In absolute numbers, Tijuca (21,479 less) and Isabe Villagel (20,228) had the largest exodus of residents from the city between 2010 and 2022. A portrait of urban mobility in Rio in 12 years can now be seen from preliminary information from the Census which were compiled by the Pereira Passos Urbanism Institute (IPP), In percentage terms, the biggest population loss also occurred in the North Zone: Turiaçu, between Madureira and Irajá, which in the past concentrated numerous factories, lost 32.7% of its population in this period. In this case, the explanation may lie in the neighborhood, as Morro do Cajueiro is nearby, an area that has seen conflicts between criminal factions for years.
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“The Census identified a process that has been occurring for years in the North Zone. None public policy was able to stop this emptying in an area well served by urban infrastructure and transport. Several factors explain this. Part of the population, for loss of purchasing power, moves to the most distant neighborhoods in the West Zone (such as Campo Grande and Santa Cruz) or to favelas. As a result, the feeling of insecurity increases and those with more purchasing power choose to live in Barra or Recreio,” geographer Rafael Winter, coordinator of the Geoppol Laboratory (Group of Studies and Research in Politics and Territory), from the Department of Geography of UFRJ.
Between one census and another, according to the newspaper report, the North Zone suffered an emptyingwhile the population of the West Zone increased significantly, occupying areas that do not always have adequate infrastructure. Holy Cross, for example, gained 31,797 inhabitants. To a lesser extent, Center and South Zone also lost residents during the period. In the South Zone, the reduction was more intense in Copacabana, one of the neighborhoods with a large elderly population in the city. Since 2010, the “little princess of the sea” has lost 17,473 residents.
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For the president of Greater Tijuca Business and Residents AssociationJaime Miranda, the problems that lead residents to leave the neighborhood go beyond security. He points to the reduction in the size of families in recent decades, who, without much need for space, look for smaller properties in other regions — such as those offered in Barra and Recreio. Another factor, according to him, is the condominium value. In Tijuca, most of the buildings are old, and therefore have more expensive maintenance costs.
