Urban Issues and Challenges: Rio Flashcards
Megacity
A very large city with a population of over 10 million people.
Why are megacities on the rise?
1) Globalisation and economic competition
2) Mass rural to urban migration
3) Government policies such as special enterprise zones
Opportunities in megacities:
- Less environmentally damaging to provide transport, housing + electricity to a dense urban area compared to a dispersed rural population.
- Centres of innovation (technological change/sustainability).
- Access to larger + more diverse employment markets.
- Produces on average 2-3 times more GDP per capita than other cities.
- Better levels of healthcare + education (improves life of poor + empowers women in counties with unequal status)
- Fuel political pressure for change (large numbers of younger people)
- Opportunities to expand services for large numbers
Urban change in a major NEE city: Rio de Janeiro case study
Location and Background
- Situated on Brazil’s Atlantic Coast in South America
- Has grown up and around a large natural bay (Guanabara Bay)
- 2nd largest economy in Brazil
- Cultural capital of Brazil - 50 museums, Carnival
- Important international hub - major port for imports + exports, 3 airports
Urban change in a major NEE city: Rio de Janeiro case study
Why is Rio an important city?
- Contributes 5% Brazil’s GDP
- Christ the Redeemer - 1 of 7 Wonders of World
- Tourism + major port provides lots of jobs
- Home to steel industry
- 2014 FIFA World Cup + 2016 Olympics
- Famous carnivals
- Historic buildings
- Sugar Loaf Mountain + Copacabana Beach
Urban change in a major NEE city: Rio de Janeiro case study
Rural to urban migration - Caatinga to Rio (PUSH factors)
- Little education
- Extremely hot, with drought + unreliable rain
- Poor, thin soils make farming difficult
- Malaria
- No help from gov
- Lacks raw materials, therefore few industries
Urban change in a major NEE city: Rio de Janeiro case study
Rural to urban migration - Caatinga to Rio (PULL factors)
+ More reliable work with higher wages
+ Gov offer people in favelas opportunity to improve their living conditions
+ Gov provide land with water, sewage + electricity already available
+ Big + wealthy city
Urban change in a major NEE city: Rio de Janeiro case study
Social challenges in Rio
- 12% of pop don’t have access to clean running water
- Whole city suffers from frequent blackouts due to shortage of electricity
- 30% of pop not connected to a sanitation system
- Only half of all children continue education after 14 (resort to crime)
Urban change in a major NEE city: Rio de Janeiro case study
Economic challenges in Rio
- Unemployment rates over 20% in favelas
- 1.1 million work in informal sector - many don’t have insurance or unemployment benefits + gov receives no income from them
Urban change in a major NEE city: Rio de Janeiro case study
Environmental challenges in Rio
- Air pollution causes 5000 deaths per year
- 84% untreated sewage flows directly into Guanabara Bay =major threat to wildlife
- Waste collection lorries can’t access favelas, so most waste is dumped + pollutes water system causing cholera + encouraging rats
- Most congested city in South America - traffic increases air pollution + wastes time for commuters
Urban change in a major NEE city: Rio de Janeiro case study
Urban planning - Favela Bairro Project
- Site + service scheme, so local authority provides land + services for residents to build own homes.
- Widened + paved roads (better access for work + emergency services)
- Access to water + sanitation (cleaner)
- Secure hillsides to prevent landslides (safer)
- New health + education facilities (can get better payed jobs)
- Cable car (can get to work + quicker)
- Police Pacifying Unit (reduces crime, safer)
