rio's legacy has began

7/29/2019 Rio's Legacy Has Began

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Rios legacy has began

Carnival, the girl from

Ipanema and Christ the

Redeemer are the usual

images that spring to

mind when one thinks

about Rio de Janeiro.

Besides the undoubtedly

joyful Carioca lifestyle,there are also thoughts of

the citys inequality and

urban violence. Both

good and bad

perceptions have been

walking side by side for a

few decades in the global

consciousness. However, since 2009, when Rio was chosen to host the next Olympic Games, the city has

begun to be recognised for a new perspective: one of transformation. If legacy has become theobligation attached to the Olympics and other huge events, such as the World Cup, then what kind oflegacy is this transformation set to deliver to Rios citizens?Firstly, in order to successfully host the Olympics, Rio must deliver all the infrastructure needed on time

and with transparency, promoting a new reputation for the city and the whole nation. Moreover,

improved quality of life for Rios citizens is the major concern for the municipality. Those downsides to

Rio, inequality and urban violence, have to be addressed so that all Cariocas can enjoy the Marvellous

City, and the Olympics are providing the best opportunity to make it happen.Over the coming pages you will not find a report about Rios preparations for the Olympics, but a brief

introduction to the main projects that are reshaping Rio into the city that Cariocas deserve. What standsout in this process is that, for other Olympic Games legacy has become a reality after the event, whereas

here the legacy has already begun. Not only are the preparations already following the efficiency

standards required, but also important infrastructure developments are already benefiting Rios citizens,

such as the Rio Operations Centre, BRT TranOeste and the Madureira Park.

With no further delay, please feel welcome to Rio de Janeiro, the Olympic City, three years in advance.


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Upcoming global events

Capital of the 2014 World Cup

Maracan stadium will host the 2014 World Cup Final

The Maracan stadium, created to host the 1950 World Cup, will become the focus of another great

global tournament in 2014. The stadium is currently closed for a renovation that will make it more

comfortable and offer more visibility to the fans while adapting to FIFAs requirements. While the Rio

State Government is transforming the stadium, the Rio City Hall is reshaping its surroundings in order toturn it into a major centre for tourism and leisure. In addition to promoting improved access to the

venue, the project will create a green entertainment area, including bike lanes and public squares in

the vicinity of the stadium.

Rio will not only host the 2014 World Cup Final, but also FIFAs headquarters, the International

Broadcast Centre (IBC), from which images of all the matches will be broadcasted to the entire planet,

and the FIFA Fan Fest, welcoming tourists and locals to watch the games in an arena based at the

Copacabana beach.

In 2013, the world will have a glimpse of all this during the Confederations Cup.


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Olympic CityBeing chosen as the host city for the 2016 Olympics was a turning point in the history of Rio. A whole setof actions that can already be seen on the streets of Rio will represent the broadest urban and social

transformation ever executed in the citys history. Specifically regarding the Olympic venues, Rio is

building the Olympic Park and the Athletes Village in the West Zone. The Athletes Park was concluded in

2011, becoming not only a leisure area, but also a venue for events such as Madonnas concert and Rock

in Rio. The renovated Sambadrome, that will host the Olympic Archery and Marathon competitions, was

inaugurated in early 2012.

Within the Rio City Hall, the department coordinating these preparations is the Municipal Olympic

Company (EOM). Having as the CEO Maria Silvia Bastos, former chairwoman of the National Steel

Company and Icatu Insurance, the organs mission is to ensure that all the projects are efficientlyconducted, with transparency and on time.

Project of the Olympic Park, currently under construction in the West Zone


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World Youth Day 2013

Between next July 23 and 28, Rio will host the next edition of the catholic event World Youth Day, whichwill attract around two million visitors to the city. The presence of the recently elected Pope Francis is

expected for the closure, which is meant to be his first international official trip. The City Hall already

designated an area in the West Zone to be the stage for the main events and is now working effortlessly

to guarantee mobility and safety. Rio is looking forward to make this one the best edition of the event,

one worthy of the worlds largest catholic country.

For the occasion, the statue of Christ, the Redeemer, as the great symbol of the event, will be opened

full-time for the very first time since its construction 81 years ago, in order to attend the demand of

millions of pilgrims.

Christ, the Redeemer will welcome two millions pilgrims


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An integrated city

UPP Social

In order to promote social development, citizenship and sustainable peace in the communities that have

recently been pacified by the State Governments Unidades de Polcia Pacificadora (Pacifying Police

Units), the City Hall has been implementing the UPP Social, a programme organized under three

banners: 1) Improvement to public rights of way, such as street widening and housing construction; 2)

Democracy and citizenship, involving

conflict resolution; and 3) Local

development, dealing with social,

economic and environmental issues. Since

April 2011, the United Nations Human

Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT)

became a partner of UPP Social. Among

the actions already developed in the

project are the Empresa Bacana (Nice

Company), that registers the small

businesses in the communities, giving

them licences, and the Banco Comunitrio

(Communitary Bank), which created a social money for the community ofCidade de Deus (City of God).

All of Rios favelas urbanised

The project Morar Carioca (Carioca

Living) aims to urbanise all of the

favelas (shanty towns) in Rio by

2020. Since 2010, R$ 2.1 billion

have been invested in almost 60

communities, benefiting more than

250,000 families. Its main focusesare the social inclusion and the

respect for the environment. The

project improves the housing

conditions and provides public

illumination, water, sewage and drainage networks, open leisure areas and street paving and widening.

But it goes beyond that, as Morar Carioca intervenes to improve accessibility and landscaping and also

builds health, education and leisure infrastructures. One of the favelas, at Leme, served as lab for a

green version of Morar Carioca, with sustainable houses, LED lights and use of recycled materials.


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3D cinema for all

The CineCarioca 3D, a state-of-the-

art 3D cinema has been built in the

pacified favela of Complexo do

Alemo as part of an extensive

urbanisation plan in the area

developed by Morar Carioca.

Residents pay for tickets less than 20

per cent of the average price in the

city. On March 2011, Anne

Hathaway, Jesse Eisenberg, CarlosSaldanha and the Mayor Eduardo

Paes launched the animation Rio

there. The venue in Complexo do Alemo is only the first one of its kind, as the City Hall plans to spread

the project to several locations in Rio.

Learning and teaching in violent areas

The Escolas do Amanh (Schools of

Tomorrow), created in 2009, aim toreduce school drop-outs and

improve the performance of

students who live in violent areas of

Rio, such as communities that have

not been pacified yet. It grants salary

bonuses to the teachers who work in

these areas and establishes goals

that are worth prizes. Among others

actions, the program, which takes

place in 155 schools located at the

most vulnerable areas of the city, have full-time education with tutoring activities; arts and sports; a

new model for teaching science, with a lab in each classroom; rooms for health care, reading and

computers. The schools in the program also work with the concept of Neighborhood-Education, which

integrates the school with the local community, through educational and cultural activities.

The program is already showing results. The dropout rate from schools included in the program dropped

from 5.1% in 2008 to 3.2% in 2011. The number of teachers in these school units have increased by 54%.

Currently, the program includes 6.116 teachers and over 107 thousand students.


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Forming future athletes and citizens

On June 2011 Rio launched the GinsioExperimental Olmpico (Experimental

Olympic School), a new educational

project that will not only prepare athletes

for 2016, but also form socially-minded

citizens for the coming decades. The

programme integrates academic and

sports education for students between

the 6th and 9th grades, including support

in the students life project and education

of moral values. There are already threeof these gymnasiums, being one paralympic, where students with sports aptitude will have the

opportunity to develop their athletic potential and receive a high-quality education at the same time.

Technology available to everyone

The Praas do Conhecimento and Naves do Conhecimento (Knowledge Squares and Spaceships), located

at the poorest areas of the city, aim to connect the population to the latest technology, promoting an

inclusion to the modern world. The main purpose of the centres is to be hubs of digital inclusion,

offering free internet access, digital education tools and personal use programmes, stimulating the

artistic, cultural and social creation.

Currently, the project offers three squares and five spaceships, which only differ in the architecture.

They offer free courses of IT, graphic production, web design and photo, among others. The centres also

have a diversity of rooms with free access to high technology equipment and also specific events for the

residents, such as workshops, contests and exhibitions.


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A park where once was a degraded area

The Parque Madureira was opened in June 2012 where once was a degraded area in the North Zone of

the city, a region that was for a long time ignored by the public authorities. The park has 93 thousand

square metres and became the citys third largest green area, but it is still going to be extended. It is

totally focused in a sustainable theme, with an irrigation system for controlled use of water, water

reuse, permeable floor, LED illumination and sewage treatment. About 800 native trees and 450 palm

trees were planted around five lakes with illuminated fountains, surrounded by 31,500 sq. metres of

grass. Additionally, an Environmental Education Centre was set up to reinforce the participation of the

community and of students in the preservation of the park. The park also has the Brazilian second

largest skate park, table tennis, a cultural stage for concerts (Samba Square), a Knowledge Spaceship

and a cultural venue (Carioca Arena).


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A modern and revitalised Rio

BRT system: a revolution of urban transportation

Rio City Hall is building a new transportation system that will increase the proportion of the population

that uses public mass transportation from 16 per cent to 50 per cent by 2015. The Bus Rapid Transit

(BRT) system consists of exclusive express

corridors for articulated buses that can transport

up to 160 passengers each. The goal is to build

four of these corridors that will reach 150

kilometers: Transcarioca, Transoeste,

Transolmpica and Transbrasil, which will be

connected to the railway and underground

systems. The Transoeste is finished and working

since June 2012, with 56 kilometers, reducing

the journey time in more than a half. The Transcarioca, a 39-kilometre corridor that will connect Barra

da Tijuca to the Galeo International Airport, is expected to transport 400,000 people daily and to

reduce the time spent on travel by more than 60 per cent.

High technology to coordinate the citys routine

At the end of 2010, Rio City Hall built

a nerve centre that monitors 24 hours

a day, seven days a week, all

municipal logistics from weather

forecast and traffic control to road

works and public transport networks.

The Operations Centre uses around

900 cameras spread all around thecity and exclusive IBM technology,

and is also equipped with a 250-km-

radius weather radar that can predict

storms with the risk of slidings and

floodings. This new infrastructure initiative plays an essential role during major events, such as the

World Cup and the Olympic Games, as it can plan the operations for the whole city in advance and react

to any incident immediately and effectively. It has been put to test during events like the Paul

McCartney concert, the Rock in Rio and the New Years Eve party and proven itself extremely successful.


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Porto Maravilha: the city returns to its port

The Porto Maravilha (Marvellous Port) project aims to redevelop large areas for a long time abandonedof the port district for residential, touristic and commercial purpose. The dilapidated quarter that

encompasses the Santo Cristo, Gamboa and Sade neighbourhoods and currently serves thousands of

cruise passengers is receiving an investment of R$ 8 billion for 15 years, which will see the regeneration

of the Praa Mau and Mau Pier and the renewal of 5 million square meters of urban landscape until

2016. The works began at improving sidewalks, implementing tunnels, revitalizing the illumination net,

and goes to attracting investments to the area, that will receive nightclubs, restaurants, hotels,

commercial buildings and more. The project includes a Light Rail that will transit all around the area and

connect the port to the bus station, the airport, the fairies and to Central do Brasil, Rios main

underground and train station.

Another side of this story is the historical meaning that the revitalization of the port area is bringing back

to the surface. During the construction works ancient artefacts were dug out, including a queue that

received enslaved Africans in the 1800s, where the City Hall then made a homage. Now, the port area is

becoming a historical and also a cultural hub, with the opening of museums, like the MAR (Rios Art

Museum), the Museum of Tomorrow and the New Blacks Cemetery, among others.


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Where beauty, business and sustainability coexist

The place where everyone wants to be

Rio has always been one of the worlds

most aspired touristic destinations. In

2010, 1.6 foreign visitors came to the

city. On 2012, two million foreign

tourists visited Rio, and, in average,

spent US$ 97 dollars each day. Only for

this years summer season, the city

expects 3,1 million tourists. Considering

Rios agenda for the coming years,

including the 2013 Confederation Cup,

the 2014 World Cup, Rios 450th

Anniversary in 2015, and the 2016

Olympic Games, this interest in the city is

only expected to grow. Therefore, Riotur, the citys official tourism board, has been working incessantly

to ensure that every tourist will have in the Wonderful City the most unique and amazing experience.

World Heritage Status

On July, 2012, UNESCO has granted to the

city of Rio the status of World Heritage as

an urban and cultural landscape. Rio was

the first in the history of the award to

receive the status as a city. The organization

commended the key features that have

shaped and inspired the citys development,such as Guanabara Bay and the Tijuca

National Park - a sprawling urban forest that

cloaks the Corcovado Mountain down to

the sea. Other highlights were the

Corcovado, the Christ statue and the citys 200-year-old botanical gardens. The waterfront spaces of

Copacabana, home to Rios most famous beach (photo), were honoured for contributing to the culture

of outdoor living that is a defining characteristic of the city. Now, more than ever, Rio has a commitment

with UNESCO, the residents and the tourists to preserve its natural beauties.


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A developing and sustainable city

In 2012, Rio de Janeiro hosted the Rio+20, the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development,and the parallel event Mayors Summit, of the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group. No other city could

be better suited to host an event of which the focus is sustainable development and the eradication of

poverty, because this is precisely the challenge that Rio is currently facing.

Rios efforts towards sustainable development can be seen first hand in social housing projects, with

new housing being built with solar-powered boilers. The landfill of

Gramacho, built in 1987, which polluted directly the Guanabara Bay

and was an environmental crime, was finally shut down last year by

the Mayor Eduardo Paes, and replaced by a sustainable Waste

Treatment Center. There are similar initiatives with public transport,like the new BRT buses that run on biofuel. The city is also engaged in

increasing its recycling rate and cleaning up the lagoons in Barra da

Tijuca. The Bike Rio project grants easy access to 550 bikes in 14

neighbors of the city and already has 60 thousand users. The

incentive to the use of bicycles is also pushed by the increasing of

bike lanes, which now reaches over 270 kilometers. Those are just a

few examples of how Rio is committed to offering better services to its population without damaging

the environment and to reinforce its position as an example of a sustainable city.


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A business hub

On May 2010, the Mayor Eduardo Paesestablished the agency Rio Business in

order to promote the citys economic and

commercial potential. As the first

Brazilian municipal organ designated to

attract investors, Rio Business has been

working in five strategic sectors: energy

(especially oil), infrastructure, new

economy (the city has the highest

concentration of IT professionals and

students in the country), creativeindustry and tourism. In less than three

years, the agency has managed to attract

R$ 2.9 billion to the city, including the multinationals Microsoft, GE, Cisco, Diageo, IBM, LOral and Rolls

Royce.

Among the key motives for investing in Rio are the citys unique location, where all the pre-salt reserves

are based, the 56% of Brazilian GDP, the highest investment grades in Brazil and an economic growth of

103% from 2008 to 2011.


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For further information, please visit:

Olympics: Olympic City, Rio 2016 Committee, Municipal Olympic Company

World Cup: FIFA 2014

Tourism:Rio Official Guide

Porto Maravilha: CDURP, New Port

Social UPP: http://www.uppsocial.org/about/

Business: Rio Business

Rio Operations Centre: Operations Centre - video

Rios International Press Department

For further details, high quality photos and other requests, please contact us:

55 21 2976-9152 / [email protected]

Saul Taylor: 55 21 8440-5032 / [email protected]

Victor De Martino: 55 21 8111-0160 / [email protected]

Fernanda Salem: 55 21 9375-6692 / [email protected]

rio's legacy has began

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