Sustainable Neighborhoods and Social Housing Urban Projects: A

Comparison between Brazilian and European Practices

Angela M. G. Rossi
Professor
Programa de
Engenharia Urbana
Escola Politcnica
Universidade Federal
do Rio de Janeiro
Brazil
gabriella.rossi@
poli.ufrj.br

Gisele S. Barbosa, Professor, Programa de Engenharia Urbana, Escola Politcnica, Universidade

Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, giselebarbosa@poli.ufrj.br
Thmis Arago, Ph.D. Student, Instituto de Pesquisa em Planejamento Urbano e Regional,
Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, themisaragao@yahoo.com.br

Keywords: Sustainable Neighborhoods; Sustainable Housing Developments; Urban Sustainability;

Urban Projects; Urban Engineering; Urban Design.

1. Introduction
Urban sustainability is a broad concept that can be addressed from various fields of knowledge.
This study belongs to the field of urban planning & design and focuses on sustainable
neighborhoods.

This paper aims at to present the main principles that characterize housing developments called
sustainable neighborhoods, by comparing three examples, two in Europe and one in Brazil.
Although the Brazilian example does not declare itself as sustainable, it is appropriate to analyse it
because it is a type of occupation promoted by the Federal Government through a huge social
housing program that has been repeated on Brazilian territory since its creation in 2009. The main
contribution of this study is to draw attention to the gap of Brazilian urban projects regarding the
European experience, in order to progress in the application of the parameters of urban
sustainability in future housing developments in Brazil.

This paper is based on literature about urban sustainability and sustainable neighborhoods, and in
empirical surveys conducted by the authors. The concepts of urban sustainability and sustainable
neighborhoods are clarified and systematized, highlighting the best practices that received
international recognition. Based on theory and praxis, parameters of urban sustainability were
selected and used to analyze and compare the three examples of this paper.

Two examples are located in Europe: Vauban, in Freiburg, Germany, and Sarriguren, in Navarra,
Spain. Vauban received the Dubai International Award for Best Practice in the United Nations
Human Settlements Program in 2002 and Sarriguren received the award for Good Practice in
2000. Vauban represents the urban sustainability practiced by central and north Europe and
Sarriguren the south European experience. The Brazilian example, Campo Grandes Complex, is
located in Rio de Janeiro and represents well the formal urban occupation accomplished through
the construction of new housing developments promoted by the public sector.

In order to analyze the urban projects of the three selected examples, six parameters of urban
sustainability were used. The selected parameters correspond to urban strategies described by
several authors as essential for achieving sustainable urban design. They are: political
management and community participation, urban morphology and typology, urban mobility, access
to social infrastructure, sustainable technologies & the presence of technical infrastructure and
employment & income generation.

2. Final Remarks
The commitment to sustainable urban development and sustainable cities emerged in the early
1990s from concerns about the environment and have conveyed to new approaches to urban
planning & design. Since then, new methods, tools and practices for planning and urban design
were created and applied in the industrialized countries.

The concepts of sustainable city and sustainable neighborhood were shaped and a set of
parameters were established to identify the sustainability of a housing urban project. Questions
related to communities participation in public decisions, urban morphology and typology, mobility
issues, sustainable technologies, social infrastructure and income generation were taken into
account, and embedded in the urban planning practice and rules.

This paper is focused on the analysis of urban sustainability of two European examples and a
Brazilian one. One example is from Germany, a reference country for sustainability issues, and
another from Spain, a country with a Latin culture, closer to the Brazilian one, and they were both
visited by the main author of this paper. The Brazilian case described in this paper is a good
sample of housing production for low-income population. A number of 1,005,028 housing units
following the pattern of this example were delivered in 2010 helping to solve the country housing
deficit, but with a poor urban quality. The analysis of these three examples highlights the gap of
urban planning practices existing between developed countries and those found in developing
ones, as in Brazil.

It is important to enhance that in European countries basic urban issues like sanitation, waste
management, public transportation and public services in general have already been solved; in
other words, the social and technical infrastructure is ensured through effective and continuous
public policies. It is also important to remark that, despite the scale of the territory and the size of
the population, the principles of urban sustainability are the same, even though the solutions being
different for each case.

The academic debate about urban sustainability is a reality in Brazil, and some efforts are
underway in the public sphere and in the academic sector. The Selo Azul mentioned in Section 2.1
is an important initiative that attempts to insert systematic requirements for the entrepreneur with
regard to economic, social and environmental aspects; however much work still needs to be done.
The program Minha Casa Minha Vida that finances and promotes the construction of social
housing units must be improved in order to adopt new requirements and constraints that convey to
better urban quality.

As the construction of the city space is not integrated to public policies regarding social housing &
financing mechanisms as well, urban problems emerge when new housing developments are
created, as the ones described in the example of the CG Complex. It is important to stress that all
interventions in the city affect directly the urban environment, and therefore it is necessary an
interdisciplinary approach of the city capable of generating a sustainable urban design. These
aspects should be taken into account in the state policies and in the government programs
designed to finance and improve the quality of urban life in the country.
 Sustainable Neighborhoods and Social Housing Urban Projects: A
Comparison between Brazilian and European Practices

Angela M. G. Rossi
Professor
Programa de
Engenharia Urbana
Escola Politcnica
Universidade Federal
do Rio de Janeiro
Brazil
gabriella.rossi@
poli.ufrj.br

Gisele S. Barbosa, Professor, Programa de Engenharia Urbana, Escola Politcnica, Universidade

Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, giselebarbosa@poli.ufrj.br
Thmis Arago, Ph.D. Student, Instituto de Pesquisa em Planejamento Urbano e Regional,
Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, themisaragao@yahoo.com.br

Summary
Urban spaces are considered as great consumers of natural resources and primarily responsible
for negative environmental impacts. Among the results of the environmental degradation, the
destruction of natural resources that would be used by future generations and the degradation of
the current quality of life can be enhanced. Each new housing development causes a high
consumption of soil, water and energy, and requires technical infrastructure of high costs.
Motivated by such consequences many experiences in Europe and in other parts of the world have
been tested in order to put urban theories into praxis. These experiences have been called
sustainable neighborhoods or sustainable cities and there are several good examples mainly
among the industrialized countries. Among the semi-industrialized countries, Brazil is experiencing
a positive economic development and is trying to face the challenge of reducing social pressure
caused by housing deficit. A new housing program called "Minha Casa Minha Vida (My Home My
Life) was created in 2009 and released by the Federal Government to fulfil the housing needs of
the country. It represents an opportunity to think about new models of urban projects and their
ability to achieve sustainability, considering its three dimensions: environmental, social and
economic. In the last years, building construction practices in Brazil have evolved in attending
environmental criteria, but the experiences in urban scale were barely done. However, it is time to
assess Brazilian experiences and compare them to others in the industrialized world that are
appointed as good practices, in order to discuss the criteria and adapt them to the Brazilian reality.
This paper aims to present the main features of sustainable neighborhoods and compare some
examples: Vauban, in Germany, Sarriguren, in Spain, and Campo Grandes Complex, in Brazil.
This paper is divided into five chapters. The first one introduces the principal topic and sets the
objective and methods. Chapter two surveys the main theories used to define the sustainable city
and the sustainable neighborhood, while the third part presents some parameters of urban
sustainability selected to analyse sustainable neighborhoods. In the fourth chapter the three
selected examples are described and part five analyses the examples and draws final conclusions.
The main contribution of this study is to draw attention to the gap of Brazilian urban projects
regarding the European experience, and highlight good international practices of urban
sustainability to be applied in future housing developments in Brazil.

Keywords: Sustainable Neighborhoods; Sustainable Housing Developments; Urban Sustainability;

Urban Projects; Urban Engineering; Urban Design.
1. Introduction
1.1 Urban agglomerations and sustainability

Deep urban changes are occurring in various parts of the world, especially in underdeveloped and
developing countries. In these countries, social issues are strongly attached to environmental ones
and both have become a global concern.

Urban agglomerations are great consumers of natural resources, having great responsibility in the
process of degradation of natural environment. Deforestation of large areas for urban occupation
generates soil erosion and climate change. Earth movements change the drainage of water; soil
sealing causes flooding, while large amount of concrete and asphalt and the lack of green areas
create "heat islands". Emission of solid waste contaminates water and soil, while emissions of
gases causes air pollution, global warming and destroys the ozone layer [1].

The impacts of urbanization go beyond environmental realm and achieve economic and social
issues, causing decline in the quality of life. Housing shortage forces people to provide shelter for
themselves, increasing illegal occupation of land, providing segregation and increasing crime. Lack
of an efficient public transportation system and mobility based on the use of automobiles contribute
to air and noise pollution and increase displacement time. Lack of an efficient public education
system contributes to the cycle of poverty, creating difficulties to people achieve the labor market.

In Brazil, similarly to what happens in other developing countries, the lack of experience on
democratic practices in urban planning is one of the main reasons of the negative impacts caused
by Brazilian urban agglomerations. However, after the approval of the Federal Law 10,257 of July
10, 2001, which regulates the chapter "urban policy" of the Brazilian Constitution of 1988, it can be
affirmed that the country has finally a modern legal and institutional framework for carrying on a
sustainable urban development. The implementation of the Law has just begun and at this moment
represents the opportunity to develop urban planning processes with sustainable premises, in all
its three dimensions: environmental, economic and social.

Around the globe, several international initiatives are being taken to a better understanding of the
problem, in order to find solutions to minimize it. Numerous agreements, guidelines, legislation and
reports have been drafted in order to drive a more sustainable urban development. The whole
question now turns to how to achieve urban sustainability, since the term carries different
meanings and intentions.

1.2 Objective

Urban sustainability is a broad concept that can be addressed from various fields of knowledge.
This study belongs to the field of urban planning & design and focuses on sustainable
neighborhoods.

This paper aims at to present the main principles that characterize housing developments called
sustainable neighborhoods, by comparing three examples, two in Europe and one in Brazil.
Although the Brazilian example does not declare itself as sustainable, it is appropriate to analyse it
because it is a type of occupation promoted by the Federal Government through a huge social
housing program that has been repeated on Brazilian territory since its creation in 2009. The main
contribution of this study is to draw attention to the gap of Brazilian urban projects regarding the
European experience, in order to progress in the application of the parameters of urban
sustainability in future housing developments in Brazil.

1.3 Methodology

This paper is based on literature about urban sustainability and sustainable neighborhoods, and in
empirical surveys conducted by the authors. The concepts of urban sustainability and sustainable
neighborhoods are clarified and systematized, highlighting the best practices that received
international recognition. Based on urban theories and praxis, parameters of urban sustainability
were selected and used to analyze and compare the three examples of this paper.

Two examples are located in Europe: Vauban, in Freiburg, Germany, and Sarriguren, in Navarra,
Spain. Vauban received the Dubai International Award for Best Practice in the United Nations
Human Settlements Program in 2002 and Sarriguren received the award for Good Practice in
2000. Vauban represents the urban sustainability practiced by central and north Europe and
Sarriguren the south European experience. The Brazilian example, Campo Grandes Complex, is
located in Rio de Janeiro and represents well the formal urban occupation accomplished through
the construction of new housing developments promoted by the public sector.

In order to analyze the urban projects of the three selected examples, six parameters of urban
sustainability were used. The selected parameters correspond to urban strategies described by
several authors as essential for achieving sustainable urban design. They are: political
management and community participation, urban morphology and typology, urban mobility, access
to social infrastructure, sustainable technologies & the presence of technical infrastructure and
employment & income generation.

2. Theoretical background
2.1 The commitment to sustainable urban development and the sustainable city

The origins of sustainable neighborhoods refer to the concept of "sustainable development, which
emerged in early 1990 from concerns about the environment.

The concept of sustainable development in the urban planning was introduced by the United
Nations Conference on Environment and Development (United Nations Conference on
Environment and Development UNCED) held in the city of Rio de Janeiro in 1992, through the
elaboration of the Agenda 21. One of the first initiatives that helped to recognize the concept of
sustainable city was the European Conference held in May 1994 in Aalborg, Denmark, which
resulted in the European Charter on Sustainable Cities, signed by the elected representatives of
several municipalities. Ten years later, in 2004, during the Conference Aalborg+10, ten more
commitments were included in the Charter [2].

The social dimension of sustainable urban development aims at to promote the development of
society and is based on principles related to social justice, equal opportunities, social cohesion,
international solidarity, safeguarding of human capital. The economic dimension aims at to
promote economic development through the balance between production and consumption,
creation of jobs, stability of the economic system and international trade. The environmental
dimension aims at to promote environmental development through the balanced use of natural
resources and the balanced use of urbanized and cultivated land.

The idea of applying the principles of sustainable development on an urban scale has led to the
recognition of cities and agglomerations as actors of development. Since then, has begun the
discussion about sustainable city, particularly among European Union countries, and
consequently, about new approaches to urban planning. From these discussions, three tools have
been developed as means of achieving sustainable urban development: the Local Agendas 21, the
methods of environmental evaluation and the sustainable neighborhoods [3].
A sustainable city is considered a process that can guide actions but cannot create a sustainable
development in its entire extend. A sustainable city is a framework of actions that are undertaken to
promote sustainable development, in which collective projects find sense. Regarding the tangible
aspects of the city, to promote a sustainable city implies to achieve architectural, technical,
environmental and social quality, respecting the acceptable economic costs of urban infrastructure.
This means not only worry about the cost of construction, but also the cost of maintenance of such
equipment.

Regarding the intangible aspects, it can be stated that the worlds greenest city will not be
sustainable if people are indifferent. The cultures of behaviour, the government system, the
relationship between the public and the private spheres are also important issues to achieve urban
sustainability. It is not enough to develop new technologies to make a territory sustainable or not;
sustainable cities depend, above all, on a profound change in the behaviour of those who live,
work and find their leisure on it [4].

In Brazil, the environmental concern is part of the public sector agenda since 1992. In the sector of
the built environment, research has advanced primarily on the issue of energy efficiency in single
buildings. These studies led to advances in the creation of rules to regulate energy consumption,
but minor progresses in the field of urban scale happened.

However, as a sign of progress, the Caixa Econmica Federal, or simply named CAIXA, the public
bank of Brazilian Federal Government, launched in 2009 an environmental certification called Selo
Azul for housing developments. In the same year the Federal Government launched the housing
Program Minha Casa Minha Vida. The Selo Azul is an instrument of social and environmental
classification of housing projects that seeks to recognize housing projects that adopt more efficient
solutions applied to the construction, use, occupation and maintenance of buildings, aiming to
encourage the rational use of natural resources and improving the quality of housing and its
surroundings [5].

2.2 Sustainable Neighborhoods

The genesis of the sustainable neighborhood dates back to 1980 in Europe. The experiments on
sustainable neighborhoods built after 1980 can be divided into three groups, which correspond to
three stages of evolution of these experiments.

The first stage of experiments are named "proto-sustainable neighborhoods," and emerged in the
1980s, before the discussion about sustainable urban development. The second stage classifies
the experiments as "prototypes of a sustainable neighborhood" and began to emerge in the early
1990s. From mid-1990s the "sustainable neighborhoods-type" was consolidated [6].

The "proto-sustainable neighborhoods" had emerged in Germany, Austria and Holland in the 1980s
and were called "eco-villages". These were mostly experiments located on the outskirts of towns or
even in rural areas, and were designed from an ecological approach. The promoters of these
experiments were politically active professionals enrolled in movements described as being
"alternative" and adopted the ecological approach even before defining the construction site.

The second generation of experiments, the "prototypes of the sustainable neighborhood", were
designed and built as places of learning. For its implementation, it was set a specific financial and
institutional structure with two main features. The first one was the organization of partnerships
between private and public promoters: operators of urban services, planners, designers and
builders and the community involved. The second one was funding & financing from local sources
(promoters and developers), national sources (sectorial programs, ministerial subsidies) and
international sources (various European programs).

From the mid-1990s on, new examples that made up the "sustainable type neighborhoods" began
to rise. Enterprises involved in these projects were mostly of middle size and have been
accomplished on longer terms projects.
In the first two groups of experiments, the developer creates a special situation, from initial
planning through the construction phase and opens up a kind of parenthesis in his conventional
business to mobilize resources and special processes. In the third group, protagonists practice
innovative forms of planning & design with conventional construction. In these cases, change
occurs more through the development of standards that take effect over time and less for
exemplary standards.

Currently the terms "sustainable neighborhoods" or "eco-quarters" are often used, but even the
experts dont seem to agree on a common definition. However, we can reach an agreement on
common principles governing these urban projects.

3. Framework for analysis of sustainable urban projects

3.1 The evaluation of urban sustainability

Several studies have been published pointing sustainable urban strategies and principles. From
national and international documents and academic texts, six parameters were selected to assist
the analysis of the urban projects highlighted by this article.

3.1.1 Political management and community participation

The first parameter to be highlighted is the political management and community participation in
public decisions. The promotion of public policies and actions aims at the increase of quality of life
and, in general, enables a sustainable commitment to social justice, reducing inequalities and
ensuring access to material goods and services. Thus, the presence of the State and the rescue of
its social functions can promote citizenship, ensuring the basic rights and needs for citizens.

In order to be sustainable, economic and social factors should be integrated into urban planning.
Moreover, the motivation of citizens and their participation in public decisions and policies must be
guaranteed; civil society participation in policy making and oversight of government activities is of
paramount importance. The democratic management oriented by sustainability requires
responsible action of the various social actors [7].

3.1.2 Urban morphology and typology

Another important parameter for sustainability is urban morphology which also influences the city
dynamics, especially in mobility. In traditional zoning the residential areas are separated from work
ones and the distance between house and work contributes for a major need of displacement. The
hierarchy of roads organizes the flow of pedestrians and cars; the way this road system is
designed can either help or hinder the use of public and alternative transport. The morphology can
also enhance the mixed use in urban environments to minimize power consumption by decreasing
the distances between activities. Planning a mixed and diverse city can reduce pollution and
excessive energy consumption.

In addition, it is urban morphology which defines if the city will be sprawled or compact. Compact
urban projects have great value in recent years, but this compression should also be considered
with criteria, because it can also bring problems as heat islands, especially in tropical locations.
The typology also influences on urban issues. The buildings are a major factor responsible for the
consumption of energy and their typology can reduce consumption when these buildings are
designed with bioclimatic principles [8].

The urban morphology may also contribute to the integration between the natural and built
environment, improving the urban context by introducing vegetation and creating natural corridors.
The design of the city can contribute to the balance between nature and city, preserving the natural
cycles and inserting green areas in the urban tissue. This design decisions can also limit
uncontrolled urban sprawl and allows ecology regeneration.
3.1.3 Urban mobility

Urban mobility has great importance for urban planning. From beginning of the 20th century, the
automobile has had a great importance, especially in traditional zoning. Normally, public spaces,
streets and avenues, and sometimes parks, are designed to meet firstly the needs of cars in spite
of pedestrians. The street, which was previously a local of exchange and social gatherings, today
has been a space used primarily by cars. To change this picture, besides the planning of mixed
neighborhoods is also important to design projects that encourage public transport or alternative
one, like bicycles or even mobility by walking.

3.1.4 Access to social infrastructure

When designing an urban environment, a neighborhood or even a housing development, public

facilities are an important factor to be taken in account. Besides the quality of the equipment, the
distance between the user and the service contributes indirectly to the preservation of the
environment. An example is the proximity between schools and housing. If the school is near home,
the child can walk. Access to health facilities, education, leisure and services is of great
importance for local sustainability and quality of life.

3.1.5 Sustainable technologies and presence of technical infrastructure

The use of sustainable technologies and the presence of urban technical infrastructures are also
relevant to urban sustainability. There are several technologies which are developed to contribute
to urban development without damaging the environment, such as water reuse, biofuel for cars,
the renewable energies as a source of power, material reuse and recycling of raw materials,
among others.

The lack or scarcity of technical infrastructure can also lead to degradation of the natural
environment. Streams are used as waste dumps and lack of sanitation contributes to river and soil
pollution. The scarcity of technical infrastructure brings another serious social problem, such as
diseases caused by poor sanitation, especially in low-income areas. It is important to provide
universal water supply and sewage, as well as garbage collection and the corresponding
appropriate treatments. Serious social problems could be avoided by the implementation of
sanitation policies.

3.1.6 Employment and income generation

The urban environment also cannot be considered sustainable if it does not contribute to access to
employment and income. In deciding to live in a certain place, one of the most important factors is
the possibility of work and the maintenance of social condition. As a result of economic
restructuring and globalization, work has undergone major changes that resulted in a reduction of
jobs and the urban landscape has changed with the increase of informal work. Social policies that
enable the creation of micro and small enterprises, work cooperatives, technical training and small
farmer agriculture induce the promotion of a sustainable urban environment.

4. Comparing examples in Europe and Brazil

4.1 The Vauban District in Freiburg, Germany

Vauban is a district located on the edge of the city of Freiburg, three kilometers far from the city
center. It comprises approximately 41ha and has around 5,100 residents. As at the beginning of
the 1990s many young families were looking for affordable housing, the city of Freiburg acquired
the site from the German government [9].

There is a mixture in the social structure of Vauban and there is a variety in the architectural
typology. Vauban has a high density and includes a certain number of stores and small enterprises.
The majority of the building zone is divided into small lots, sold to individual property owners and
cooperatives. The building area is permeated by green spaces designed as recreational areas for
all ages. The road system was designed using traffic calming measures, in order to make the
streets pleasant places to meet and live. Parking places were provided on the edge of the district
in communal garages. A tramway passes through the district, linking it to the city center. The bus
routes and the city railway are directly connected. The social infrastructure, such as schools,
kindergartens, recreational zones, were planned to ensure quick and easy access.

Standard rainwater drainage systems were replaced by open channels. Residential units were
obliged to attend the low-energy housing standards, but passive houses as well as surplus
energy houses were built voluntarily. The heating supply is provided by a district heating plant. [10].

Figure 1 shows an aerial view of Vauban and Figure 2 shows the transportation & mobility concept.

Fig. 1 Vauban, Germany Aerial View [11]. Fig. 2 Vauban, Germany Urban design
and transportation & mobility concept [10].

4.2 The Ecocity Sarriguren in Navarra, Spain

The ecocity of Sarriguren is located at the edge of the city of Pamplona, 4.0 kilometers far from the
city center. It was promoted by the Department of the Environment, Planning and Housing of the
Navarra Government in 1998, with the main objective of providing affordable housing for a
demanding population. The area has 145ha with approximately 9,000 inhabitants [12].

The diversity of building types was achieved by delegating the responsibility for the projects to
different architectural studios. Various types of social housing were provided for a variety of income
groups, according to the forms of housing provision set by the Spanish legislation. A large central
park with 86,7ha was implemented, smaller parks and private gardens were scattered in the
buildings. In addition, trails and bicycle paths surrounded by greenery were planned, in order to
make the transition between the urban and rural areas. Bike paths and pedestrian streets were
designed in order to encourage alternative mobility and the district had also a bus line that runs
every 15 minutes and makes the connection to the city center of Pamplona. The district has social
infrastructure in the vicinity of the residential buildings. Around the large central park are the Cubes
of Innovation, small-scale buildings that have the purpose of receiving small offices, restaurants,
libraries, museums, and setting up a way to absorb the local workforce.

The buildings were designed in a certain way so that their heights decreased westwards and
therefore allowed a more efficient use of direct sunlight on the surface of some premises. These
buildings have solar collection plates on their terraces [13].

Figure 3 shows an aerial photo of Sarriguren taken in 2008 and Figure 4 shows the urban design
of the district.
 Fig. 3 Sarriguren, Spain Aerial View [13]. Fig.4 Sarriguren, Spain Urban design [12]

4.3 Campo Grandes Complex, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

This case refers to a group of six housing developments carried out by the same entrepreneur in
contiguous lots in a suburb of the city of Rio de Janeiro, called Campo Grandes Complex (CG
Complex) on this paper. The complex is located in Campo Grande, a neighborhood 60km far from
downtown. The lots together occupy an area of 32,3ha and will accommodate over 9,000
inhabitants, what can be considered a neighborhood due to the size of land and population. The
project targets low-income families of undetermined origin, since the properties are traded on the
market without prior demand [14].

The urban design was created by an entrepreneur who followed CAIXAs parameters of the
Program Minha Casa Minha Vida and have defined a typology of residential single-family homes.
There are no sidewalks or paving between the housing development and the nearest road. There
is little hierarchy in the road system and there is parking inside each lot. There are bus lines on the
expressway located 400 meters far from the entrance of the CGC Complex and the nearest school
is located approximately 4km far away, and the commercial area, 11km far away [15].

As required by the Program Minha Casa Minha Vida, solar panels will be installed in the buildings
in order to heat water. Once the housing complex is not connected to the city's general sewage
system, in each lot will be built a treatment plant.

Figure 5 shows an aerial photo of Campo Grandes Complex and Figure 6 shows its location in the
city and the distance from the city center.

Fig. 5 Campo Grandes Complex, Brazil Aerial Fig.6 Campo Grandes Complex, Brazil
View [14] Location in the City of Rio de Janeiro [14]
5. Analysis and Final Remarks
5.1 Analysis

One of the great differences among the examples presented in this paper is related to the public
management and community participation. In the case of Vauban and Sarriguren the land was
acquired by the city government which enabled the city to have direct control over the parcelling
and sale of the lots. In the case of CG Complex the owner of the land is the same entrepreneur
that builds the housing development. One of the main effects of this measure in Brazil is the
process of peripheralization of these new housing units, because the real estate sought to
implement projects in lots located on the outskirts of town where the land value is low due to the
scarcity of basic urban services. Moreover, while in European cases there was community
participation at various stages of the project management, in the Brazilian case there was none.

Regarding urban morphology and typology, there is a deliberate mixture in the social structure as
well as a mixed use of buildings in the European cases, while the opposite occurs in CG Complex,
since the future residents have a homogeneous range of income level. In Brazil, the prohibition of
the construction of housing developments with more than 500 housing units is to avoid the
standardization of morphology and the construction of homogenized spaces. However, in order to
surpass this type of restriction, the real estate started to build several sets bonded in the same
area, but approved at different stages, as was the case of this example. Moreover, as the financing
is designated exclusively to the construction of housing units, the project does not include mixed
use buildings.

Regarding the urban mobility, it must be enhanced that public transportation in almost all
Brazilian cities is inefficient and based on buses. In the case of low-income housing developments
like the one presented here, transportation is also insufficient and far away from the site, while in
the two European examples this issue is part of the project scope, and therefore well resolved. In
the surroundings of the Brazilian site the paving is precarious and in many places there are no
sidewalks.

The analysis about access to social infrastructure shows that, while Vauban and Sarriguren have
an easy and quick access to public facilities, while in CG Complex the social infrastructure is
insufficient and several housing units are built without access to business services, education,
health and leisure. In addition, in many cases, these facilities have no spots available for the new
residents. Each lot will have a play-ground and a community area for the residents.

Regarding sustainable technologies and presence of technical infrastructure, as the city sewage
system is not available to CG Complex, the housing development has to build a treatment plant on
its site, transferring the unit maintenance costs to the residents. With regard to sustainable
technologies, while in Vauban and Sarriguren different environmental measures were adopted, the
only sustainable technology required in CG Complex is the use of solar collectors for water heating.

With regard to employment and income generation, while Vauban and Sarriguren are located
near job opportunities, CG Complex is inserted 60km far away from the city center, where there is
the greatest provision of employment in the city.

Table 1 summarizes the analysis of the urban sustainability of the housing developments described.
Table 1 Comparison about the urban sustainability of the three selected examples

PARAMETERS OF URBAN Vauban Sarriguren Campo Grandes

SUSTAINABILITY Complex
General Data
Localization Freiburg Pamplona Rio de Janeiro
Area of the city 153,07km 25.24km 1,182.296 km
Inhabitants of the city 219,430 197,488 6,323,037
Population density 1,434inhab/km 7,824.41inhab/km 5,348.1inhab/km
Area of the neighborhood 41ha 145ha 32.3ha
Inhabitants of the neighborhood 5,100 9,000 9,000
Distance from city center 3.0km 4.0km 60.0km
Political Management and
Community Participation
Acquisition of Land Municipality Municipality Entrepeneur A
Urban Design Kohlhoff & Kohlhoff Taller de Ideas Entrepeneur A
Construction mix mix Entrepeneur A
Financing mix mix CAIXA
Community Participation yes yes no
Urban Morphology and
Typology
Mixed use yes yes no
Social mixture yes yes no
Mixed typology yes yes no
Public spaces yes yes yes
Green areas yes yes no
Urban Mobility
Tramway yes no no
Bus yes yes no
Bicycle paths yes yes no
Pedestrian ways yes yes yes
Traffic calming measures yes yes no
Road hierarchy yes yes no
Access to Social
Infrastructure
Public Schools yes yes no
Public health services yes yes no
Stores yes yes no
Banks yes yes no
Sustainable Technologies and
Presence of Technical
Infrastructure
Rainwater drainage system yes yes no
Low-energy buildings yes yes no
Passive buildings yes yes no
Surplus energy buildings yes no no
Solar panels yes yes yes
Heating supply yes yes no
Sewage system yes yes yes
Water supply yes yes yes
Garbage collection yes yes yes
Public lighting yes yes yes
Employment and income
generation
Proximity of labor market yes yes no
Other alternatives yes yes no
5.2 Final Remarks

The commitment to sustainable urban development and sustainable cities emerged in the early
1990s from concerns about the environment and have conveyed to new approaches to urban
planning & design. Since then, new methods, tools and practices for planning and urban design
were created and applied in the industrialized countries.

The concepts of sustainable city and sustainable neighborhood were shaped and a set of
parameters were established to identify the sustainability of a housing urban project. Questions
related to communities participation in public decisions, urban morphology and typology, mobility
issues, sustainable technologies, social infrastructure and income generation were taken into
account, and embedded in the urban planning practice and rules.

This paper is focused on the analysis of urban sustainability of two European examples and a
Brazilian one. One example is from Germany, a reference country for sustainability issues, and
another from Spain, a country with a Latin culture, closer to the Brazilian one, and they were both
visited by the main author of this paper. The Brazilian case described in this paper is a good
sample of housing production for low-income population. A number of 1,005,028 housing units
following the pattern of this example were delivered in 2010 [16] helping to solve the country
housing deficit, but with a poor urban quality. The analysis of these three examples highlights the
gap of urban planning practices existing between developed countries and those found in
developing ones, as in Brazil.

It is important to enhance that in European countries basic urban issues like sanitation, waste
management, public transportation and public services in general have already been solved; in
other words, the social and technical infrastructure is ensured through effective and continuous
public policies. It is also important to remark that, despite the scale of the territory and the size of
the population, the principles of urban sustainability are the same, even though the solutions being
different for each case.

The academic debate about urban sustainability is a reality in Brazil, and some efforts are
underway in the public sphere and in the academic sector. The Selo Azul mentioned in Section 2.1
is an important initiative that attempts to insert systematic requirements for the entrepreneur with
regard to economic, social and environmental aspects; however much work still needs to be done.
The program Minha Casa Minha Vida that finances and promotes the construction of social
housing units must be improved in order to adopt new requirements and constraints that convey to
better urban quality.

As the construction of the city space is not integrated to public policies regarding social housing &
financing mechanisms as well, urban problems emerge when new housing developments are
created, as the ones described in the example of the CG Complex. It is important to stress that all
interventions in the city affect directly the urban environment, and therefore it is necessary an
interdisciplinary approach of the city capable of generating a sustainable urban design. These
aspects should be taken into account in the state policies and in the government programs
designed to finance and improve the quality of urban life in the country.

5.3 Acknowledgements

This work was supported by Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientfico e Tecnolgico

CNPq through a post doctorate grant for Angela Maria Gabriella Rossi at Universidad Politecnica
de Madrid, and a scientific initiation grant to the undergraduate students Raquel Carvalho de
Souza and Nathan Ferreira da Silva from Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro.

5.4 References

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