Housing, work, and migration: a squatted building under threat of eviction

Abstract

The objective of this article is to demonstrate, using a squatted building located in the Brás neighborhood and organized by Brazilian and Latin American migrants, the way in which commuting, housing, and work are associated and interwoven. The article shows the constitution and organization of the squatted building, displays the protection network that was formed around the urban space, and explains the way in which a lawsuit that requires the eviction of families addresses the issue of work in the squatted building. Based on the dynamics of this urban space, we demonstrate that the form of work constituted in the squatted building fosters another market: the informal housing market.