The article analyses the conditions of living in the slum tenements of the central areas of São Paulo. It points out the changes that have occured in these areas: lost of population, financial sector and higher classes, commercial activities going to other areas. However, the article also points out its potenciality. Its main contribution is the investigation of two slum tenements: the general conditions are promiscuity, absence of hygiene and privacy. The last section shows that the central areas have turned into spaces of debates and conflicts concerning the poor population and the public investments.
São Paulo city downtown; Housing; The poor
