Rio de Janeiro City Hall presents the Avança Bangu revitalization project.

The project will revitalize the central area of ​​the neighborhood, with cultural, leisure, and mobility facilities. Art: Courtesy of the City Hall

Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Cavaliere presented, on Friday (September 4th), the Avança Bangu project, a revitalization plan for the central area of ​​Bangu, in the West Zone, which brings together a series of cultural, leisure, and mobility interventions designed to transform and integrate important spaces in the neighborhood. Avança Bangu includes the creation of the Bangu Linear Park, which will have a cultural center, the restoration of the old Cine Matilde cinema, and the implementation of a municipal bus terminal.

"Today we are celebrating a day that the people of Bangu have been waiting for and dreaming of. Just as we did in Campo Grande and Santa Cruz, today we are launching Avança Bangu and announcing the new intermodal terminal in the center of the neighborhood. We also signed two historic agreements: the purchase of the Cine Matilde, which has been closed for 60 years, and the Casa do Silveirinha, which was a commitment of ours. We want to guarantee high-quality leisure for the families of Bangu," said Mayor Eduardo Cavaliere.

The projects will be developed by the Municipal Urbanization Company (Rio-Urbe), linked to the Municipal Secretariat of Infrastructure, with support from the Secretariats of Culture and Transportation. The objective is to integrate spaces for culture, leisure, and mobility in the same area, in the heart of Bangu.

— The Avança Bangu project is incredible, bringing together culture, entertainment, leisure areas, and mobility, with a new terminal right in the parking area of ​​the Bangu Shopping Mall. Passengers will be able to integrate with the railway line, which is an important demand for the integration of these modes of transport. We will have a total requalification in this region to serve the population of Bangu with great care — reinforced the municipal Secretary of Infrastructure, Wanderson Santos.

The project envisions the construction of a Linear Park that will connect the area's businesses, the São Sebastião and Santa Cecília Parish, and the future Casa do Silveirinha Cultural Center, integrating different spaces within the project.

Cultural center with park and recreational areas.

The Linear Park will feature Bangu's newest cultural space: the Casa do Silveirinha Cultural Center, located between Rua Santa Cecília and Rua Silva Cardoso, which will expand the options for social interaction in the region. The Cultural Center will house a museum, exhibition space, and café, in addition to offering new activity options for residents and visitors.

In the outdoor area, the project includes a restaurant, food trucks, a children's playground, a picnic area, sand courts, a gym, and an amphitheater, as well as restrooms and changing rooms. The structure will also have support areas for administration, the Municipal Guard, and Comlurb (the city's sanitation company).

"We need to have culture within cultural facilities, but we also need to have culture in the streets, which is so typical of Rio de Janeiro. Casa do Silveirinha is a large urban park, with no beginning and no end; it's a linear park. And it will have an amphitheater, a children's playground, a water park, an outdoor gym, and a sand court, which was requested for various sports. We will have culture, leisure, and integrated public spaces," stated the Municipal Secretary of Culture, Lucas Padilha.

The land where the new Casa do Silveirinha Cultural Center will be built belonged to Guilherme da Silveira Filho, known as Dr. Silveirinha, a prominent figure in the history of Bangu. Owner of the Bangu Textile Factory and president of the Bangu Atlético Clube, he played an important role in the development of the neighborhood. The proposal preserves this memory and gives the space new uses.

Cine Matilde will once again host cultural events.

Closed since the 90s, the historic Cine Matilde will be revitalized and transformed into a new cultural venue. During its time in operation, the cinema was an important meeting point for families, young people, and workers in Bangu and was even considered, in the 1960s, one of the most modern cinemas in the city.

Also developed by Cultura and Rio-Urbe, the project includes a multi-purpose space with a theater seating 250 people and two movie theaters, for 100 and 130 spectators. The structure will also have a concession stand, an exhibition hall, and a rooftop with a bar, restaurant, and social area. There will also be service parking.

Public transportation will get a new terminal.

In the area of ​​mobility, the Avança Bangu project foresees the creation of the Bangu Shopping Terminal, which will be built in the shopping mall's parking area, at the intersection of Avenida Santa Cruz and Rua Fonseca. Currently used for events and shows, the area will gain a new function. The project is a collaboration between the Department of Transportation and Rio-Urbe.

"The terminal will provide intermodal integration between the train and bus lines. It's a modern, covered structure that will reorganize transportation in the region, bringing comfort and connecting directly to the boulevard that links the neighborhood's cultural facilities," said the Municipal Secretary of Transportation, Jorge Arraes.

The terminal will have central platforms, waiting areas for buses between trips, a commercial area, restrooms for passengers, and support facilities for employees, in addition to landscaping. Buses will enter via Rua Fonseca and exit via Avenida Santa Cruz, while passengers will be able to access the space from the avenue via ramps and stairs. New pedestrian crossings and fencing will also be installed to reinforce security.

Located near the train station and Bangu Shopping, the terminal will facilitate integration between buses, trains, and surrounding facilities. Currently, bus terminals are scattered along streets such as Silva Cardoso, Rua do Açude, and Rua da Feira. With the transfer of operations to the terminal, the aim is to organize boarding and disembarking, free up space on the roads, and improve traffic flow in the area.