Preserve, Conserve, and Modernize: A New Paradigm for the Rehabilitation of Downtown Rio

Abstract

Urban transformations are mostly perceived only when preceded by the sounds and movements heralded by tractors and machinery, either governmental or private. However, often the changes insinuate or announce themselves subtly and slowly. On the inside pages of magazines and newspapers, in small pieces of news, notes, advertisements, between the lines, or in journalistic reports without necessarily being directly related to the topic. They may appear with more intensity and concreteness in the space through transformations in the appearance of buildings, streets, squares, sidewalks, or through modifications in the productive, residential, commercial, or cultural activities present or absent in a given urban area.