ALLEVIATING URBAN POVERTY IN A GLOBAL CITY - NEW TRENDS IN UPGRADING RIO-DE-JANEIROS FAVELAS

In contrast to the ''eradication and resettlement'' approach of the 19 60s and 1970s, and the implementation of isolated public-works project s in the 1980s, the 1990s in Rio have brought a comprehensive upgradin g approach to the favelas. Such local innovations in Brazil began to e merge after the enactment of the 1988 Constitution that gave municipal ities the power to formulate urban policies and laws at the local leve l. We examine the Favela-Bairro Program, in particular, highlighting i ts five central features: (1) projects designed to integrate favelas w ith planned neighborhoods (bairros), (2) urban redevelopment plans tha t embody a comprehensive approach, (3) an emphasis on coordination amo ng municipal agencies, (4) utilization of a participatory approach, an d (5) the use of private sector firms in executing public works projec ts. (C) 1998 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.