23-01-2013, por Jonathan Watts
The Rio favela transformed into prime real estate
Wealthy buyers are snapping up plots of land in Vidigal after authorities pushed out drug gangs
Until recently, this hillside shanty town was dominated by drug gangs and widely considered off-limits among both the local and foreign middle class.
Imagem: Internet But the favela is undergoing a transformation. The police have taken control of the streets and with the gangs no longer deciding who enters their territory, rental prices have surged more than threefold in three years. Wealthy buyers are snapping up the prime plots, real estate firms are opening offices and more outsiders are moving in.The most high-profile conflict here now is not been between rival gangs, but between two European investors who are tussling over a prime plot. Andreas Wielend, an Austrian engineer, bought a dilapidated home in 2009 and turned it into a hostel and nightclub. It is now famed for breathtaking views and holding dub and electronic music nights that attract several hundred customers to party until dawn. The change is dramatic, but not entirely for the better, says Wielend. (Continua)
2013-01-26
