Informal Settlements, Growth, and Vulnerability: A Model for Risk-Sensitive Growth of Brazil’s Favelas

This study aims to advance an understanding of the impact of self-built housing‘s incremental growth on disaster vulnerability, focusing on the case study of Rocinha, a favela in Rio de Janeiro. The purpose of investigating disaster vulnerabilities is twofold: disasters not only threaten development, but the vulnerabilities that drive disaster risk are also the same factors that impact living standards and allow development. This study establishes a theoretical framework that connects informal settlements’ incremental growth and vulnerabilities to hazards, examines existing literature on its characteristics, and analyzes existing policy measures and initiatives to address it. It then highlights the gap in academia and practice in addressing the informal settlements’ incremental growth and its outcomes and examines the local context and vulnerabilities to hazards in Rocinha, using primary sources collected through fieldwork and resident’s questionnaire. Finally, it suggests a model for risk-sensitive growth in Rocinha that builds upon the incremental self-built housing process.