Is There a Role for Preservation Planning in a Favela?

This thesis seeks to explore the role preservation planning can potentially have in a favela, or Brazilian self-built settlement, given the interventions taking place in the name of urban upgrading, tourism, and heritage designation. A general background is given for where the study is regionally focused - in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Case studies, which entail investigation of local and institutional perspectives, are conducted within the communities of Morro da Providência and Santa Marta. The objectives in this research are: to consider significance in these favelas from the points of view of ‘outsiders’ and ‘insiders’; to gauge the benefits and costs resulting from interventions; and to determine if preservation planning is possible and desirable, and thus a necessary intervention, how it would be implemented, and by whom. Through this process, I explore the boundaries of preservation planning so that it may become more relevant to planning practices in the broader vision of peaceful and sustainable development.