How did the idea of the garden suburb emerge in the 1970s? An analysis based on the performance of the City of São Paulo Company in São Paulo

The City of São Paulo Improvements and Freehold Land Company Ltd (Cia. City) was founded in London in 1911 to promote subdivisions in the urban fringes of the city of São Paulo. By adapting to the real estate development market in the 1950s and 1960s to expand its market, Cia. City continued as a land developer, expanding its business within the state of São Paulo. This article provides an overview of this trajectory to analyze its performance in the 1970s, based on three projects that it carried out: City Nova Piracicaba, City Ribeirão and City Barretos. Based on the following analyses: the conception of garden suburbs, the relationship with the municipality and legal arrangements; registry practices; as well as designing projects and advertisements, this article presents evidence that shows the permanence of characteristics of its performance until 1970s. The analysis of the three projects demonstrates the company's concern with the urban design of the projects and preserving the brand. The article also reveals that while the idea of the garden suburb remained throughout the whole period, its layouts changed substantially, departing from the original organic parcelling pattern. Otherwise, the proximity and relationship with the pre-existing city determined its location.