Housing the urban poor
When citizens create facts on the ground, their
government should change its methods to
accommodate them, not isolate them.
Rio de Janeiro - Brasil
Rural to urban migration
Still a factor in growth of Rio,
but natural increase of city pop,
particularly lower income
groups, now the main factor.
Rocinha
View from Rocinha
looking towards
Zona Sul
Rocinha
750 favelas in Rio. But new
ones still being established.
20% of Rio’s pop live in
favelas. 33% of world’s urban
pop live in spontaneous
settlements.
Housing in Rocinha
2001 Census – pop 60,000
But over 100,000 legally registered
electricity meters.
Estimated pop 200,000.
Rocinha started 1940s, Every
neighbourhood required domestic
servants and labourers who lived in
nearby favelas. No policing of these
areas.
1950s drought in NE brazil led to rural to
urban migration, 1960s construction boom
in Rio attracted workers.
Favelas integral part of Rio. Older favelas
located centrally.
Rio’s first favela established in 1888 by
government troops (ex slaves) who
returned to Rio after defeating a Royalist
uprising in NE Brazil. They were given no
housing on their return and camped on
Morro Providencia
Only one road through the
favela. Most of Rocinha is a
maze of narrow alleyways
Favelas are not illegal settlements. In Rio there are squatters
rights on public land. The right to build and own a house.
After 10 years of ownership the squatter can start procedure
to obtain title of the land.
1950s and 60s. More space needed in
central Rio. Favelas cleared to make way
for new developments. New housing built
for favela residents on edge of city. City of
God near Barra da Tijuca. But no shops,
services, employment, public transport.
People took toilet, sink and water tank
and moved back into central favelas.
During the period of forced evictions from favelas, the residents of
favelas resisted. The police moved them during the day, they
moved back at night. In Vidigal residents resisted using force.
Eventually the authorities stopped trying to move people from
favelas. In 1994 favelas were first included on official maps of the
city. An acceptance that they exist.
1995 Favela Bairro Plan. Accept that favelas exist and try to normalise and integrate
them through provision of sewage, water and rubbish collection.
Electricity companies had been supplying favelas since 1970s. High demand, easier to
set up, residents use bills as proof of residency and ownership.
Recent focus on speeding up legalisation process. Property value doubles after
legalisation. Tax paid but also possibility to realise the value of the asset.
Not all electricity
use is paid for…
“Making a cat”
Wiring up electrical
cables. The blue
cables are
boardband Internet
Rocinha’s central location means it functions as a low cost
residential area. The newer favelas which are in Rios
sprawling North Zone do not benefit from that centrality.
Favelas have strong social fabric based on original rural
migrants and extended families
1300 licensed shops
Many informal shops
3 schools
5 radio stations
3 newspapers
1 cable TV company
3 bus services
Garbage collection
Moto taxis
3 bank branches
2 health centres
1 police point with 2 police
With large barriers to entry to the formal sector
such as lack of access to credit and
bureaucracy, most enterprises are in the
informal sector.
Post office and health centre in Rocinha. Basic diagnosis and
vaccinations especially TB. The Lula government’s Bolsa
familia scheme gives money to families if their children have
80% school attendance and have vaccinations.
A branch of a bank in Rocinha
One of the banks in Rocinha was attacked and robbed. The robbers
were off-duty police who thought that they could get away with
robbing a bank in a favela. The drugs gangs now protect the bank
If you have no legal address you
can collect your post from here.
Rent DVDs from Rocbuster
Political posters. There are many
more poor people in Brazil than
rich people. That’s a lot of votes.
But Rocinha, like 300 other favelas
in Rio, is controlled by a drugs
gang.
The laws of the drugs gang are to
ensure disputes between residents
don’t disturb business, they have
the support of the community and
the police stay out.
No rape, assault, or mugging
No stealing within the favela
No talking to the police
First offence = beating or hand shot
Second offence = death
Drugs are sold on the edge of the favela. Police are positioned directly
outside the favela but do not enter. If they did, heavily armed members
of the gang would shoot at them. Members of drugs gang openly carry
weapons. The leaders of the drugs gang are in their twenties, but would
have started their career at the age of 6 as delivery boys or kite flyers.
Red kite = police invasion
Green kite = delivery of Cannabis
White kite = delivery of cocaine
Firecrackers also used
In 2006 Amigos do Amigos
(drugs gang) spent 1.5
million US$ on Rocinha’s
samba school carnival float.
Children’s day was
celebrated with a big street
party for kids. The drug lord’s
birthday was celebrated with
continuous gunshots
throughout the night.
In the 1970s political prisoners were
mixed with common criminals in Ilha
Grande prison. The political prisoners
taught their fellow inmates guerilla warfare
tactics. The criminals used these skills to
form hierarchical, imperialist drugs gangs
in the favelas.
Comando Vermelho (CV), Terceiro
Comando (TCP), Amigos dos Amigos
(ADA)
In April 2004 the Vidigal’s TCP invaded CV
controlled Rocinha with 100 armed gang
members. One month of gang warfare.
The police went into Rocinha. CV was
unable to fight both the TCP and the
police so they asked for help from ADA.
CV leader was killed and ADA took over
Rocinha.
Police incursions into the favelas are very
problematic. The police in their uniforms
are easily identifiable targets. The maze of
narrow alleys make orientation and target
tracking difficult. Police have problems
differentiating between residents and gang
members. Innocent people often killed.
The residents of favelas in Rio live in a
parallel existence with residents of Rio’s
other increasingly “gated” neighbourhoods.
The faveladores work in mainly in low paid
jobs supporting the city’s economy and yet
the city is unable or unwilling to supply
them with basic urban services or security.
The faveladores are left to co-exist with
criminal gangs whose own form of social
justice and control is motivated by the
needs of their drugs businesses and not
the needs of the people.
The president of Rocinha
The school the president had built
Housing in Villa Canoas
A small favela supported by the
Rotary Club of Turin
Playground in Villa Canoas
New housing on the edge of the
Cidad de Deus
Cidad de Deus
Spontaneous settlements process
of development
• http://www.sln.org.uk/geography/geoweb/b
lowmedown/shanty05.swf