{"id":25400,"date":"2015-11-20T08:00:12","date_gmt":"2015-11-20T11:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rioonwatch.org\/?p=25400"},"modified":"2017-06-07T19:06:24","modified_gmt":"2017-06-07T22:06:24","slug":"vila-autodromo-invests-in-remaining-public-spaces-as-evictions-persist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/?p=25400","title":{"rendered":"Vila Aut\u00f3dromo Invests in Remaining Public Spaces As Evictions Persist"},"content":{"rendered":"

Clique aqui para Portugu\u00eas\"\"<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Last weekend<\/a> students from two universities joined residents of Vila Aut\u00f3dromo<\/a>\u00a0to revitalize the community park, or Parquinho. Participants tied colored ribbons<\/a> around trees, painted the jungle gym, seesaw and swing-set, and planted a garden using recycled materials. Following the demolition of the community’s ping-pong table<\/a> early this month and the lightning evictions<\/a>\u00a0of October 23 when bulldozers destroyed five homes, the Parquinho is one of few public spaces<\/a> still in tact.<\/p>\n

\"Parquinho<\/a>\u201cThe Parquinho is the only space for leisure that we can go to on a Saturday or Sunday to get out of the house. We come here to chat with the neighbors and to bring our children to play,\u201d said Concei\u00e7\u00e3o Queiroz, 41, one of the Vila Aut\u00f3dromo residents determined to remain in the community.<\/p>\n

Located next to the partially constructed Olympic Park in Barra da Tijuca<\/a>, Vila Aut\u00f3dromo sits on valuable real estate. The city government has been holding private negotiations with individual families, offering\u00a0monetary compensation or an\u00a0apartment\u00a0in the Parque Carioca<\/a> complex as part of the\u00a0Minha Casa Minha Vida<\/a>\u00a0federal housing program. Under this strategy, the community\u2019s population has shrunk by 83%<\/a>\u00a0in the past two years. Yet at least 41 families are steadfast in their determination\u00a0to stay in Vila Aut\u00f3dromo, and making good on the Mayor’s promise<\/a> that no resident would be removed against their will.<\/p>\n

The idea to revitalize the Parquinho stems from the Community Extension Project at the University of Anhanguera in Niter\u00f3i with students partnering with Vila Aut\u00f3dromo residents to help redevelop the community.<\/p>\n

\"Residents<\/a>
Residents restoring garden at new entrance to Vila Aut\u00f3dromo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201c[Vila Aut\u00f3dromo] is a very resilient community: they protest<\/a>, they want to stay, and they know their rights,” said Diana Bogado, a professor at Anhanguera and the director of the Community Extension Project. “Urban policy [in Rio] is an elitist policy, a policy that creates segregation<\/a> and serves only the interests of real estate development<\/a>. In reality, this eviction<\/a>\u00a0violates human rights.”<\/p>\n

When asked on numerous occasions about the future of Vila Aut\u00f3dromo, Paes has been cagey in his responses, leaving residents like Concei\u00e7\u00e3o paralyzed with uncertainty. Like the other 40-50 families\u00a0who refuse to leave, Concei\u00e7\u00e3o is waiting for Paes to respond to the proposed People\u2019s Plan<\/a>, an award winning<\/a>\u00a0community development proposal that ensures\u00a0Vila Aut\u00f3dromo’s future.<\/p>\n

\"PET<\/a>
PET planters<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cWe are in this struggle because the city promised us that they would remove only a part of the community. They weren\u2019t going to remove everyone. They prepared a project, but they never presented it,” said Concei\u00e7\u00e3o. “But if the city has developed a plan for the people who don\u2019t want to leave, how come they haven\u2019t presented it?\u201d<\/p>\n

In the absence of a definitive plan making good on their right to remain by the city government, residents are continuing to resist removal and invest in their community. As well as revitalizing the playground space, residents have reformed the entrance to the community<\/a> with a new sign and plants. The community is currently planning its second #OcupaVilaAut\u00f3dromo cultural festival<\/a> to be held on Saturday November 28 featuring music, cinema, exhibitions, food and drinks.<\/p>\n

\"After<\/a>\u00a0