by Tracy Rodrigues
“Is a Favela Still a Favela Once It Starts Gentrifying?” This is the question asked by Jordana Timerman in her article for Atlantic Cities last year. In Brazil, where development is being pushed along at lightening speed due to the upcoming World Cup and Summer Olympics, favela residents are especially vulnerable to displacement. The Portuguese language has even adopted the word gentrificação to describe the process of forced evictions, the influx of foreigners, and the rising cost of living in favelas that are changing the demographics of the typical favela.
To be clear, the gentrification occurring in Rio is very different from the type with which New Yorkers are familiar. Residents of informal settlements have no legal claim to their land, though in recent years there have been some provision of land titles. Land titles have been a double-edged sword for residents because they offer security while simultaneously increasing the value of said land, which encourages the poor to sell and those better off to buy up properties. With construction and real estate booming, residents have seen rents double and are being pushed out to more dangerous favelas on the outskirts of the city where Police Pacification Units haven’t even dared to enter.
While Brazil continues to struggle with social issues, no one can deny its increasing importance as a political and economic world power. With growing oil and gas industries and a focus on sustainability, there are plenty of job opportunities for skilled workers. The government has made it relatively easy to obtain work permits or visas and the incoming migrants are all too familiar. The Portuguese and Spanish, still suffering from Europe’s economic crisis and the accompanying austerity measures, are dealing with high percentages of youth unemployment. One in ten graduates now leaves Portugal and many are choosing former colonies as their destination. Sharing a common language has made moving to Rio a relatively easy adjustment for the Portuguese and they, along with other European immigrants, have made the favelas their home. These neighborhoods and homes are a cheap alternative to the increasingly high rents across the city. In Vidigal, an often-cited example of gentrification in Rio, there are more than a thousand foreigners estimated to be living there.
This influx of new, wealthier residents has a brought new hotels, restaurants, and nightlife to the favelas. Many social events are priced to exclude local residents from attending, and beloved local products are being replaced with American and European imports that cater to newcomers. While improvements in infrastructure and social services are welcome and much needed, should who receives these benefits matter? I argue it should, especially in Rio, because if services are not targeted towards at-risk populations, poverty may shift but never be eradicated.
The favela is not just a slum in need of intervention. It has long been a valuable contributor to the Brazilian economy. In 2012, Rio’s favelas alone had an economy worth $6.1 billion.Despite this contribution it’s taken a World Cup and upcoming Olympics for major transportation and infrastructure investments to occur. Integrating favelas into the larger economy and society after ignoring its residents throughout history is long overdue, but it should be done equitably.
Ash, L. (2011). Portugal’s jobless graduates flee to Africa and Brazil. BBC News. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-14716410
Balocco, A. (2014). Vidigal ja tem mais de mil moradores estrangeiros. O Dia. Retrieved from http://odia.ig.com.br/noticia/riosemfronteiras/2014-01-19/vidigal-ja-tem-mais-de-mil-moradores-estrangeiros.html
Biller, D. & Petroff, K. (2012). In Brazil’s Favelas, a Middle Class Arises. Bloomberg Businessweek. Retrieved from http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-12-20/in-brazils-favelas-a-middle-class-arises