If you have been following downtown Florianópolis for some years, you have seen closed buildings, traditional commerce losing momentum, and a sense of a neighborhood frozen in time. It is this downtown that the Masterplan Floripa Centro attempts to reshape—not with a single renovation, but with more than 70 urban revitalization proposals signed by Gehl Architects, a Danish firm that is the world reference in human urbanism, linked to architect Jan Gehl.
The project has delivery scheduled for March 2026. Since this guide is published after that date, it is worth confirming directly with Florianópolis City Hall or the CDL Florianópolis whether delivery has already occurred and what the current phase of the plan is before treating any proposal as definitive.
1. What is the Floripa Centro Masterplan
The plan “Floripa Centro” was born as an urban study commissioned from Gehl Architects, with an investment of R$1.2 million. What stands out is not only the amount, but the source: 100% private capital, via CDL Florianópolis and ACIF (Florianópolis Chamber of Commerce and Industry), without use of public funds Source (2026).
This changes the political dynamics of the project. A plan backed by local commerce tends to respond more quickly to the pressures of those already on the streets every day, but also depends on the ability of these actors to sustain investment over the medium term, without the budget cushion that a public works project would have.
2. The 70 proposals and the five axes that organize them
The Gehl study is not a loose list of interventions. The more than 70 proposals are organized into five thematic axes Source (2026):
- Sustainable mobility
- Public spaces and climate resilience
- “Designing for children,” urban design conceived from the child’s scale
- “Complete neighborhoods,” housing, work, and services at walkable distances
- Balanced tourism year-round, not concentrated only in summer
The “designing for children” axis is what most stands out from the usual repertoire of urban plans in Brazilian capitals. The logic behind it is well known in international urbanism: a space that is safe and comfortable for an eight-year-old child tends to be safe and comfortable for anyone, including seniors and people with reduced mobility.
3. Sidewalk retrofit: Felipe Schmidt enters the picture
Parallel to the Masterplan, but within the same revitalization movement, is the retrofit of the Felipe Schmidt Street and Trajano Street sidewalk, led by CDL Florianópolis, with a symbolic deadline for completion in 2027, the year the sidewalk turns 50 years old Source (2026).
The traffic flow cited for Felipe Schmidt is 412,000 people per month. It is worth using this number with caution: the source does not detail the counting methodology, so it functions better as an indicator of movement than as a closed statistic of pedestrian traffic.
4. Who is already paying for this: commerce, gastronomy, and housing
The Masterplan is the umbrella project, but revitalization already appears in smaller and older initiatives. The Bocaiúva Movement and Casa Hurbana together add more than 15 years of mobilization on a specific street in downtown, mixing traditional commerce with new gastronomy, in a spirit close to “New Urbanism,” a school of thought that prioritizes human scale and the mix of uses in the same block Source (2026).
On the housing side, downtown has also gained compact residential launches with obvious appeal to a younger audience: the ZENN Living Residence, with studios from 30 to 180m² and amenities such as coworking and recording studio, and Armínio 77, with studios from 24 to 43m² Source (2026). It is a qualitative sign of a change in profile, not a statistical confirmation. There is no census research confirming a change in age tier in downtown.
5. What still weighs against downtown
No revitalization plan starts from zero. Downtown has carried, for decades, a reputation of insecurity linked to the emptying of traditional commerce at night. Concrete measures have already been implemented, such as facial recognition cameras and patrol by “dicicles” in the central area, but there is no public statistical data proving a drop in crime associated with these actions Source (2026). It is worth confirming official crime indices with the SSP-SC before treating the security question as resolved.
Another concrete data point from the “before”: approximately 120 vacant properties downtown, of which roughly 30% are listed by historical patrimony Source (2026). It is this stock of idle buildings that the Masterplan and the sidewalk retrofit attempt to reverse.
6. An international parallel: the Baltimore case
Historic downtown revitalization is not a new idea nor exclusive to Florianópolis. In Baltimore, United States, 65% of downtown residents are now under 40 years old, property vacancy fell from 16,000 to 11,871 units (a 25% drop), and the city registers the lowest homicide rate in 50 years, with tourism on the rise (28.5 million visitors and US$4.3 billion in movement) Source (2026).
The Baltimore case serves as an illustrative parallel, not as proof that the same roadmap will repeat itself in Florianópolis. The two cities start from very different scales, budgets, and institutional contexts.
7. What this means for those thinking of living or investing downtown
As a market reference, properties on Beira-Mar Norte, in premium products, already exceed R$15,000/m², while the historic core of downtown without renovation falls between R$10,000 and R$11,000/m² Source (2026). These values come from Regente Imóveis’ own survey, so it is worth cross-checking with other market sources before treating them as a definitive reference. On the municipal level, the FipeZap index does not segment by neighborhood, only by city: Florianópolis registered approximately 8.65% appreciation in 2025, with an average price of R$12,773/m² in January 2026 Source (2026).
A Masterplan with 70 proposals and R$1.2 million in private investment does not transform a neighborhood overnight. What it signals is coordinated intent, with commerce, city hall, and private capital rowing in the same direction. For those evaluating living downtown Florianópolis, this is the type of signal worth monitoring before deciding, not replacing with it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Has the Masterplan Floripa Centro already been delivered?
Delivery was scheduled for March 2026. Since this content is read after that date, the most reliable data is to confirm directly with the Florianópolis City Hall or CDL Florianópolis the current status of the project, whether delivered, under adjustment, or postponed.
Who pays for the Masterplan Floripa Centro? Is it public money?
No. The project was financed with R$1.2 million in private capital, via CDL Florianópolis and ACIF, without use of public funds. The Felipe Schmidt sidewalk retrofit follows the same private funding logic, led by CDL.
How many proposals does the Gehl Architects Masterplan present?
More than 70 urban revitalization proposals, organized into five axes: sustainable mobility, public spaces and climate resilience, designing for children, complete neighborhoods, and balanced tourism year-round.
Is downtown Florianópolis safe today?
There is a historical reputation for insecurity linked to the emptying of traditional commerce at night. Measures such as facial recognition cameras and patrol by bicycles have already been implemented, but there is no public statistical data proving a drop in crime associated with them. The question remains open.
Is it true that young audiences are moving back to downtown?
It is an observed trend, not a proven statistic. There is no census research confirming a change in age profile downtown. What exists are qualitative signals: compact residential launches like ZENN Living Residence and Armínio 77, aimed at this audience.
Is the Baltimore case comparable to downtown Florianópolis?
It is an illustrative parallel, not a prediction. Baltimore saw a 25% drop in property vacancy and a majority of downtown residents under 40 years old after revitalization, but the budget and institutional context of the two cities is quite different.
