Lesson 9:

Rio de Janeiro

Cause of Housing Problems

What you should know by the end of this lesson:

The main socio-economic and environmental problems found within Favelas in Rio

Background

Definitions

Make sure you know what these terms mean and how they relate to the Housing problems in Rio.

Favela: Illegal low-income slum urban area which experiences governmental neglect.
Shanty House: A makeshift house, put together with limited skill and from whatever materials are located nearby. Not very sturdy or weatherproof.
Urbanisation: The movement of people from the rural to the urban, with urban populations growing.
Push Factor: a reason why people leave the rural (countryside) e.g. lack of jobs and food
Pull Factor: a reason why people move to the Urban area e.g. access to services and more money

Lesson 9 Worksheet

A lot of these will feel like repeats from National 5 and they are. All you need to do at Higher is provide more detail and specifics of the problem to people.

Digital Workbook and Paper Jotter

Read through the information below and highlight the key point in your notes as you go!
If there is anything missing from your notes add it on.
There is another task at the end to see how much you have taken in!

Overcrowding

Urbanisation has led to Overcrowding due to the huge movement of migrants from the surrounding countryside to the city as they look for work and improved living standards.

There are several spontaneous settlements- ‘favelas’- on the steep hillsides around Guanabara Bay, and Rocinha, the largest, has between 95,000 and 200,000 people.

Overcrowding leads to disease and a lack of basic facilities such as electricity and education, affecting 2.50 million people.

Landslides

Rio is located to the south of the largest Rainforest in the world. So has a very wet climate.

Landslide risk is common due to a lack of foundations on the steep hillsides. These occur during heavy rain and result in makeshift shanty houses being swept downhill and loss of life- 200 people died in a mudslide in 1988.

Fire Risks

There is a high Fire risk due to houses being so close together and constructed of flammable materials such as wood and cardboard. The makeshift electricity and gas supplies also contribute to this risk, which will result in homelessness and loss of life.

When these fires occur there is limited or no input for fire services as this is an illegal settlement and the government do not provide emergency services. This means fires can spread unchecked.

Disease

Poor quality housing means there is a lot of Disease due to the damp, dark and airless housing. Poor infrastructure means very few houses have running water or toilets so there

Faeces in the street.

Incidences of meningitis and tuberculosis being high. In Rocinha alone there are 500 cases of TB per 100,000 of the population, which is over 10 times the average in the state of Rio de Janeiro itself. TB leads to chronic illness and loss of earnings.

Sanitation

Sanitation and access to clean water are extremely poor, with sewage often running in the street. This leads to water-related diseases such as dysentery and diarrhoea which can kill the very young and old- the infant mortality rate in Rocinha is 50 per 1,000 while the national average is 15.

Educational Facilities

Educational facilities are extremely poor, with only two schools for the whole of Rocinha. This leads to a continuation of the poverty trap (remember this from Edinburgh), with 80% of Rocinha’s population living in ‘extreme poverty’.

It's a trap!

No education > No job > Cant help children

get education> no job etc

Crime

Crime, especially drugs, makes it exceedingly difficult for residents to keep their earnings as they are constantly suffering from extortion by drug gangs. Deaths occur as drug barons use guns to enforce their trade, and young people find themselves using drugs at an early age, leading to dependency.

Frequent gunfights between gangs or between police and the gangs occur around the locals with innocent residents getting caught up and affected.

Road Systems

Road systems are extremely poor within Rocinha as houses are close together with no organised system of transport. This means that travel to the CBD for work for ‘informal’ work such as selling fruit on the streets or car washing takes a long time, reducing earnings.

Mnemonic

Lesson 9 Worksheet

Mnemonics are a good way to help you remember lots of different complicated ideas easily as you link them together.

Paper Jotter

Take a clean page in your jotter
Write each word of the mnemonic in the side margin down your page and leave 3 lines in between each word
Do not look at your notes and try to write in an explanation for each word in the mnemonic
You only have 2/3 lines to do this, so do not waffle.
Do not just rewrite your notes - if you are struggling, read your notes on each one, turn them over and rewrite what you remember!

Helpful Tips

Typical Question

Pay attention to the keywords, socio-economic is to do with people and money, environmental to do with the landscape. You have to mention both aspects to gain full marks!