Reviver Centro Program: commercial housing for downtown rio

Abstract

Rio de Janeiro Municipal Complementary Law 229/2021 created the Reviver Centro Program (PRC), which aims to reactivate the real estate stock by retrofitting existing buildings and constructing new housing in the Centro and Lapa neighborhoods. In this context, the Municipal Government introduced the Interlinked Operation (OI), which operates by enabling prior construction in Centro, generating development potential in receiving areas. This study highlights the social inefficacy of the PRC, and the production of high-cost housing, the trend toward typological homogenization, and the concentration of development potential in high-income areas with the OI. This mechanism was used to make urban planning parameters laxer in upscale neighborhoods, casting doubt on the program’s focus in Centro. The PRC was found to not promote adequate housing, favoring short-term rental stocks and fostering gentrification and real estate speculation. The study also emphasizes the discursive nature of promoting housing for lower-income groups, revealing the hijacking of the popular housing agenda, and underscores the need for democratic urban management to ensure the fair distribution of urban space.