Open your eyes! In its beginning, Porto Maravilha was much different. In 2003, when the Ministry of Cities had the idea of revitalizing downtown Rio, they were going to construct popular housing, raising the quality of life for those who already lived in the port region, whether they inhabited tenements or favelas.
The plan of the Ministry went down the drain in 2009, when the Luís Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) administration supported a project by mayor Eduardo Paes (PMDB), drawn up by the construction companies OAS, Odebrecht, and Carioca Nielsen. Thus was born the Porto Maravilha you see today.
But use your imagination. The promise of popular housing has still not become a ghost. In 2014, Mayor Eduardo Paes presented a social housing plan which envisioned the creation of 10 thousand popular housing units in the downtown area by 2025, giving priority to current residents. As the majority of land in Porto Maravilha was destined for real estate ventures, the housing could be constructed in nearby neighborhoods, such as Saúde and Caju.
But will this ever come to be, or will the promise remain unfulfilled, and its ghost continue haunting the downtown streets?