The Rio Cidade I and II programs began to be implemented in 1993 and continued until 2007. They proposed urban requalification based on the recovery of public spaces and the reurbanization of the city, following the principles of neoliberalism. For 14 years, the city experienced the upheavals of repeated urban interventions grounded in a kind of parceling out or fragmentation of the city, whose objectives were defined according to the interests of dominant groups in the construction sector, backed by architects and urban planners tasked with enhancing the city's value, aesthetics, and functionality.
When Cesar Maia and his secretary of urban planning, Luiz Paulo Conde, presented the Rio Cidade and Favela Bairro projects as fundamental to the transformation of the municipality, they aimed to meet the demands of Rio society with the construction of the Linha Amarela - to ease traffic heading toward Barra da Tijuca and the West Zone - and the creation of a corridor that would reduce the population density of the Zona Norte.
Image description: The image is a summary table of urban infrastructure investments, titled "Riocidade." The spatial layout runs from left to right, starting with general data and ending with the total. From top to bottom, the layout presents specific details for each neighborhood. The colors are predominantly white and gray, with black text. The neighborhoods listed include Bonsucesso, Campo Grande, Catete, among others, up to Botafogo. Each neighborhood shows information on storm drains, lighting, trees planted, street and sidewalk paving, telephone and electricity ducts, trash collectors, bus shelters, and total investment in thousands of reais.Summary table of the Rio Cidade I project. Source: http://www.ub.edu/geocrit/-xcol/338.htm
So, Maia and Conde restructured the administration of the government machine, creating, in 1993, the Áreas de Planejamento (APs, today's subprefeituras), subdividing the administrative regions into five. Rounding out the agenda were the creation of the Rede Municipal de Teatro and Multirio, as well as bike paths and bike lanes, the construction of schools and hospitals, and the reorganization of the traffic lanes on Avenida Brasil and Avenida das Américas.
Image description: This is a black-and-white photograph of an open-air market. On the left, there is a curved structure, possibly a building or an industrial construction. In the center, several tile-roofed stalls are arranged in parallel rows. People walk among the stalls, some appearing to be buying or selling items. In the background, there are parked cars and tall trees. On the right, there is an elevated overpass above the market.Until it moved inside the Pavilhão de Exposições in 2003, the Feira de São Cristóvão took place on the street, around the building it currently occupies. In the photo, the fair's stalls in 1995. Image taken from Diário do Rio
These modifications prepared the city for major events that would increase Rio's degree of internationalization, capitalizing on the impacts of ECO 92, especially the possibility of hosting the Pan-American Games and the Olympics. There also came the creation of the Cidade do Samba (2006) and the relocation of the Feira dos Nordestinos from the street to the former Parque de Exposições de São Cristóvão, renamed Centro Luiz Gonzaga de Tradições Nordestinas (2003). The sands of Copacabana also served as the venue for international sporting events.
Image description: This is an aerial photograph of an urban area, highlighting a building complex prominently in the center. On the left, we see a large red structure, possibly a shopping center or school, surrounded by multi-story residential buildings. In the background, there is a port with several boats and ships, as well as a long bridge over the sea. To the right, the scene shifts to residential areas with colorful houses and gardens. On the horizon, we see the sea water and distant islands.The Cidade do Samba was inaugurated in 2006 by mayor Cesar Maia. Image taken from Diário do Rio
Between 1996 and 2000, Luiz Paulo Conde's administration at city hall continued these projects. Back as mayor in 2002, Cesar Maia invested in Olympic facilities for the 2007 Pan American Games, in addition to starting construction on the Cidade das Artes. The focus on the area around Barra da Tijuca, Downtown, and the Zona Sul, with special interest in the neighborhoods of Copacabana, Ipanema, and Leblon, was evident not only in the way of governing and intervening in the city, but also in the areas chosen to receive these actions.
The programs reached 27 neighborhoods with stormwater drainage services, construction of underground galleries for wires and cables, facilitating the city's inclusion in the digital world and benefiting companies linked to the sector, sidewalk renovations, modernization of urban furniture, lighting, and visual communication. With this, according to Maia, Rio would be becoming a welcoming city and ensuring its inclusion in the category of
city marketing
commodity-city.
