Watch your Step (Niteroi, BR)
In the “axis of belonging or identity, are situated the successive memberships that define the individual’s various class identities […] the axis of relation or otherness, calls into play the more abstract and relative categories of same and other.”
Marc Augé, "A Sense for the Other: The Timeliness and Relevance of Anthropology"
Ok, it’s great to wander around in the world’s great and beautiful cities. To do so with some knowledge of what you are seeing as you pass by, the general morphologies (logical layouts) of cities, and important local culture/traditions, will expand the experience.
Not every city is equally safe, but more specifically, not every part of every city is a safe place to wander about. I’m sure many of us have heard of notorious neighbourhoods in almost every American city that are not recommended to certain groups, at certain times, etc. Even in some European cities I have often walked in a very determined manner when I see a place where tourists may become targets from anything like pickpocketing (subway in Barcelona) to simply the attempted but ambitious sales of things I do not want (like birdseed at the Duomo in Milan). However, when visiting Niteroi, in Rio de Janeiro, the mindfulness was much stronger. I was told that going to certain parks, down certain streets, beyond certain walls, was highly dangerous; almost a guarantee of something happening.
Rio de Janeiro itself is a fascinating place. Situated on one of the most beautiful bays I have ever seen, it has developed in an almost opposite manner to what I have seen elsewhere. I did not spend any time within Rio de Janeiro itself, and only passed through to get to Niteroi, so will not discuss what being in Rio is like. Normally, the land on the sweeping hills that front the bay would be reserved for the luxury market. We tend to value views. However, most of these are given to the favelas. I assumed this had come from a similar “resultant” image as the slums in Brasilia. I wrote a paper in university on Brasilia and noticed that the slums, called favelas, were never part of the initial city plan. These never are, especially in capital cities which are designed to evoke ideas of success, power, wealth. Therefore, the housing for those who are not part of that political image become a result of what can be accomplish with a comparative lack of resources.
The poor areas of Rio are thusly a result of what was not planned in the image of the city. They are spaces in-between, beyond, spaces of inconvenience, and in a city the size of Rio, with the excess of disparity, these spaces grew on many pieces of land that during the city development, may have been difficult to build. At least, this is my reading.
Niteroi, itself, is just as fascinating. The road leading to the centre winds along the cliff by the bay. The only building I remember being on the water-side of this road was Oscar Niemeyer’s famous MAC art museum. Liberated from any urban context, this project likewise liberates the visitor by connecting them back to the incredible land. At the beach, beyond the typical boulevard that you would see in almost any Mediterranean city, is a wall of buildings so dense that sunlight barely manages to extend one block. I remember walking through the streets feeling very confined, and dark. The main shopping street is possibly the lightest of streets. I loved the multi-level indoor/outdoor malls as well, a typology I have seen pictured across Brazil. There is also a culture in these streets. There were times that so many people were out walking I could barely move, on an average night. And of course, the food is fantastic. I always love local foods, and the more interesting, the better. Whenever I went down a street where odd looks followed me, and one time, a laser pointer from some balcony above, I found it easy to re-enter the crowd. Another element of note is that the unusual geology of this area results in very sudden rock outcrops. My hotel room, at the back of the building, looked into a small tropical jungle on a hill in the middle of a city block, which I could not see from the street. I loved the suddenness of this nature. It was a natural anomaly, and so allowed to be, instead of being forced to conform to the grid of streets or the density of buildings.
While not all cities are equally safe for wandering, and some may offer some areas that evasion may be the best advice, this is knowledge of value and no reason to avoid any place. Learning about cultures, about spaces, has often benefitted me. Anyone can look like a tourist anywhere, and while I may look local in Berlin, I sure look foreign in Brazil. This is not to serve as a warning to avoid certain places. The purpose of this discussion is to understand, respect and enjoy the cultures that you visit.
