Heliópolis
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Heliópolis is a favela in the Sacomã district of
São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for ' Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the Ga ...
. It has around 200,000 inhabitants and has developed into a serviced neighbourhood from its beginnings as a
squatted Squatting is the action of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied area of land or a building, usually residential, that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have lawful permission to use. The United Nations estimated in 2003 that there ...
settlement in the 1970s.


Geography

Heliopolis had about 120,000 inhabitants in 2007 and 200,000 in 2018. Its area covers 1.2 km². This makes it the largest slum population in the city, but the second in area behind Paraisópolis. Once considered the largest favela in Brazil, through a process of urbanization Heliopolis today has the status of a neighborhood. The neighborhood abuts the city of São Caetano do Sul and a creek, but due to the conurbation process these limits are not noticeable. On the banks of the creek there are electricity towers and undergrowth, representing the only green area on the border between São Paulo and São Caetano do Sul, since the other border is Avenida do Estado, a densely urbanized avenue bordering both margins of Tamanduateí River.


History

Heliópolis began as a series of vacant lots and a few homes of factory workers, but from the 1960s and 1970s onwards there was a large
land invasion Land, also known as dry land, ground, or earth, is the solid terrestrial surface of the planet Earth that is not submerged by the ocean or other bodies of water. It makes up 29% of Earth's surface and includes the continents and various isla ...
. The informal settlement was built illegally, then was consolidated and turned into a neighborhood. In the area housing estates were built and CDHU COHAB replaced degraded horizontal buildings, although there are still several tracts in this condition. The dirt roads were replaced by asphalt, and thus consolidated in structure. In March 2008, international delegations visited the urbanization works in Heliopolis to study urban design and model the use of public space. Delegations were present from Lagos (Nigeria), La Paz (Bolivia), Cairo (Egypt), Manila (Philippines) and Ekurhuleni (South Africa).


Development

Since 1992, Community Radio Heliopolis, a community radio station whose operation was authorized by the Ministry of Communications in 2008, broadcasts in the neighborhood. Between 1992 and 1997, the station's programming was transmitted by horns hung on poles at central points of the neighborhood. Foreign volunteer workers help with sex education, Aids prevention, recycling of waste and teaching courses. In the 2010s, Heliópolis now has connections to the grid for sewage, water and electricity. The district has already received
WiFi Wi-Fi () is a family of wireless network protocols, based on the IEEE 802.11 family of standards, which are commonly used for local area networking of devices and Internet access, allowing nearby digital devices to exchange data by radio wa ...
, which makes it possible for the residents to use the Internet.


Gallery

Verticalização em Heliópolis.JPG, High rise building, 2008 04-06-2012Mapeamento Heliopolis107.jpg, Shop, 2012 Igreja de Heliópolis.JPG, Church, 2008 Ponto conhecido como casinhas.JPG, Street, 2012 Comunidade heliopolis.jpg, View of district, 2012


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Heliopolis Favelas Neighbourhoods in São Paulo Squats Squatting in Brazil