From 1939 to 1978, more than 50% of the population of Recife, the capital of the state of Pernambuco, Brazil lived in the slums. Recife had the dubious distinction as one of the largest and poorest slums of any Metropolitan region in Brazil according to the World Bank . 60% of Recife’s total population of 1.4 million occupy squatter settlements (Appendix 1).
After years of studying and assessing the poor living conditions of the Jacarezinho slum, the state government of Pernambuco, along with the municipal officials of both Recife and the neighbouring municipality of Olinda, partnered with the World Bank and signed the documents for an urban renewal project called Prometropole in 2003. The cost of the project was US $84 million with a loan of US $46 million from the World Bank . The project was finally launched in 2007 with a planned completion date of 2008 but due to setbacks the project was still not completed in 2010.
The objective of the project was to resettle the population in new homes close to the existing slum, to remove the shacks along the waterway, to construct roads and to improve urban infrastructure by providing sewage and drainage so that the inhabitants could have a safer and cleaner place to live.
This paper will provide an overview of the obstacles faced by the population as they stood by and waited to be resettled into cleaner, safer and more modern accommodations. I will attempt to show the problems encountered, successes and failures and finally why the project did not ultimately achieve its goal of eliminating the Jacarezinho slums.
Background
The slums in Recife are scattered along waterways and mangroves. They originate in the center of the city and spread outwards encroaching upon modern middle class neighborhoods. The riversides and mangroves were ideal spots due to the availability of fishing and the women could work washing the clothes of families from adjacent better-off neighborhoods in the river.
In general, Brazil legislation does not favor the poor and as a result, the poor were completely shut out of official housing programs. Consequently, these people became disenfranchised and had to illegally occupy land and build shacks wherever they could, usually close to water. The inhabitants of Recife ended up living in slums because it was their only way to live in the city without paying for land or public services. However, living in a slum is problematic. Drugs and violence are major problems for the slum dwellers due to the mixture of people from criminals to poor people just trying to survive. Additionally, without drainage or sewage, flooding is frequent and destroys the flimsily-constructed shacks. It also leads to unhealthy living conditions and attracts harmful animals such as rats and snakes. Hunger, poverty, unemployment, prostitution, domestic violence and diseases such as AIDS are widespread in the slums. Currently, 24% of residents in poor areas receive water daily and only 7% have sanitation services .
Over the past 70 years in Brazil, the slum situation has been the subject of constant debate wherein government officials deliberated over programs and projects needed in order to help improve the situation. Government programs stress that the fight against poverty starts with eliminating the slums and upgrading living conditions. Throughout Brazil’s historical fight against poverty, there have been numerous attempts to eradicate the slums and create new public housing. A couple of examples include the Foundation of Popular Housing in 1946 in order to promote public housing, the National Housing Bank in 1964 and the Financial System for Housing in 1966. Other housing programs followed, such as the Plan for Popular Housing in 1973 and the Program for the Eradication of Sub-habitation in 1979 .
Unfortunately none of these projects considered the needs and rights of those living in the slums. Instead, these projects focused on urban renewal with little to no regard for the slum dweller.
Government Context
In the 1980’s, new initiatives were undertaken and these recognized the rights of the slum inhabitants to remain on the land they occupied and infrastructure improvements began. Recife’s PREZEIS program (Plan for the Regularization and Urbanization of Special Zones of Social Interest) was one of Brazil’s first and most important attempts at creating a citywide framework for urban upgrading with the slum dwellers’ needs in mind. The Brazilian government recognized these poor slum areas in the cities and labeled them as ZEIS, Zona Especial de Interesse Social, or Special Zone of Social Interest, thereby legally recognizing the existence of the city’s slums for the first time .
The goal was to protect these areas from real estate speculation. In 1987, at the initiative of local community organizations and NGOs, a proposal was presented for a new law to institute the Plan for the Regularization and Urbanization of Special Zones of Social Interest, PREZEIS, which was a comprehensive framework for informal settlement regularization and upgrading in Recife. An important distinguishing factor of PREZEIS was that it focused mainly on shelter over ownership rights thereby eschewing the previous practice of evicting residents from their squatter homes.
PREZEIS successfully set up a comprehensive and participatory legal, regulatory, and institutional framework for settlement upgrading, although with the lack of funding the program fell short of fulfilling its promise of promoting citywide settlement upgrading. Given that at least 30% of the population lived in squatter settlements, it was an insurmountable task to expect that PREZEIS could address and resolve all issues.
Thus, it was within the context of PREZEIS that the Prometropole project was created. It introduced public-private partnership and large-scale public consultation. This was a unique effort to initiate collaboration with the public and listen to their needs and wants.
Neoliberal thinking which supported the working of the free market determined the history of participatory governance in Recife. Private companies played a central role and were responsible for not only the construction of infrastructure but for social programs as well. Essentially, both the municipal director of the participation division and the head of the construction social team, worked closely together to establish relationships with the population of the slum.
Jacarezinho, a slum located in the northern part of Recife, was among the first to be chosen for the urban upgrading project of Prometropole as it presented a sense of urgency due to its multiple environmental problems and human conditions. Settlers along the water created the slum over 30 years ago. The shacks they had built would often flood due to their proximity to the water and sewage waste would contaminate the water. Conditions were very undesirable. The modern adjacent community of Chao de Estrelas developed a number of problems as a result. Their roads became inundated because of the obstruction of the water flow caused by the squatters. After many protests by the community of Chao de Estrelas to the State, Jacarezinho was chosen for redevelopment. What is interesting to note, however, is that the Jacarezinho population never officially asked for any kind of infrastructure aid or resettlement. Despite their unsanitary and rough living conditions, the inhabitants were making a living and did not want to move. It was the municipality supported by the residents of Chao de Estrelas that decided it was necessary to get rid of this slum.
The Prometropole project intended to provide modern infrastructure including sewage and drainage as well as the construction of roads along the water and the assurance of delivery of clean water into the new homes of the Jacarezinho population. The project would demolish the slums by the river and relocate the population to a cleaner and healthier area 500 meters away. The project hoped to restore the quality of the natural environment, reduce poverty and improve the life of its citizens.
Problems with Prometrópole
Many Jacarezinho families opposed the idea of having to leave their land. Although at the same time, many were hopeful about the good things that the project might bring them.
From the moment the contract was signed, things moved slowly but eventually brochures, maps, aerial pictures, survey reports and a newly opened office in the neighborhood led the slum population to start to believe in the project. One of the most notable actions was the initial house surveys conducted in 2003. These surveys registered everyone who lived in each dwelling, measured all of the dimensions and counted the number of rooms. Once each shanty and shack was surveyed, a sticker was put on the door and it was said that only those whose names were on the sticker would receive a new house. This tangible evidence was enough to instill a sense of hope among the slum dwellers but not for long as, nothing happened for many years. Inhabitants developed a sense of doubt. They continuously heard rumors from community leaders, neighbors and government officials of the big improvements that were going to be implemented in their area but since the squatters were used to empty promises from politicians and government officials, they remained skeptical.
After several years of inaction, the municipality began to organize information meetings in Jacarezinho and officials started to visit the area more regularly. Architects, engineers and social workers were now involved and the inhabitants restored their faith that something good was going to come at the end of all of this.
From the outset there was this notion of collaboration amongst the social workers and officials involved. They worked together to establish relationships with the inhabitants of Jacarezinho in order to fulfill their most important needs. Regularly they would walk through the neighborhoods, organize meetings with the populations and set up appointments at the local Prometropole office. In fact, the contract demanded the official approval by the population at every step. Therefore public plenary meetings became an integral part of the implementation process.
Unfortunately, these meetings tended to get heated as the population often expressed a number of worries and frustrations as their needs were not being addressed. The inhabitants of Jacarezinho felt that they were not being listened to. They were prohibited from keeping animals in the new housing estate as the development did not offer space to do this and the project team thought of it as an uncivilized way of urban life. However, this had been an important part of the families’ livelihood so it was imperative that this source of income be respected. In addition, the program ignored the temporary relocation of families who waited up to a year between the demolition of their shacks and the rebuilding of their new houses. The families received a financial compensation to help them during this time to rent a place elsewhere, but the money received (roughly US$60/month) was barely enough to rent a small place in the most violent part of the neighborhood. As well, the amount of people now looking for cheap rent outnumbered the number of places left to rent in the area, so many families were struggling to find shelter. To avoid this, the inhabitants desperately tried to ask that their houses only be demolished when the new housing estate was ready. Despite their pleas, the officials ignored them.
One request that was accepted, however, was that instead of building two storey apartment blocks, the individual houses were to be built with two floors. This way, each house could have both a front and back entrance which was a necessity since some people worked as garbage collectors and needed to store their pushcarts and waste on ground level. Had there been two storey apartments, it would have been impossible for them to store their materials on a second floor.
Overall the requests and needs of the people were generally ignored. The new homes did not take into consideration size requirements, design requirements, layout of public space in the new housing units etc. They felt frustrated because their basic needs were not being considered. They now had to follow rules which did not take into account their ways of life.
Jacarezinho became a laboratory in which the reality of the slum became translated into the language of modern city planning . People were replaced by numbers, homes by census stickers, and streets by lines and communities by colors on maps. The project’s main objective was to build a modern city. The inhabitants of Jacarezinho dreamed of a future where they would be included - a future of progress. They were prepared to live uncomfortably temporarily with the prospect of living a modern life in their new housing estate. Prometropole promised new roads and houses which resonated with the slum dwellers’ notion of progress. Most of them figured “the slum will turn into a city”, i.e. a place with paved roads, with businesses and a safe place to live their lives.
Part of the attraction of relocating to a modernized city was the beauty associated with the freshly painted homes and picture perfect neighborhoods. The beautification became an aspiration of the slum dwellers as they longed for a beautiful and clean place to live. The computer-generated images of new houses, with green gardens, paved roads and sidewalks were a sign of progress when contrasted against their ugly and messy slum. Even though most people still remained doubtful, Prometropole was inspirational as it was believed to be an opportunity to change the slum into something beautiful.
Successes and Failures
Finally, in March 2007, three years after the initial contract was signed demolition began and 200 shacks were pulled down in approximately 10 days. This was devastating for the inhabitants. From a social point of view, tearing down slums meant tearing down social networks. The slum offered a sense of identity and belonging, thus completely eradicating this social link made coping with a difficult situation more overwhelming.
On April 24, 2008, more than a year after the demolition started, the housing estate was completed and handed over to the families, which they received for free. There was an inaugural celebration where the mayor of Recife and the Governor of the state of Pernambuco were present in addition to other high government officials and local media. Everything looked clean and pretty, the houses were painted in bright colors and each of the houses had their own patch of lawn next to the front door. Trees were planted, protected by wooden fences and there was a central square with high palm trees, white beach sand and stone benches. Swings and slides were placed in the central square to make it look like a playground.
In total, 240 families received a new house and the new housing estate was located 500 m from the Jacarezinho River. As promised, the Prometropole project also included the upgrading of urban infrastructure in the surrounding area. The streets in the entire neighborhood were connected to a sewage system, all the streets had drainage and pavement and the water was supplied to their houses.
In the days following the inauguration, the families began to move from their rented temporary dwellings into their new homes. The municipality kindly offered transportation facilities to help them with their moves but to the residents’ surprise, much of their furniture could not fit into their homes as the door frames were too narrow. Some people then decided to deconstruct the wardrobes and beds and to rebuild them again in the house. As a result, most of the furniture was heavily damaged. In addition, many families had too much furniture for the house. Their shacks by the river may not have been as sustainable and clean as these new houses, but many of them were actually bigger than the new homes.
Ironically, moving toward a modern lifestyle deeply affected the population in many ways. It took them away from their homes, friends, family and neighbors whom they could always count on. They felt alienated and out of their comfort zone, isolated from their working environment and their sources of income.
In the end, there were many reasons why the inhabitants were not happy with the end result. There was not much room for pushcarts which were used for storing and separating garbage or purposes of recycling, which was one of the ways people earned a living and which was later prohibited by the municipality. The backyards were small and in close proximity with the neighbors which was problematic since the backyards were an important area for housekeeping and work-related activities. In addition, the poorest families now had to pay for electricity and water, which they could not afford. So, the estate did not provide an opportunity for slum dwellers to live more comfortably in a nice home but actually made things more difficult for them. Some families who were in need of money or who had high debts rented or sold the new house and build a shack at another river. This way, the rent they received provided a new source of income. As a result, many of the slum population never ended up in the new houses as many of them left to go live elsewhere, often again, occupying river beds.
The square which was celebrated as the core of the estate during the inauguration quickly became a dangerous place full of bars, brothels and entertainment. Consequently, the image projected during the inauguration with the playground, was quickly taken over by and transformed into a place of violence.
In the new area, the houses were all uniform and monotonous so the residents immediately began to personalize their private spaces. They built high walls, fences and constructed porches in front of the house as a means of safety to protect from crime and violence from their own neighbors.
For the functionaries of the Prometropole project, they were completely distraught with the way things turned out in terms of the image of the neighborhood. The self-made constructions by residents in their yards destroyed the image and turned the housing units back into another slum. The officials frequently visited the new housing area telling people that they were not allowed to transform their houses, thus taking away their control and rights of their own property. Some meetings were even organized to inform people with a list of things that were prohibited in the new neighborhood. Government officials felt that the residents were not grateful and refused to behave like good citizens. The new housing estates soon began to look like construction sites with bricks, concrete and piles of sand and everybody building walls, fences, and porches to their own liking.
Lessons to Learn
The goal of constructing new, clean and durable homes for the squatters away from the unsanitary riverbeds was achieved in this project. Improving the water conditions in their neighbourhoods and implementing proper drainage was also realized. However, this project has failed on many other important levels.
First and foremost, the collaborative effort that the officials believed they were using was never fully embraced. With any good design project, it is important to meet with the stakeholders to thoroughly understand their specific needs.
As mentioned earlier, this project was not even requested by the people of Jacarezinho but rather by the modern adjacent community of Chao de Estrelas. What this indicates is that the people who were supposed to benefit from this project were not even aware of the value of the project because they were not the ones who decided it was necessary. We must remember that upgrading must meet a real need - people must want it and must understand the value and this certainly did not happen in the case of Jacarezinho.
One of the most important aspects that should have been front and center in the plans for the project was the critical importance of the livelihoods of the population and the design impacts as a result. Additionally there should have been consideration for the population’s specific needs for space.
Ideally, people work away from their home. However for the squatters, at poverty level, their work was mainly done at their home. The design team did not consider this and assumed that these people lived in one place and worked in another. An example of this was the case of the livestock that people kept in their homes because they used these animals to generate income. The design team did not allow enough space for continuing such activities and it was in fact forbidden by the design team to continue this occupation as it was deemed ‘uncivilized’. In addition, the design team ensured to include amenities such as electricity and water, but failed to consider that these people could not afford to pay for such luxuries. If the population were too poor to pay for this beforehand, what would have changed to allow them to pay for it in the new homes? The key to a successful design is to communicate with your clients and to be proactive about finding solutions to their problems.
In the end, it seemed as if the slum had simply been relocated to a more upper class neighbourhood. The people continued with their regular traditions of sorting garbage, using cheap material to construct walls to prevent theft and other activities which ultimately destroyed the flavour of the neighbourhood. With violence on the rise in the center square, the development began to once more resemble a slum. The change did not allow for a natural transition into this new way of life, it was too abrupt and perhaps too overwhelming for the population.
There should have been an educational process introduced at the beginning of the project to help transition residents into this new way of living. With no indoctrination, the residents simply went back to their traditions, thus, the criminals resorted back to their former ways, the prostitutes continued earning as before and drug trafficking resumed. In the end, violence once more reared its ugly head.
It was almost as if the officials had hoped that by providing a more modern and beautiful place to live, the slum dwellers would discontinue all of their old habits which in a way were the root of most of the problems initially present in the slum. It is naïve to think that implementing a physical improvement would take care of all the social problems. In fact the physical improvements are just the tip of the iceberg. There were still health issues which could have been addressed and what about providing clinics or health education programs? Furthermore, basic educational issues needed to be developed which could have been addressed by implementing school facilities or weekly teacher training workshops. There are also the employment issues which were not considered in the design of the development. Earning opportunities were ignored but continued to play a vital role in the general health of the community.
As with any project, it is of utmost importance to know and understand all requirements of the main stakeholder. Not enough time was taken to get to know and understand their way of life and what needed to be done to get them out of the slum. The basic problem was that the project managers tended to only think about the buildings, not the people who would live in those buildings.
I would have to say that in order for this design to work, there needs to be a commitment by all the stakeholders involved; the government, the city, the community and last but not least the families themselves. Full collaboration needed in order to reach a true partnership with all parties was sadly missed.
Slum upgrading projects should be associated with social and economic benefits which were never materialized for this project.
Appendix
1) Map of Brazil, Recife along East Coast http://www.ultimatejourney.com/chap130.html 2) Recife slums in the mangroves http://www.superstock.com/stock-photos-images/1848-13806 3) New housing estate for Jacarezinho population http://www2.prometropole.pe.gov.br/web/prometropole/paginainicial.
Works Cited
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Ivo Imparato and Jeff Ruster, “Directions in Development: Slum Upgrading and Participation. Lessons from Latin America,” The World Bank 2011: 87-88.
Martijn Koster and Monique Nuijten, “From Preamble to Post-project Frustrations: The Shaping of a Slum Upgrading Project in Recife, Brazil,” Antipode Vol. 44 No. 1, 2011: 175–196.
Koster, Martijn and Pieter A. de Vries, “Slum politics: Community leaders, everyday needs, and utopian aspirations in Recife, Brazil,” Focaal, Vol. 62 Issue 1, 2012: 83-98
Bruno Latour, “Pandora’s Hope: Essays on the Reality of Science Studies,” Cambridge: Harvard University Press 1999: 274-276.
“Programa Prometrópole”, accessed April 20, 2012, http://www2.prometropole.pe.gov.br/
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