Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Gentrification hits Vidigal



Anonymous said...

As far as I understand, it's primarily fuelled by the "police takover", creating higher land values through the increase in security and economic opportunities, like is always the case with land values.

rn said...

Yes, Anon, that's what the BEEB says. But the push to occupy the favelas was set in motion the moment Rio was chosen for the World Cup and Olympics. Before then, the government made only isolated incursions into the favelas -- and was not interested in doing anything on this scale.

Anonymous said...

M: sure, the initial motivation is probably exactly that, but had the same method been applied without that motivation, the same result would occur.

Patrick Kelly said...

Dear Robert N
I am an American living in Nairobi and for 2 months I volunteered in Kibera. I am planning on living in KIbera for the month leading up to March 4th Kenyan election. I want to tell the story of Kibera and the lead up to the election (I am a political science major). I have a plan and written proposal. I read your book Shadow Cities and was inspired. It would like your input and advice.
Thank you

rn said...

To Anon: I doubt that the police takeover alone would have caused the land rush.

To Patrick Kelly:
Interesting project! Feel free to contact me with more details:
squattercity ... at ... yahoo ... dot ... com

Peter Warne said...

There is a general land rush in Rio; partly it is the Olympics and the World Cup, and partly it is the flood of oil money in the city. Property values have trebled in the past 5 years (more or less), so it's no surprise that people are looking at the less favoured areas - the Austrian in the report bought his place in 2009, before the UPP pacification began.
I can see Rio becoming a sort of Gulf with added caipirinha in the next decade ... rich folks in high-rises on the shore serviced by migrant workers.