RIO DE JANEIRO Flashcards
Why is Rio regionally important
- Schools and hospitals
- 12 universities
- Major employer in the region for banking, finance and insurance
How has Rio grown so quickly
- Migration –> people were pushed from poorly paid jobs in the surrounding areas into Rio on the promise of better paid jobs and improved living conditions
- Natural increase –> People who moved to Rio young were likely to have babies
Why is Rio Nationally important
- Rio carnival
- Major tourist destination
- makes 5% of GDP for Brazil
Why is Rio internationally important
- Held 2014 fifa world cup
- UNESCO world heritage site, christ the redeemer
- Held olympics 2016
- Major port, main exports of coffee, sugar
What social opportunities does Rio provide
- Access to services, such as health and education
- Access to resources, such as water and energy supply
Access to Health services in Rio
- Free healthcare and better access to hospitals in Rio than other parts of Brazil
- 3 public hospitals and 6 private hospitals
- life expectancy is higher in Rio than the Brazil average
- Infant mortality rate is lower than Brazil average
Access to education services in Rio
- Standard of education is high in Rio
- 1000+ primary schools, 400 secondary schools, 6 universities
- In poor favelas, NGO’s such as ‘schools for tomorrow’ work to improve education provision
- government provides grants to help children remain in school and supports extracurricular activities
Access to water supplies in Rio
- Rio has the largest water treatment works in the world
- people in the city have a much greater chance of having fresh water than people in rural areas
- 96% of the city area has safe piped water, only 88% of the favela houses are connected
Access to energy in Rio
- about 99% of the cities residents have direct access to electricity
- community energy programs in slums, fitting solar panels to the roofs providing affordable clean energy
- Two nuclear reactors and a third just started
Economic opportunities in Rio
- 2nd most important area after Sao Paulo
- Port areas, tourism, and finance have helped Rio to grow
- Largest steel works in South America
- Worlds top tourist destination
- Land rover factory, employs 3000 people
Challenges of living in favelas
- Construction
- Unemployment
- Services
- Crime
- Health
How is construction a challenge of living in a favela
- Houses were initially poorly constructed as they were built illegally
- Heavy rain from storms can cause landslides on steep slopes, people can be killed and houses can be swept away
- there is limited road access due to the steepness of the slopes
How is unemployment a challenge of living in a favela
- Unemployment rates are as high as 20%
- Much employment is poorly paid with irregular jobs in the informal sector
How are services a challenge of living in a favela
- In non improved favelas, there is limited access to running water, electricity and sewage connections
- Many homes use illegal connections to electricity
- Sewers are often open drains
- Drinking water comes from tapping into the mains
How is crime a challenge of living in a favela
- There is a high murder rate, 20 out of 1000
- Drug gangs dominate many favelas
- Many inhabitants distrust the police due to corruption
How is health a challenge of living in a favela
- Infant mortality rates are very high
- Waste can build up in the streets, increasing the danger of diseases
- Occasionally fires break out with the smoke affecting health
- There is a high population density
Why have favelas and slums formed
Due to the city not being able to keep up and build enough housing to meet the demand of the growth in population
Social challenges of healthcare and education
Healthcare - inequality across the city from high income areas and low income areas, infant mortality rates and average life expectancy differ massively
Education - most kids in the favelas do not attend school regularly, only 50% of children in Rio continue with education past 14
- teenage pregnancy causes drop outs
- high adult unemployment means many kids are expected to work to support their families
Challenges of unemployment and crime
Unemployment - impossible to measure unemployment due to large number of people employed in the informal sector, this means they do not pay taxes and the government receives no income
Crime - violent crimes of murder and armed assault occur regularly in Rio. Powerful gangs control the favelas. Police regularly target drug gangs in favelas and end up killing many people (The red command)
Environmental challenges
Waste disposal - only 2% of waste is recycled,
- due to steep favelas and difficult access waste litters the streets resulting in much of it ending up in the river,
- flowing into Guanabara Bay
Water pollution - Guanabara bay is highly polluted causing major threat to wild life,
- oil spills contaminate the bay,
- 50+ tonnes of industrial waste discharged everyday
Traffic congestion + air pollution - Rio is the most congested city in South America, this increases air pollution and commuters times while costing businesses money for delays,
- its coastal location restricts options for roads,
- car ownership has increased massively
- a brown smog hangs over the city, causes respiratory health issues
What is quality of life
describes the extent to which a person is comfortable, healthy and able to enjoy life.
Can be measured by considering, literacy, life expectancy and infant mortality rates
How are favellas being improved
By the favela Bairro Project, city planners decide to upgrade them and provide essential services
How is the favela Bairro project improving the favela’s socially
- Daycare and after-school care enabling adults to seek secure employment
- Improving adult literacy to increase employment opportunities and incomes
- Medical services for drug addiction, alcoholism and victims of domestic violence
- Pacification of the favelas, greatly reducing crime and allowing children to grow up safely
How is the favela Bairro project improving the favela’s economically
- Inhabitants can apply to own their properties legally, encouraging them to improve their housing
- Access to credit to allow people to buy materials to improve their homes
