Rio de Janeiro is situated on one of the most unique sites in the world. Surrounded by picturesque mountains, coves, and beaches, it is modern city and home to over 11 million inhabitants. Rio is located just north of the Tropic of Capricorn along the Brazilian Atlantic coast. The te rrain is characterized by steep hills and mountains which are offshoots of the mountain range Sierra do Mar. These hills are granite based and lead inland to form the Brazilian Highlands. One of the most famous is the coastal mountain Sugar Loaf, which is the landmark most commonly associated with Rio. The original city was founded just inland from the coast on an inlet known as Guanabara Bay. This was thought to have been the mouth of a river, hence the name of Rio(meaning river) de Janeiro, given to the city.
The three essential functions of early Portuguese settlements are access from the hinterland and the sea, military strongholds and religious centers. The center of the city, or Central Zone, was built on a hill, later named Morro de Castelo, for protection form invasion. As the city grew, this hill was later leveled and used as infill for expansion. This was a common occurrence as other hills were also leveled to fill in swampy, lowland areas for habitation. The hills around Rio severely limited where and how much expansion could take place. Most are too steep to develop and severely limited the direction which development occurred. By infilling into the bay, Rio was able to keep expanding, though on a limited basis. Though urban expansion continued, the Portuguese government never attempted any type of planning control. Spontaneous urbanization was typical of most Brazilian cities but this did not mean that Rio had no spatial order. Cities like Rio formed around several squares located near the waterfront and the center of the city along a hilltop. The important government and religious institutions were located here and streets would wind down the hill to the bay. Though this made for a picturesque setting, it later proved hampering to the modernization of Rio.
Since the hills existed mainly to the south, most expansion was directed northward. The North Zone was much flatter and most development concentrated along the western side of the bay. Eventually the docks moved northward too and a separation occurred between the industrial sector to the north and the commercial sector to the south. This expansion of of the docks came on the heals of the discovery of gold and diamonds in nearby Minas Gerais along with the increasing demand for the traditional exports of coffee, sugar, rubber and cotton. Rio became the major portfor Brazilian exports and grew quite rapidly during this period. Much of the city began to modernize. This was due in part to the resettling of the Portuguese monarchy in Rio and the increasing European population that came with. Infrastructure changes began in sewerage, telephone/telegraph, electric street lighting, and the widening and paving of roads. These improvements did not end with the city, but continued into the hinterland and created improved connections to cities and goods from the interior.
The addition of the street car followed north-south routes from the central district to the northern suburbs, creating "fingers" of development along these lines. The creation of the first tunnel allowed for more development to focus in on Rio from the outlying areas. With another phase of modernization, around the turn of the twentieth century, the South Zone began new prominence along the coast. Any wealthy establishments to the north were forced out by the increased expansion of industry and headed to the small fishing villages along the Atlantic coast. The first modern skyscrapers began to go up in the Central Zone and and new areas were being developed. While this modernization occurred, great disparities in wealth began to emerge and the first favelas showed up along the hillsides. With the demolition of the older, lower income housing to make way for the modern skyscraper, the poor were forced out and formed squatter villages away from the city. There were three monumental changes that occurred in the beginning of the twentieth century. They continued after World War II and changed the urban geography of the city.
One, to accommodate the modernization process of Rio, The city had to widen and rearrange the existing colonial street pattern. A major artery was created running through the center of the central city named Avenida Rio Branco. This was done without regard for preservation of the original architecture, creating an interna tional look to Rio. This avenue later became the main corridor for commercial development and gave focus to the CBD of Rio. The second was in response to the reoccurrence of yellow fever. The unsanitary conditions of Rio's made it easy for disease to spread. New sewer systems, waste control, garbage and the filling in of swamps nearly rid the city of the fever and put an end to negative image Rio had gotten in the international community. The third was the removal of the port from the crowded CBD and replacing it with larger facilities further north in Guanabara Bay. This allowed for a definite shift and separation of urban functions and also an increase in the economic stratification of the population.
By the 1970's, most of the Second Empire and Art Nouveau styles of architecture were destroyed. The street car system was removed, except for one route, which was replaced by busses. This caused a filling in effect between the fingers of development along the old street car routes and a spreading out of development. The South Zone became one of the most densely populated areas in the world. A narrow strip between the beaches and the hills saw way to apartments and condominiums of some of the wealthiest people in Brazil. The concentration of wealth and population around the core of Rio forced the poor out of the cities and into suburbios. Wealthy living in such a densely populated, high rise area and the poor living in the periphery, is just the opposite of the urbanization of most western cities. There is wealth on the extreme periphery of Rio, but this usually occurs in smaller, towns just outside the development of the city. A new airport was completed north of Rio on Governador Island and the CBD was directly connected by bridge to Niteroi to the east of the bay. Development continues along the prestigious beaches of the South Zone, now extending some twenty-five kilometers from the CBD. A subway was started in the mid 1970's, but never exceeded one line. There are plans to expand this line, but not for many years. It has never become much of a factor in reducing the massive auto congestion in the city.
Rio has seen many periods of development, but never as much as it has in the last half century. After World War II, Rio developed into a modern city, accepting the same problems that come with such a change (severe poverty, limited public services, traffic congestion, pollution). As more people move from the country to Rio, the problems of overcrowding increase. Though the city may change over time, Rio will always have its beautiful hills and beaches for which it is known.
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