Regeneration of a Decaying Urban Industrial Area Driven by Endogenous Home Industries: A Case Study of Maré Favela, Rio De Janeiro

Abstract

Favelas are low-income urban communities in Brazil, and Maré in Rio de Janeiro has the largest cluster of favelas in the country. The prevailing view of a unique, regulated, and normative city conflicts with the reality of the continued expansion of the favelas, posing challenges for architects and urban planners in developing new strategies for integrating informal areas with the main city. This study focused on a decaying industrial area adjacent to the Maré favelas and explored a sustainable path for improving both the quality of the built environment and the quality of life of the residents. Effective infrastructure and socioeconomic links between the favelas and the city were proposed. The home production model that emerged from the favelas inspired the use of the abandoned industrial area as a home-industry incubator. The study proposed an urban regeneration strategy involving a bottom-up industry-space process evolving from home industries to group industries, and finally to larger community industries. This strategy can accelerate Maré’s development and integration with the city of Rio de Janeiro.