Whew- what an amazing trip this has been! If anyone is following our adventures in real time, please be advised that our postings are not in sync with our schedule, though we hope to find time to keep posting so you'll get the full virtual rundown. At least one or two more blog entries are coming on Rio and Paraty. We've now been to Brasilia, Ouro Preto, and are currently enjoying Curitiba, including some excellent meetings with city and private planners here. Tomorrow, on to Iguasu Falls, and sadly homeward after that. Please stay tuned!
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Planning the 2016 Olympics: In the War Room with AECOM
Before leaving Rio, we met with some of the team from global planning and infrastructure consultants AECOM, who have the contract to plan and develop Rio's Olympic infrastructure. AECOM is the largest employer of designers in the world, with 40,000 employees deployed globally.
The AECOM team presented rather surprising photos of previous Olympics facilities in various host cities that are now weeds, rust, and abandoned of any activity. By contrast, they hope to focus on the "legacy" issues for the Rio games, thinking ahead to how the venues being developed for a few weeks' use can continue to be vital to the City's future, and how Rio's image will be marketed and perhaps forwarded and redefined by way of the games.
Rio will be the first South American Olympic host, and the AECOM team asserted that "nothing is more intensive...except going to war." There are political, financial, and time constraints to this huge undertaking, a "matrix of responsibility" involving multiple committees and decision-makers. Four years out, there is already a tension around getting everything accomplished on schedule. There are daily dialogues with the City Planning Department. Three new BRT networks are being planned, and a 300-household favela on the perimeter of the main cluster of facilities must be relocated. The planners will concentrate on energy-efficient construction, and are hoping that Olympic gold will include LEED gold ratings for new structures. But with all the construction, infrastructure and environmental impact concerns, much of the focus remains on successfully "branding" Rio in ways that will highlight the city as a gateway to South America, and showcase national treasures.
$2 billion dollars will be directly invested in the Olympic games, and it is stated that an additional $40 billion will follow. But the Olympics are not without their critics: an opinion heard from some locals both within and outside of the planning profession was that the citizens have not been sufficiently involved, and that the profits and glory will not be shared by all. Rio's happiness is all about good weather and futbol, and the City appears far more excited about the 2014 World Cup preparations than the Olympics. The AECOM team will be carefully following the World Cup preparations as a test case of readyness for their own endeavors.
The AECOM team presented rather surprising photos of previous Olympics facilities in various host cities that are now weeds, rust, and abandoned of any activity. By contrast, they hope to focus on the "legacy" issues for the Rio games, thinking ahead to how the venues being developed for a few weeks' use can continue to be vital to the City's future, and how Rio's image will be marketed and perhaps forwarded and redefined by way of the games.
Rio will be the first South American Olympic host, and the AECOM team asserted that "nothing is more intensive...except going to war." There are political, financial, and time constraints to this huge undertaking, a "matrix of responsibility" involving multiple committees and decision-makers. Four years out, there is already a tension around getting everything accomplished on schedule. There are daily dialogues with the City Planning Department. Three new BRT networks are being planned, and a 300-household favela on the perimeter of the main cluster of facilities must be relocated. The planners will concentrate on energy-efficient construction, and are hoping that Olympic gold will include LEED gold ratings for new structures. But with all the construction, infrastructure and environmental impact concerns, much of the focus remains on successfully "branding" Rio in ways that will highlight the city as a gateway to South America, and showcase national treasures.
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Rochina Favela Visit
Forty percent of Cariocas (residents of Rio) live in unpermitted, unplanned areas known as favelas. These are improvised communities, but to think of them as shacky crime-ridden slums is not quite accurate. These are the working poor: 90% of favela residents migrate in from northeastern Brazil for urban jobs and opportunities. Our group toured Rochina favela, which is very strategically placed for jobs between downtown and the so-called expansion area, and well-served by bus lines. Rochina has a population somewhere between 70-90,000 people, and its relationship with the City government is still very new. Many favelas are essentially run by drug lords, who look after everyday concerns, and when the City arrests the kingpins and takes control, as happened in Rochina less than 2 years ago, there is ambivalence as to who might be the better caretaker of neighborhood interests. Property rights can be established in many instances after 5 years of squatting, but then taxes must be reckoned with as well.
Rochina now has a hospital, schools and a cultural center. There is new public housing through the federal Mi Casa Mi Vida program. A new sewer system is 80% completed. One big challenge is that 93% of the housing is accessible only by narrow footpaths.
Our tour guide explained that many residents are employed in the construction trades, so that-- while housing materials may be cheap by necessity--construction methods are often sound and solid.
On our tour, we found lively businesses and kids being kids. A DJ and a political stumper were keeping it real on the street. There are mosaic wall murals and garden areas created by residents, and a pedestrian overpass designed by 104-year-old Brazilian uber-architect Oscar Niemeyer links one end of Rochina with other areas. There is even a store of art and crafts of recycled materials done by residents, confirming the creative life force in this improvised community.
Rochina now has a hospital, schools and a cultural center. There is new public housing through the federal Mi Casa Mi Vida program. A new sewer system is 80% completed. One big challenge is that 93% of the housing is accessible only by narrow footpaths.
On our tour, we found lively businesses and kids being kids. A DJ and a political stumper were keeping it real on the street. There are mosaic wall murals and garden areas created by residents, and a pedestrian overpass designed by 104-year-old Brazilian uber-architect Oscar Niemeyer links one end of Rochina with other areas. There is even a store of art and crafts of recycled materials done by residents, confirming the creative life force in this improvised community.
Paraty city bus
It was interesting to see that the bus operator collects fares and provides change. Passengers then walk through a heavy turnstile to the seats. Provisions for wheelchair passengers are also provided.
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