Le Parc de Flamengo : projeter la ville en dessinant le patrimoine

Abstract

This article analyzes the process of patrimonialization of Flamengo Park in Rio de Janeiro, registered in 1965 by the Institute of National Historical and Artistic Heritage (Iphan). The park was designed by architect Affonso Eduardo Reidy and the landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx, associated with the « Carioca school » of modern architecture. The essay also establishes connections between this process and the constitution of the architectural field in Brazil, addressing Iphan’s approach to protecting and preserving public architectural and landscaping spaces. The backdrop for these policies is the intense urban reform process implemented in the city of Rio de Janeiro under the government of Carlos Lacerda, the first governor of the state of Guanabara, in the troubled national political context of a military coup and the installation of an authoritarian regime in Brazil. The article also explores the patrimonial or social values invested to preserve Flamengo Park as Rio de Janeiro became the stage for major sporting events and received the title of Unesco World Heritage Site in the category of Cultural Landscape. This paper offers reflections on heritage in terms of the right to the city, problematizing traditional disputes between cultural preservation and real estate speculation. Primary sources used include the process of registration for Flamengo Park and the relevant minutes of the Iphan Advisory Council.

Keywords

• Flamengo Park
• landscape heritage
• urban reforms
• Rio de Janeiro
• world heritage
• Brazilian National Institute for Heritage (Iphan)