Urban Planning in Rio de Janeiro

• Favelas are illegally-built settlements, constructed from discarded materials (e.g. concrete blocks, corrugated metal) on steep hillsides or the outskirts of cities and have 22% of Rio de Janeiro's population
• The Favela Bairro Project was a site and service scheme which gave residents land to build on whilst upgrading local infrastructure from 1995 to 2008 across 73 favelas
• Successes

  • Favela property values have increased by 80% to 120%
  • Local incomes have increased by 15%
  • Number of local businesses has doubled
• Failures

  • Residents still lack skills so improving homes and services has been slow
  • Cable cars across favelas closed in 2017
  • Budget of £1 billion did not cover all favelas
  • Rents increased which forced locals out of the area
  • The project was small-scale so challenges still exist elsewhere