The ephemeral in Rio de Janeiro’s suburbs: Micro-practices of resistance

Abstract

This article looks at ephemeral situations which emerge in the appropriation of public space in the neighborhoods of Olaria, Ramos e Bonsucesso, suburbs of the city of Rio de Janeiro. These situations were identified in a study of urban singularities, motivated by concerns for the coherence of an urban intervention with respect to the complexities of the city’s contemporary reality. Our investigative approach stemmed from a spatial analysis on a micro scale, which considered the relationship between the city’s fabric and day to day events, enabling us to understand the effects of urban form on those who experience it daily. The theoretical concept of singularity, on which this study relies, is understood here as the result of the use of ingenuity and adaptation to prevailing conditions in contexts dominated by hegemonic processes. Such resistance enables local agents to remain in situ, contributing to the urban environment’s diversity. Due to the identification of multiple ephemeral situations of singularity during our investigation, we additionally incorporated the concept of ephemeral architecture into our theoretical-methodological framework. Based on this notion, architecture is conceived of as a generator of spatiality which is at once fleeting, organic and flexible and which requires little financial or human resources, relying on “bottom up” action. The ephemeral situations identified in Rio de Janeiro´s suburbs are understood as distinct from frequently studied “micro practices”, given their socioeconomic characteristics. As such, the notion of ephemeral architecture may contribute towards social and spatial urban inclusion, although considering the difficulty for urban design to deal with informality; environmental and landscape decay, as well as precarious infrastructure. Anyway, it is important to include in the process a system of design rules to guide spatial appropriation collectively conceived; as well as the adoption of solutions to deal with the reinstalling devices daily.