Hello again!
This is the second week of my Global Scholars experience in Brazil, and I have been really enjoying getting to explore Rio de Janeiro and its beautiful scenery again. One central characteristic of Rio’s landscape that is immediately noticeable is the presence of informal housing developments, known as comunidades or favelas, throughout the city. As I have engaged with the materials from my research group at UERJ, I’ve been able to learn much more about the significance and impact of these developments on the different populations of Rio.
These popular communities started forming in the late 19th century, within the context of the abolition of slavery and the end of the Canudos War in Brazil. During this time, the economically disadvantaged populations of the city began to occupy the hillsides of central Rio, which had lower real estate value and were difficult to access and develop. The city also experienced an accelerated process of urbanization during this time, which, combined with historic economic and social disparities in the Brazilian population, heavy migration to urban centers, and exclusionary urban policy, further led to an unequal occupation of the urban space. This inequality is exacerbated by the vulnerability of these hillsides to environmental disasters like landslides and flooding, caused by both natural conditions and the lack of effective social and environmental security policies in these areas.
Due to the unique topography of Rio de Janeiro, the city’s territory is characterized by the presence of these popular communities, often on the slopes of its hills, neighboring the residences of middle and upper economic classes in its flatter areas. This configuration allows us to clearly see the stark disparities in housing accessibility in Rio, demonstrating that economic inequality is embedded in both the physical structure and social fabric of the city. The picture I included above, which I took from the parking garage of a prominent shopping mall in the metropolitan area of Rio de Janeiro, drew my attention as it perfectly captures this contrast.
While I originally wanted to focus on the Federal Institutes in Brazil for my capstone project, my experience with the research group at UERJ has allowed me to learn more about the diverse cultural heritages and history of Rio de Janeiro, and I have developed a special interest in this part of my experience. I will definitely want to use this as a direction for my capstone project, and I will use the next few weeks to learn more deeply about it to further develop this idea!
[Here are some sources from my research mentor (unfortunately only in Portuguese) that I found helpful when learning about this if you’d like to read more!: Mauricio de A. Abreu, Evolução Urbana do Rio de Janeiro; Mayara da Silva, Reforma Urbana Pereira Passos: resistências de uma população excluída]
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