In this conversation Raquel Rolnik discusses her latest book, introducing our commitment to a for... more In this conversation Raquel Rolnik discusses her latest book, introducing our commitment to a form of intellectual praxis that cannot be detached from direct engagement with housing struggles. She reflects on the makings of her latest book-Urban Warfare-and she also offers insights on the challenges (and opportunities) brought forward by the Covid-19 pandemic. Michele: It is a pleasure for the Radical Housing Journal to host this interview with you, Raquel. We are all very inspired by your scholarship and activism. Thank you for accepting our invitation! Raquel: Thank you! I think the Radical Housing Journal is a great and timely initiative, so I'm very proud to be part of it in a modest way. Michele:Let's start with the here and the now. How are you in this difficult time? We know you are in Brazil, and we were wondering if you could share with us some initial thoughts on the times we are living in. Raquel: In a way, I am going through the pandemic in a very privileged position: I am a fulltime professor, tenure track, which means that my salary is coming every month despite the pandemic. I have an adequate house to be confined in, and my family is in the same situation. It is a privileged situation. Although it's tough and difficult for everybody physically and psychologically, I think the outbreak of the pandemic could be used as an opportunity-more for some than for others-to change things.
Tracce urbane. Rivista italiana transdisciplinare di studi urbani, Dec 31, 2019
On interdisciplinarity and non-disciplinary research: a conversation Barbara Pizzo in conversatio... more On interdisciplinarity and non-disciplinary research: a conversation Barbara Pizzo in conversation with Raquel Rolnik Aim of this special issue of Tracce Urbane is to critically explore the issue of interdisciplinarity for Planning and Urban Studies. To practice forms of interdisciplinarity is a fundamental goal of the research group which launched this journal, and the journal itself was born to cross and overcome disciplinary boundaries, thus the necessity arises to explicit discuss this issue. Our aim is to reflect on the relation among different disciplines (their approaches, points of view, perspectives and methodologies) and their mutual contribution in tackling urban phenomena. At the same time, we are convinced that interdisciplinarity cannot be reduced to the sum of different knowledge or to the juxtapositions of different approaches. Interdisciplinarity has meaning and implications that are (1) theoretical (epistemological and methodological) and (2) practical (related to how the academic system works). The two dimensions influence each other. Thus, the topics that we would like to discuss can be introduced through the following two sets of questions. 1a. Our researches are dedicated to complex topics, such as the relationship between financialization and housing, which mobilize different theories and require a combination of competences. The object of our research, cities and territories, are complex system par excellence: which is your idea about how to face complex urban problem? How do you think we could actually combine and share each one's viewpoint and approach, in order to better unravel the world we are living and working in? 1b. We discussed a lot among us for understanding why a deeper reflection on interdisciplinarity is so much needed and even urgent for us, and we highlighted some main reasons, and one that can seem just, let say, secondary. The first and most important ones are related to, let say, our position in and towards the world: e.g. the idea that the
A importância da moradia adequada para todos, indivíduos, famílias e comunidades é óbvia. A morad... more A importância da moradia adequada para todos, indivíduos, famílias e comunidades é óbvia. A moradia e as questões a ela ligadas são de interesse de todos e estão constantemente no centro das atenções públicas. Apesar disso, bilhões de pessoas vivem em condições inadequadas de moradia no mundo, inclusive nos países ricos.
** Doutoranda da FAU-USP. *** Advogada pesquisadora do Laboratório Espaço Público e Direito à Cid... more ** Doutoranda da FAU-USP. *** Advogada pesquisadora do Laboratório Espaço Público e Direito à Cidade (FAU-USP). **** Arquiteta pesquisadora do Laboratório Espaço Público e Direito à Cidade da FAU-USP.
Urbanist and Professor at the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism of the University of Sao Paulo... more Urbanist and Professor at the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism of the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil, Raquel Rolnik was Director of Planning of the City of Sao Paulo (1989-1992), Coordinator of the Urbanism Program of the NGO Polis Institute (1997-2002), and National Secretary of Urban Programs of the Ministry of Cities (2003-2007). Rolnik has authored several books and many articles on urban issues and in particular the struggle for the right to adequate housing. As UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Adequate Housing, she was interviewed by Conectas shortly before completing her six-year term at her post as Rapporteur.Rolnik says that her UN work was an “absolutely incredible” experience, but one that revealed to her at close quarters the limitations of the Special Procedures system (rapporteurs and experts) of the Human Rights Council, which she describes as “a system designed to be ineffective.”The use of the “coded language” of human rights, and the de facto blocking of complaints and allegations [of human rights violations], means that the work of the rapporteurs is confined to a small specialised circle. “It [the Special Procedures system] is designed to avoid being universally known. It is specifically organised to avoid generating widespread public debate on the real issues. The whole idea is to keep the system enclosed within the human rights circle.”Rolnik therefore decided to expand the list of themes that normally form part of a Special Rapporteur’s remit (i.e. ‘traditional’ human rights issues), to include other key problems on the public agenda, such as financialisation of housing and the impact of mega-events on the right to housing. She also broke with tradition (and brought upon herself much criticism) by making country visits not only to developing countries but also to the US and UK in the course of her work.According to her, the major deciding factor in the Human Rights Council is that of geopolitical interests. “In many of the situations that I found myself in, North-South geopolitics took precedence over the real issues under discussion; what was really important was how countries were geopolitically aligned.”Regardless of the institutional frustrations of her work, Rolnik also detects in the recent historical trends – especially the financialisation of capital and States’ loss of power – a crisis assailing the democratic rule of law as a model of political representation and, consequently, of the language of human rights focused on the accountability of States and the individual approach to rights. This does not mean that human rights have lost their relevance: on the contrary, human rights still play an important role as a tool of resistance to the economic order and to “the very concept of the hegemony of individual property and liberalism.”The following is a transcript of the full interview with Raquel Rolnik. It covers issues such as the ‘right to the city’. It also provides an insight into her interesting experiences during a country visit to the UK, at the hands of the British tabloid press.
With over twenty million inhabitants, the São Paulo metropolitan region covers 900 square kilomet... more With over twenty million inhabitants, the São Paulo metropolitan region covers 900 square kilometers of urbanized area through thirty-nine municipalities, but its reach goes far beyond its boundaries. Its tentacles are present in distant locations in Brazil, in the continent, and in the whole world. São Paulo’s size and vastness comprise heterogeneous territories and social groups. It is a city connected to both real and virtual worlds of trade; it is an economic power, as well as a cradle for social movements and for Brazilian political leadership. But it is also a divided city crimped by both visible and invisible walls that rip its social fabric into ghettos, fortresses, and slums and besiege its public spaces. To be in the city is to be permanently exposed to its contradictory image of greatness, opulence, and poverty, with carts and armored SUVs, mansions and shacks, shopping malls and street vendors, and fancy food trucks and traditional popcorn sellers. At first glance, São Paulo looks like a fragmented city that does not seem to have originated from any kind of order. The city is in fact a child of chaos, of the wildest and ungoverned competition among individual projects aiming for social rise or simply survival, a product of the dreams of many generations of migrants and immigrants that came to the city seeking opportunities far from home. Urban plans and policy decisions have guided the city’s expansion over time, from the network of trains and trams in the 19th and early 20th centuries to the car-oriented grid of expressways from the 1940s to the present day. The bibliography on São Paulo is vast and has been produced by historians, geographers, architects, sociologists, and political scientists, among other disciplines, but is available mostly in Portuguese. In this selection, an effort was made to choose texts in English (when available), but also to cover essential readings from different disciplines, books or articles that have influenced generations of scholars, studies and authors that are considered classic works, being frequently cited, or, in a very few cases, are opening new paths and visions for the city today. The bibliography is organized by topics, starting with the city’s general and economic history, moving on to the political economy of its process of urbanization, and then covering specific themes.
In São Paulo, Brazil, housing policies and planning shape and boost highly precarious and exploit... more In São Paulo, Brazil, housing policies and planning shape and boost highly precarious and exploitative private rental markets. This is the case of a housing public-private partnership (PPP) that is seizing land since 2017 in a very stigmatized central neighborhood known as Cracolândia or Crackland. This paper covers the first two years of the PPP's implementation. Based on the life trajectories of tenants and squatters of buildings targeted for demolition, looking at both their living conditions and their encounters with governments, we demonstrate how policies and planning not only fail to meet the housing needs of people repeatedly forced to move but also deepen the permanent transitoriness which marks their housing experiences and struggles of everyday life. The paper also provides historical context to the housing PPP by highlighting the sequence of demolitions induced by various urban interventions that targeted the area since the late 1990s. The findings presented here stem from action research embedded in an ongoing process of resistance to government-led displacement-a process in which the authors intervene as advocates for adequate housing, and document and analyze as researchers.
In this conversation Raquel Rolnik discusses her latest book, introducing our commitment to a for... more In this conversation Raquel Rolnik discusses her latest book, introducing our commitment to a form of intellectual praxis that cannot be detached from direct engagement with housing struggles. She reflects on the makings of her latest book-Urban Warfare-and she also offers insights on the challenges (and opportunities) brought forward by the Covid-19 pandemic. Michele: It is a pleasure for the Radical Housing Journal to host this interview with you, Raquel. We are all very inspired by your scholarship and activism. Thank you for accepting our invitation! Raquel: Thank you! I think the Radical Housing Journal is a great and timely initiative, so I'm very proud to be part of it in a modest way. Michele:Let's start with the here and the now. How are you in this difficult time? We know you are in Brazil, and we were wondering if you could share with us some initial thoughts on the times we are living in. Raquel: In a way, I am going through the pandemic in a very privileged position: I am a fulltime professor, tenure track, which means that my salary is coming every month despite the pandemic. I have an adequate house to be confined in, and my family is in the same situation. It is a privileged situation. Although it's tough and difficult for everybody physically and psychologically, I think the outbreak of the pandemic could be used as an opportunity-more for some than for others-to change things.
Tracce urbane. Rivista italiana transdisciplinare di studi urbani, Dec 31, 2019
On interdisciplinarity and non-disciplinary research: a conversation Barbara Pizzo in conversatio... more On interdisciplinarity and non-disciplinary research: a conversation Barbara Pizzo in conversation with Raquel Rolnik Aim of this special issue of Tracce Urbane is to critically explore the issue of interdisciplinarity for Planning and Urban Studies. To practice forms of interdisciplinarity is a fundamental goal of the research group which launched this journal, and the journal itself was born to cross and overcome disciplinary boundaries, thus the necessity arises to explicit discuss this issue. Our aim is to reflect on the relation among different disciplines (their approaches, points of view, perspectives and methodologies) and their mutual contribution in tackling urban phenomena. At the same time, we are convinced that interdisciplinarity cannot be reduced to the sum of different knowledge or to the juxtapositions of different approaches. Interdisciplinarity has meaning and implications that are (1) theoretical (epistemological and methodological) and (2) practical (related to how the academic system works). The two dimensions influence each other. Thus, the topics that we would like to discuss can be introduced through the following two sets of questions. 1a. Our researches are dedicated to complex topics, such as the relationship between financialization and housing, which mobilize different theories and require a combination of competences. The object of our research, cities and territories, are complex system par excellence: which is your idea about how to face complex urban problem? How do you think we could actually combine and share each one's viewpoint and approach, in order to better unravel the world we are living and working in? 1b. We discussed a lot among us for understanding why a deeper reflection on interdisciplinarity is so much needed and even urgent for us, and we highlighted some main reasons, and one that can seem just, let say, secondary. The first and most important ones are related to, let say, our position in and towards the world: e.g. the idea that the
A importância da moradia adequada para todos, indivíduos, famílias e comunidades é óbvia. A morad... more A importância da moradia adequada para todos, indivíduos, famílias e comunidades é óbvia. A moradia e as questões a ela ligadas são de interesse de todos e estão constantemente no centro das atenções públicas. Apesar disso, bilhões de pessoas vivem em condições inadequadas de moradia no mundo, inclusive nos países ricos.
** Doutoranda da FAU-USP. *** Advogada pesquisadora do Laboratório Espaço Público e Direito à Cid... more ** Doutoranda da FAU-USP. *** Advogada pesquisadora do Laboratório Espaço Público e Direito à Cidade (FAU-USP). **** Arquiteta pesquisadora do Laboratório Espaço Público e Direito à Cidade da FAU-USP.
Urbanist and Professor at the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism of the University of Sao Paulo... more Urbanist and Professor at the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism of the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil, Raquel Rolnik was Director of Planning of the City of Sao Paulo (1989-1992), Coordinator of the Urbanism Program of the NGO Polis Institute (1997-2002), and National Secretary of Urban Programs of the Ministry of Cities (2003-2007). Rolnik has authored several books and many articles on urban issues and in particular the struggle for the right to adequate housing. As UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Adequate Housing, she was interviewed by Conectas shortly before completing her six-year term at her post as Rapporteur.Rolnik says that her UN work was an “absolutely incredible” experience, but one that revealed to her at close quarters the limitations of the Special Procedures system (rapporteurs and experts) of the Human Rights Council, which she describes as “a system designed to be ineffective.”The use of the “coded language” of human rights, and the de facto blocking of complaints and allegations [of human rights violations], means that the work of the rapporteurs is confined to a small specialised circle. “It [the Special Procedures system] is designed to avoid being universally known. It is specifically organised to avoid generating widespread public debate on the real issues. The whole idea is to keep the system enclosed within the human rights circle.”Rolnik therefore decided to expand the list of themes that normally form part of a Special Rapporteur’s remit (i.e. ‘traditional’ human rights issues), to include other key problems on the public agenda, such as financialisation of housing and the impact of mega-events on the right to housing. She also broke with tradition (and brought upon herself much criticism) by making country visits not only to developing countries but also to the US and UK in the course of her work.According to her, the major deciding factor in the Human Rights Council is that of geopolitical interests. “In many of the situations that I found myself in, North-South geopolitics took precedence over the real issues under discussion; what was really important was how countries were geopolitically aligned.”Regardless of the institutional frustrations of her work, Rolnik also detects in the recent historical trends – especially the financialisation of capital and States’ loss of power – a crisis assailing the democratic rule of law as a model of political representation and, consequently, of the language of human rights focused on the accountability of States and the individual approach to rights. This does not mean that human rights have lost their relevance: on the contrary, human rights still play an important role as a tool of resistance to the economic order and to “the very concept of the hegemony of individual property and liberalism.”The following is a transcript of the full interview with Raquel Rolnik. It covers issues such as the ‘right to the city’. It also provides an insight into her interesting experiences during a country visit to the UK, at the hands of the British tabloid press.
With over twenty million inhabitants, the São Paulo metropolitan region covers 900 square kilomet... more With over twenty million inhabitants, the São Paulo metropolitan region covers 900 square kilometers of urbanized area through thirty-nine municipalities, but its reach goes far beyond its boundaries. Its tentacles are present in distant locations in Brazil, in the continent, and in the whole world. São Paulo’s size and vastness comprise heterogeneous territories and social groups. It is a city connected to both real and virtual worlds of trade; it is an economic power, as well as a cradle for social movements and for Brazilian political leadership. But it is also a divided city crimped by both visible and invisible walls that rip its social fabric into ghettos, fortresses, and slums and besiege its public spaces. To be in the city is to be permanently exposed to its contradictory image of greatness, opulence, and poverty, with carts and armored SUVs, mansions and shacks, shopping malls and street vendors, and fancy food trucks and traditional popcorn sellers. At first glance, São Paulo looks like a fragmented city that does not seem to have originated from any kind of order. The city is in fact a child of chaos, of the wildest and ungoverned competition among individual projects aiming for social rise or simply survival, a product of the dreams of many generations of migrants and immigrants that came to the city seeking opportunities far from home. Urban plans and policy decisions have guided the city’s expansion over time, from the network of trains and trams in the 19th and early 20th centuries to the car-oriented grid of expressways from the 1940s to the present day. The bibliography on São Paulo is vast and has been produced by historians, geographers, architects, sociologists, and political scientists, among other disciplines, but is available mostly in Portuguese. In this selection, an effort was made to choose texts in English (when available), but also to cover essential readings from different disciplines, books or articles that have influenced generations of scholars, studies and authors that are considered classic works, being frequently cited, or, in a very few cases, are opening new paths and visions for the city today. The bibliography is organized by topics, starting with the city’s general and economic history, moving on to the political economy of its process of urbanization, and then covering specific themes.
In São Paulo, Brazil, housing policies and planning shape and boost highly precarious and exploit... more In São Paulo, Brazil, housing policies and planning shape and boost highly precarious and exploitative private rental markets. This is the case of a housing public-private partnership (PPP) that is seizing land since 2017 in a very stigmatized central neighborhood known as Cracolândia or Crackland. This paper covers the first two years of the PPP's implementation. Based on the life trajectories of tenants and squatters of buildings targeted for demolition, looking at both their living conditions and their encounters with governments, we demonstrate how policies and planning not only fail to meet the housing needs of people repeatedly forced to move but also deepen the permanent transitoriness which marks their housing experiences and struggles of everyday life. The paper also provides historical context to the housing PPP by highlighting the sequence of demolitions induced by various urban interventions that targeted the area since the late 1990s. The findings presented here stem from action research embedded in an ongoing process of resistance to government-led displacement-a process in which the authors intervene as advocates for adequate housing, and document and analyze as researchers.
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