C O N T E X T 1 1 1 : S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 9 33 IHBC Annual School 2009 IHBC Annual School 2009 IHBC Annual School 2009 have led to residential stratification by income between the pilot plan and the peripheral area. Brasilia now has the widest income gap between its centre (UNESCO heritage area) and periphery of all Brazilian cities sampled. On average, heads of households resident within the pilot plan receive a monthly income that is approximately 13 times more than their peripheral counterparts.8 Conservation measures have resulted in the sustained low-density occupation, massing and spatial layout of the pilot plan. This has triggered an artificial housing shortage within the heritage boundaries, raising land prices across the whole of the federal district and driving low-income residents out towards the fringes of the city. As jobs, amenities and residential areas develop around the periphery, the gravitational pull of the centre is slowly diminishing. Commuting distances in the federal district are some of the longest in the country, with an average distance 20 kilometres due to this fixed low-density structure. The poorest residents, living beyond the heritage limits, are incurring the highest transport, amenity and infrastructure costs.9 From an urban heritage perspective, Brasilia’s future is looking increasingly uncertain: a museumised city with a transient population of tourists and government workers, but a diminished resident population; the loss of the intangible modernist values on which the master plan was based and further decline in size of population of the pilot plan, leading to an accelerated deterioration of the historic fabric. Such scenarios have already been witnessed in other world heritage sites, such as Venice, characterised by a rapidly diminishing resident population and a simplified economy, increasingly reliant on the tertiary sector. Further uncontrolled development of the satellite cities poses a great threat to the future survival of the original plan for Brasilia’s, from a social, economic and urban conservation point of view. The satellite cities will present fierce competition to the pilot plan as jobs and amenities develop, but their existence can not be ignored. There is no clear solution to reconciling social issues with conservation aims, although steps may be taken to ameliorate further atrophy of the social and historic fabric in Brasilia. Costa’s original plans to accommodate low-income housing in the pilot plan could be integrated into future proposals for existing development opportunities. Housing initiatives from other historic cities such as public-private partnerships and housing associations could be adopted, a notable example being Cooperative Vivere 2000 in Rome, where residents provide labour to conserve housing in lieu of rent.10 The use of financial incentives or voluntary inclusionary zoning programmes could also be considered to support social or low cost housing in pilot plan. In Brasilia there is a need for socially equitable policies to be built into the city’s conservation strategy. This would guarantee that the city maintained a sustainable social structure, an element which is integral to the survival of its urban fabric. An integrated planning strategy is also required for the federal district that takes conservation aims into account at every level. If implemented effectively, integrated policies can provide successful solutions to balancing conservation aims with social priorities. Social issues and particularly affordable housing should be addressed by policy makers and conservation plans, at state and national levels. Furthermore, an in-depth assessment of the impact of real estate speculation on heritage cities is needed, to assess whether heritage cities should be subject to the same capitalist housing market as conventional cities. Brazil has already led the way in pioneering legislation to address the root causes of residential stratification by income. The City Statute, introduced in 2001, is designed to promote socially inclusive development which considers the social value of urban land as well as its economic value. The statute is based on the philosophy of the collective rights of citizens to the city. It includes the right to urban planning; the social right to housing; the right to environmental preservation; the right to capture surplus value; and the right to the regularisation of informal settlements.11 There are contradictions between this statute and the conservation regulations in Brasilia. Work is currently under way to evaluate how it can be applied in a conservation context. If resolved successfully, it will provide solutions for both social housing and urban conservation, while restoring the egalitarian values at the heart of Lucio Costa’s original plan. Bridget Pereira is studying architecture at the University of Sheffield. This article is based on her work for her MSc dissertation. Vila Estrutural shanty town on the outskirts of Brasilia, where residents survive off the proceeds of the local rubbish dump. (Marcello Casal Junior,Agência Brasil) Left:The Cultural Complex, Brasilia Right: Brasilia from Google Earth
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