The document analyzes the lifestyle in São Paulo, Brazil in terms of its alignment with sustainable development principles. It focuses on the city's transportation system and waste recycling/management. Regarding transportation, it notes issues like traffic, public transportation reliance on low-quality services, and fossil fuel dependency. For waste, it highlights a low recycling rate, lack of proper landfills, and limited community involvement in recycling. Overall, it argues that improvements are needed across policies, investments, incentives, and cultural changes to better align São Paulo's lifestyle with sustainability.

1. Felipe Pires Barbosa
IE business school application
Intake: nov13
Express Yourself
Do you think that the lifestyle of the inhabitants of your town or city reflects
behavior that is in line with the concept of sustainable development? In your
opinion, what should be improved?
1Felipe Pires Barbosa | IE business school application – nov13 intake
São Paulo LIFESTYLE

2. 2
The lifestyle of the inhabitants of São Paulo is not in
accordance with SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
principles. The strong dependence on low quality
public services exposes the city to a fragile balance.
To exemplify this reality, among the various aspects
that define the lifestyle in São Paulo, we'll go through
the the transports routine and standard of recycling
and waste.
São Paulo LIFESTYLE
Felipe Pires Barbosa | IE business school application – nov13 intake

3. 3
Table of contents
Transport
Comparative tangible factors
4 social domain analysis
Improvements
Suggestions
Recycling and Waste
Comparative tangible factors
4 social domain analysis
Improvements
Suggestions
Conclusion
Sources
São Paulo LIFESTYLE
Felipe Pires Barbosa | IE business school application – nov13 intake

4. São Paulo LIFESTYLE | Transport
4
Grande
São Paulo
Comunida
d de
Madrid
Population (million): 19 6.5
Vehicles (million): 6.8 4.3
Daily traffic jam (km): 80 17
Average speed (km/h): 15 24
Subway extension
(km):
74.3 283
Subway passengers per
day (million):
3 1.3
Subway availability
(passengers/m):
40.4 4.6
Busses (thousands): 40 11
Observation: 30 km of new
subway lines
under
construction
Economic • Highly saturated demand for
public and private transport
• High cost of traffic jams due to
the inefficiency it causes
Politic • No special laws or taxation for
clean energy technologies
Ecology • Highly concentrated energetic
matrix (for transports) on fossil
fuels
• Decreasing supply of renewable
energy (ethanol)
Culture • Transport is a limitation to
mobility and access
Comparative tangible factors 4 social domains analysis* (São Paulo only)
(*) concept develop by efforts of the Municipality of Porto Alegre and UN Habitat Urban Forum. Afterwards refined by projects in Melbourne and
Milwaukee
Felipe Pires Barbosa | IE business school application – nov13 intake

5. 5
• Massive investment on the expansion of the subway lines
• Revision of the regulatory treatment giving to the subway system
• Generation of incentives for the consume and supply of clean energy
São Paulo LIFESTYLE | Transport
Improvements
• Divide the current structure of the subway in two different companies: one to plan and supervise
and another to properly operate the subway system
• Capitalize the operating company through issuance of stocks in the open market, diluting the
participation of the government and increasing the availability of resources for the needed
investitures
• Establish competitive auctions for the operation of the subway, instead of the regular auctions
just focused on the construction of new lines (currently just one line with 6 stations is operated
by a private company)
• Reduce taxes on the purchase of hybrid cars (electricity and fuel)
• Reduce taxes on the purchase of ethanol in comparison to gasoline
Suggestions
Felipe Pires Barbosa | IE business school application – nov13 intake

6. São Paulo LIFESTYLE | Recycling and Waste
6
Economic • Expensive cost of using landfills
owned by neighbor cities
• 2 deactivated landfills that
currently generate carbon
credits ✔
• Economic loss due to waste of
potentially recyclable items
Politic • Political focus just on waste
collection
Ecology • Low recycling rate
• Energy inefficiency due to the
transport of the waste to the
neighbor cities
Culture • Low involvement of the
population on the waste
selection for recycling
São Paulo Madrid
Daily production
(thousands of tons):
18 3.5
Annual production per
inhabitant (kg):
351.41 391
Recycling (%): 1.8 11.7
Neighborhoods with
recycling facilities:
72/96 21/21
Active sanitary
landfills:
0 9
Observation: All trash is taken
to 2 neighbor
cities
2 deactivated
landfills
Felipe Pires Barbosa | IE business school application – nov13 intake
(*) concept develop by efforts of the Municipality of Porto Alegre and UN Habitat Urban Forum. Afterwards refined by projects in Melbourne and
Milwaukee
Comparative tangible factors 4 social domains analysis* (São Paulo only)

7. 7
• Address properly the destination of waste
• Increase the recycling percentage
Improvements
• Create municipal sanitary landfills capable of absorbing the estimated future demand (currently
just one landfill under construction)
• Ensure that these new sanitary landfills have the appropriate gas collection system in order to
generate methane, that can be used as a local source of energy, and to generate carbon credits
• Spread, through all the neighborhoods, adequate recycling collection facilities, reducing the
logistic cost for the recycling industry and involving actively the population on the recycling
process
• Reduce taxes on the purchase of recycled raw materials, generating constant demand for the
recycling industry
• With the support of the public educational system, set regular campaigns to disseminate the 3R
principles: Recycle, Reuse and Reduce
Suggestions
São Paulo LIFESTYLE | Recycling and Waste
Felipe Pires Barbosa | IE business school application – nov13 intake

8. 8
To conclude, the lifestyle of the inhabitants of São
Paulo is strongly determined by the public
administration. Its accordance with SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT principles strongly depends on severe
institutional improvements. The transports routine and
standard of recycling and waste are clear examples of
the chaotic lifestyle São Paulo faces.
São Paulo LIFESTYLE
Felipe Pires Barbosa | IE business school application – nov13 intake

9. 9
Sources
São Paulo LIFESTYLE
Felipe Pires Barbosa | IE business school application – nov13 intake
• Secretaria Municipal de Serviços de São Paulo,
<http://www.prefeitura.sp.gov.br/cidade/secretarias/servicos/coleta_de_lixo/index.php?p=4634>
• Anuario Estadístico 2009 Ayuntamiento de Madrid, Información del Municipio, Capitulo VI – Infraestructuras
básicas, page 140, <http://www.madrid.es/portales/munimadrid/es/Inicio/Ayuntamiento/Medio-
Ambiente/Residuos-y-limpieza-urbana/Publicaciones/Acceso-a-la-
publicacion?vgnextfmt=default&vgnextoid=6d65884d551b5210VgnVCM1000000b205a0aRCRD&vgnextchannel
=2c847f5a833d8010VgnVCM100000dc0ca8c0RCRD>
• United Cites and Local Governments, Cultural Policies and Sustainable Development,
<http://agenda21culture.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=131:cultural-policies-and-
sustainable-development-&catid=64&Itemid=58&lang=en>
• Departamento Nacional de Trânsito (Denatran), April 2013 data, <http://www.denatran.gov.br/frota.htm>,
access on 13/05/2013
• SP Turis, São Paulo em números, <http://www.cidadedesaopaulo.com/sp/br/sao-paulo-em-numeros>, access
on 13/05/2013
• Companhia Metropolitana de Transport (Metrô), Números e pesquisas,
<http://www.metro.sp.gov.br/metro/numeros-pesquisa/demanda.aspx>, access on 13/04/2013
• (**) data source: Instuto Nacional de Estadística (INE) – 2010,
<http://www.ine.es/inebmenu/mnu_transporte.htm>, access on 13/05/2013