RIO DE JANEIRO

The Marvelous City

MARJUN M. RAPOSON

Profile • Capital city of the state of Rio

de Janeiro. • 2nd largest city in Brazil, and

3rd largest metropolitan area in South America.

• The city is Brazil’s main tourist attraction and is nicknamed “Cidade Maravilhosa” or Marvelous City.

• Population: 6,323,037 • Area: 1255.3 km² • Divided into 32 administrative

regions and 159 districts • Language: Portuguese

Geography • The city is located just north of the Tropic of Capricorn along the Brazilian Atlantic coast at the entrance of Guanabara Bay

• The terrain is characterized by steep hills and mountains which are offshoots of the mountain range Sierra do Mar. These hills are granite based and lead inland to form the Brazilian Highlands.

History • In 1565 the city proper was founded by the

Portuguese at the entrance of Guanabara Bay between the Sugarloaf and Cara de Cao Mountains.

• Two years later, the town was moved to the square bordered by Castelo, San Antonio, Sao Bento and Conceicao Hills. The area would be called Morro de Castello.

• At the end of the 16th century, the hilly areas were leveled and used as infill for expansion into the bay.

1769 map

History • In 1763, the capital of the colonies was transferred from

Salvador to Rio de Janeiro.

• The 18th century laid witness in the abundance of port activity due to exportation of gold and gems from neighboring states

• In 1808, the royal family resettled in Rio and the city became the capital of the United Kingdom of Portugal.

• In 1822, Brazil gained its independence. The gold mines were exhausted at the time, and coffee emerges as a new product for trade.

1867 map

History • In the 19th century, public transport such as trams and trains were established. The first tunnel was also built at this time.

• As there were extensive expansion to the north, the ports were also transferred there.

• In 1889, Rio became the capital of the country with Proclamation of the Republic and the political elite and the bourgeoisie were ousted. The colonial villas and mansions in the city center became schools or housing for the poor. Slavery was also abolished.

1895 map

1896 map

History • By the turn of the 20th century, Francisco Pereira Passos,

an engineer, was elected mayor and he initiated an era of great urban renewal.

• The city’s core underwent a period of intensive construction work, which destroyed the last remnants of its colonial urban design. Large areas were demolished to give space to wide green avenues, a design inspired by Parisian boulevards.

• Succeeding mayors would follow Pereira Passos’ aggressive type of planning, including Carlos Sampaio who carried out the demolition of the historical Morro de Castello.

Francisco Pereira Passos

A newspaper headline showing the demolition of old colonial

buildings where poor families used to live.

Rio’s Avenida Central (Rio Branco)

1922 map

History • In the late 1920’s, another mayor, Antonio Prado

Junior, commissioned a French urban planning team headed by Alfred Agache. This plan proposed the organization of the city following a segregated functionalist principle.

• While on visit in Rio, Le Corbusier made his own sketches of his own urban ideas for the city. Corbusier’s controversial suggestions emphasized

the architectural object.

The Agache Plan

One of Corbusier’s urban proposals for Rio: a massive and tortuous residential building topped by

a sort of highway roof.

History • By the 1960’s, Rio showed its first signs of uncontrolled urban growth.

• The capital of Brazil was moved to the newly-built Brasilia. Rio lost a great deal of its economic and political power.

• The ports lost its significance because of the birth of

the automotive industry. Parts of the city that had emerged mostly for the priority of pedestrians had to be adapted to massive car traffic.

History • In the 1970’s and 1980’s, public urban

interventions in Rio was reduced to road constructions to accommodate vehicles and

the construction of important tunnels.

• During the 1990s, urban growth in the city was controlled by the Municipal Decenal Master Plan (Plano Diretor Decenal do Município do Rio de Janeiro).

Present Conditions

• The city is conveniently divided into four districts or “zones”:

1. Centro (Center) – the core of Rio, lies on the

plains of Guanabara bay’s western shore. 2. Zona Norte (North Zone) – the greater portion

of the city, extends to the northwestern plains.

3. Zona Sul (South Zone) – characterized by long beachfronts and is separated from the North and West zones by coastal mountains.

4. Zona Oeste (West Zone) – cut off by mountainous terrain that is almost isolated from the rest of the main city.

Present Conditions

Subway System

Rio’s Centro

Rio’s North Zone

Rio’s South Zone

Rio’s West Zone

Rio’s Centro

Rio’s Centro

Rio’s North Zone

Rio’s South Zone

Rio’s West Zone

Contributing Factors to City Form

Defense

The original town was relocated from the Southern area to the hilly Center for defense against attacks of pirates and Indians

Natural Setting

The city’s geography greatly limited its overall expansion.

Port City

18th century:

Increased port activity enhanced the city’s economy and encouraged influx of people.

Birth of Public Transportation

Public transportation encouraged further expansion to the North and to the South.

The National Automotive Industry

The rise of the automobile greatly changed Rio de Janeiro from a pedestrian-centric city to a car-centric city.

Government Intervention

The local government eradicated historical sites while creating a legible cityscape that would have its own share of success and problems.

Hillside Favelas

City Center

Fim

References • Brandao, Zeca. “Urban Planning in Rio de Janeiro: a Critical Review of the Urban Design Practice in the Twentieth Century.” City and Time. (2006). Print.

• Draffen, Andre. Rio de Janeiro. Victoria: Lonely Planet Publications, 1998. Print.

• “Geography and Development of Rio de Janeiro.” Macalaster College. 11 Dec 2010. Web.

• “History of Rio.” Rio de Janeiro Official Website. 10 Jan 2010. Web.

• Xavier, Helia Nacif, and Fernanda Magalhaes. “The Case of Rio de Janeiro.” Understanding Slums: Case Studies for the Global Report on Human Settlements. (2003). Print.

Photo Sources

• http://www.mappery.com/ • http://haussmannobrasil.blogspot.com/

• http://www.flickriver.com/

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rio_de_Janeiro/

• Other sources: from reference materials