For a long time it has been the case that many maps of cities in Brazil and Latin America have not accounted accurate street representations of favelas for the reason that the positioning of roads and homes changes frequently due to the flexible nature of these neighborhoods. For this reason many favelas that are densely populated simply appeared as blanks within the maps of many cities. However, with the advent of technology such as satellite imaging and street views have allowed for onsite pictures to be taken of these neighborhoods and as a result has connected them with the larger city context in a way never before seen. Furthermore, it has put into perspective the physical and social inequalities that exist in many of these cities.
Obtaining photographs and any sort of information from these neighborhoods as a Daniela Fabricius states, “once required bureaucratic privileges” [1] for the reason that the cities organization was guarded information mostly kept away from the public. By looking at many satellite images of the urban organization of these cities one begins to understand the ruptures that exist in the urban fabric and the almost cell like growth of the favelas. The ability to then have public access to the conditions of how these people live have allowed for a public outcry not only from Brazilians but also from foreigners who demand a better representation of these individuals. Recording how many individuals live within these neighborhoods is at the heart of governmental representation but even this sometimes fails as government officials fluctuate in the actual population of the same sectors and differentiate with the population claimed by the inhabitants themselves. As a result many favela run initiatives have been created in order to create correct estimates of population. The favela of Mare for example, “ has set up its own information gathering center, which takes unofficial but accurate census data of the neighborhood” [1] These initiatives not only hold power because they present clearer and more official forms of data but also because they are initiatives created by the neighborhood itself thus empowering the community.
A favela is hard to define because while the creation of informal settlements is the “root” of it many times city planned neighborhoods develop into “favela like” areas. Some of the favela’s in Rio de Janeiro are quite old, Providencia for example is 100 years old and it is considered one of Rio’s first favela. Favela’s began to grow on hilltops separated in many cases from the rest of the city by the verticality of the topography in which they grew. Made up of a population of rural newcomers the rural culture sometimes found in these settlements also contrasted with the urban culture of the city “below”. Interestingly enough, when the favelas began spreading and touching with the confines of the city the isolation felt within these neighborhoods was still the same. Crime, poverty, and disease were still adjectives associated with these areas of the city and as a result these citizens became even further marginalized from society.
The term informal or favela is in a sense an “economic and sociological description of cities.” However, what is often forgotten is that favelas are a result of modern conditions. They are not creations of a less civilized way of life instead it is a response to the modern achievements and affluent way of life of those in Brazil and the rest of the world. Furthermore, the unique culture of these places should not be forgotten because they are part of human adaption in the process. Like the many cultural fruits that came from many informal situations in Europe, Asia, North America these are creating their own fruits that will result in a culture very much a port of modern times.
- Aquilino, Marie J, “Beyond Shelter Architecture and Human Dignity” (Metropolis; July/August 2011, Vol. 31 Issue 1) p88-89