Tomcal Posted July 3, 2017 Posted July 3, 2017 The Favela, is the name given to the slums in and around the large cities of Brazil. There are many favelas existing around the cities of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paolo. A Favela exists when homeless people or squatters occupy vacant plots of land, and build their homes out of things they can get scavenging. Today, millions of Brazilians live in these mazes of shanties. Approximately 6% of the entire Brazilian population lives in Favelas, roughly 15 Million, most of which are in Rio and Sao Paulo. TotallyOz and axiom2001 2 Quote
Members trencherman Posted July 3, 2017 Members Posted July 3, 2017 The favelas facing the Bay of Guanabara command the best views of a city made up of the most spectacular scenery on earth. For a city so dependent on this for tourism, it’s just amazing how blind to this fact the bureaucrats in charge are. It’s worse than benign neglect that they allow the favelados to suffer. No credible sanitation, no proper policing, no social services. Favelas are breeding ground of varmints that in turn victimize tourists. When it rains, untreated sewage washes down the mountainside taking solid waste with it to plug the drains in the serviced areas of the city where they stagnate and pool around broken sewer pipes, exact same typhoid puddles that Oswaldo Cruz warned about at the turn of the previous century. Tomcal 1 Quote
Members SolaceSoul Posted July 3, 2017 Members Posted July 3, 2017 With that being said, some of the safer favelas near tourist areas in Rio and São Paulo are going through gentrification. Some attempts are being made by ruthless, risky pioneer investors to navigate the complicated processes of favela home purchase, and they are grabbing some of the best views of the city. I recently looked at a place for sale in Vidigal, the favela just west of upscale Leblon, the community right next to Ipanema. David Beckham and supposedly Madonna already bought properties at the top of the favela hill in Vidigal, and trendy restaurants and bars have also opened. Of course, there's also the minor problem of sewage and water piping for you to resolve as a buyer --- and then there's possible resentment from longterm favela residents who feel they may be ignored or even worse, pushed out. There are other favelas in or near Rio's Zona Sul, like Rocinha further west of Vidagal, Cantagalo near Lagoa and Copa, and Santa Marta near Botafogo, that have mostly gotten rid of the drug trafficking and are ripe for home purchase or rental. There are even several favela apartments for vacation rent on AirBnB. Tomcal 1 Quote
Tomcal Posted July 4, 2017 Author Posted July 4, 2017 RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Arthur was still inside his mother's womb when he became Rio de Janeiro's latest victim of gun violence. His mother, Claudineia dos Santos Melo, was almost nine months pregnant when she was hit by a stray bullet from a shootout in a Rio slum on June 30. During an emergency cesarean section doctors discovered that a bullet had also hit Arthur, damaging his lungs and spine. Doctors say the mother is in stable, non-life threatening condition while her newborn is clinging to life in a case that has shocked Brazilians and underscored surging gun violence in Rio. "We had never seen this before," Rafael Lopes, the head surgeon at the Moacyr Rodrigues de Carmo hospital where Arthur was delivered, said during a press conference Monday. Doctors said it was a miracle Arthur was still alive, breathing with the help of machines and currently paraplegic, though they added it was too soon to say if he would remain so forever. According to Fogo Cruzado," or "Crossfire," a free app created by Amnesty International Brazil, there have been an average of 13 shootings a day in the Rio metropolitan area over the past 11 months. Most of the shootings occur in hillside slums controlled by drug gangs. On the same day Melo was shot, a mother and daughter were killed in the Mangueira favela near the iconic Maracana stadium as police and criminals exchanged fire for over three hours. Marlene Maria da Conceicao, 76, was shot in the doorway of her home. Her 42-year-old daughter, Ana Cristina da Conceicao, was also hit when she tried to help her mother. "The state government has abandoned the communities," said Mangueira community leader Washington Fortunato at the women's funeral. Last year, 920 people died during police raids or patrols in Rio state according to its Public Security Institute. This year's figure is up by almost 60 percent over 2016. "I hope no family has to go through what we are going through because it is too painful," said Arthur's uncle, Walter de Melo, as he accompanied the speechless father to register the child. Quote
Members beguiled Posted July 5, 2017 Members Posted July 5, 2017 I just saw a report re: increased gun violence in Rio. Sad and tragic stories. Quote
Members trencherman Posted July 7, 2017 Members Posted July 7, 2017 On 2017-07-03 at 6:06 PM, SolaceSoul said: ... to navigate the complicated processes of favela home purchase, and they are grabbing some of the best views of the city. I recently looked at a place for sale in Vidigal, the favela just west of upscale Leblon, the community right next to Ipanema. ... Btw, did you inquire as to what title you would be acquiring from the favela occupant? Should not bear any resemblance to time share which is virtually identical to setting your cash on flames. Quote
Members SolaceSoul Posted July 8, 2017 Members Posted July 8, 2017 15 hours ago, trencherman said: Btw, did you inquire as to what title you would be acquiring from the favela occupant? Should not bear any resemblance to time share which is virtually identical to setting your cash on flames. Property rights in Brazil in general are complex. The titles in favela home ownership are often very murky, if not practically nonexistent. The very origin of the favela involves providing substandard housing for impoverished citizens in previously undesired hilltops. Favela home rights are usually not really considered land rights but roof rights. But it's definitely being done. If you don't want to take my word for it, you're welcome to read these articles in trusted Eurocentric periodicals, safe for gringo consumption: https://amp.theguardian.com/world/2013/jan/23/rio-favela-real-estate https://amp.ft.com/content/5a4c57ea-1612-11e3-a57d-00144feabdc0 http://riotimesonline.com/brazil-news/rio-real-estate/favela-homes-one-layer-at-a-time/ http://www.foxnews.com/real-estate/2013/01/13/rio-de-janeiro-slums-from-no-go-to-must-buy.amp.html http://www.businessinsider.com/rio-favela-transformed-into-prime-real-estate-2013-1 Quote