PolimiparaRocinha: Environmental
Performances and Social
Inclusion—A Project for the Favela
Rocinha
Gabriele Masera, Massimo Tadi, Carlo Biraghi and Hadi Mohammad Zadeh
Abstract By the middle of the current century, the world’s population is projected
to grow exponentially, becoming one of the major concerns for the built environment
all around the world, where informal settlements are going to grow even faster. This
growth will increase the demand for basic infrastructure which is lacking in such
contexts. In developing countries, the promotion of urban technologies could contribute immensely to a sustainable development and to population well-being, besides
creating interesting economic opportunities. Urban technologies could reduce the
environmental impact of cities’ development and of urbanized slums renovation,
creating employment opportunities for locals and economic opportunities for investment. However, deploying this in slums is a complex and challenging task. This
text presents a project based on a multidisciplinary and integrated design methodology for the sustainable regeneration of Rocinha, one of the largest favelas of Rio
de Janeiro. The project adopts a systemic approach and foresees the deployment of
an urban management system (UMS) able to manage and integrate several urban
services including sanitation, energy, mobility, waste, food delivery and cultivation,
and the flow of information connected to them, with the aim of reducing the environmental impact while improving the quality of life of citizens. Each of these areas
required the development of a specific project that, empowered by the UMS, will
allow for the circulation of information between citizens, fostering social inclusion,
and raising awareness on the topic of the city’s resource management. This project
is a demonstration of how minimal but calculated local modification can produce
considerable global reaction and ultimately change the system as a whole.
Keywords Favela · Informal settlements · System thinking · Complex adaptive
system · Urban management system · Multiscale approach
G. Masera (B) · M. Tadi · C. Biraghi · H. M. Zadeh
Architecture, Built Environment and Construction Engineering—ABC Department, Politecnico di
Milano, Milan, Italy
e-mail: gabriele.masera@polimi.it
© The Author(s) 2020
S. Della Torre et al. (eds.), Regeneration of the Built Environment
from a Circular Economy Perspective, Research for Development,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-33256-3_12
111
Performances and Social
Inclusion—A Project for the Favela
Rocinha
Gabriele Masera, Massimo Tadi, Carlo Biraghi and Hadi Mohammad Zadeh
Abstract By the middle of the current century, the world’s population is projected
to grow exponentially, becoming one of the major concerns for the built environment
all around the world, where informal settlements are going to grow even faster. This
growth will increase the demand for basic infrastructure which is lacking in such
contexts. In developing countries, the promotion of urban technologies could contribute immensely to a sustainable development and to population well-being, besides
creating interesting economic opportunities. Urban technologies could reduce the
environmental impact of cities’ development and of urbanized slums renovation,
creating employment opportunities for locals and economic opportunities for investment. However, deploying this in slums is a complex and challenging task. This
text presents a project based on a multidisciplinary and integrated design methodology for the sustainable regeneration of Rocinha, one of the largest favelas of Rio
de Janeiro. The project adopts a systemic approach and foresees the deployment of
an urban management system (UMS) able to manage and integrate several urban
services including sanitation, energy, mobility, waste, food delivery and cultivation,
and the flow of information connected to them, with the aim of reducing the environmental impact while improving the quality of life of citizens. Each of these areas
required the development of a specific project that, empowered by the UMS, will
allow for the circulation of information between citizens, fostering social inclusion,
and raising awareness on the topic of the city’s resource management. This project
is a demonstration of how minimal but calculated local modification can produce
considerable global reaction and ultimately change the system as a whole.
Keywords Favela · Informal settlements · System thinking · Complex adaptive
system · Urban management system · Multiscale approach
G. Masera (B) · M. Tadi · C. Biraghi · H. M. Zadeh
Architecture, Built Environment and Construction Engineering—ABC Department, Politecnico di
Milano, Milan, Italy
e-mail: gabriele.masera@polimi.it
© The Author(s) 2020
S. Della Torre et al. (eds.), Regeneration of the Built Environment
from a Circular Economy Perspective, Research for Development,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-33256-3_12
111