A DAY IN PARAISOPOLIS

15 April 2009

This day we went to the "Favela" called Paraisopolis to gather information. We were welcomed at the community centre were people wich contained a library and was a place where people could turn to if they needed help with problems they could not solve themselves. Here we meet Isaac, an employee who guided us through they neighborhood and answered all sorts of questions for us and provided the contact with they local people. Afterwards he took us to two building material shops and to construction sites in the neighborhood. we also had a meeting with a broker (Helena Santos) for more information about the marketvalue of the dwellings in Paroisopolis, and about what the most important terms are to value a property in this kind of area.

It seems that informal and formal are mixing a lot here. Dwellings are informaly constructed but are sold more or less 'formaly' by use of contracts. An other example is the fact that people who are building a house (illegaly) have to order a building waste container by law, otherwise they get a fine of the government. A strange contradiction in our opinion.

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