Athletes and entrepreneurs shed new light on Rio

“I wasn’t born in Rio, but I chose the city as my home. I know a lot of cities around the world, but this is the most wonderful ever”, said big wave rider Carlos Burle.

Along with Burle, athletes Fernanda Maciel (running), Filip Polc (downhill mountain biking), Bruna Kajiya (kitesurfing), Felipe Camargo (climbing) and Corinna Schwiegershausen (hand gliding) explored Rio differently, practicing their sport and enjoying the city’s beautiful and iconic landscapes.

“Rio is probably my favorite city in the world because I can ride my bike and when I don’t want to do it, I have many other options aside”, added Polc.

VIDEO Downhill Filip Polc - favela Rio de Janeiro

Meanwhile, Leandro Bandeira has developed the first Brazilian online real estate agency dedicated to the favelas. Having witnessed first hand the risks of the informality of this housing market, he created Moraste with his friend Anderson Martiniano, where people can buy or rent houses located at favelas and vulnerable areas.

In Brazilian slums, the housing market can be messy. In 2007, a study conducted by the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro revealed that the commercialization of houses located in the city’s favelas is intense, with a higher turnover than in the rest of the city, and normally happens in very informal ways. Most people still spread information about their properties by word of mouth or in handmade signs attached to streetlights and bus stops.

VIDEO Climber Felipe Camargo Explores the Sugarloaf

Although Brazil faces an economic crisis (with a 18,6% rise in the urban unemployment when compared to the past trimester and the annual inflation rate near 10%), Moraste’s chances of success couldn’t be better. After the government started the process of “pacification” of the favelas in Rio a few years ago, the value of the properties increased. According to the Regional Council of Real Estate Agents of Rio de Janeiro, many of these properties have seen a 40% increase in value and more people from outside the communities consider buying a place there for its great location, character and safety.

Now, Bandeira’s next step is to spread the news of Moraste in other favelas and create an app. “Our dream is to help people from the favelas to sell their houses or find their ideal property in a safe and fast way, like I wish my parents could have done in the past”.

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