The Favela-Bairro Project

The <i>favelas</i> of Rio de Janeiro are shantytowns that lack even the most basic infrastructure and services. The Favela-Bairro Project, featuring the work of Jorge Mario Jáuregui Architects, seeks to turn these blighted areas into functioning neighborhoods, or <i>bairros</i>. Jáuregui's design initiatives include the construction of community centers offering recreational activities and job training, daycare facilities, communal kitchens, and new streets and pedestrian walkways. These projects facilitate movement within the <i>favelas</i>, create links to the city center, address health and environmental concerns, and taken collectively, improve the sociological and economic status of the <i>favelas</i>.