Volume

14

Issue

1

*Corresponding author lcteixeiracoelho@prefeitura.rio

Published 31 May 2026

Citation

TEIXEIRA COELHO, L. C. The built environment, intangible heritage, and the urban challenges of the Rio de Janeiro metropolis. Coleção Estudos Cariocas, v. 14,n. 1, 2026.
DOI: 10.71256/19847203.14.1.245.2026

The article was originally submitted in PORTUGUESE. Translations into other languages were reviewed and validated by the authors and the editorial team. Nevertheless, for the most accurate representation of the subject matter, readers are encouraged to consult the article in its original language.

The built environment, intangible heritage, and the urban challenges of the Rio de Janeiro metropolis 

O espaço construído, o patrimônio imaterial e os desafios urbanos da metrópole carioca

El espacio construido, el patrimonio inmaterial y los desafíos urbanos de la metrópoli carioca

Luiz Carlos Teixeira Coelho1*

1Instituto Municipal de Urbanismo Pereira Passos, R. Gago Coutinho, 52 - Laranjeiras, Rio de Janeiro- RJ, 22221-070, ORCID0000-0002-4466-9772, lcteixeiracoelho@prefeitura.rio.

The first semester of 2026 brings us a solid collection of articles focused on the multiplicity and complexity of Rio de Janeiro and its surroundings. What they all share is the presentation of sophisticated approaches to problems arising from developments in the built environment, the need for heritage preservation, and future perspectives for a more resilient, economically sustainable, and inclusive city.

Hoyuela Jayo (2026) revisits the similarities and differences between two iconic symbols of Brazilian and Spanish heritage: Christ the Redeemer, a sanctuary and tourist landmark in Rio, and the Cristo do Outeiro in the Spanish city of Palencia, likewise a renowned sanctuary and central element of its surrounding landscape. In the article, the author explores the concept of landscape palimpsests, continuously written and rewritten over the years while preserving the immanence and physical character of the monuments, yet also transforming their transcendence through distinct meanings adapted to the spiritual, cultural, and aesthetic identity of each place.

Oliveira, Maluf, and Fevrier (2026) address another dimension of the landscape, related to another aspect of the city’s intangible heritage: its protected areas. By quantifying carbon stocks through the CSS-InVEST model, they demonstrate the fundamental role of natural areas such as mangroves, wetlands, and forests, not only for public management but also for climate change mitigation. A city that understands the relevant role of its green areas — especially one whose green spaces are undeniably elements of immense landscape and cultural significance — is a city that proposes paths of harmony in the face of the environmental crisis emerging in our time.

Peres, Leitão Filho, and Cunha Filho (2026), in turn, propose an efficient allocation of resources for expanding the public transportation network in Rio de Janeiro and its Metropolitan Region. Through multicriteria analysis, they highlighted the main low-impact investments capable of alleviating current traffic problems, expanding transportation access for the population, and ensuring broad mobility access.

Pereira Neto and Silva (2026) also address the issue of urban mobility, so relevant for a city where the built environment and the natural landscape integrate harmoniously. In this case, they sought to analyze the surroundings of BRT terminals, presenting challenges and solutions related to traffic flow and cycling infrastructure as pathways toward greater multimodal integration and democratic public access to the various means of transportation available in the city.

Villela Filho (2026), on the other hand, focuses specifically on Downtown Rio de Janeiro, studying in detail the implementation of the Reviver Centro program, whose proposal for residential densification and revitalization of urban voids in the city center has become the subject of academic studies and discussions. The author analyzes the program’s initial achievements, listing its successes and challenges while proposing paths for the reuse of built spaces toward their proper requalification.

Still discussing urban requalification, the opinion article by Rosemary Compans (Compans da Silva, 2026) examines the opposite phenomenon: the emptying of Copacabana as a space for permanent residence, to the benefit of the proliferation of short-term rentals. Drawing a play on words from the classic work by Gilberto Velho (Urban Utopia), Compans discusses the urban dystopia of Copacabana, offering a constructive critique of recent trends of gentrification and the decline of the neighborhood’s permanent population.

Added to all these articles is the work of Lima et al. (2026), covering a process of renewed public policies that have helped energize Rio’s economy, strengthening sectors such as innovation, the green economy, finance, and the creative economy. By condensing this time frame into a focused analysis grounded in central themes, the authors provide useful guidelines for implementing public policies aimed at strengthening and diversifying the primacy of our city in Brazil’s political and economic landscape.

In addition to these articles (briefly discussed here), our regular issue also offers a curated selection of interesting works on Rio de Janeiro published in recent months (Amaral, 2026). It is hoped that reading this issue will inspire the implementation of public policies that preserve the city’s heritage, strengthen its economic vocation, regulate urban land use, and provide interconnected and functional transportation systems.