Paraisópolis

Never doubt the power of making random blog posts. That and a serendipitous crossing of calendars brought me across a table from Robert Neuwirth today – author of Shadow Cities and a one-time resident of favela Rocinha in Rio de Janeiro. Something about the journalism profession, perhaps the imperative to get people talking to you quickly and comfortably, makes for friendly and down to earth folk. (Also check his blog squattercity for updates on slum issues worldwide.)

Through him I have attached myself to a group from the Columbia University School of Architecture here to inject new ideas into the upgrading project going on in favela Paraisópolis (São Paulo’s second largest, with approx. 60,000 residents). Lucky for me they are getting the executive treatment and are happy to take me along for the ride – briefings by top housing officials in the city that I would have needed a month or more to score. Makes me think that getting a PhD and a tenured position somewhere is worth it only to have people take you seriously when you want information.

Also through them I got the chance to explore Paraisópolis, which you can see for yourself in the picture at the top of this post.

Paraisópolis is particularly notable for its proximity to the uber-rich bairro of Morumbi (see that building with the balcony pools?). This extreme closeness of favela to rich neighborhood is harder to find in São Paulo than in Rio, as most favelas and irregular settlements are in the periphery. Proximity also makes for some serious political tensions. One reason why São Paulo’s rich are so happy about slum upgrading is that the building plans effectively wall off Paraisópolis from its surroundings, hiding it behind new public housing high-rises and a four-lane road.

Paraisópolis also has a highly unusual grid formation due to the history of its founding. I have heard two versions of this, which are not necessarily mutually exclusive. First is the story of how the community began as a planned shantytown to house temporary workers from the interior, brought to the city to build the soccer stadium. When the workers never left, Parisópolis was born. That, and/or a zoning law made the already parceled and sold land virtually unbuildable, causing the original owners to abandon the property and leave pre-formed blocks ripe for squatting.

The presence of multiple ordered roads, even though narrow and choked with knots of traffic, has fed some quite vibrant business growth. There are small churches, grocery stores, bars, building supply and gas stores, clothing shops, and hairstylists. The proximity to service jobs in rich neighborhoods has boosted incomes and houses are impressive for a slum, made largely of brick, mortar, poured concrete and re-bar. Most have two or three floors. I learned from a resident that a nice place here with all basic amenities, and in rare cases even pirated internet access, rents for between $300-350 reais a month (200-220 dollars). “Very expensive,” she told me, and I am inclined to agree. When I left Columbus, OH I was paying just 100 dollars more for my half of a spacious apartment. Especially to anyone living in smaller or newer favelas, it’s a noticeably higher income bracket that populates the nicest parts of Paraisópolis.

Along with its poorer neighbors Jardim Colombo and Porto Seguro, the city has chosen Paraisópolis to be the site of a flagship urbanization and regularization program. Approximately $1 billion reais (670 million dollars) will be channeled into upgraded road and sewage systems, as home demolition makes way for green spaces and public housing. There are all sorts of interesting tensions around this that might be worth unpacking. Look out for a future post…