Observatory on the habitants on Belem, 2008 - 2014
Introduction
Inhabitants’ Monitoring Project: Belem 2008–2014
This is an AIH proposal made to the Brazil Antenna in response to the warning issued by the regional Alert System regarding removals and the potential negative consequences of the 100 million dollar investment to remodel the city in the build-up to the forthcoming WSF in 2008 and the FIFA World Cup in 2014. The work will lead to the demolition of stilt homes and probably of other buildings as well. Local social movements are sceptical as to whether the inhabitants of these houses will be relocated adequately and in a consensual manner.
- to monitor urban change
- to support participatory proposals for improvements to housing and cities
- to establish international exchange and solidarity links
- inhabitants themselves, not just NGOs or professionals, should monitor the transformations in a city which is subject to the pressure of multi-million pound investments which are behind these two major events;
- our action should be preventative; that is, it should seek to negotiate good conditions for low-income inhabitants before the work starts, rather than denouncing violations of their rights after these have occurred;
- if necessary, we should appeal to international solidarity in support of local and national struggles;
- the local authorities should interact with other sympathetic public administrations (FAL), AGFE and inhabitants’ organisations in other countries to find sustainable, participative solutions;
- the Observatory would be an excellent tool to strengthen and raise the profile of the proposed construction of the Vía Urbana between urban social movements and also in other social and political sectors.
In order for the Observatory to operate along these lines, we propose the creation of a unitary multidimensional working group, although the social movements and inhabitants associations (CONAM, MNLM, etc.) will have a leading role. We already have the agreement of Lucia Moraes, special reporter for the right to housing in Brazil. For his part, Yves Cabannes believes that AGFE should give a lot of weight to the Belem Observatory, because it may provide a positive alternative to the destruction of cities which occurs whenever multi-million pound investments are made to support the staging of mega-events.