Redemocratization, Social Movements and the Urban Protection of Rio De Janeiro

Journal of Civil Engineering and Architecture 12 (2018) 694-705 D doi: 10.17265/1934-7359/2018.10.002 DAVID PUBLISHING Redemocratization, Social Movements and the Urban Protection of Rio de Janeiro Claudio Antonio Santos Lima Carlos Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRRJ), Seropédica, 23.897-000, Brazil Abstract: The main goal of this article is to evaluate critically the urban protection bias in the legislative context of Rio de Janeiro, since the 1980s, when the redemocratization of the country took place, until the 2000s, marked by major sporting events and the distinction of a part of the city site as “cultural landscape of humanity”, granted by UNESCO (2012). During this period, new legal provisions for environmental protection appeared in Rio de Janeiro’s legislation, especially the instrument called the Cultural Environment Protection Area (APAC in Portuguese), which constituted a counterpoint to previous urban policies, characterized by urban plans that invariably proposed urban renewal, with a view to the adaptation of the city to the demands of the property and car industries production. The aim here is to evaluate the use of the urban protection tool by the city hall and its distribution through the city site, identifying the different motivations that originated the urban protection initiatives, as well as respective political-administrative impacts. Key words: Urban planning, conservation areas, cultural heritage. 1. Introduction initially proposed a brief evaluation of the main reflexes of the country redemocratization, after more The main objective of this article is to evaluate than twenty years of dictatorship, in the urban critically the bias of urban protection in the planning of Brazilian cities, especially Rio de Janeiro. political-administrative context of Rio de Janeiro, After that, there will be treated some of the main since the 1980s, when the redemocratization of Brazil consequences of the absorption of the neoliberal took place, until the 2000s, marked by major sporting principles of urban planning that have officially events and the distinction of a section of its site as materialized since the publication of its first Strategic “cultural landscape of humanity”, title granted by Plan (1996) by the city of Rio de Janeiro. UNESCO in 2012. In this context, the APAC instrument trajectory is During this period, new legal mechanisms for examined, from its inception to its consecration by the environmental protection emerged in municipal First Decennial Master Plan of the City of Rio de legislation, especially an instrument called the Janeiro (PDD in Portuguese), in 1992. It should be Cultural Environment Protection Area (APAC in noticed that the new instrument materialized the Portuguese), which constituted a counterpoint to theoretical advances in the preservation of cultural previous urban policies, characterized by urban plans heritage, observed since the beginning of the 20th based on the logic of full urban renewal with a view to century. It has expanded the perception of the cultural adapting it to the demands of property and car heritage of historic and affective buildings industries. (monuments), urban areas, neighborhoods, cities and In order to reach the objectives of this study, it their intrinsic cultural characteristics. Finally, the article briefly discusses the Corresponding author: Claudio Antonio Santos Lima consequences of the adhesion of city governance to Carlos, architect doctor in urbanism; research fields: urban conservation and cultural heritage. the neoliberal principles of urban planning that, Redemocratization, Social Movements and the Urban Protection of Rio de Janeiro 695 among others, adopt the great events as elements the city as the stage for important business, sports and capable of increasing the development of the city cultural events. through the creation of business opportunities. The third period (2007-2017) was preceded by a period of approximately eight years (the last APAC 2. Method and Materials decreed was in 2006), where no type of initiative to Here, it is intended to evaluate the use of the urban protect new urban areas of the city was observed, at protection tool by the city hall and its distribution the same time that there was a consolidation of the through the city site, identifying the different city’s role as the stage for major international events. motivations that originated the urban protection Under this context of internationalization of the “Rio initiatives, as well as the respective de Janeiro brand”, a part of its site was designated as a political-administrative impacts. The main actors are cultural landscape of humanity by Unesco in 2012. the city hall, with its governance nuances, and the In 2014 the inertia observed in the field of urban Carioca population organized in residents’ protection was broken by the initiative of the City associations. The proposed method allowed the Hall. The APAC of the district of Grajaú associated establishment of three important chronological with the guideline established by the legislation, periods: 1984-2000; 2001-2006 and 2007-2017. which set the limits of the “Cultural Landscape” on In the first period (1984-2000), it was observed that the site of the city, regarding the establishment of the creation of APACs was predominantly proposed control of the “Areas of Damping”, became a way to by residents’ associations, motivated by threats caused better protect it from possible de-characterization. by radical transformations of traditional urban The analysis of the three identified moments made environments, advocated by the action of home capital, it possible to identify different postures of both city by the implementation of new road systems, by governance and resident communities, adding new irregular occupations in slopes, among others. It inputs to urban protection, which will be explored should be noticed that the period was marked by the throughout the present work. redemocratization of the country, which included, 3. Results and Discussions among others, the drafting of a new Constitution (1988), which obliged cities with more than 20,000 The political opening gradually established, from inhabitants to draw up Executive Plans. In a 1979 on, made possible the resumption of debates democratic context, there was a proliferation of aiming at the formulation of more democratic means organized urban social movements and the resumption of management of Brazilian cities. The moment made of urban reform, whose discussion had been possible the emergence for the National Movement of interrupted by the civil-military coup, which Urban Reform in Brazil (MNRU in Portuguese), established a dictatorial regime in the period which concentrated the discussions about the theme 1964-1985. that gained national relevance from the strong process In the second period (2001-2006), it was observed of Brazilian urban growth, verified in the period that the city managers abandoned the PDD (1992), 1950-1980. It should be noticed that the reform was elaborated democratically by organized civil society, already included in the agenda of the progressive replacing it by the neoliberal guidelines established by sectors of organized civil society, since the end of the its first Strategic Plan (1996), influenced by the first democratic Brazilian period (1946-1964), after Olympics of Barcelona (1992), which began to guide Getúlio Vargas’ dictatorship (1930-1945). The the urban planning of the city, prioritizing the role of discussions initiated by the National Conference for 696 Redemocratization, Social Movements and the Urban Protection of Rio de Janeiro Urban Reform, held in Petropolis in 1963, were Article 183 inserted the property right to those who interrupted in 1964 by the civil-military coup [1]. had, for five consecutive and unopposed years, an During the first post-dictatorship civil government urban area of up to 250 square meters, using it for his (1985-1989), debates took place on the drafting of the dwelling or his family, who proved not to own another text of the new Brazilian Federal Constitution—CFB urban or rural property. (Confederação Nacional Brasileira in Portuguese, From the democratic advances achieved by CFB 1986-1988), which was elaborated in a democratic (1988), intense debates took place over 13 years to manner, absorbing suggestions from organized civil regulate them through the City Statute, Law 10.257, society, called popular amendments. In this published in 2001. The new instrument established the perspective, the popular amendment of the Urban legal and administrative means for the implementation Reform (presented to the Constituent Assembly with of the provisions in Articles 182 and 183 of the CFB. 31,000 signatures) was introduced, bringing various In spite of the advances observed by the City Statute, instruments of democratic governance, as well as there were not enough debates and reflections within highlighting the social function of urban property and the municipal administrations regarding the variety of its subordination to urban policy objectives. These urban land management devices established by it: amendments also highlighted instruments that aimed IPTU progressive in time, transference of constructive at the democratization of cities, including the potential, among others. obligation of public hearings, prior to the Nevertheless, the facts generated from the establishment of new urban legislation, the popular publication of the CFB and the City Statute provided a veto, with

Load more