{"id":60497,"date":"2020-07-13T10:42:37","date_gmt":"2020-07-13T13:42:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rioonwatch.org\/?p=60497"},"modified":"2020-07-25T15:16:36","modified_gmt":"2020-07-25T18:16:36","slug":"urbanists-discuss-coronavirus-and-cities-in-brazil-reflections-during-the-pandemic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/?p=60497","title":{"rendered":"Urbanists Discuss ‘Coronavirus and Cities in Brazil: Reflections During the Pandemic’"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

This is our latest article on Covid-19 as it impacts Rio de Janeiro\u2019s favelas<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

On July 1, contributors to the book Coronavirus and Cities in Brazil: Reflections During the Pandemic<\/em><\/a> hosted a live conversation on YouTube about the virus\u2019 urban impacts. The book unites 33 short essays by architects, urbanists, economists, historians and engineers who reflect on topics ranging from the widespread difficulty of carrying out home isolation, to the realities of evictions and domestic violence. At the online discussion, the panelists argued for changes in Brazilian cities such as participatory policymaking<\/a> and democratic renewal.<\/p>\n

Amid the pandemic<\/a>, they pointed out that poorer, politically under-represented neighborhoods<\/a>\u2014many home to primarily Afro-Brazilian populations\u2014not only have to deal with the risk of a deadly virus, but also with issues like forced evictions<\/a> and state violence<\/a>. The path forward, the panelists argued, involved increasing representation<\/a> for and public funding going toward those neighborhoods.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn order to recover our democracy, we have to work in the cities, in the neighborhoods, in the schools,\u201d said Erminia Maricato, former S\u00e3o Paulo<\/a> Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and former Executive Secretary of the now-defunct Ministry of Cities<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The panel was moderated by Leila Marques, one of the book\u2019s organizers, former director of the staff association of the Federal Center of Technological Education of Rio de Janeiro (Centro Federal de Educa\u00e7\u00e3o Tecnol\u00f3gica, Cefet<\/a>) and advisor to the Rio de Janeiro Council of Architecture and Urbanism (Conselho de Arquitetura e Urbanismo do Rio de Janeiro, CAU\/RJ). The speakers included F\u00e1bio Bruno de Oliveira, researcher at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ<\/a>) and former Superintendent of Urban Management for the municipality of Nova Igua\u00e7u<\/a> in the greater Rio metropolitan area<\/a>; Regina Bienenstein, architecture and urbanism professor and coordinator of the Nucleus of Studies on Urban and Housing Projects (N\u00facleo de Estudos e Projetos Habitacionais e Urbanos) at the Fluminense Federal University (UFF<\/a>); and Erminia Maricato, retired professor at the University of S\u00e3o Paulo (USP), former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development of the City of S\u00e3o Paulo, and former Executive Secretary of the Ministry of Cities, a federal cabinet-level position.<\/p>\n

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

The tone of the discussion was grave, as panelists acknowledged that the health crisis also comes amidst a political and economic crisis<\/a> in Brazil. Furthermore, the World Health Organization\u2019s<\/a> social distancing guidelines are impossible to maintain in many high-density parts of Brazilian cities. To Bienenstein, the behavior of Brazil\u2019s executive branch, which is denying the severity of the coronavirus<\/a> as it inflames misinformation and disparaging sentiment about the political opposition and the press, amounts to a \u201cgenocidal political crisis<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

In response to this, initiatives at the city level can be powerful focal points for reform, said Maricato, who said her optimism comes from an active network of urbanists and engaged citizens called BrCidades<\/a>. \u201cToday, in the WhatsApp group of the network, various people commented, \u2018This network is an oasis.\u2019\u201d BrCidades focuses on work toward social justice and environmental sustainability<\/a> in cities. The group\u2019s momentum brings Maricato joy, she said\u2014it shows \u201cthere is a lot happening in Brazil.\u201d<\/p>\n

The crisis can be an opportunity for change, said Bruno de Oliveira, who echoed the sentiment that cities can be a focal point: \u201cPandemics build cities.\u201d<\/p>\n

He argued for deep-reaching changes about who gets to determine how land is used in cities: \u201cThe issue of urban land is in the hands of construction companies and businessmen,\u201d he said, adding that their search to make a profit often conflicts with the well-being of those who live in the informal or peripheral city.<\/p>\n

\"Coronavirus<\/a>Bienenstein commented that the government of Rio mayor Marcelo Crivella<\/a> puts business interests over popular interests. Changing that paradigm will take intense political participation<\/a>, she said: \u201cThis transformation will only happen through the power of the people.\u201d Maricato, too, called for more democratic participation and integration of working class sectors into the political process in order to close the participation gap. She said that while Brazil has strong legislation on political participation, it is often not implemented.<\/p>\n

The panelists emphasized the importance of considering successful urban initiatives from other parts of the world as well as from Brazil. Bruno de Oliveira shared the concept of a \u201c15-minute city<\/a>,\u201d in which services were planned such that all residents could access everything they need\u2014schools, jobs, healthcare, and supermarkets\u2014within a 15-minute radius of their homes on foot, bike or public transportation. The idea has been implemented in places like Melbourne and Paris, and Bruno de Oliveira praised its ability to revitalize neighborhoods and decrease traffic.<\/p>\n

Maricato, meanwhile, praised participatory budgeting, which started in Brazil decades ago and has been implemented in some cities across the country, and investments in schools and nutrition, such as the Integrated Centers for Public Education (CIEPs<\/a>), which greatly strengthened public education in Rio de Janeiro and Brazil<\/a> during the 1980s and 1990s.<\/p>\n

Bienenstein and Maricato emphasized the importance of universities<\/a> in the transformations they seek: It \u201cisn\u2019t just for future professionals, but it is also training for residents and leaders. From there, it is a two-way street, it is teaching and learning,\u201d said Bienenstein.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, she said, universities play an important role in \u201cbacking popular movements. We have technical knowledge. We have to make this knowledge available to the most vulnerable groups.\u201d<\/p>\n

A final aspect that stood out to Maricato was the urgency of elections<\/a>. \u201cLet\u2019s elect people we trust. And let\u2019s defend democracy. It\u2019s fundamental.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Support our efforts to provide strategic assistance to Rio\u2019s favelas during the Covid-19 pandemic, including\u00a0<\/b>RioOnWatch<\/i><\/b>\u2019s tireless, critical and cutting-edge hyperlocal journalism, online community organizing meetings, and direct support to favelas\u00a0by clicking here<\/a><\/b>.<\/b><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Clique aqui para Portugu\u00eas This is our latest article on Covid-19 as it impacts Rio de Janeiro\u2019s favelas. On July 1, contributors to the book Coronavirus and Cities in Brazil: Reflections During the Pandemic hosted […]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":205,"featured_media":60500,"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":[3071,2242,1333,329],"tags":[29,3103,1114,1163,779,3068,479,397,1113,595,2622,2211,11,2979,3014,1197,203,2597,2225,996,122,476,594,2481,2656,406,3069,130,1403,268,471,2536,2323,398,995,3142],"writer":[3136],"translator":[],"illustrator":[],"photographer":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-60497","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-coronaviruswatch","8":"category-democracy","9":"category-event-reports","10":"category-solutions","11":"tag-architecture","12":"tag-bolsonaro-sabotages-covid-19-prevention","13":"tag-ciep","14":"tag-civil-society","15":"tag-community-leaders","16":"tag-coronavirus","17":"tag-democracy","18":"tag-education","19":"tag-educational-reform","20":"tag-elections","21":"tag-event","22":"tag-favela-representation-in-politics","23":"tag-forced-evictions","24":"tag-funding","25":"tag-genocide","26":"tag-greater-rio","27":"tag-inequality","28":"tag-jair-bolsonaro","29":"tag-marcelo-crivella","30":"tag-metropolitan-region","31":"tag-nova-iguacu","32":"tag-participatory-budgeting","33":"tag-participatory-democracy","34":"tag-police-violence","35":"tag-reform","36":"tag-sao-paulo","37":"tag-series-coronavirus-in-the-favelas","38":"tag-social-movements","39":"tag-solution","40":"tag-state-violence","41":"tag-sustainability","42":"tag-uff","43":"tag-ufrj","44":"tag-university","45":"tag-urban-well-being","46":"tag-who","47":"writer-thomas-maggiola"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60497","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\/205"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=60497"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60497\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/60500"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=60497"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=60497"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=60497"},{"taxonomy":"writer","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fwriter&post=60497"},{"taxonomy":"translator","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftranslator&post=60497"},{"taxonomy":"illustrator","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fillustrator&post=60497"},{"taxonomy":"photographer","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fphotographer&post=60497"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}