- Escolha um Parque
- . Horto Florestal
- . Instituto Butantan
- . Instituto Florestal
- . Jardim Botânico
- . Parque Alfredo Volpi
- . Parque da Aclimação
- . Parque da Juventude
- . Parque do Carmo
- . Parque do Ibirapuera
- . Parque Ecológico do Guarapiranga
- . Parque Ecológico do Tietê
- . Parque Estadual da Cantareira
- . Parque Villa Lobos
- . Parque Zôo Safári
- . Zoológico
Parque da Juventude
Daniel Guimarães
In September 2003, Parque da Juventude changed the landscape of the Northern region of São Paulo: now, a vast green area replaces the area previously occupied by Casa de Detenção do Carandiru (Carandiru Prison House). The first stage of the park, completed in September 2003, includes sports facilities such as skate lanes, ten courts (tennis, volleyball, futsal and basketball courts), rest areas, changing rooms and running tracks. The government invested R$ 7.2 million in this first phase.
The second stage of Parque da Juventude, called Parque Central, was completed in September 2004. Its 95,000 square meters include a set of attractions such as suspended footbridges through which visitors can walk among the trees, a vast green area with tracks, gardens, woods, and ornamental and fruitful trees. The footbridges previously used by the prison's officers have been maintained and are an attraction for those visiting the park.
The project also includes courses on sports security and training programs designed to monitors who want to work in this tourist niche, enabling professionals to work in the park or in other centers in the state. The park also has a nursery that will be used to grow plants originated from the Atlantic Forest. For the beginning of 2005, there will be a schedule with courses on environmental education directed at students of local, state, and private schools.
All this structure is part of a project especially developed for the implementation of Parque Central, in which the state government invested R$ 6.3 million by means of Secretaria da Juventude Esporte e Lazer (Department of the Youth, Sports and Leisure).
The third state of Parque da Juventude will be completed in 2006 and includes institutional buildings. Its entrance will be across from Carandiru subway station, thus facilitating the access for those living in the Northern area and all over the capital.