Parque Madureira: Exceptional or Merely Good in Comparison?

Abstract

Nearly all the major urban planning initiatives associated with the ongoing transformation of Rio de Janeiro, such as the renovation of the port district, the creation of the Olympic village, and the opening of cross-municipal bus-rapid-transit lines, have been greeted by protests and criticism from architects and urban planners. One project, the Parque Madureira, a new green corridor in the city’s North Zone, has received great acclaim by Brazilian and international urbanists. Local residents seem to like it, too. Representatives of social movements, in contrast, point out that the Parque Madureira involved the same kind of favela removal criticized elsewhere. Is the Parque Madureira truly exceptional or does it merely look good in comparison to shortcomings elsewhere? What are its implications in the larger transformation of the city? This paper seeks to answer those questions by comparing the Parque Madureira both to other current urban interventions and to older parks, such as the Quinta da Boa Vista and the Aterro do Flamengo.