General Osorio

Today we caught the subway to the General Osorio metro station in Ipanema.  This metro stop has a newly opened sixty-meter high elevator (equivalent to a 23-story building) that leads to the Cantagalo and Pavão/Pavãozinho favela communities (the elevator services a population of about 28,000 people – a city in itself).  Use of the elevator is free. It is connected by a covered walkway to a smaller tower, twenty meters high, that leads directly into the Cantagalo community.  These favelas are lodged in the hillsides of Copacabana and Ipanema in the center of Zona Sul (the South Zone) in Rio.  The elevators to the second smaller tower are not yet operational.  There are plans to relocate some of the favela residences here to make it more “friendly” and to add a second viewing platform for the general public. The residents of the slums in the South Zone have a higher human development index than the rest of residents in Rio, though these slums still suffer from issues of drug trafficking, water shortages, landslides, fire, and open sewer systems. Santa Cruz, the West Zone, has the worst human development index in Rio.  This is where the recent escalation in violence, due to the “pacification” campaigns, originates from.   

View of the sixty meter high Gen. Osorio elevator and Ipanema beach in background, taken from the “overlook of peace” viewing platform.

View of the connecting twenty-meter tower leading to the Cantagalo and Pavão/Pavãozinho favela communities.

The “overlook of peace” viewing platform.

The elevators in the second tower will become operational once a viewing platform has been completed, and the nearby favela residences “relocated” to make the elevator more “inviting.”  The residents will not be financially compensated for relocation, but will probably stay in the same area.

Part of the Cantagalo community that will be relocated.

The Sidewalks of Rio

"The life of a paver is a bitter thing, sorrows and joys are among the cobblestones."

Anonymous

Several qualities characterize the Calçada Portuguesa, the Portugese sidewalks found throughout the city of Rio de Janeiro.  A principal feature of the sidewalk is its capacity to be restored using the same natural stone it was originally built with — a combination of granite or basalt and limestone — positioned within a bed of gravel.  These materials possess greater durability compared to artificial materials such as asphalt, concrete, or tiles.   The style and layout of each sidewalk is conceived by a master designer (either an individual or a team).  The rock is manually cut and laid by hand.  This kind of paving is a regulated craft in Brasil.  The calceteiros, or pavers, were originally brought in from Portugal to instruct laborers in the profession.  Long hours and low wages are typical in this kind of traditional paving.