Favelas in Rio de Janeiro - Paper 2

Question 1

What is a slum?

Answer 1

Squatter settlement - area of poor quality (often illegal) housing, lacking in services like water supply, sewerage and electricity

Question 2

What are 5 characteristics of squatter settlements?

Answer 2

3 stories high - unstable buildings
Lack of infrastructure (streetlights)
no privacy
improvised materials
often build close to the CBD

Question 3

name 3 problems of squatter settlements.

Answer 3

overcrowding - settlements have high density rates
fires -can spread quickly
lack of space - newest and poorest arrivals may be forced to live on the worst quality land (might be hazardous to landslides)

Question 4

What is the Favela Bairro Project?

Answer 4

Site and service scheme here local authority provides land and services for residents to build homes - Complexo de Alemao (60,000 people)

Question 5

social improvements?

Answer 5

Paves roads
build heath centres (good sanitation)
pacified the favela

Question 6

economic improvements

Answer 6

municipal authority spent £200m
cheap loans for sites and services

Question 7

Environmental improvements

Answer 7

improves drainage
secure hills preventing landslides.

Question 8

how has social improvements improves the QOL?

Answer 8

People can open businesses and don’t pay drug gangs
Improving transportation with paves roads
Decrease in diseases/ deaths

Question 9

How has economic improvements improve QOL?

Answer 9

municipal authority improves facilities
people can own/legal owner of a house without having to worry about money/interest

Question 10

How has environmental improvements improve QOL?

Answer 10

Decrease in damaged Favela houses due to landslides
nicer built environment
improving security
reduce contamination due to facilities like drainage improving (and electricity)

Question 11

How did urban planning help and give an example of a scheme.

Answer 11

Favela Bairro Project - improving life in the favelas.
Improved the quality of life , mobility and employment prospects of the inhabitants of the favelas - developments made possible by the project
It is recognised as a model by the UN and has been used in other Brazilian cities.

Question 12

How did urban planning not help that much?

Answer 12

A budget of 1 billion may not cover every favela.
The newly built infrastructure has not been maintained.
Residents lack the skills and resources to make repairs
more training is needed to improve literacy and employment
rents rise in the improved favelas and the poorest inhabitants are even worse off.

Question 13

statistics on construction

Answer 13

• houses were built with basic materials such as iron, bricks, and plastic sheets
• in 2010, 224 people were killed and 13000 people lost their homes due to landslides

Question 14

statistics on services

Answer 14

• in the non-improved favelas, 12% do not have running water and over 30% have no electricity and 50% have no sewage connections.
• many homes used illegal connection to electricity pylons and drinking water was obtained by tapping into a city water main - taps are at the bottom of steep slopes and require several trips each day to fetch water.

Question 15

statistics on crime

Answer 15

• high murder rate of 20 out of 1000 people
• drug gangs dominate
• inhabitants distrust the police because of violence and corruption

Question 15

statistics on unemployment

Answer 15

• unemployment rates are as high as 20%
• average income is £75 a month - irregular jobs in the informal sector.

Question 16

statistics on health

Answer 16

• population densities of 37000km squared
  -infant mortality rate is high as 50 per 100