Case study: Rio de Janeiro



People and Place case study

Rio de Janeiro – a city of contrasts

When to use this case study:

• Housing patterns in an LEDC

• An area which is being improved (or improving services)

• Migration in an LEDC

• Population change and how it affects a place

• A planning scheme affecting quality of housing

Rio de Janeiro is Brazil’s second largest city. It has a population of approximately 7 million.

Rio has a stunning coastal setting dominated by the sea and mountains. The famous statue of Christ looks down from Sugar Loaf Mountain (also known as The Corcovado). This has been named one of the new seven wonders of the world!

• In Rio, the wealthy people tend to live closer to the centre (CBD) where they are conveniently placed for shops, offices, the beach and universities etc.

• The poorest people tend to live further out, often on the hillsides. Many people live in squatter settlements (favelas).

• The favela of Rocinha is on a steep hillside above the “South Zone”. It is 3 kms from the beach. Twenty years ago Rocinha would have been shanty dwellings made from e.g. wood, tin, plastic sheeting, boards & rubble but now it is more stable and people are improving it.

• Barra is a new town / overspill zone which lies along the coast. It is popular with rich middle class people who want to abandon congestion, smog pollution, crime & overcrowded streets.

Favelas in Rio

Where are favelas usually found?

• On the edge of the city – the first place that migrants get to on their journey from rural areas.

• On vacant land – this is land that is not wanted by wealthier land users e.g. swampy or marshy land, steep land, earthquake zones.

• Where rich people have moved out leaving abandoned buildings.

• Near to industrial areas – where there is a polluted environment that richer people reject.

Why do people live in favelas?

• Low cost housing is all they can afford.

• Their family may already have moved there – sense of community.

• They are near industries where they hope to get work.

• They can build a home with few or no materials.

Problems in the favelas

Crime in Rochina has been so bad that the police have refused to enter the area, leaving the job to the military!

What is happening to improve quality of life in Rocinha?

• People are setting up self–help co-operatives to share skills to improve each others’ homes.

• Church leaders are working with families to improve the area.

• Authorities are helping to set up refuse collection.

• More police are out on the streets helping crack down on crime.

• Electricity & running water is being installed.

• Schools are being built.

• People are happy – there is a strong sense of community.

What else is the City Authority doing?

Strategy 1 – Building new planned settlements using self help schemes

For example:

Cidade de Deus (City of God)

Gardenia Azul (Blue Gardenia)

These are places where people can buy or rent new homes. Settlers can cut the cost of the homes by building them themselves.

The city authorities provide the bricks, mortar, water, electricity, timber and roofing. Groups of workers work together to finish the homes themselves and boost their skills and employability at the same time.

These self help schemes increase the sense of community because families are living in a home they have helped to construct and builders get to know each other from the start of the project. Health is often better as sewers are provided and houses are built of fire resistant material.

Strategy 2 – Site and Service Schemes

In some settlements, the authorities clear a site and then put in all the basic infrastructure such as basic water, sewage and electrical services as well as paved roads. The building has to be put together by the families, often in stages.

Services like refuse collection and a community centre are often provided by the residents themselves.

Strategy 3 – New towns e.g. Barra

As Rio is in between the sea and mountains, there is nowhere for it to expand. New towns like Barra are being built along the coast to take the pressure off the city of Rio. Barra lies 15 kms away along an expensive new road. Wealthy middle class families are moving there because:

• It is quiet and more peaceful than Rio, particularly compared to Rio’s CBD / South Zone

• It has the largest shopping malls in South America & has a reputation as the LA of Brazil

• It is well policed and the apartment blocks have good security

• Beaches, parks, gardens, swimming pools and leisure facilities are in good supply

• It is built around motorways so transport is easy – free buses are provided

• Education & health are good with new schools & hospitals

• Other wealthy people are moving there – high class image

As wealthier people move out of Rio to new towns like this, others move up the housing hierarchy. Some say the authorities are offering incentives to rural to urban migrants to return to the countryside but many won’t go.

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