Regulating Public Space on the Beachfronts of Rio de Janeiro

Bibliographic Data

ID4491458
AuthorsBrian J Godfrey (Professor of geography at Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, New York 12604–0482; [[email protected]].), Olivia M Arguinzoni (Fulbright Scholar at the Instituto de Letras e Linguísticas, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil 38408–100; [[email protected]].)
Year2012
Volume102
Issue1
Pages17-34
Publication date2012-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueGeographical Review (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0016-7428 • E-ISSN: 1931-0846
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/j.1931-0846.2012.00128.x
PMID22530262
OpenAlexW2020599391
LanguageEN
Citations received8
References cited36

Despite the fortification of buildings, streets, and public squares, Rio de Janeiro's beaches remain widely regarded as democratic spaces of social diversity and accessibility. Our study revisits the question of Rio's “democratic” beachfronts, based on local interviews, field observations, official reports, and newspaper accounts. We focus on historical and contemporary perceptions of planning, privatization, and public-order programs on the city's southern seaside. Institutional discourses have justified increasing regulation to combat threats of disorder and insecurity. While residents value the relative openness of beachfronts, they also acknowledge issues of safety, social segmentation, and subtle forms of bias. The public generally applauds recent “Shock of Order” policing and commercial revitalization, although critics lament the loss of traditional freedoms for informal beach vendors and casual sports. These paradoxes highlight enduring tensions between social order and hierarchy on one hand, and democratic rights and equality on the other

Geography · Political science · Public space · Space (punctuation) · Computer Science · Engineering · Urban and Rural Development Challenges · Urban Development and Societal Issues

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