Intra-metropolitan inequalities in Rio de Janeiro and the Guanabara Bay Cleaning Programme

This paper investigates the impact of the Guanabara Bay Cleaning Programme (GBCP) on the urban development process of the Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Area. Based on the magnitude of the budget of the programme (US$ 860.5 million) and its relevance to the improvement of the life quality of urban dwellers, the main focus of this paper is on the role of GBCP in the context of the Rio de Janeiro urban trends and intra-metropolitan inequality dynamics. We present here an analysis of GBCP's role in Rio de Janeiro's current urban development process, identifying its influences on the dynamics of socio-environmental inequalities. It can be affirmed that the GBCP plays an important role in improving the existing infrastructure of low-income areas in the Rio de Janeiro, but on the other hand several management and implementation problems counteract its positive impact and contribute to reaffirm the current spatial segregated pattern.