Rio case study Flashcards
How was health been improved in Rio?
One way health has been improved is through the Rio Project which ran from 2009-13.
This has helped reduce issues of suicide and mental health leading to by providing mental specialists and workshops in the favelas, giving residents the tools to tackle mental health issues.
How was education been impacted by urban environments in the favelas.
Education has been negatively impacted by urban environments because of the lack of schooling and government image in the favelas. This leads to kids not going to school as they aren’t being policed and the kids getting involved in other things such as gangs and illegal activity.
Describe challenges in Rio regarded urbanisation?
Significant rural to urban migration has led to a rising population in Rio, the speed of growth has outpaced the development of important infrastructure by the government and developers, especially in the poorer areas.
Explain two ways in which an developing or emerging country government tackles challenges of urban growth. (4)
One challenge is that of traffic congestion. The Rio government has started to tackle this by investing in new BRT (bus rapid transit) corridors. This helps tackle congestion by reducing use of private cars and encouraging residents to use more space efficient public transport.
Another challenge is unsafe, informal housing. The Rio government has tried to tackle this with the Favela Bairro project which aimed to recognize favelas as normal people and provide them with essential services. This would help challenge the problem of lack of unsafe housing and informal housing as they will be registered and able to receive essential services.
Explain the role of urban planners in tackling the challenges of urban environments in developing and emerging countries.
One way that urban planners tackle the challenge of lack of sewage infrastructure is to rebuild the sewage systems and make them accessible for the favelas. This will help tackle the problem by decreasing the amount of waste and sewage not going into the system and instead being dumped in the sea.
Another way is to increase the amount of bus routes to allow more people to be able to efficiently travel around. They can also increase the amount of BRT corridors so buses will be more efficient.
What does BRT stand for?
Bus Rapid Transit system
How congested is Rio?
8th most congested city in the world with rides taking 50% longer at peak times
What causes Rio’s congestion?
Poorly built roads, bad traffic systems, lack of stop lights etc
What are the unemployment rates in the favelas?
Over 20%
How many workers in Rio are in the informal sector?
Over 33%
What is a solution to the unemployment in favelas?
Residents in favelas are developing their own business which generates 9000 jobs for residents. One example was a woman who had set up her own photography business.
Tell me about water pollution in Rio?
In Guanabara Bay 18000 litres of sewage is released causing significant pollution of the water. Also significant oil spills in the bay.
Mangrove trees have been planted in the bay which helps naturally filter the pollutants and also provides new habitats.
What is their solution to the water pollution?
City has built an anaerobic digestion facility. This is a facility that uses bacteria to break down organic waste. The plant deals with up to 35-tons per day, which has led to less waste going into landfill.
Homicide rate in Rio?
27 per 1000
What did they do to tackle the health problems?
The Mental Health and Violence programme empowered residents and health workers to cope with the emotional and psychological issues that arise out of violence in communities. The programme was developed in partnership with the Rio de Janeiro Municipal Secretariat for Health (SMS).
