Housing in Rio de Janiero

Generalised map of the housing types in Rio de Janiero

FavelaThe term for a unplanned, self built neighbourhood in brazil. Slum-like but using this term is seen as an insult to the residents.

Periferia Built by the government to an attempt to move people from the favelas. These are basic home, mainly in the suburbs with electricity and running water.

Luxury housingThe nearer to the beach the more expensive. Apartments reaching up to the sky. Workers from the favelas are required for all the jobs in these homes.

PROBLEMS IN RIO DE JANIERO

• Rio is one of the most dangerous cities in the world due to ongoing problems associated with drug trafficking

• Criminal gangs are a huge part of favela life – they provide jobs, money and protection.

• The slums are dangerous areas to navigate without proper guidance and aid the drug traffickers

“We trust the traffickers more than the police, we grew up with them”

• More than 6,000 people are killed each year, a rate comparable to a war zone, due to the drug trade.

• Young men and women are attracted into the drugs trade by the money, power and recognition.

• Very poor people can become very rich.

”

United States Overseas Security Advisory Council

“Violent crimes such as murder, rape,

kidnapping, carjacking, armed

assault, and burglary are a normal part of

everyday life”

HOUSING FACTS ABOUT RIO DEO JANIERO • There are half a million people

homeless

• Over 1 million people live in shanty towns (favelas)

• 1 million live in poor-quality government social housing (periferia)

Homelessness in Rio de Janiero

• There are not enough homes in Rio de Janiero and the number of people becoming homeless is increasing.

• Some believe living on the streets is better than paying to live in low quality homes.

Solution to homelessness

• The police round up the homeless, initially voluntarily, then forcefully.

• The homeless persons (mendigos) are put on buses and sent to a homeless shelter outside the city.

• An example of this is the Fazenda Modelo • Here they are fed and are able to wash.• They can learn skills and attend substance

abuse programmes.

Favelas

• Favelas first started in Brazil after the abolition on slavery. The free slaves left the plantations and headed to the cities.

• Once they got there was nowhere to live.• These freemen and women found land

and built shelters for themselves – these quickly developed into settlements.

Favelas

• In the 1950s and 1960s favela started to rapidly increase in size due to rural-urban migration.

• There were fewer jobs in rural areas and many sought out opportunities in the cities.

• Once in the cities they found jobs and housing difficult to come by.

• The existing favela grow in size and more favela developed.

Solutions to the Favela (1)

• The government did not like favela. There were problems with crime and they were generally undesirable to have.

• The destruction of the favela was widely unsatisfactory and wholly disliked.

• The first real solution attempted was to build new towns on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro to house these favela dwellers.

• The aim was to take back the city and create space

(1) New Towns

• There were two sorts of new towns:1. Periferia• These were government built social housing.• They were very basic, two roomed buildings

with electricity and running water.• As these were far from the city people

couldn’t work so crime was an issue.• There were very unsuccessful and people

were unhappy here.

(1) New Towns• The second type was the development of wealthy settlements: Barra da Tijuca• Located 20km south of Rio de Janiero along the coast• 4 lane motorways were built with tunnels going through

mountains and built on stills over the sea to improve access into Rio.

• Barra is seen as a separate settlement from Rio with 10-30 storey apartments, shops, schools and offices.

• By 2000 the population was 140,000.• This helped solve issues around space for affluent residents of

Rio de Janiero.

• Barra da Tijuca is now facing problems in that favelas are starting to spring up there now.

The other option would be to create space in Rio de Janiero by relocating the favelas

Olympics

Solutions to the Favela (2)

• The suburban new town periferia was not successful and the favelas had become so large and developed.

• The Brazilian government had no choice but to “accept” the favelas and improve the quality of life for those living in and those living and working nearby.

(2) Self Help Scheme

Roçinha - Favela• Translated as Little Farm• Began in the 1950s• The largest sum in Rio de Janiero• According to the 2010 census 69,161

people lived in Roҫinha, this figure is believed to be inaccurate with the population estimated at between 150,000 and 300,000

(2) Self-help scheme

Roçinha started as a typical slum but is now officially classified as a neighbourhood due to most the housing being built from concrete and brick.

Almost all houses have basic sanitation, plumbing and electricity.

(2) Self Help Schemes

• Roçinha has developed from poorly built collections of houses mainly due to self help schemes.

• Self-help scheme involve transforming temporary wooden buildings into upgraded brick, concrete and tile built.

• The government worked with housing associations, set up in the favela, to add electricity and water pipes, pave some streets and add street lights.

• Building materials were also provided so home owners to improve their own homes themselves.

Solutions to the Favela (3)

PacificationThis is where police and army units are stationed in the favelas to stop the criminal being able to use the favelas to commit the crimes.

It has been largely successful with many favelas becoming “pacified” with residents quality of life improved.

But it has come at a cost – lives have been lost, many people injured and day-to-day life distrubed.

Pacification (3)

Pacification was first carried out in preparation for the Football World Cup 2014 and the Olympics in 2016.

Prior to the World Cup, 34 favelas had been pacified, but there are still hundreds more to go.

Since pacification, the murder rate has fallen drastically.

The real estate market in the favelas is booming.

Social issues are reducing helping structural improvements to be made.

Solutions to the Favela (4)

Morar Carioca• Translated as ‘to live as a resident of Rio de

Janeiro’• The Rio government are seeking to

implement the radical urbanisation of the city’s favelas

• The scheme will run until 2020.• It is projected that nearly R$8bn will be

spent (approx £2bn)• The project aims to help 240,000 families

Morar Carioca (4)

The actions depends on the size of the settlement• Small settlements with less than 100 homes –

improve water supply, sewage supply, rainwater drainage, public illumination and paving.

• Favelas with between 100 and 500 homes –improve to water supply, sewage supply, rainwater drainage, road access, internal vehicle circulation including ambulances and rubbish trucks, leisure areas, landscaping and the elimination of high risk / dangerous areas as well as the implementation of urban regulation processes.

Morar Carioca (4)

Favelas with more than 500 domiciles – these will fall under 2 categories:• Partially urbanised – provisions to improve

existing infrastructure,• Non-urbanised – a considerable level of

residential construction will be combined with a range infrastructure projects, to eliminate high risk / dangerous areas, the implement urban regulation processes, promote new work opportunities for residents and conservation projects.

Summary of Housing Solutions• New towns, e.g. Barra da Tijuca built to relocate some of the residents out of the city• Self-help schemes• Pacification• Morar Carioca

Smaller strategies include • Eviction has happened to many people with the homes being bulldozed but they build a

new home elsewhere.• Prefabricated housing has been built by the government with all of the basic facilities

such as individual toilets, electricity and hot running water to relocate many residents• Legal rights to the land have been granted to residents by the government.• Services such as health centres and schools may be provided.• Electricity provided• Rubbish collection organised to these settlements.• Water supplies organised.• Sanitation improved.