Rio De Janeiro

• what Rio is like

  - until 1960, Rio was the capital city of brazil, it is now Brazilia

  - it is the cultrual capital of Brazil, with over 50 museums

  - famous for its annual carnival (the world's biggest dance and music celebrations)

  - 2014, they held the world cup

  - has become a 'global city'

  - it is an important international hub, with 5 ports and 3 airports
• how and why has rio grown

  - is the second largest city in Brazil

  - in 2014, it had a population of 6.5 million in the city, 12.5 million in the surrounding area

  - has become amajor industrial, financial, comercial, and tourist centre, which has attracted many migrants from other countries

  - many migrants have come to seek business oppertunities
• north zone


  - the city's main imdustrial and port area

  - international airport and footbal stadium here

  - an area of low-quality housing and favelas

  - the location of the Tijuka national park
• south zone


  - developed after tunnels were cut through the mountains

  - Rio's main tourist hotels and beaches

  - a wealthy area dominated by luxury flats (wealthiest district in the whole of south america)

  - overlooked by Rochina, the largest favela
• west zone 


  - Barra de Tijuca has changed from a lower-class area into a wealthy coastal suburb with luxury flats, shopping centres, recreational and tourist facilities

  - the industrial area of Campo Grande has low-quality housing around the steelworks

  - main olymic stadiums are here
• centro


  - the oldest part of Rio, has many historical buildings

  - the city's CBD (central business district) and main shopping area

  - financial centre, with Brazil's largest oil and mining companies
• social challenges - Healthcare 


  CHALLENGES

  • 2013, only 55% of the city had a local health centre
  • services for pregnant women and elderly were very poor (especially in west zone)

  SOLUTIONS

  • favela of Santa Marta has steep hills, few roads, and the only acces to it is a overcrowded cable car. 13km from the nearest hospital
  • medical staff took health kits to pwople's homes, and were able to detect 20 different diseases and treat them
  • because of this, infant mortality rate as decreased, and life expectancy increased
• social challenges - education

  CHALLENGES

  • education in Brazil is cumpulsory for children aged 6-14, and only half of all the children continue their educationafter the age of 14
  • may children drop out and get involved in drug trafficking for money
  • shortage of schools and teachers
  • lack of money, so teachers are low paid and have poor training

  SOLUTIONS

  • authorities have tried to improve education by:
  • encouraging locals to teach
  • giving school grants to poor families for free lessons and after school activities
  • private university in Rochina
• social challenges - water supply

  CHALLENGES

  • around 12% of population did not have access to water - estimated that 37% of water is lost from leaky pipes, fraud and illegal access by people in favelas

  SOLUTIONS

  • most of the work has been trying to improve the quantity and quality of water in the favelas
  • 7 new treatment plants built betwen 1998-2014
  • over 300km of pipes were laid
  • by 2014, 95% of the population had a mains water supply
• social challenges - energy

  CHALLENGES

  • whole of the city suffer from frequent blackouts due to shortage of electricity
  • the population and demands of the upcoming olympics will make the situation worse
  • many peple in favelas get their electricity by illegally tapping into the main supply, which is risky and unsafe

  SOLUTIONS

  • has been improved by installing 60km of new power lines
  • building a nuclear generator
  • building the new hydro-electric complex which will increase electricity supply by 30%. took 6 years to build and cost over US$2 billion
• economic challenges 


  - economic developments have brought improvements to Rio's roads, transport services and environment

  - the growing economy has attracted large companies from other parts of brazil, south america, and abroad

  - these developments have created a range of new economic oppertunities
• effects of economic growth

  - rio has one of the highest incomes per head in the country, and the city's retail and and consumer secctor is a major source of employment

  - a growing number of jobs are provideed by service industries e.g. finance
• types of employment in Rio

  - port industries (import and export)

  - oil refining and petrochemical industries

  - manufactoring

  - tourism (Rio is one of the world's top tourist destinations)

  - steel (Rio has the largest steelwork in south america)

  - construction (for many non-skilled workers)

  - retail and distriution

  - service industries (finance and banking)
• unemployment in Rio

  - Brazil's economy hit a big reccession in 2015,which has increased unemployment

  - despite the growth of job oppertunities, unemployment is one of the reasons why there are such wide contrasts in wealth in Rio

  - the richest 1% of population earns 12% of the total income, whearas the poorest 50% only earns 13% of the total income

  - unemployment rates in favelas are 20%, and most work in informal economy,making a living however they can

  - people in favelas do not pay taxes and the government recieve no income from them
• what's being done about unemployment 


  - government is using education to try and reduce youth unemployment

  - courses are available for adults who have left education but want to continue their studies

  - free childcare provided for teenage parents so they can return to education
• economic challenge - crime

  - robbery and violent crime present great challenges

  - it is regular for murder, kidnapping carjacking, and armed assult to occur

  - powerful gangs control drug trafficking in many of the favelas

  • in 2013, UPP's (pacifing police units) were established to reclaim favelas from drug dealers
  • police have taken control of around 30 favelas

  - there has been critisism about the police targeting aras near the olympic sites, and many people living there think it's an attack on their freedom
• environmental challenges - traffic congestion

  CHALLENGES

  • Rio is the most congested city in south america. It increases stress and pollution levels
  • has many steep mountains, but roads can only be built on coastal lowland, so transport routes become congested
  • tunnels through the mountains needed to connect different areas in the city

  SOLUTIONS

  • expansion on the metro system under Guanabara bay
  • new toll roads into city centre to reduce congestion
  • making coast roads one-way during rush hours
• environmental challenges - water pollution

  CHALLENGES

  • many of the rivers are heavily polluted around the bay
  • over 200 tonnes of sewage enters the bay each day
  • oil spills from oil refineries
  • ships empty their fuel tanks in the bay as here are no facilities to dispose the fuel properly

  SOLUTIONS

  • 12 new sewage works have been built since 2004 and cost US$68 million
  • ships are fined for discharging fuel into the bay illegally
  • 5km of new sewage pipes built around badly polluted areas
• environmental challenges - waste pollution

  CHALLENGES

  • many favelas are built on steep slopes and have few roads, making access difficult for waste collection lorries
  • waste is therefore dumped and pollutes the water system, which causes disease and attract rodents like rats

  SOLUTIONS

  • power plant has been set up near university of Rio using biogas from rotten rubbish
  • it consumes 30 tonnes of rubbish a day and produces enough electricity for 1000 homes
• favelas


  - illegal settlements where people have built homes on land they do not own

  - up to 1000 favelas in Rio

  - favelas located mainly on the edge of the city, where jobs are available

  - built on steep hillsides where landslides are common and access is difficult
• Rochina 


  - largest favela in Rio. population of 75,000 in 2010, now probably 3x larger

  - built on a steep hillside overlooking the wealthy areas

  - improvements were carried out by the people themselves and authorities:

  • 90% of houses built with brick, electricity, running water, and sewage systems
  • many houses have tv's and fridges
  • its own newspaper and rado station
  • retail facilities e.g. food, clothes, bars, travel agent and mcdonalds
  • schools, health facilities and private university
• challenge of squatter settelments - construction

  - houses poorly constructed, as they were built illegally with only basic materials like iron, broken bricks and plastic sheets

  - many favelas built on steep slopes. heavy rain can cause landslides

  - limited road access due to steepness of the slopes
• challenge of squatter settlements - unemployment

  - unemployment rates high as 20%

  - irregular jobs that are poorly paid

  - average income may be less than £75 a month
• challenge of squatter settlements - crime

  - high murder rate of 20 per 1000 people in many favelas

  - drug gangs dominate many favelas

  - many people living in favelas do not trust police because of violence and corruption
• challeng eof squatter settlements - health


  - infant mortaality rates high (50 per 1000 people)

  - waste cannot be disposed of which increases the danger of disease

  - burning rubbish often sets fire to the houses. smoke is harmful to health
• challenge of squatter settlements - services

  - many homes use illegal connections to electricity poles

  - many homes in the non-improved favelas do not have running water, electricity, sewage connections

  - sewers are foten open drains

  - water obtained by tapping into a city water main. require several trips up and down the steep slopes each day to fetch water
• improving life in the favelas - favela bairro project

  - site and servise scheme where local authorities provide land and services for residents to built homes

  - some improvements are:

  • paved and formally named roads
  • access to water supply and drainage system for improved sanitation
  • hillsides secures to prevent landslides
  • bulding new health,leisure, and education facilities
  • installation of cable car system - residents given free ticket each day
  • access to credit to allow them to buy materials to improve their homes (mortgages available)
• advantages of favela bairro prject

  - QoL, mobility and employment prospects have improved

  - has been recognised by the UN and have been used in other brazilian cities
• disadvantages of favela bairro project

  - budget of US$1 billion may not be enough to cover every favela

  - newly-built infrastructure is not being maintained

  - residents lack the skills and resources to make repairs

  - more training is needed to improve literacy and employment

  - rents rise in the imroved fave;as and the poorest residents are even worse off
• the effect of the Olympics on the favelas


  - some favelas have been demolished for the development for the olympic games

  - around 1000 people have lost ther homes to make way for new road

  - Campo Grande lack community, no shops, nowhere for children to play, long away from the city

  - 800 new homes built is Campo Grande for people whose houses have been demolished

  • though many favela residents have benefited e.g. favelas near olympic park are being redeveloped, and many have found employment
• how favelas are being improved

  - there are different plans and approaches to improve conditions in favelas:

  • developing rural areas to encourage more people to stay in the countryside
  • raising taxes on the rich to help pay for housing for the poor
  • developing cultural activities to prevent children getting into crime
  • forced eviction from favelas to clear land for development
  • rehousing people from favelasinto basic housing
  • moving people to new areas to reduce overcrowding