{"id":83651,"date":"2026-06-30T10:58:30","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T13:58:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/?p=83651"},"modified":"2026-07-03T11:06:07","modified_gmt":"2026-07-03T14:06:07","slug":"10-years-later-rio-de-janeiro-2016-olympics-served-to-consolidate-speculative-plan-rejected-by-pioneering-brazilian-urban-planner-lucio-costa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/?p=83651","title":{"rendered":"10 Years Later: Rio 2016 Olympics Served to Consolidate Speculative Plan Rejected by Pioneering Brazilian Urban Planner L\u00facio Costa"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Ilha<\/a>
Ilha Pura condominium. Photo: Rio de Janeiro City Government<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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

This article is part of our series reflecting on the impacts of mega-events on Rio de Janeiro\u00a010 years after the 2016 Olympic Games<\/a>. It is part of a series of reports and interviews produced in partnership between RioOnWatch and Grupo CASA: Social Studies on Housing and the City<\/a>, based at the Institute of Social and Political Studies at the State University of Rio de Janeiro (IESP<\/a>\u2013UERJ<\/a>), comprising their university extension program and launching IESP effort to share results of the academic research conducted by members of Grupo CASA with a broad audience. Through this collaboration, the group hopes to build an archive that will enable it to continue critically monitoring the implementation of public policies in the Rio de Janeiro metropolitan area.<\/em><\/p>\n

The new Barra Ol\u00edmpica<\/a> neighborhood was officially inaugurated by the Rio de Janeiro city government in 2024<\/a>, carved out of portions of the Curicica<\/a>, Camorim<\/a> and Barra da Tijuca<\/a> neighborhoods. As its name suggests, “Olympic Barra” in English, the region’s recent redevelopment is closely tied to the 2016 Olympic Games<\/a>, when major infrastructure projects were carried out in preparation for the mega-event<\/a>. Among them was the Ilha Pura<\/a> condominium, a 31-building complex that was put on the market after serving as housing for athletes<\/a> during the Olympics.<\/p>\n

\"Map<\/a>
Map showing the areas that were carved out of Curicica, Camorim and Barra da Tijuca to form the new Barra Ol\u00edmpica neighborhood in 2024. Source: Google Earth<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We discussed what happened in Barra Ol\u00edmpica 10 years after the Olympics with Lilian Amaral de Sampaio, author of the doctoral dissertation in geography An Analysis of the Real Estate Sector\u2019s Role in Shaping the Metropolitan Landscape in the Jacarepagu\u00e1 Lowlands: The Case of Barra Ol\u00edmpica<\/a><\/em>, defended at Rio\u2019s Pontifical Catholic University (PUC-Rio<\/a>) in 2024. The author, who was also a researcher for the documentary ‘The Conquest of the West<\/a>,’ describes the neighborhood’s development as a \u201clocal-scale urban phenomenon that is part of a global process that guides<\/a> the production of space in the contemporary metropolis.\u201d She also explains how capitalist interests relate to the dynamics of new developments in the region.<\/p>\n

\"Ilha<\/a>
Ilha Pura during construction. Photo: Mariana Cavalcanti<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Barra and Carvalho Hosken<\/h3>\n

De Sampaio recalls that the development of the neighborhoods of Barra da Tijuca and Jacarepagu\u00e1<\/a> was initially guided by the L\u00facio Costa Plan<\/a>, launched in 1969 and named after L\u00facio Costa, Brazil’s pioneering architect and urban planner who designed the original proposal. \u201cThe plan was to move the city\u2019s administrative headquarters to where is now the Centro Metropolitano<\/a>. The architect laid out the first roads, mapped the area and kept the edges of the lagoons and the beachfront free of buildings.\u201d According to her, the real estate market gradually eroded these aspects of landscape preservation that were fundamental to the project: \u201cIn the end, the conflict was so intense that L\u00facio Costa withdrew from the project and renounced authorship of the Barra project.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to de Sampaio, the development of Barra da Tijuca is inextricably linked<\/a> to the history of construction company Carvalho Hosken, which owned much of the land<\/a> that would eventually become Barra da Tijuca. Based on extensive oral history interviews conducted between 2014 and 2015 with the company’s founder, Carlos Carvalho<\/a>, she says the developer acknowledged that the land had been deliberately left vacant for years in anticipation of the area’s appreciation.<\/p>\n

What is now called Barra Ol\u00edmpica became more attractive to the real estate market [in the lead-up to the 2016 Olympics] when the relaxation of urban planning and building regulations began permitting commercial uses. De Sampaio explains: \u201cThis land was disputed because the trend had been for [low-to-middle-income] Jacarepagu\u00e1 to expand toward [upscale] Barra. Carlos Carvalho [however] wanted Barra da Tijuca to grow<\/a> in the opposite direction [pushing north toward Jacarepagu\u00e1], so he held onto this land for 50 years until he found the right moment<\/a> to sell it, a moment that was made possible by the City government [freeing up regulations and centering Olympic construction there].\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Demolition<\/a>
Demolition of Vila Uni\u00e3o de Curicica to make way for the TransOl\u00edmpica BRT in 2015. Photo: Samantha Gifalli<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The time came when the 2016 Olympics brought vast sums in investment through Public-Private Partnerships (PPP<\/a>s) to carry out infrastructure works aimed at adapting the urban space for the mega-event. Among the infrastructure changes in Barra da Tijuca were the construction of the TransOl\u00edmpica<\/a> and TransCarioca<\/a> Bus Rapid Transit (BRT<\/a>) corridors, the Olympic Park and Ilha Pura<\/a>. De Sampaio also explains how preparations for the Olympics transformed the region: \u201cThis area then received a boost because of the Olympics. All of this land that was bought in the 1970s and kept in reserve for nearly 50 years,<\/a> until the Olympics, the opening of the Linha Amarela<\/a> expressway, the BRTs and all the public works carried out there by the municipal government\u2026 became a viable residential area for the type of [upscale] residents Carvalho Hosken intended to attract. That area is a transition zone between Barra da Tijuca and Jacarepagu\u00e1.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"BRT<\/a>
BRT infrastructure in Barra da Tijuca. Photo: M\u00e1rio Roberto Dur\u00e1n Ortiz, Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

De Sampaio explains that the complex was built on a large plot of land in an area that initially lacked much infrastructure. \u201cThirty-one buildings of around 20 storeys each were built to house athletes during the Olympics. Afterwards, the plan was to put the complex on the market.\u201d According to de Sampaio, sales of the condominium \u201cran aground.\u201d Carvalho Hosken tried to release the buildings slowly, but without the success it had hoped for. For a long time, only three buildings were occupied, and the vacant condominium was used as a filming location for the first season of the Globoplay<\/em> series ‘The Others<\/a>.’<\/p>\n

\"In<\/a>
In 2018, Ilha Pura was still empty. Photo: Mariana Cavalcanti<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

De Sampaio reports that the situation at Ilha Pura remained unchanged throughout the research for her thesis. However, in late 2024, BTG Pactual<\/a>, Latin America’s largest investment bank, bought Ilha Pura, doubled down, and has been launching units at prices far higher than those charged during Carvalho Hosken’s tenure.<\/p>\n

\"Ilha<\/a>
Ilha Pura. Photo: Carvalho Hosken<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Privatization and Segregation<\/h3>\n

This recent turnaround in Ilha Pura’s long-standing failure reinforces a trend toward the region’s privatization. Public works that would have benefited the broader public, such as the cleanup of the lagoons, never materialized<\/a>. According to de Sampaio, 60% of the Olympic Park was privatized by Carvalho Hosken, including its lighting and public signage. She also notes that Carvalho Hosken participated in the improvements to Abelardo Bueno Avenue.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
Ruins in Vila Aut\u00f3dromo, 2015. Photo: Ava Hoffman<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Recalling the forced evictions of Vila Uni\u00e3o de Curicica<\/a> and Vila Aut\u00f3dromo<\/a>, de Sampaio argues that segregation in the region intensified after the Olympics and continues to deepen today. \u201cThe favelas were not upgraded, though their streets were paved\u2026 just a cosmetic fix,\u201d she says ironically. \u201cFinancial capital has taken on a greater role than it once did.\u201d The result is an increasingly privatized and segregated city.<\/p>\n

\"Ten<\/a>
Ten years ago, at the close of the 2016 Rio Olympics, we published the article<\/a> ‘Asa Branca Wins the Gold! Is a Rio Favela Greener Than the LEED-Certified Olympic Village?’, featuring a study comparing the environmental sustainability of Ilha Pura\u2014a new residential development built to house Olympic athletes\u2014with the nearby Asa Branca favela, both of which would be home to roughly the same number of residents. The study concluded that, despite Ilha Pura having received an international LEED-ND sustainability award, Asa Branca came out ahead.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n

Support\u00a0RioOnWatch\u2019s tireless, critical and cutting-edge hyperlocal journalism, online community organizing meetings, and direct support to favelas\u00a0by clicking here<\/a>.<\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Clique aqui para Portugu\u00eas This article is part of our series reflecting on the impacts of mega-events on Rio de Janeiro\u00a010 years after the 2016 Olympic Games. It is part of a series of reports […]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":245,"featured_media":83652,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-full.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2315,1736,1282,336,1329],"tags":[346,2362,225,3852,606,581,11,65,1452,755,569,1259,5,141,149,10,740,1402,3849,81,591,651,741,592],"writer":[3900],"translator":[3902],"illustrator":[],"photographer":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-83651","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-legacywatch","8":"category-1736","9":"category-research-analysis","10":"category-violations","11":"category-by-international-observers","12":"tag-alto-camorim","13":"tag-asphalt-obsession","14":"tag-barra-da-tijuca","15":"tag-barra-olimpica","16":"tag-brt","17":"tag-curicica","18":"tag-forced-evictions","19":"tag-gentrification","20":"tag-ilha-pura","21":"tag-infrastructure","22":"tag-jacarepagua","23":"tag-mega-events","24":"tag-olympics","25":"tag-privatization","26":"tag-public-private-partnership","27":"tag-real-estate-speculation","28":"tag-research-findings","29":"tag-legacy","30":"tag-southwest-zone","31":"tag-transcarioca","32":"tag-transolimpica","33":"tag-uerj","34":"tag-vila-olimpica","35":"tag-vila-uniao-de-curicica","36":"writer-alice-moraes","37":"translator-dani-scott"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83651","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\/245"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=83651"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83651\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":83714,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83651\/revisions\/83714"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/83652"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=83651"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=83651"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=83651"},{"taxonomy":"writer","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fwriter&post=83651"},{"taxonomy":"translator","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftranslator&post=83651"},{"taxonomy":"illustrator","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fillustrator&post=83651"},{"taxonomy":"photographer","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fphotographer&post=83651"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}