Urban Issues and Challenges - Rio

Question 1

Where is the rae of urban change the fastest: HICs, LICs or NEEs?

Answer 1

Fastest in LICs and NEEs and slower in HICs because there are less people moving to HICs as the city is already fully developed and there are less pull factors coming to the city.

Question 2

What is a push factor and what are some examples?

Answer 2

A push factor is the negative things about an area (usually rural) that make people move away. E.g: natural hazards, lack of services, no access to clean water, less job opportunities and mechanisation.

Question 3

What is a pull factor and what are some examples?

Answer 3

The positive things attracting them to the urban area. E.g: better housing, better services, higher wages and better job opportunities.

Question 4

What is natural increase?

Answer 4

When the birth rate is higher than the death rate.

Question 5

What is a megacity?

Answer 5

A city with a population of more than 10 million people.

Question 6

Why are there more and more megacities?

Answer 6

More people are moving to these cities and more babies are being born.

Question 7

Where is Rio?

Answer 7

• North of the Tropic of Capricorn.
• South of the equator.
• In Brazil.
• In South America.
• City on the Atlantic Ocean.
• In the Southern Hemisphere.

Question 8

Why is Rio importany regionally?

Answer 8

• It provides schools, hospitals and universities and opportunities for employment, leisure and recreation.
• Important for its arts and culture scene.
• Important as a trade hub, with its international airport and docks, which enable trade.

Question 9

Why is Rio important nationally?

Answer 9

• Many of Brazil’s most prominent companies have their headquarters located here (such as mining, oil, and telecommunications).
• It is the second most important area for industry in the country.
• 5% of Brazil’s GDP is produced here.

Question 10

Why is Rio important internationally?

Answer 10

• It is one of the most visited cities in the southern hemisphere with major attractions including beaches, the statue of Christ the Redeemer and Sugar Loaf Mountain.
• It is a major trading port with important oil refining and ship building industries.

Question 11

Why has Rio grown?

Answer 11

• Migrants seeking new opportunities and a higher income.
• Common language of Portugese attracts people from Portugal.
• Brazil has a high rate of natural increase -> 0.82% a year.
• Rio attracts international migrants looking for business opportunities.
• Attracts skilled and managerial workers from the USA and Europe.

Question 12

Why is healthcare a social opportunity in Rio?

Answer 12

Healthcare has improved rapidly in Rio, compared to other areas of Brazil, which means life expectancy in Rio is 77, compared to a 73 year average for Brazil.

Question 13

Why is education a social opportunity in Rio?

Answer 13

In Rio, education is free. It contains 19 of the top 50 schools in the country as well as many private schoold. This means children living in the slums are able to attend school everyday for free, this decreases the amount of illiterate children in Rio.

Question 14

Why is water a social opportunity in Rio?

Answer 14

95% of the population has mains water supply in Rio compared with only 65% of the rural population in the rest of Brazil. This increases sanitation in Brazil.

Question 15

Why is energy a social opportunity in Brazil?

Answer 15

Rio has spent 6 years developing a new 2 billion dollar hydro electric power station which has increased the electricity supply by 30% to the city. Also, 99% of the city have access to the power grid, including people living in the poorest areas of Rio.

Question 16

How are economic opportunities created in the informal sector?

Answer 16

They are ‘cash in hand’ jobs which means you earn what you manage to sell. informal jobs are easy to get into, often illegal, you are self employed and decide your own hours, there are men, women and children in employment, often low standard goods and there is no government assistance.

Question 17

Why is industry important?

Answer 17

The people of Rio need the ability to earn a wage (steady or not). So formal and informal jobs are important as they allow people to earn a living to support themselves and their families, so that they ultimately can survive.

Question 18

What are the challenges of slums and squatter settlements or what improvements were made?

Answer 18

Residents were given funding to buy materials to improve their homes. They were also given permission to apply to legally own their own properties. property values in the favelas increased by 80-120%.

Question 19

What are the challenges of providing services or what improvements were made?

Answer 19

Basic services such as clean water, sewerage, electricity, and weekly rubbish collection have started, often staffed by local people. However, maintenace is expensive and beyond the skill set of the locals.

Question 20

What are the challenges of providing access to services or what improvements were made?

Answer 20

Daycare and school attendance has increased to allow parents to work. However, there are limited facilities and teachers in the favelas, meaning children can only attend morning or afternoon sessions.

Question 21

What are the challenges of reducing unemployment and crime or what improvements were made?

Answer 21

A pacifying police unit was set up in 2008 to try to clear the favelas of gangs, the murder rate has dropped by 40% but residents became more scared of the police than the gangs themselves.

Question 22

What are the challenges of managing environmental issues or what improvements were made?

Answer 22

Basic services such as clean water, sewerage, electricity, and weekly rubbish collection have started, often staffed by local people. However, maintenace is expensive and beyond the skill set of the locals.