Occupation of urban hillsides: some considerations about resilience and sustainability

Abstract

The occupation of urban hillsides in the Southeast, Northeast and South regions of Brazil has direct implications for the resilience and sustainability of the urban landscape in these regions. This article reflects on the current situation of the urban occupation of hillsides in some cities of these regions, focusing on Rio de Janeiro, and identifies morphological patterns, underlying processes and the logics that originated them. The research was based on contributions from landscape ecology and urban morphology, and unfolded in three complementary scales of analysis, from geo-biophysical support to the built support, from regional scale to the urban lot. It is argued that the open spaces located on the slopes are critical to strengthen the protection of forests, and the capacity to support, buffer and adapt to impacts and transformations on urban slopes, helping to strengthen the resilience and sustainability of these landscape systems.