Since the numbering of houses appeared in European metropolises, in the 18th century, each city has a different way of placing numbers in its buildings. But all of them start from a common principle: choose a place that serves as a base to start counting.
Following this rule, many possibilities arise. In historic Venice, Italy, houses are numbered according to the meters that separate them from an important building in each neighborhood. In most Brazilian cities, what usually happens is that the numbering grows according to the distance from the so-called ground zero, which is almost always in the center of the city. This point is the main reference to determine where the beginning of the street is and to indicate which side receives houses with odd or even numbers.
Some cases are more complicated. When the street is parallel to ground zero, the beginning of the street is the end that is closest in a straight line to this reference. Another important reminder is that two streets that run side by side do not always have similar numbers. This only happens when they start at the same point (two sleepers that start on a larger avenue, for example), which does not always happen.
dance of numbers
In São Paulo, the further away from Praça da Sé, the higher the numbering.
1. The initial step in numbering houses is to determine where the street begins. In São Paulo, the beginning of the street is defined as the point closest to Praça da Sé, which is right in the center of the city. This definition also serves to indicate which side of the track will have odd or even numbers. Walking from beginning to end, technicians place even numbers on the houses on the right side and odd numbers on the properties on the left side.
two. The next step is the numbering itself. To do this, technicians measure how many meters separate the beginning of the street from the pedestrian entrance to the house (or from the middle of the lot, in the case of empty areas). Generally, it is this distance that defines the property number, but you can round it off. For example, if the measurement was 36 meters, but the house is on the odd side, common sense applies: the final number will be the next closest odd number — in this case, 37
3. Since the city map is not static, the street can grow and the numbers change. The simplest situation occurs when the track is extended from the final stretch. In this case, as the beginning remains the same, the numbering of the old houses does not change, and the new constructions will follow the already established sequence.
4. The most complicated case is when the street increases in the initial stretch. As the beginning of the route changes, the numbering has to be changed. According to São Paulo law, inhabitants can use the old numbers for a maximum period of one year after the modifications. But, as there is no fine for those who break the rule, the old numbers persist in several stretched routes. On Avenida Brigadeiro Faria Lima, extended in 1996, many buildings still maintain the old numbering next to the new one.