{"id":33799,"date":"2016-11-28T12:59:07","date_gmt":"2016-11-28T15:59:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rioonwatch.org\/?p=33799"},"modified":"2016-12-19T10:36:45","modified_gmt":"2016-12-19T13:36:45","slug":"port-region-residents-suffer-with-ongoing-light-rail-construction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/?p=33799","title":{"rendered":"Port Region Residents Suffer with Ceaseless Light Rail Construction #OlympicLegacyWatch"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

In 2013, construction for the Ve\u00edculo Leve Sobre Trilhos (VLT) or Light Rail System<\/a>, led by Rio’s Port revitalization program,\u00a0Porto Maravilha\u2019s<\/a> (Marvelous Port) VLT Carioca Consortium<\/a>, began throughout Rio de Janeiro\u2019s Port<\/a> and downtown<\/a>\u00a0area, with the aim of promoting tourism and redeveloping the historic<\/a>, but neglected Port region<\/a>. Three years later, many of the six lines of the VLT\u00a0are still under construction, with only Line 1, which connects Rio\u2019s central bus station with Rio’s domestic airport Santos Dumont, in full operation. When construction for the VLT is completed it will cut through Rio\u2019s historic central neighborhoods of Gamboa, Sa\u00fade, Santo Cristo, and past the favelas Provid\u00eancia<\/a>, Pedra Lisa, Moreira Pinto, and S\u00e3o Diogo, and sections of S\u00e3o Cristov\u00e3o<\/a>, Centro, Caju<\/a>, and Cidade Nova<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Although the first main line of the VLT has now been completed, much is still under construction, specifically within the neighborhood of Gamboa, home to the most residents in the region. Priority was given to the completion of the VLT Line 1, as it passes through the newly renovated Olympic Boulevard and past the\u00a0Museum of Tomorrow<\/a>\u00a0and stops\u00a0by Rio’s Municipal Theater in Cinel\u00e2ndia<\/a>. The lines passing\u00a0through the historically black neighborhood <\/a>of Gamboa, past the New Blacks Cemetery<\/a>\u00a0where over 30,000 slaves were buried and Rio\u2019s Little Africa<\/a>,\u00a0are left under construction.<\/p>\n

With constant delays and minimal communication from the government, the residents of Santo Cristo, Gamboa, and Sa\u00fade have endured living within the chaotic, dangerous, and dirty VLT construction site, which has both severely constricted their mobility, businesses and livelihood within the neighborhood for the past three years.<\/p>\n

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

T<\/b>he funding and management of the VLT<\/strong><\/h3>\n

When looking at the amount of government spending that went into the Porto Maravilha redevelopment project and specifically the VLT Carioca Consortium, the lack of value given to the improvement of the region\u2019s schools, hospitals, historic buildings, and housing is apparent.<\/p>\n

In 2009, the Porto Maravilha\u00a0project was launched\u00a0by the city of Rio de Janeiro, promoted as an opportunity to finally redevelop the long neglected\u00a0Port Region. The project called for using private investments to finance the redevelopment project to minimize government spending through the use of public-private partnerships (PPP)<\/a>, making this the first PPP within the city of Rio de Janeiro, as well as the largest PPP ever to be passed in the country.<\/p>\n

Before the activation of this project, the redevelopment of the area had been focused on affordable and participatory housing plans, through the Ministry of Cities. Although conversations and plans emphasizing the importance of social housing and infrastructural investments had been in the works amongst policy agents since the 1980s, the launch\u00a0of the Porto Maravilha redevelopment project resulted in\u00a0movement away from that emphasis of social inclusion and instead marked a movement towards the privatization of this area. With the project’s launch, the focus of redevelopment was shifted towards PPPs, real estate speculation<\/a>\u00a0and tourism<\/a>, and the control of development was put into the hands of CDURP<\/a>,\u00a0a legacy planning agency headed by a former real estate developer, and the private companies involved.<\/p>\n

The privatization of the port area is apparent to the president of the\u00a0Gamboa Neighborhood Association<\/a>, Eduardo Souza: \u201cToday we\u00a0know the situation is that privatization is valued more than residents.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

The PPP responsible for the construction and management of the VLT was signed in June 2013<\/a>\u00a0establishing a partnership between the Rio de Janeiro city government and the VLT Carioca Consortium.<\/p>\n

The VLT Carioca Consortium is composed of the Grupo CCR<\/a>, Invepar<\/a>, Odebrecht TransPort<\/a>, RioPar<\/a>, Benito Roggio Transporte<\/a> and RATP Dev Brasil<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Although the PPP behind the Porto Maravilha and the VLT Carioca Consortium was advertised as a way for the government to be able to spend less money on infrastructure projects, Mariana Werneck, researcher at the Metropoles Observatory, in her study titled “Porto Maravilha: Agents, Power Coalitions and Neoliberalization<\/a>,\u201d asserts that the government actually ended up investing more money into the PPPs than the private companies themselves, contrary to the City’s\u00a0rhetoric<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Werneck asserts\u00a0that the actual amount of government spending in the VLT project has not be accurately disclosed by the City. Although the Public Policies Plan<\/a>\u00a0of the 2016 Olympic Legacy Plan–created by the municipal, state, and federal government together with the Public Olympic Authority (APO) and the Rio 2016 Committee–reports contributing R$532 million through the PAC Mobility Program, the Public Policies Plan did not include the amount spent by the Rio city government. In the VLT Carioca Consortium contract it is written that the City\u00a0will pay R$1.6 billion to the private companies that make up the VLT Carioca Consortium for 25 years following the completion of the project.<\/p>\n

The government advertises that 42.6% of the funds in the PPP\u00a0come from the public and that 57.4% comes from private participation, however Werneck argues that actually 63.19% comes from public funds and only 36.81% comes from private companies.\u00a0The PPP contract authorized the VLT also has a clause that protects the private company<\/a>\u00a0so that in the event\u00a0they do not meet their monthly revenues the city of Rio is subject to pay the difference in losses for 25 years. Essentially, Werneck’s research shows that there are a group\u00a0of private companies operating without any financial risk or regulations and without obligation to improve the life of residents in the region.<\/p>\n

Eduardo Souza\u00a0expressed that what the community really needs is\u00a0investments from the government in education<\/a>, housing<\/a>, health<\/a>\u00a0and the restoration of historic sites<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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

VLT impacts on residents’ lives<\/strong><\/h3>\n

To make way for the construction and implementation of the VLT, many bus lines were cut. For the past three years, residents have been forced to navigate the construction sites and lack of bus lines to get to work, school, or the homes\u00a0of their friends and families. An increase in mode options has not yielded increases in\u00a0mobility<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Eduardo Souza stated: \u201cWe have a great difficulty with transportation<\/a> in the neighborhood. The removal of various bus lines<\/a> in expectation\u00a0of the VLT\u2026 A\u00a0lot of people [in the city] have been\u00a0connected the Olympic Boulevard, to Pra\u00e7a Mau\u00e1, but within\u00a0the neighborhood residents still do not have [the mobility the government] promised.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maria Jos\u00e9 has lived in Gamboa for\u00a0six years after moving from Bahia to Rio de Janeiro in search of work. She said: \u201cBefore this project the bus passed here. It was a direct bus. It was fast. Now, there are\u00a0no buses\u2026 [The VLT] currently does not have any benefits.\u201d Maria also said that\u00a0even once all the lines of the VLT are running she probably will not use it, as it is a slow form of transportation.<\/p>\n

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

Around\u00a028 bus lines that provided the residents of the Port Region with access to the South Zone<\/a>\u00a0and North Zone<\/a>\u00a0were cut\u00a0and 21 lines were shortened to allow\u00a0for the construction of the VLT. In Gamboa, five lines were removed to make way for the construction<\/a>, so now residents have to walk through the Jo\u00e3o Ricardo Tunnel<\/a>, which is often unsafe, in order to access transport\u00a0out of the Port Zone. A resident expressed that while bus lines 010 and 011 pass through Gamboa they only run\u00a0until 7pm.<\/p>\n

Another barrier to transportation access in the region was the removal of the Perimetral Highway, demolished in 2013<\/a>\u00a0to clear the view of the Guanabara Bay, to be replaced with two tunnels and an expressway. The expressway and tunnel starting on Rua Rodrigues Alves has been open since July 2016. But while the Perimetral Highway was an important bus route accessible throughout the Port Region, the tunnel and expressway is inaccessible for the area’s residents.<\/p>\n

Additionally, in order to make room for the construction of the VLT hundreds of very old trees that provided shade for pedestrians were cut down.<\/p>\n

For many of those living in Santo Cristo, Gamboa and Sa\u00fade, the doors to their homes and businesses open directly into the tubing, trenches and dirt of the construction site. Residents complain that during heavy rains the construction trenches fill with water which allows mosquitos to breed and enter their homes. One resident mentioned that everyone in his family had Zika<\/a>\u00a0because of the increase in mosquitos as a result of the water sitting on the construction site. Maria Jos\u00e9 reported that\u00a0people are impeded from\u00a0leaving their houses as the streets flood with water. She stated that every time it has rained her house has flooded.<\/p>\n

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

Finally, the overall practicality of the VLT<\/a>\u00a0as a transport solution for residents is questioned. Many residents say that the infrequency of trains (each one only passing every 15 minutes or more) and the slow speed do not make it an efficient form of transportation.<\/p>\n

Local\u00a0economy affected by the VLT<\/h3>\n

Construction and implementation of the VLT has not only made it difficult for residents to get around, but has had negative impacts on small local businesses and the informal street vending economy in the region.<\/p>\n

One resident and store owner along the line through Gamboa spoke of how the area has changed since construction began in 2013. \u201cNo cars pass, there’s only construction. It is difficult for us. There are a lot of merchants here and unfortunately the government\u00a0does not pay attention to us.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

One business\u00a0owner who has lived above and managed a restaurant for over twenty years stated that since the construction started the amount of business has greatly declined. \u201cUnfortunately no one is left. Before the start of this construction, I sold 100 meals per day, today I sell one, when I sell one\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Many small restaurants and businesses in Gamboa have had to close<\/a> because the three years of work have greatly restricted the flow of pedestrians and completely halted the flow of cars that used to bring customers. One resident pointed to a bar on the corner of Pedro Ernesto Street and said:\u00a0\u201cThe man there is over\u00a050 years old. He is closing his bar because there aren\u2019t conditions to sell food.\u201d<\/p>\n

Francisco Dutra is the owner of the Tia Pretinha convenience store, located just around the corner from the start of the VLT Line at the bus station\u00a0and is a resident of the Novo Ecuador Community Occupation in Santo Cristo, located along the line of the VLT. He stated: \u201cBefore, the taxi point was here, so people were buying from us. There were\u00a0daily customers who took\u00a0everything from here, and from there it got worse.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

The changes in the flow of traffic, as well as the construction site have made it difficult for street vendors<\/a> to conduct their business in order to survive. Locia, 64, from Nova Igua\u00e7u<\/a> relies on selling floor matts to people driving through Santo Cristo for a living. She said\u00a0that since fewer cars are passing through the area she has had less business. Commenting on the construction of the VLT she stated: \u201cIt is good, but for who depends\u2026 For the street vender who depends on living off of the street, it’s over. I used to have a stall\u00a0there on the corner where I sold food. And now I don\u2019t. I earned little, but now my income is even less. For me, who works here, it got worse.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maria Jos\u00e9 explained how buses used to stop at the Pra\u00e7a da Harmonia, a historic square\u00a0where community members gather. A street vendor of food and beverages, she used to sell most\u00a0of her goods at\u00a0the bus stop, but since the construction of the VLT started and the bus lines were cut, she has not been able to successfully sell\u00a0there anymore.<\/p>\n

Maria Jos\u00e9\u00a0also expressed her frustration with the changes in the region. She stated that the Pra\u00e7a Mau\u00e1 area surrounding\u00a0the Museum of Tomorrow, one of the major attractions along the VLT line, frequently hosts public events, however the city has cracked down on informal street venders. More people frequent the area, but street vendors in the area cannot\u00a0access these potential customers.\u00a0In the Popular Committee on\u00a0the World Cup and Olympic Games<\/a>‘ dossier \u201cRio 2016: The Exclusion Games<\/a>,\u201d one of the major human rights violations outlined was the repression of the informal economy through 2016 Rio Olympic legacy projects, such as the Porto Maravilha project.<\/p>\n

It is unclear when the works of the VLT will be completed, if ever. But\u00a0the positive impacts\u00a0for low-income\u00a0residents of the Port Region are highly questionable. \u201cIt only got better for tourists, but for those who live here it is a horror,\u201d said Locia. Although many residents expressed hope for the changes the VLT could bring to the area once completed, the construction and developments so far\u00a0have had a largely negative impact on those living\u00a0in the region, giving highest priority to real estate development, private entities, venues, formal vendors, and tourists.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Clique aqui para Portugu\u00eas In 2013, construction for the Ve\u00edculo Leve Sobre Trilhos (VLT) or Light Rail System, led by Rio’s Port revitalization program,\u00a0Porto Maravilha\u2019s (Marvelous Port) VLT Carioca Consortium, began throughout Rio de Janeiro\u2019s […]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":108,"featured_media":34020,"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":[1267,1854,2315,1736,1288,1869,336,1329],"tags":[750,1261,190,109,427,738,1298,203,327,1870,673,545,148,146,703,409,149,1938,1402,957,200,1099],"writer":[1999],"translator":[],"illustrator":[],"photographer":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-33799","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-gentrificationwatch","8":"category-housingwatch","9":"category-legacywatch","10":"category-1736","11":"category-highlight","12":"category-transit","13":"category-violations","14":"category-by-international-observers","15":"tag-access","16":"tag-central-rio","17":"tag-comite-popular","18":"tag-community-business","19":"tag-economy","20":"tag-gamboa","21":"tag-green-space","22":"tag-inequality","23":"tag-legacy-myth","24":"tag-light-rail","25":"tag-misplaced-public-priorities","26":"tag-mobility","27":"tag-port-region","28":"tag-porto-maravilha","29":"tag-private-sector","30":"tag-public-transportation","31":"tag-public-private-partnership","32":"tag-rio-2016","33":"tag-legacy","34":"tag-street-vendors","35":"tag-transportation","36":"tag-trees","37":"writer-mariah-barber"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33799","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\/108"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=33799"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33799\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/34020"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=33799"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=33799"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=33799"},{"taxonomy":"writer","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fwriter&post=33799"},{"taxonomy":"translator","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftranslator&post=33799"},{"taxonomy":"illustrator","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fillustrator&post=33799"},{"taxonomy":"photographer","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fphotographer&post=33799"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}