Officially, the central area is bounded by districts of Municipality Cathedral. However, the social perception of what is called "center of São Paulo" varies and may include other areas of city. Until the creation of the administrative office of the cathedral, the notion of "center" was equivalent to the region of the former administration regional office, who also included the districts of Brás and Pari, currently covered by a Municipality of Mooca. The concept of a central area of São Paulo, however, is wider depending on the study is done about the region and may include items such as financial centers
Paulista Avenue and Berrini.
Social Characteristics , in downtown São Paulo. According to the 2000 census, the total population of the area is 374,002 inhabitants, including the neighborhoods and districts of
Sé itself,
Bela Vista,
Bom Retiro,
Cambuci,
Consolação, Aclimação,
Brás,
Liberdade,
República and Santa Cecília. It is the least populated administrative region in the city, albeit one with a wider range of public facilities and jobs. The average income in the area is
R$ 2335.54, and each year the central area of
São Paulo has a rate negative of
population growth that reaches 5% per year, according to
IBGE and
SEADE statistics. This factor contributed to what has been called degradation the region, as some experts in urban studies, with the removal of the São Paulo elite of the central areas, occurs along the removal of public stewardship, leading to a sense of abandonment. Despite showing an average income higher than that of other regions of the city, it has many homeless individuals and pockets of poverty, such as the region known as
Cracolândia (lit. "
Crackland"), which has recently been undergoing a controversial process of revitalization by the city government, accused of promoting "social hygiene" through
gentrification. The
Centro region is the most well-served by
public transportation, with four of the five
Metrô subway lines operating in the area, along with several
CPTM commuter rail lines. It is also home to some of the major institutions of higher education in the city, as
Mackenzie University, The Armando Alvares Penteado Foundation (FAAP) and units of the
University of São Paulo (USP), like Law School, The University Center on Maria Antonia Street, and the headquarters of the USP Post-Graduate School of Architecture and Urban Affairs. == Key points ==