In 1950 35 % of Brazil’s population lived in towns & cities. By 1990 it was 83%.
Why are people attracted to Sao Paulo ?
Main areas of Sao Paulo
Zona Sul (richest with gardens, shpping and leisure complexes, tennis courts private swimming pools ), Zona Norte, Zona Leste, Zona Oeste, Favelas – mainly on south east side near industrial developments
Problems:
A third of the population live below the “poverty line”.
3 million people live in single room dwellings.
1.5 million people live in one of the 2,500 favelas or shanty towns in the city.
1970 – 1976 population rose by 44%
In many of Sao Paulo’s factories the highest paid earn 30 times more than the lowest paid workers.
What is a favela like ?
Vila Prudente is a favela in Sao Paulo’s south east sector. Most residents came from the countryside. Many residents work in the informal sector, (work not officially recorded) or in co-operatives improving buildings, water, roads, etc within the community.
Often the houses lack basic amenities like running water, mains sewerage, roads, electricity.
Housing made from cardboard, corrugated metal, plastic sheeting,
Fire risk high – dwellings close together & made of inflammable materials.
Disease spreads easily like dysentery, typhoid because of poor sanitation and poor medical provision (settlements not formal)
Infant mortality rates are high – diets poor and diseases are carried easily.
Education limited – many children work in the informal sector (e.g shoe cleaning, shopping) - & many leave school at the age of 11 or 12.
Where are favelas built and why ?
- On cheap land, far out of the city centre – away from the rich areas & those sites being used to attract new businesses / foreign investment
- On rubbish tips – often where people originally scavenged for resources for building
- On hillsides – where it is difficult to build
- On swamps – where drainage is poor and water borne diseases thrive
- In earthquake zones - rejected as too risky for other land uses.
Solving the shortage of housing
Government realises shanty towns cannot be removed. Grants are given to groups e.g. religious groups, community neighbourhood schemes to improve conditions. Authorities may help with clearing and other low cost environmental improvement schemes. They may provide water taps and electricity or even an outdoor wash basin and toilet block. Advantages – these can be built in stages with grants over a period of years, buildings can be improved cheaply. However dwellings are still basic and lack many services. It relies on people wanting to improve the situation.
An area of land is cleared or set aside and the government / local authority provides basic building materials like breeze blocks as well as water supplies, electricity, sewage disposal and waste collection. People form themselves into co-operatives using different skills in building to build basic dwellings which have the main facilities. Because the services are provided and the land is set aside, residents have to pay rent and rates for the upkeep. These settlements become formal and appear to be well looked after.
Particularly in areas which are considered good for industrial or commercial development, shacks are bulldozed as a way of forcibly removing the shanty dwellers. This may boost the image of some areas but doesn’t solve the real problem as few of the bulldozed communities return to the countryside; they move to another shanty town around the periferia.
- Resettlement schemes and Rural Improvement schemes
In Amazonia in particular, government resettlement schemes have been set up to attract “returners” from the city. People are given a plot of land and a small grant. Many people have taken the grant but returned to the city as land is poor quality and farming it has been difficult and isolated.
In 1952, Brazil created a new capital city inland – Brazilia. It is now the seat of government and a major tourist attraction with futuristic housing and public buildings. This redirection away from the coast has had limited impact on the problem of growing cities. The centres of industry and commerce have remained in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. Even Brasilia has unemployment and favelas.
Some rural improvement schemes are centred on small towns which can provide a hospital, schools, workshops, shops, access to public transport which all help to keep people in a community and less likely to move back to the city. Some of the better schemes aim to support rural crafts and attract new industries. However in rural areas, industries which destroy the forest are not favoured.