{"id":33036,"date":"2016-11-22T09:49:53","date_gmt":"2016-11-22T12:49:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rioonwatch.org\/?p=33036"},"modified":"2018-01-15T13:10:28","modified_gmt":"2018-01-15T16:10:28","slug":"housing-policy-lessons-from-rios-favelas-part-4-public-housing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/?p=33036","title":{"rendered":"Housing Policy Lessons from Rio’s Favelas Part 4: Public Housing"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

This is the fourth\u00a0in a five-part series titled Housing Policy Lessons from Rio\u2019s Favelas<\/a>. We hope this series will inform debates on housing and favela upgrading and that Rio\u2019s new\u00a0mayor, Marcelo Crivella, will design policies that address the challenges favelas face while recognizing and strengthening their attributes, by actively engaging with residents in policy design and implementation.<\/em><\/p>\n

Lesson 8: Existing public housing<\/strong>\u00a0programs are not well-designed and maintained to meet housing needs, including accessible costs<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n

\u201cOn the one hand, Minha Casa Minha Vida is OK\u2013the apartments and giving people their own homes. People will have their first regularized home, that is to say, if you live in a favela where you don\u2019t have a property title, you will have it there. People need a decent house that is near transport. However, the housing\u00a0units are very distant.\u201d \u2013 Cabritos<\/a>, South Zone<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Launched in 2009,\u00a0Minha Casa Minha Vida<\/a>\u00a0(MCMV) represents the first large-scale public housing construction\u00a0by Brazil’s federal government, aimed to dramatically shrink\u00a0the nation’s housing deficit. Unfortunately the\u00a0program’s execution has been highly problematic<\/a>. Though not a scientific sample,\u00a0only 10% of\u00a0residents interviewed for this series supported\u00a0the execution of Minha Casa Minha Vida in Rio<\/a>, and 20% were unsure. The bulk, 70%, were unhappy with the housing being offered through the program.<\/p>\n

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\u201c[MCMV] offered housing that Brazil didn\u2019t have for 20 years. There was a huge housing deficit in Brazil. It allowed the city governments to attend to the housing demand with speed. There have been a lot of housing programs recently that were very slow and the outcome was late. However, this program adjusts itself to the manner of the traditional sector that built housing. That is to say, the [construction industry] adapted less to the program and the program adapted more to it.\u201d \u2013 Rio de Janeiro Federal University\u2019s Institute of Urban and Regional Planning Research (UFRJ\/IPPUR)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Ultimately, Minha Casa Minha Vida was launched as much to boost the nation’s construction sector<\/a> as it was to provide public\u00a0housing, establishing mixed incentives which have affected the quality of its roll-out until today.<\/p>\n

A\u00a0major problem with the program\u2019s execution in Rio de Janeiro is that a significant portion\u00a0of MCMV units have been\u00a0delivered to people\u00a0evicted from their homes<\/a>, often from functional favela housing. Since\u00a0the\u00a0intent of the policy was to provide housing to those in need<\/i> of homes, those units are not reducing the\u00a0housing deficit and are instead\u00a0justifying\u00a0further removals in the city<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Minha<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cThe apartments are tiny\u00a0and needy families are large. Normally it is one person, a mom, with maybe three kids. These apartments are horrible. They are distant and the worst. I think the idea might be nice, marvelous even, because they do, in fact, need homes. However, I don\u2019t think this answers the problem. You have to understand these apartments are for people and for families.\u201d \u2013 Cabritos, South Zone<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Further, within the West Zone of the city<\/a>, there is a large problem with armed militia groups taking over MCMV condominiums<\/a>\u00a0and acting as a de facto law enforcement force. The militias extort residents and use intimidation as a tool of opression.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThey are places that have little security, little structure, and it is only a house. They don\u2019t bring infrastructure, basic sanitation or security. Many of these MCMV homes are occupied by militia and the police don\u2019t do anything, the government doesn\u2019t do anything and still knows what is happening. Those places are a land without law.\u201d \u2013 Cabritos, South Zone<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Public\u00a0housing built under another program, the Growth Acceleration Program (PAC)<\/a>, in Rocinha<\/a>, however, shows how housing\u00a0policy can be used as a way to integrate public housing into the community. This development, which includes public spaces and which is\u00a0integrated into the fabric of the favela, was built in response to the high tuberculosis rates<\/a>\u00a0on\u00a0Rua 4<\/a>. The same\u00a0residents living in this unhealthy zone were those relocated to the new public housing\u00a0designed to address those public health issues on the same site. Since most of the residents were able to stay in the same community or nearby, the public housing fulfilled its mandate. However, even in this positive example of public housing<\/a>, residents were already experiencing maintenance and structural issues within the homes soon after construction.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Living in a favela is different than living in an apartment. The rules are different.\u201d \u2013 Complexo do Alem\u00e3o<\/a>, North Zone<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The MCMV condominiums in\u00a0Triagem<\/a>\u00a0are\u00a0an\u00a0example of public housing created in a relatively central location with access to transit. Close to the train and metro stations and the city center, the\u00a0Triagem\u00a0units show how public housing can be woven into the fabric of the city. However, the 2,240 apartments represent just a tiny fraction of MCMV apartment units in Rio. They are the exception, not the rule.<\/p>\n

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\u201c[MCMV] homes are built in places that are really far away and wouldn\u2019t be worth it because our lives here are in the South Zone. To go to a place really far away would be a problem. It would mean\u00a0maybe six hours per day in transit and we don\u2019t want that. It is one of the main reasons we are still in Rocinha.\u201d \u2013 Rocinha, South Zone<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\"Parque<\/a><\/p>\n

The problem of execution plagues all MCMV complexes, for example\u00a0Parque Carioca<\/a>, the complex where many Vila Aut\u00f3dromo<\/a>\u00a0residents were relocated. The City branded Parque Carioca as an optimal public housing complex<\/a> complete with a pool and happy residents. But when our team returned in 2016 to talk with residents<\/a> about their experiences, what we found contradicted much of the city\u2019s statements.\u00a0Residents were upset with an extreme lack of shade, segregated and closed off lots, broken playground and leisure equipment, slowly deteriorating buildings and lack of functional public space. Residents felt like they lost the communal identity of their favela, replaced with a stark, cold apartment complex that does not foster well-being.<\/p>\n

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\u201cMCMV today in Rio de Janeiro functions through the fact of the people that are being displaced from Vila Aut\u00f3dromo and such. MCMV was meant to be\u00a0for people that don\u2019t have a home. Today it is being given to those who have homes. This is a huge error for MCMV; it is being used for evictions.\u201d \u2013 Asa Branca<\/a>, West Zone<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Another example of public housing that has had negative results is the public housing built in Col\u00f4nia Juliano Moreira<\/a>\u00a0in the West Zone. Numerous apartment complexes have been built in this area given its relative proximity to transit and commerce hubs like Jacarepagu\u00e1<\/a>, Barra da Tijuca<\/a> and Taquara<\/a>. The experience of residents in Col\u00f4nia is mixed. Many are there because they were relocated from the communities like Vila Uni\u00e3o de Curicica<\/a> or Ipadu. Although some residents welcome the houses as a positive alternative to their precarious previous housing, there are residents that are angry with the\u00a0quality of the homes<\/a> and lack of infrastructure<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The most difficult aspect of these apartments is the cost. Although they were promised an \u201cexchange of keys\u201d for the apartments, the residents still do not have official documentation of ownership and are being pursued by the bank for a debt\u00a0of up to R$70,000<\/a>. Beyond this, residents must pay utility bills\u00a0that are unreasonably high and not adapted to the fact that the residents are in affordable housing.<\/p>\n

Lesson 9:\u00a0Quality public housing depends on a high degree of resident involvement and learning from favela architecture<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\"MCMV<\/a><\/p>\n

There are significant problems with the physical design of the MCMV units that could be fixed to keep the qualities of favelas<\/a> by prioritizing walkability, sociability<\/a>, connectivity and space for resident-owned\u00a0commercial activities. For example, in Col\u00f4nia, there are also affordable homes created through the Favela-Bairro program<\/a>. In contrast to the stark, pale, gated MCMV condominiums, they\u00a0are small, low-rise homes that resemble the low-rise favelas and encourage greater sociability. The MCMV units that are separated by large chain link fences have large parking lots and forbid commercial activities. The design did not contemplate integrating\u00a0positive aspects of favela design that support residents’ development.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe people who got [MCMV homes]\u00a0didn\u2019t need them. Those who rent were never able to get anything. This program is very, very, very poorly done.\u201d \u2013 City of God<\/a>, West Zone<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Minha Casa Minha Vida does have parts that are positive. Aside from being an important national policy supporting large-scale housing production, the portion dedicated to the Minha Casa Minha Vida-Entidades<\/a>\u00a0program is critical to allowing self-built homes. This portion of the program should be made larger. Currently only 5-7% of the funding is given to this type of construction..<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cMinha Casa Minha Vida produces peripheries. It builds\u00a0housing\u00a0in places without infrastructure and in my opinion this is a very negative aspect. A positive aspect that should be increased\u00a0is the component that\u00a0social movements lobbied for called Minha Casa Minha Vida-Entidades. With this you diminish the rules of the market a little and residents\u00a0have control over construction.\u201d \u2013 UFRJ\/IPPUR<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\n

Full Series:\u00a0Housing Policy Lessons from Rio\u2019s Favelas<\/a><\/em><\/h3>\n

Part 1: Construction and Community<\/a>
\nPart 2: Collective Action and Diverse Needs<\/a>
\nPart 3: Distrust, Gentrification and Titling<\/a>
\nPart 4: Public Housing<\/a>
\nPart 5: Proposing Solutions<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Clique aqui para Portugu\u00eas This is the fourth\u00a0in a five-part series titled Housing Policy Lessons from Rio\u2019s Favelas. We hope this series will inform debates on housing and favela upgrading and that Rio\u2019s new\u00a0mayor, Marcelo […]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":34105,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1293,1854,1668,1290,1271,335,1282,1329],"tags":[1720,27,231,609,32,187,11,282,1375,869,1071,989,157,37,851,821,210,12,2634,2268,156,800,21],"writer":[1732],"translator":[],"illustrator":[],"photographer":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-33036","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-evictionswatch","8":"category-housingwatch","9":"category-participationwatch","10":"category-civilsociety","11":"category-favelaqualities","12":"category-policies","13":"category-research-analysis","14":"category-by-international-observers","15":"tag-affordable-housing","16":"tag-asa-branca","17":"tag-city-of-god","18":"tag-colonia-juliano-moreira","19":"tag-complexo-do-alemao","20":"tag-favela-bairro","21":"tag-forced-evictions","22":"tag-housing","23":"tag-housing-deficit","24":"tag-lives-cannot-be-replaced-in-public-housing","25":"tag-minha-casa-minha-vida-entidades","26":"tag-morro-dos-cabritos","27":"tag-minha-casa-minha-vida","28":"tag-north-zone","29":"tag-parque-carioca","30":"tag-poor-quality-replacement-housing","31":"tag-public-housing","32":"tag-rocinha","33":"tag-series","34":"tag-series-housing-policy-lessons","35":"tag-south-zone","36":"tag-triagem","37":"tag-west-zone","38":"writer-david-robertson"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33036","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/84"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=33036"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33036\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/34105"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=33036"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=33036"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=33036"},{"taxonomy":"writer","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fwriter&post=33036"},{"taxonomy":"translator","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftranslator&post=33036"},{"taxonomy":"illustrator","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fillustrator&post=33036"},{"taxonomy":"photographer","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fphotographer&post=33036"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}