The decision is still provisional and was made after a lawsuit was filed against the capital’s city hall.
The São Paulo Court of Justice (TJSP) suspended this Wednesday (27), provisionally, the Boulevard São João project, which became better known as the “Times Square in São Paulo”, which aims to install large LED panels on buildings at the intersection between Ipiranga and São João avenues, in the center of the capital of São Paulo. The action is still subject to appeal.
The decision was determined by the 4th Public Finance Court and signed by judge Celina Kiyomi Toyoshima following a popular lawsuit filed against the city hall.
Among the arguments for suspending the measure, the judge said that the size of the project and the impact on the region are a “potential harm to the entire population”.
The decision prohibits the beginning of “any works, installations or interventions related to the project, including the fixing, assembly or installation of LED panels in the Cine Paris República (Av. Ipiranga, 808), Herculano de Almeida (Av. Ipiranga, 890), Galeria Sampa (Av. São João, 604) and New York (Av. Ipiranga, 855) buildings”. In addition, projections mapped in the Independência II Building are also suspended, under penalty of a daily fine.
The judge also determines that a new visit to the Public Ministry (MP) be opened “so that they are aware of the granting of the injunction”.
What is ‘Times Square Paulistana’
The Boulevard São João project, nicknamed Times Square in São Paulo,. The three-year cooperation agreement between the city hall and Fábrica de Bares – which manages Bar Brahma and other ventures, proponent of the initiative – was published in the Official Gazette on April 23rd.
The project has four LED panels, with dimensions ranging from 300 to 1,000 m², which would be installed in the region. In them, 70% cultural and public utility content and 30% content from sponsors would be broadcast.
A Fábrica de Bares was expected to invest at least R$2 million per year in improvements over the three-year periodincluding the restoration of monuments such as the facade of the Nossa Senhora do Rosário dos Homens Pretos Church, in Largo do Paiçandu, and the installation of urban furniture.
The expectation of businesspeople and public authorities is that interventions increase the attractiveness and circulation of people, contributing to the “recovery” of the historic center.
