership (PPP), in the form of an administrative concession, for the implementation, maintenance, management, and socio-cultural activation of Esplanada Liberdade.

The bidding process, which had been suspended at the end of 2025, underwent adjustments after the Municipal Court of Accounts (TCM) indicated that the notice for the “airspace concession” in downtown São Paulo did not meet the conditions to proceed.

An undertaking that aims to transform a strategic area of the central region into a new public space focused on culture, leisure, and urban development, Esplanada Liberdade is a project that already has at least three decades of studies.

Originally conceived by former city councilor Aurélio Nomura, now Director of Strategic Projects at SP Negócios — the investment and export promotion agency linked to the Municipal Secretariat for Economic Development and Labor of São Paulo City Hall — Esplanada Liberdade was born from a “great desire to transform the Liberdade neighborhood into a tourist, multicultural, and gastronomic hub,” connecting the spaces between the Guilherme de Almeida Viaduct (Av. Liberdade), Cidade de Osaka (Rua Galvão Bueno), Mie Ken (Rua da Glória), and the Shuhei Uetsuka Viaduct (Conselheiro Furtado), over the Radial Leste corridor.

“Liberdade has this peculiarity because it can be divided into ‘two Liberdades’: one very active area, covering Rua da Glória and surrounding streets up to Avenida Liberdade, and another ‘forgotten’ area beyond Conselheiro Furtado, also including part of Glicério. This difficulty exists because Radial Leste caused this division,” explains Nomura, noting that Esplanada Liberdade will revitalize the region as a whole.

City landmark — “People will want to invest because Liberdade today is one of the main — if not the main — landmarks of the city,” highlights the director of SP Negócios, adding that this is not a new bidding process but rather a “continuation, with some necessary adjustments and clarifications.”

Urban dynamics — For the president of SP Negócios, Alessandra Andrade, “Esplanada Liberdade is a strategic project for the revitalization of downtown São Paulo.” A former vice-president of the São Paulo Commercial Association for three consecutive terms, she explains that the republication of the notice reinforces the importance of this initiative, “which transforms an underused area into an integrated public space, enhancing the surrounding environment and strengthening the urban dynamics of the region.” “The project creates a favorable environment to attract new investments, stimulate the local economy, and generate opportunities,” she states.

Timeline — With an estimated value of more than R$1 billion (with an annual payment of R$33.4 million), the project foresees the construction of plazas, leisure and social areas, as well as kiosks, services, and free events. Access will be open, and the public areas will operate 24 hours a day. The concession period will be 30 years. The public session is scheduled for March 20 in the Press Room of the Special Secretariat for Communication, in the Historic Center of São Paulo, with the deadline for requests for clarification and objections set for March 17.

(Aldo Shiguti / Jornal Brasil Nikkei)