# Urban Decay in Rio and Sao Paulo



## dtoronto (Dec 31, 2004)

Images are from Google Streetview

*Rio De Janeiro*


























































































































































































































*Sao Paulo*


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## TheCanadianEuro (Oct 4, 2009)

Word! I used to do tours of the ghettos using google maps too. Btw this is the first time I have encountered the sight of a horse eating garbage on the sidewalk in an urban setting..thank you!


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## Guaporense (Jul 9, 2008)

not so bad actually.
i know worse places.


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## aaabbbccc (Mar 8, 2009)

insane but I have seen much much worst than that


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## Spookvlieger (Jul 10, 2009)

Nice views. I wanna see more.

Where is Maria now? The person who claimed that villa's where the overall housing in Brazil and all people live in high quality standarts hno:


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## LADEN (Mar 8, 2011)

Sad but nice pics!


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## jecarega (Apr 9, 2011)

Interesting... You did a nice work trying to collect the worst pictures you could find from the worst neighbourhoods in Brazil. Neighbourhoods that represent less than a fifth of Rio and Sao Paulo.


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## jecarega (Apr 9, 2011)

You could try to collect some photos from the USA too. 

Photos of the "tent cities" where many homeless people are living in the USA...

For example:









source: http://lecanadian.com/2010/11/22/investment-u-s-takeovers-undermine-canadian-culture-and-rights/











source: http://josemauronunes.wordpress.com/2009/07/28/o-desemprego-recorde-nos-eua/


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## flyinfishjoe (Mar 20, 2010)

^^
:cripes:
The original poster probably didn't mean to offend Brazil in any way. It is just interesting for us to see glimpses of distant and unique places, that's all. Of course Brazil has beautiful and interesting things, like that expressway near Manaus, the sea of highrises in Sao Paulo, the street culture in Salvador, the stunning city of Rio de Janeiro, etc.


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## speed_demon (Jun 2, 2007)

Ohhh great, what are we supposed to say, huh? "Oh my god, how poor Brazil is...we are civilized, let's go there, let's make them find civilization. Poor, poor, poor...they are poor...but at least they have the amazon jungle that's just around the corner, isnt it?" 

:nono:

I don't think we want to deny our problems but we are also tired of cliches.


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## vancerfan10 (Apr 16, 2011)

maybe this is worst place I ever met?As I know,Brazil is getting high development.World Cup and Olympic games improve that!


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## jecarega (Apr 9, 2011)

Those photos are good to show how even the poorest people in Brazil, who live in the worst neighborhoods, at least live in solid houses made with brick walls, and served with piped water and electricity. People don't live in fragile huts made of wood, without water and electricity, like in Haiti and in some India's slums.


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## Rookie83 (Oct 12, 2008)

Every city whether you like it or not has some sort of urban decay... some more than others. I've visit Rio and its a beautiful city but its a developing country not everything can be fixed overnight.

but a horse unleashed in an urban area like that .... thats a first


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## Alexpilsen (May 3, 2009)

*Fortunately this is a reality that belongs to a minority of Brazilians today. In the past it was the reality of most of people in Brazil. Since 20 years ago Brazil is advancing far regarding the improvement of deprived urban areas and housing. I believe that over 10 years all these areas will become very rare in Brazil.

Nevertheless, Brazil is not the only place in the world to have slums. These photos depict the worst side of the worst slums of Brazil. Worldwide there are areas much more worse. And again, this is not the predominant reality in Brazil. 

Most of the prints, I can identify them as being the following areas:

Cracolândia, an area dominated by drug traffic in downtown Sao Paulo and that are being urbanized with social and urban projects;

Paraisópolis Favela, the largest favela in Brazil that are being felled to make way for housing. Today its already 35% lower than it was 10 years ago;

Slums of Alemão, a set of degraded areas that together form the largest "favelized" area in Brazil and the most degraded area of the country, in Rio de Janeiro. Recently pacified, this slum is undergoing major transformations due to the 2016 Olympic Games;

Means, he took prints of the worst areas of the worst slums of Brazil. In these slums there're also areas that are already being urbanized, sanitized and cleaned, Why he didnt show them? Brazil is the country that most diminished the slum population in the World from 2003 to 2010. I do not know what's his intention creating this thread, but it is a proof that he knows nothing about Brazil, brazilians slums, brazilian recently development and improvement.*


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## brazilteen (Mar 20, 2010)

*It is intersting why people don't show the poverty of INDIA?THAILAND?INDONESIA?....WHY?*
*Yeah Brazil has poor places but what is the fucking reason that people only show and talk about Brazilian poverty and never about Indian,Thai,Indonesia,Philipines and other countries pverty.....
It is might cuz we are growing very fast and in a while we'll be as developed as Usa nd other countries.....Ridiculous thread if you think how beauty Brazil has to show Shit*


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## lfernand (May 28, 2008)

Great. Show the reality of many big cities in Brasil. People here are just like the ones that wrote above, they pretend the reality doesnt exist and pretend that the government has nothing to do with that, when the opposite is the truth.

Its a country that doesnt worry about the poors. "Let them build whatever they want, lets pretend its not our business to have thousands of people without money to get a decent home. "


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## lfernand (May 28, 2008)

brazilteen said:


> *It is intersting why people don't show the poverty of INDIA?THAILAND?INDONESIA?....WHY?*
> *Yeah Brazil has poor places but what is the fucking reason that people only show and talk about Brazilian poverty and never about Indian,Thai,Indonesia,Philipines and other countries pverty.....
> It is might cuz we are growing very fast and in a while we'll be as developed as Usa nd other countries.....Ridiculous thread if you think how beauty Brazil has to show Shit*


The reality bothers you. You and others should use this anger when getting on the government to invest in dwell for poors. When you let the situation decides for itself, its exactly what happen, people dont have money and they ll build slumns, its their only alternative, or they can live below the bridges and viaducts. In that situation what did you choose?


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## Marco Polo (Oct 14, 2002)

Wow - I loved seeing those pictures. It is important to see the reality.

Brazil is one of my favourite countries - have visited several times, but always a bit afraid to go to very poor and/or dangerous places. That's why it is good to see such pictures. The more so that there are many threads showing how wonderfully the country is developing. A little balance is good. 

BTW, I am happy that these poor areas are slowly being improved. This is good news, Alexpilsem and Brazilteen.


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## jecarega (Apr 9, 2011)

The problem with the use of the word "reality" is: reality for who?

Aren't the good villas in expensive neighborhoods as real as the "favelas"? Or do you think that the villas are "fake"?

I think Alexpilsen resumed it very well when he wrote:

"Fortunately this is a reality that belongs to a* minority* of Brazilians *today*. In the *past* it was the reality of *most* of people in Brazil."

The main objective of this thread is clearly try to give a sense that slums like those in the pictures are the "reality" of the majority of Brazilians. And this is totally false. Brazil is a country with 190 million inhabitants, where less than 19 million (10%) live in "slums" or "shanty towns" ("favelas" in Portuguese). The slums are a kind of "remains from the past", that are gradually being erased. 

This kind of thread shows how some people are really upset with the development of Brazil.


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## TribunusPlebis (Mar 23, 2011)

*yeph another try to spot Brazil's image.*..and that was a nice try. The pictures above are real thing and something has to be done to eliminate all that c...p. Brazil is the world 7th economy and one could not tolerate such scenes throughout our cities. My country has poverty, as we all know very well. But unlike other countries, we have the strength and the opportunity to erase it completely from our cities. It has been done already by Federal and states governments.


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## flyinfishjoe (Mar 20, 2010)

hno:
What, so you guys only want one side of your country shown? You guys act like this there is some big veiled conspiracy against Brazil and immediately go on the defensive. Strange attitude.


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## brazilteen (Mar 20, 2010)

*So if it is realty that you wish I'll show you*


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## Suburbanist (Dec 25, 2009)

I've seen this pattern replicated enough times here. Nobody is denying the reality of those pictures (most will consider Google Street View to be a fair and impartial image source).

Being (also) Brazilian myself, I don't feel aggravated by such pictures, particularly because they are neutral photo takings, not artistic impressions made to show people (I have a point against photo shootings of actual poor people for ethnographic curiosity or worse, but Google blurs everyone).

The answer (to find a homeless park in a "rich country") is all but outdated and unimpressive. We are not into a discussion to ascertain the existence of substandard housing everywhere. A more productive discussion could be the prevalence of slums and other housing in each country/city.

Incidentally, the worst areas in the slums are not shown because they are not car-accessible and dominated by gangs who would easily shoot and kill a biker with a camera mounted in his bike - for instance.

Denying the reality is not the way to deal with problems. I know that, if allowed, many forumers from less developed countries would impose censorship on such pictures because they "shame" the fair-tale scenarios of being on the top of the World fostered in many emergent countries in light of the recent economic crisis. It is better to recognize the problem exists and demands drastic action.

In my opinion, all slums should be cleared by special police units and its inhabitants housed in housing projects constructed to harbor then with strong police and public service presence, in suitable areas outside riverbeds and steep hills. There are many areas 15-30km outside every major Brazilian metro area that can house those people. Then, after relocating people, remains of slums should be used as training grounds for Army heavy artillery and wiped out of the map with everything bad they symbolize.


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## xrtn2 (Jan 12, 2011)

If Brazil is 6x rich than India , i have afriad of indians favelas.


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## brazilteen (Mar 20, 2010)

Indian slums

Mumbai - Slum por sweety852, no Flickr

*Pretty beach in Mumbai....why go to Rio mumbai already has everything*

Mumbai poverty por graimy, no Flickr

*Jakarta sunny afternoon*









*HK skyscrapers view since a nice neighborhood*









*This map shows the percentage of population living in slums in each country....PLEASE DON'T TAKE ME WRONG THINKING I WISH TO SAY BRAZIL ISN'T POOR CUZ IT IS but it isn't miserable to everyone as the pictures showed before*








^^ just to compare Brazil,Argentina and Panama appears with the same index of people living in slums.


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## Suburbanist (Dec 25, 2009)

^^ brazilteen, I am sorry to get a bit personal, but your last post is borderline offensive, it lacks sense (you know, when you post a colored graph it usually helps to post the key also) and it is misguided on your purpose to "defend" Brazil.

The ORIGINAL POSTER didn't show any intention on "offending" Brazil by showing some run-down areas. I can't find a line on its text that indicates mockery of the country. It is much, much more neutral and reasonable than any of Mary T. (and others) posts who love to brag about how rich, opulent and luxurious are (certain) housing areas in Brazil, stating how "not even in [name your rich country] you will find such houses". 

The original poster didn't start a context of "who's poorer". He/she (don't know about gtoronto's gender) never pretended that slums exist only in Brazil or that they are the worst in Brazil.

If you, me and everybody else don't want to be embarrassed by such ridiculous photos, it is better to expect that government and society will demolish those slums altogether. Then you could claim they do not represent the country.

Meanwhile, *this crusade of finding image of elsewhere's slum to prove they are not exclusive to Brazil is completely pointless to the purpose of this thread and, with due respect, ridiculous.*


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## brazilteen (Mar 20, 2010)

*As mumbai a intersting city that is developing too....Brazilian big cities has many projects to end with favelas or slums whatever you call it*

*Examples around Brazil and please if indian,malay,indonesia,african forumers has some examples post too =D*


Remoção e Urbanização integrada da Orla Lagunar por Galeria do Bem, no Flickr


Remoção e Urbanização integrada da Orla Lagunar por Galeria do Bem, no Flickr


As Donas de Paraisópolis por Fernando Freitas (em construção), no Flickr


Conjuntos habitacionais - Favela do Jaguaré por philljackcolombia, no Flickr


Em dois dias, Governo do Estado entrega 4 conjuntos habitacionais pelo programa Minha Morada por Agência de Notícias do Acre, no Flickr


Unidades habitacionais por Portal PBH, no Flickr


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## FeänorBR (Jan 18, 2008)

Some people take everything way to seriously...
starting a competition with "your country has worst slums than mine", is more embarrassing then the pictures themselves!


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## lfernand (May 28, 2008)

Great thing, a coulple of houses build by government. Im absolutely sure the slumns are increasing, in all cities the slumns are untouchable, even if the new slumns were prevented by now, the old ones would keep on and on. And theres a lot of them, in all major cities.

Thats reality, it doensnt matter what people from other countries think, for me Brasil is the best country to live. And I dont think the thread owner did this to provoke us, people have a fascinatiom for this kind of thing. Slumns in Rio de Janeiro are tourism points for foreigners and even brazilians, thats awful but It is true.


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## lfernand (May 28, 2008)

xrtn2 said:


> If Brazil is 6x rich than India , i have afriad of indians favelas.


It doesnt work like this, most developed countries had policies about dwelling that permitted poor people to have a decent home. They could not have this policies, and they would have slumns and would continue to be a rich country. 

Peoples mind have to change, so this thinking would get to the government and it would make the investments and changes allowing most of the people to live with dignity.


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## Alexpilsen (May 3, 2009)

^^
*
Slums are not increasing. You're wrong and you can see it HERE. 


Besides, I do not remember i've ever seen a thread like this showing the slums of China, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Indonesia ... Why are always the favelas from Brazil? Why not start a thread like this showing the Mexican slums from Street View, that are available in Google Maps for many years before Brazil? Why not to discuss about slumming IN ALL DEVELOPING COUNTRIES, housing programs of Brazilian Government, urban improvements in cities of developing countries, urban improvements in Columbian's slums... Why only post pictures released of the worst slums of Brazil, which are not the first nor the worst in Street View? Why not post any other picture from any other country? Why always and only Brazil? 

For me it seems that many forumers have a strong stereotype or prejudice about Brazil, trying by all means prove that Brazil has only slums and the majority of Brazilians live in favelas while a small portion of the population lives in the cities that we show in the SSC everyday. A good part of that forumers get frustrated because them realize that reality is not like that, and that most brazilian people, despite the difficulties, live in middle class neighborhoods and the photos we show from our cities, are not something alien to our reality, but it does represent the true reality of most of our nation.

Please forgive the sincerity, but you cant see the intention of the creator of this thread that's because you dont want to see it. I see everyone, ABSOLUTELY EVERYONE here showing pictures of their best neighborhoods, the best that their cities have. And when we BRAZILIANS do the same, comments always appear saying "favelas" "poverty" ... If we have a country where most people live in middle class neighborhoods, why shoudnt we show photos of our middle-class neighborhoods? If we live in a country that has 19% of its population in the upper classes, why shoudnt we post pictures of high-class neighborhoods? Why only show poor neighborhoods?

I'm not saying we can not show our worst places. But it seems very inferiority complex being the only country to show slums, while the rest of the planet shows its best in this forum. That's why I know this thread has not the slightest intention to discuss housing and urbanism but to spot, as usual, Brazilian's image because Brazil, unlike most of other countries, has been growing and improving the lives of its people and is scheduled to enter the developed world as soon as its possible.*


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## Galro (Aug 9, 2010)

^^So why don't you start a tread about the slums in China, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Indonesia if they interest you then?


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## lfernand (May 28, 2008)

Alexpilsen said:


> ^^
> *
> Slums are not increasing. You're wrong and you can it HERE.
> 
> ...


Yeah, great diminution. Just dont think this ll happen always(Im assuming this data are not garbage). The slumns in Brasil are untouchable, and you know that. You know that the government is giving a **** about this too. If you are not aware this you dont live in Brasil. The same slumns I saw in Rio de Janeiro many years before I see today.

**** what foreigners think, including the thread creator, could this thing change you life for worst or better? I dont think so, so its pointless, lets show the reality, the good and the bad ones.


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## Alexpilsen (May 3, 2009)

lfernand said:


> Yeah, great diminution. Just dont think this ll happen always(Im assuming this data are not garbage). The slumns in Brasil are untouchable, and you know that. You know that the government is giving a **** about this too. If you are not aware this you dont live in Brasil. The same slumns I saw in Rio de Janeiro many years before I see today.
> 
> **** what foreigners think, including the thread creator, could this thing change you life for worst or better? I dont think so, so its pointless, lets show the reality, the good and the bad ones.


Ok So if you say that you are the owner of the truth and I'm wrong because I say the opposite and prove you wrong? Maybe in your city government does not give a damn about slum urbanization, but i know a lot of places in Brazil where the government, YES give a damn and people are getting their lives better.

And I'm not saying we should not show the reality, especially because the Brazilian reality, at least the predominant, is not the slums and poverty. We are a middle class country.. Read carefully what i've wrote. I said that ONLY we show pictures of slums, while the rest of the world have slums much worse and does not bother to show. Something more, most of times such threads like this are not created by brazilians and are not created with the intention of urbanistic discussion, but just to spot Brazilian's image, as usual like i said.



Galro said:


> ^^So why don't you start a tread about the slums in China, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Indonesia if they interest you then?


Because my interest in this forum would be discuss urban planning and social housing. Not to show pictures of slums, for everyone see it and say "Ohhh China is poor" or "Ohhh Brazil is poor. " "Ohhh nice pictures" "OMG I knew it was bad but not so bad like that"... Or something like that...

I repeat. Never seen and never see a thread like this about any other country unless Brazil. And almost always, if not always, are foreigners forumers who start these threads, posting pictures of simple slums without explaining why the pictures are there, why people are living that way or if the government and society is doing something to change that reality.


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## Galro (Aug 9, 2010)

But if you want to see similar treads about other countries, then feel free to start them. The original poster only shared them with us because he probably found them interesting, and I for one share his/her thought


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## Alexpilsen (May 3, 2009)

Galro said:


> But if you want to see similar treads about other countries, then feel free to start them. The original poster only shared them with us because he probably found them interesting, and I for one share his/her thought


Ok, he found the images interesting? And why did he not comment on them? Why did he not explain the purpose of this thread? Every thread has a purpose, so why just post photos from Slums of only ONE country and nothing more? And why only São Paulo and Rio? 

I do not buy it. This thread was not created with the purpose of discussing any kind of public housing policy, any kind of social action, any kind of urbanism. It was created to further the stereotype image of the country, already so stereotyped in the minds of most foreigners forumers. And not because it shows our slums, because everyone knows they exist and nobody denies that more than 12 million Brazilians live there. But because we are the only one country attacked in this way in the international forum, it seems like we should be shame on getting richer and still have poors or something like that.


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## Joás Santos (Sep 7, 2010)

I agree, Brazil is stereotyped a lot in Skycrapercity.
Alexpilsen is just angry with it.
And, i don't wanna see images of slums in China, Indonesia, Mexico or Argentina!
Why only Brazil???


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## JuniorPotter50 (Sep 6, 2008)

Unfortunately there are a lot of pooverty and drug problems in Brazil to fight against.

I'm a Brazilian from São Paulo and I live in 'periferia' where I can see a very different scenario from the richest part of the city, but I can assure ya'll that this situation is getting better more and more...=)

I'm not going to pretend that we don't have slums and high crime hates, but we've been doing good 'till now.

About this thread I just have one thing to comment: why doesn't te creator put any description with its intentions? I didn't like the pics, not because I'm denying Brazil's problems, but this isn't our reality in general and it isn't fair!


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## TribunusPlebis (Mar 23, 2011)

JuniorPotter50 said:


> Unfortunately there are a lot of pooverty and drug problems in Brazil to fight against.
> 
> I'm a Brazilian from São Paulo and I live in 'periferia' where I can see a very different scenario from the richest part of the city, but I can assure ya'll that this situation is getting better more and more...=)
> 
> ...


I think the problem here is quite simple: Brazil is a Western Industrialized country. A very rich country as a matter of fact with a not so big population compared to India or China for instance. So one cannot understand or accept such level of poverty surrounding some ( not all, that should be very clear ) of our cities. I do not understand or accept that too.


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## Felipeaamelo (Aug 30, 2007)

So tired of this crap...Brazil growing really bothers other people.
So tired of the arrogance of people from countries with 2000 years and who rapped the whole wolrd to be rich...


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