The Public Architecture Programme and the 9 de Março squatter settlement in Barbacena, Brazil

Abstract

The increasing number of students who graduate in Architecture and Urbanism in Brazil has caused an overflow of professionals, of which only about 40 per cent are actually working in this field. However, the construction industry is developing at a rapid pace. Cities are growing quickly and, along with them, a number of underprivileged peripheries are beginning to sprawl. An obvious conclusion that can be drawn is that architects are being excluded from this process, that is, other professionals have been taking on the roles of architects. According to the Brazilian Institute of Architects, in 2005 approximately 82 per cent of the governmental agencies in Brazil had no architects at all on their staff. For the School of Architecture and Urbanism at the Federal University of Minas Gerais, in Belo Horizonte, Brazil it became clear that they had a role encouraging the creation of new jobs for recent graduates in governmental agencies, particularly at the municipal and city levels. The goal of the School's Public Architecture Programme is to foster sustainable development and to increase the quality of life in a number of human settlements by undertaking urban, social and cultural projects. These projects are developed by architecture students coordinated by teachers working in tandem with city governments. One such project was developed in 2006 for Bairro 9 de Marco, a squatter settlement, in the outskirts of Barbacena, Minas Gerais. The project, closely supervised by Barbacena's city staff, responded to demands from the local community and included an extensive study of the local conditions and urban morphology. Proposals aimed at upgrading the living conditions in the settlement and included infrastructure and public facilities such as new streets and parks, the eviction of squatter housing from areas of risk, and the design of new houses for families affected by the proposals, the results of this study are the key focus of this article.