Compete Globally, Lose Locally? : The effects of Rio de Janeiro ́s hostesship of FIFA World Cup and the Olympic Games on residents in informal settlements - A case study of ’favela’ Santa Marta

Abstract: The aim of this master thesis project is to investigate how cities strive to be globally competitive affect local residents in informal settlements, generically called slum dwellers. This question is approached trough a case study of one of Rio de Janeiro’s informal settlements ‘favela’ Santa Marta. The favela’s public spaces have been studied in order to reveal how Rio’s search for increased global status has affected the management of the spaces and consequently the favela dwellers. Rio de Janeiro is using a well-acknowledged strategy towards global competitiveness, the hosting of international mega-events. Within the near future the city is presenting two of the world’s most well-known events: the FIFA World Cup and the Olympic Games. The games are being used as a tool to attract tourists and foreign investments, which are expected to help the city to Compete Globally. However, our findings show that this is happening at the expense of the city’s vulnerable slum dwellers and that Rio to some extent is Losing Locally. For example, slum areas that can contribute to presenting Rio as an attractive city, or have an unexploited economic potential, are increasingly integrated to the formal city. The residents of these areas are affected in several ways, for example through being evicted on behalf of more economically beneficial establishments. Remote slums with no interest for investments are however still separated from the formal city and left without support for its residents. Trough our research we have found that when a city set out to be globally competitive, it uses neoliberal market strategies, like hosting mega-events, since that is apprehended as the only trajectory towards development. Although, we suggest that the known strategy for development should be revised in order to not violate human rights.