Typically urban development focuses on planning and building communities. Those new communities will be developed in available land. However, Brazil lives a different reality. One of their major initiatives is to work closely with existing favelas to better understand their history and development process. Architects and engineers in Brazil are trying to better understand what is the most efficient way to build a community. They have come up with various ideas that are taking the perception of the favelas from that of sickness and making them "sexy" communities. The inclusion of favelas into society has been a hot topic for the past few years. Especially now that the World Cup and the summer Olympics are few years away. In the past, favelas were seen as eye sores and places that were not integrated into society. They were the forgotten Brazilians.
Traveling hundreds of miles to go to work on a daily basis is a luxury the poor can not afford. It is inefficient in money and time. That is why Favelas or slums grow around established communities like Ipanema or Copacabana in Rio de Janeiro. People want to be closer to their jobs. In cities, people can use buses, metros, taxis, and vans to get around. However, in many places like the favelas, the only way to get around is by walking. Favelas grow fast as people pour into large cities to find jobs. They are growing in such as fast rate that favelas are sometimes large complexes of 5 or more connected favelas. At times they are at war with each other.
Favelas have grown so large that sometimes it is difficult to drive through them. Many are mazes that only the residents know. At one point, favelas were destroyed and people were relocated to benefit the rich with new developments. Many believe that the hills where the favelas sit on are prime real estate that can become a significant revenue source for cities. We have seen this in places like Beverly Hills. For example, views from homes in Crianca Esperanza, a favela on the hillside of Ipanema, has stunning views of the beach and surrounding neighborhoods. Furthermore, many members of the elite believe that the complete removal of favelas will allow property values to increase as well as the general safety. However, the Brazilians have now realized that the destruction and relocation of favelas affect hundreds of lives and propel those lives to a path of misery without any possibility of a prosperous future. Even today, many are left alone without any government support. These areas have been plagued with poverty, drugs, violence, and inadequate public services. Violence and gunfire are constant realities for favela residents.
There is one theory, however, that is beginning to surface. According to Pedro Evora, Brazilian Urbanization speaker, compact neighborhoods (like favelas) are the best economic solution and Brazil is exploring this approach. He gave Tokyo as an example as it is one of the most densest cities in the world, and they have a very low cost of transportation. In contrast with the US, where everyone is moving to suburbs and dependency on vehicles is higher than before. This movement creates problems like pollution, parking issues, and obesity. For this reason, Complexo do Alemao was introduced to the cable carts system. Complexo do Alemao has the worst high density index (IDH) of all favelas. The same cart system is used today in touristic attractions like Pao de Azucar and Cristo Cordovado. It is ironic that some of the poorest areas of Brazil may eventually have some of the most sophisticated technology in transportation.
Pedro Evora also mentioned that there are over 625 favelas in Brazil or 144 complexes, but only 25 have been pacified. Pacified is used with a lot of caution because although there is a presence of the Pacification Police Unit or UPP there are still gun battles in those neighborhoods. The UPP is a law enforcement and social services program that aims at reclaiming territories controlled by drug dealers and militias. It is very difficult to pacify favelas because drug dealers have a strong-hold in the communities. Many citizens live in fear retaliation if they speak out against them at times drug dealers are viewed in a mythical Robin Hood way for they provide favela residents with cable, electricity, water, and other services that city governments do not. However, it is important to emphasize that at times these services are not provided legitimately but rather stolen from nearby neighborhoods.
The idea of incorporating favelas instead of destroying them is a paradigm shift started in the late 1990s by a program called Favela-Bairro. The program was implemented by State Public Security Secretary Jose Mariano Beltrame with the backing of Rio Governor Sergio Cabral. The slum to neighborhood project aims to integrate existing favelas into the fabric of the city through infrastructure upgrading and increases in services. The final impact of this program will be seen in the years to come, especially after the World Cup in 2014 and the summer Olympic games 2016. Brazilians have a lot to prove to the world. They have to demonstrate that investments in the poorest of neighborhoods are genuinely for the benefit of society instead of a facade like the one China was accused of during the 2008 Olympics regarding their pollution efforts.
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