Grand Challenges and Research | Urban Studies & Planning

Mina Pashayi

Academic Year: 2009-2010

Transportation, infrastructure development, and sustainability in Rio de Janeiro

Area of Concentration

Transportation Planning

Key Terms:

transportation development, local government, privatization, sustainability, Olympics

Significance/Broader Impact:

International development is important for all planners to consider when researching or planning any project. Since the beginning of the Olympic games in the later part of the 1800s, cities have transformed as the international pressures are on the shoulders of the cities to improve conditions. As in Beijing in 2008 and Barcelona in 1992, the entire city changed on a political and physical level. These transformations were pivotal in influencing the democracy in Barcelona. Transportation in any city is important to consider. From Los Angeles, which expanded due to its freeway networks, to New York City, which relies on the subway system- developing countries are at an advantage or disadvantage because they can be influenced by a variety of organizations. This is the premise to this research project- what types of advantages and disadvantages are at stake? What types of development will occur in Rio de Janeiro in light of the upcoming Olympic Games, and how will this affect the current community in terms of sustainability? Since economy and politics are two important obstacles in this project, there will be a focus more on the economy because Brazilian politics is out of the scope and range of this project.

References

http://olympicstudies.uab.es/lec/pdf/cashman.pdf
http://www.jstor.org/stable/3059924?&Search=yes&term=development&term=developing&term=sustainable&term=countries&list=hide&searchUri=/action/doBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Dsustainable%2Bdevelopment%2Bin%2Bdeveloping%2Bcountries%26x%3D0%26y%3D0%26wc%3Don&item=2&ttl=14838&returnArticleService=showArticlehttp://www.jstor.org/stable/3658544?&Search=yes&term=developing&term=sustainability&term=country&list=hide&searchUri=/action/doBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Dsustainability%2Bin%2Bdeveloping%2Bcountry%26gw%3Djtx%26prq%3Dsustainability%2Bin%2Bdeveloping%26Search%3DSearch%26hp%3D25%26wc%3Don&item=7&ttl=5839&returnArticleService=showArticle
http://www.jstor.org/stable/622834?&Search=yes&term=developing&term=sustainability&term=country&list=hide&searchUri=/action/doBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Dsustainability%2Bin%2Bdeveloping%2Bcountry%26gw%3Djtx%26prq%3Dsustainability%2Bin%2Bdeveloping%26Search%3DSearch%26hp%3D25%26wc%3Don&item=8&ttl=5839&returnArticleService=showArticle

Links:

http://www.armazemdedados.rio.rj.gov.br/
http://portalgeo.rio.rj.gov.br/website/BaseGeo/viewer.htm
http://www.governo.rj.gov.br/indice.asp?orgao=115
http://urutau.proderj.rj.gov.br/rio2016_imagens/sumario/English/Per%20Theme/Volume%203/Theme_15.pdf
http://www.ibge.gov.br/english/
http://www.un.org/esa/dsd/agenda21/index.shtml

Fall SRP Proposal Abstract

Sustainable development in developing countries is an issue that is gaining an increase in interest from the international community. This proposal examines the effect of Agenda 21 on recent and future development in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. With the upcoming 2016 Olympic Games and 2014 World Cup in Rio de Janeiro, the city is undergoing major urban improvements to its physical environment. Recently, the Pan American Games in 2007 generated an economic interest from the public and private sector to build a new stadium for that event. This study includes an analysis of Beijing’s economic and environmental impacts from the 2008 games—serving as a benchmark for future issues that Rio de Janeiro may encounter as a developing country. Due to economic factors and lack of government interest, the current land use plans for the preparation of the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro are not considered sustainable when compared to the policies set forth by Agenda 21.

Winter Senior Research Project (SRP) Abstract

Sustainable development in developing countries is an issue that is gaining an increasing interest from the international community. This research project examines the upcoming development in Rio de Janeiro as the 2016 Olympic Games catalyze major urban changes to its physical environment. The study focuses on transportation planning and how the population will be affected as the government attempts to shift away from a public transportation system that is run by private companies to a system with greater access for individuals in and around the city of Rio de Janeiro. Privatized transportation systems have created an unsustainable network of bus routes that create slower travel time and higher fare costs due to the flat fare rate. The government seeks to provide a more efficient transportation system in time for the Olympic Games that increase ridership and revenue. The study attempts to understand how these changes affect the neighborhoods in Rio de Janeiro in terms of economics, environment, and equality. Research includes population and transportation data, maps, and interviews from experts in the planning field.

Evidence

Evidence that will be used in this project includes an integrated approach from a variety of sources. It is very holistic and ties each piece together to come up with a valid conclusion. These sources include archival records from newspapers and magazine websites, scholarly journals, books relating to the general topic, government documentation, planning reports and records, and interviews from professionals in the field of planning. Archives are mostly articles from a variety of perspectives. This includes general news and private interest groups to gain different points of view in this research. Government documentation includes the 2005 Transportation Master Plan, which has an abundance of statistics on population, income, and transportation data for 2005, 2015, and 2025. While this is limited due to the fact that this report was submitted before Rio de Janeiro was elected into the Olympic games, it is also important to analyze because the projection data serves as a benchmark for where the city would be going had the games not come to the city in 2016. Alongside this document is Theme 15: Transportation Plan for the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games. This includes information about how the city will invest its efforts into transforming the current transportation system. Interviews include commentary from two different architects from Rio de Janeiro, as well as a point of view from a tourist to the city. These combined sources will assist in the conclusion of this research project.

Spatial Dimension

The spatial dimension of this project encompasses an analysis of the state of Rio de Janeiro, but focuses on the city of Rio de Janeiro. Particularly, these four regions: Barra da Tijuca, Copacabana, Deodoro, and Maranca. These are the four Olympic zones for the games, and many of the changes in the public transportation system will be in this region.

Files

SRP - Final Copy Upload: Download
Vimeo Video Link: Go to Postercast
Proposal - First Draft: Download