ABSTRACT
This chapter reports on a recent trend in Brazilian urban design: the incorporation of spatial strategies aiming at public security. Based on a methodology developed in Europe and North America and disseminated by multilateral agencies, these strategies have been adopted in Brazil by the National Public Security Department, via the National Public Security and Citizenship Program. We outline the main features of this program, its methodological basis, and its underlying theoretical approaches. As an urban design methodology, this tool has been applied in many Brazilian cities through the implementation of the ‘Safe Urban Spaces’ project – which consists of physical interventions in low-income urban environments. In Rio de Janeiro – a large city in Brazil – this methodology was used in 30 poor areas designated as ‘slums’, during the preparations for the Pan-American Games (2007). This implementation is the focus of our study.
