contested land use

Lagos what happened

Name of the slum: Otodo Gbame

Been there since 1800

Governor of Lagos → slum on valuable land → evict all residents by any means necessary

11 people have drowned in the fight to stay in the slum

Some died as they were shot at with tear gas and bullets

An estimated 30000 Otodo Gbame residents were evicted in 11/2016 to make way for the development projects

People move to Otodo Gbame (rural to urban migration) because it is affordable

rio de janerio what happened

Rio de janeiro

In total 23,000 families, 70,000 people have been removed from their homes in Rio de Janeiro because of the Olympics.

Local politician Renato Cinco, in a visit to the area in February, said the city mayor Eduardo Paes had spent $200 million reais ($81 million) to remove the residents, when $20 million would have been enough to adapt the neighborhood to Olympic and environmental projects.

Later authorities tried to remove the vila, by now home to about 4000 people or 824 working-class families and featuring brick homes and paved streets, owing to it being a "threat to the local natural environment".

Vila Autodromo: a favela community on the edge of the Olympic park → Around 90 percent of the 600 residents already move after being offered financial compensate

evaluation lagos

Cleared land for high‑value projects (e.g., Eko Atlantic nearby), potentially boosting tax revenue/economy; reduced “fire hazards” per state.

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Weaknesses (social/human costs):

Lagos: Violated human rights (court rulings ignored), extreme violence (11 deaths), no alternatives—exacerbated poverty/homelessness for 30,000+

rio de janerio evaluation

Rio: Enabled Olympic venues/parks, attracting global investment; partial upgrades created a “model” resilient favela.

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Rio: Overpriced clearance (10x needed for upgrades), displaced 77,000+ to worse areas, fueling inequality despite negotiations.