the favela.

Preliminary research indicated that there are positive aspects of favelas that have been difficult to reproduce in new housing projects. Without secure land tenure many residents living in favelas are at risk of displacement. Then there are numerous favelas situated in areas of environmental risk. For example, Santa Marta, located on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro, sits precariously on mountainous landscape, whilst people residing in Doquinhas in Pelotas are at risk of flooding. However, new developments to rehouse these residents are often poorly designed tower blocks that fail to offer the same qualities found in the self-built favelas.

 

Although life in favelas is not easy with safety, security and health problems this project focuses on drawing out the positive aspects and combining them with urban design principles studied at Oxford Brookes University in order to produce urban design recommendations for developers in Brazil planning new neighbourhoods to rehouse communities.

 

In wake of the 2014 Brazil World Cup and with the Rio Olympics commencing in 2016, the matter of demolishing favelas and displacing communities to rehouse them is current, and therefore recommendations from this project could provide a cross-cultural insight into good place making for these residents in the coming years.

 

This project is based on original photographic research carried out in Rocinha in Rio de Janeiro.