BUILDING BRASIL: The proactive urban renewal of informal settlements

The author

Urban renewal a book of a master’s degree program course in ETH Zurich initiated by Marc M. Angélil. Rainer Hehl is the director of a study for this program. Marc Angelil holds a PhD degree in architecture and design. He teaches the undergraduate years in ETH Zurich at the beginning of his career; became assistant professor at the University of Southern California. In the late nineties he was named assistant professor at ETH Zurich where he conducted various researches in contemporary development in Europe, Asia, and USA. His architecture firm is located in USA and Zurich with a collaboration of architects such as Martin Spöhler. Rainer Hehl is an assistant professor in TU delft and has architecture practice in New York (OMA).

Book theme and target audience

The book is intended to benefit various audiences from architecture, urban design, and planning. As indicated in its introduction written by Rainer, the book takes a proactive approach for visionary ways of city making. Part one of the book composed of various article summaries from various contributors. Summaries on how the informal settlements were created and the socio-economic and political factors aligned behind them. Researchers from various fields may benefit from these studies such as social science, architecture, and policymakers. The remaining parts written centered on architecture prototype and geographic mapping for studying the urban form. These parts may benefit undergraduate students from architecture and people studying the evolution of urban form or morphology studies.

The book theme is centered on supplementing a master’s degree curriculum of several subjects. Starting from the site appraisal and studying the informal settlement from collecting the socio-economic problems data behind the creation of these settlements. Politics absence and the lack of proper laws that govern the land use classification and development. Proposing architectural prototype and projects to solve some of these problems. Presenting all these data from the student’s course work for the degree.  

There is a phenomenon considered by the Brazilians the shadow of the world at the margin of the city that is the informal settlement. Where there are unknown actors and forces behind the creation of the city. A city where informal settlement fades and integrates into the city to become a local center. This rapid urbanization comprises complex forms, organizations, prototypes and lifestyles. Rapid urbanization lacking proper environment planning, bad basic infrastructure, public services and recreational spaces. Public intervention was mandatory to come for all that in the development of the informal settlement without upsetting the social and organizational structure of the city. Modernizing the city with new modern models and paradigms of change.

Book content

The book is a master’s degree curriculum course, but is a project wise study form of providing knowledge. The course lacks a lot of essential theoretical background, comprising methods, tools, and techniques of research, analysis, and assessment. Projects are studied without passing the proper method and procedure of the urban planning and design process cycle and even without proper knowledge of the cycle of investment and property development. The book chapters are well organized and connected, starting from collecting data for the various projects, proposing resolutions such as prototypes and architectural strategies, introducing political policies and defining its deficiencies and resolutions. Every chapter is supported with architectural info graphs and illustrations, Ariel maps of the project subject of study. The information lacks statistical studies and mathematical data.

The book content reflects precisely the book title and the book title is tailored to indicate the book content. In the book index, a clear idea is shown to the reader on what is between the book covers. From the article summaries, a hint of a collection of data activity is conducted by the contributors. The prototype proposed gives an indication of an architectural solution to various problems. And the projects subject of the study is the application of the data collection and prototypes. Within the book an absence of any relevant references, books, and research studies from any university, but only in limited areas in the book there is a sign of authority study and intervention of the Brazilian sector’s subject of this research. The book lacks also any sign of application of best practices and relevant design guidelines.

In the first look at the book title, a reader is attracted to it for various reasons. Students looking for a reference that includes urban renewal principals and methods. In reality, this book is useful for architecture students at the undergraduate level, geographers in the beginning of their carrier who want comprehensive perspective about architecture and how to conduct architectural studies.

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