Vertical cemeteries are a good move towards sustainability

They are still not as popular as the traditional ones, but little by little they are occupying an increasingly important space in the big cities. Much talked about after the funeral of Pelé, the greatest football star in the world, these buildings include several benefits, including soil sustainability and space optimization.

Architect Fábio Mariz Gonçalves, from the Disciplines, Landscape and Environment Group of the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism (FAU) at USP, explains that this model is not new, as it exists in other states, outside of São Paulo, as well as in other countries such as Asia, Africa and Europe.

In addition to taking advantage of increasingly smaller spaces in cities, this cemetery model helps with sustainability. The expert says that soil contamination in cemeteries is a myth. The management team at these locations in the city of São Paulo has already proven its effectiveness through chemical tests.

Brazil has no tradition of occupying its cemetery plots for leisure, for example, as in other countries, such as England, Canada and the United States. These spaces are still degraded, dirty and abandoned. Verticalization should be an alternative for better occupation and, consequently, re-functionalization of the current Brazilian cemeteries in several cities, freeing up green spaces for parks and leisure, since it is a huge piece of land, without adequate management.

Privatization
USP architect and urban planner Nabil Bonduki spoke about the recent privatization of cemeteries in the city of São Paulo and how this equipment could be used. Better administration of cemeteries has nothing to do with privatization: “In a country of inequalities, the funeral service should be a matter of public health and not of generating profits”, says Mariz.

The issue of the lack of vacancies in the cemetery has more to do with the lack of management than anything else. Verticalization is important, but joining other fronts, such as cremation, exhumation of bodies, to manage new burial sites.

Brazil has about ten vertical cemeteries, the largest of which is in the city of Santos, on the coast of São Paulo, precisely where the king of football, Pelé, is buried. However, the current horizontal cemeteries must remain for a long time for cultural reasons.

Horizontal cemeteries have their origin linked to American Protestantism, while vertical cemeteries are linked to the eastern culture of space optimization due to the high population rate.