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Praça Onze Maravilha: a project that will transform the Praça Onze and Sambódromo region.
Published on 20/11/2025 - 15:53 | Updated on 21/11/2025 - 13:28
Launch of the Praça Onze Maravilha project, at the Estácio de Sá samba school's headquarters - Photo: Beth Santos Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes presented the Praça Onze Maravilha project this Thursday (November 20th) at the Estácio de Sá samba school in Cidade Nova. This project comprises a series of actions that will transform the region and the area surrounding the Sambadrome, with investments of approximately R$ 1,75 billion. The transformation begins with the demolition of the 31 de Março Viaduct, paving the way for a new urban design and the arrival of the Library of Knowledge, designed by architect Francis Kère, winner of the Pritzker Prize, considered the Nobel Prize of Architecture. The new project is inspired by Porto Maravilha, which, through private investment, revitalized an important public space, enhancing historical and cultural heritage, promoting housing, and improving urban mobility.
– The prophecy of Grande Otelo and Herivelto Martins reveals the enchanted soul of the streets, the mission of investing in Praça Onze, in the Sambadrome, in this region that is also Little Africa. This affective map of Carioca knowledge, drawn by Heitor dos Prazeres, has never ceased to exist in samba and in cultural institutions like Estácio. On this National Black Consciousness Day, Zumbi dos Palmares Day, we have the responsibility to live up to the legacy of a city that sings and tells its stories – stated Mayor Eduardo Paes at the event's presentation.
The project, which will be financed with private funds, marks a new chapter in Rio's urban history and reinforces the importance of Praça Onze and Pequena África as territories of memory, culture, and mobility. The announcement was made on Black Consciousness Day.
– The Praça Onze Maravilha project will revitalize an area that is fundamental to the city's history, as we have seen here on this stage, with investment once again funded by the private sector: almost 2 billion reais will be invested in the transformation of that region, which will complement the revitalization process of the city center. There will be almost 40 new residential units, and more than 100 new residents are expected in the next twenty years. With the demolition of the 31 de Março Viaduct, we will allow the reconnection of our people with the streets. And streets that carry a gigantic symbolism, because that's where samba was created. And just as Porto Maravilha had its cherry on top, which was the Museum of Tomorrow, Praça Onze Maravilha will have its greatest symbol: the Library of Knowledge! – highlighted Vice-Mayor Eduardo Cavaliere on stage alongside Eduardo Paes.
The master of ceremonies for the event was actress Elisa Lucinda. Among the guests were writer Conceição Evaristo, as well as samba dancers, cultural producers, municipal secretaries, and politicians. The entertainment was provided by the Estácio de Sá samba school's drum section and the Trio Júlio group.
Urban redevelopment: new connections, improved accessibility, and a new design for the region.
The Praça Onze Maravilha project brings together interventions that change the scale of the area and re-establish historical connections that have been lost over time. The removal of the 31 de Março Viaduct will allow the reconnection of the city center, Estácio, and Catumbi, recovering connections that had been lost. The change improves circulation for those who live, work, or visit the region and restores Praça Onze to its historical role as a meeting point for the city.
– Our urban plan for the area surrounding the Sambadrome proposes to redevelop the area by demolishing the Elevado 31 de Março, an overpass built in the 1960s, part of an urban landscape that spread throughout the city during this period: expressways, high-speed avenues crossing the city in urbanistically consolidated areas, revealed architect Rodrigo Azevedo, responsible for the Boulevard do Samba project and who was also present at the Praça Onze Maravilha presentation.
The project includes the opening of new roads and the construction of an underpass between Frei Caneca and Salvador de Sá streets, with the creation of a plaza above the structure. The intervention facilitates access between neighborhoods and simplifies travel in the region.
Around the Marquês de Sapucaí (Sambadrome), sidewalks will be wider and more permeable, with improved drainage, new lighting, and more green spaces. The Sambadrome will remain structurally preserved, but with modernized access and more efficient logistical support, both during Carnival and on a daily basis. Areas that are currently underutilized will be occupied by new residential units, with shops and services on the ground floor. This redevelopment reinforces integration with the city center and helps create a more vibrant area.
At the event, architect Marcos Damon spoke about the Rio-Africa Cultural Center, a project he designed and which is part of the Praça Onze Maravilha (Eleven Wonders Square) initiative.
The architecture of the Rio-Africa Cultural Center seeks to establish a sensitive connection between African ancestry and the legacy of Brazilian architecture, engaging with the historical surroundings of Little Africa. The space is conceived as both resistance and celebration.
Architect Duda Porto presented the Parque do Porto project to the guests.
– It's a port on the water, a completely vibrant island, with a complete connection between nature and the city. A project that fully respects the integrity of Guanabara Bay and all its natural processes. The Port Park is designed for residents, who will gain an extensive, cool, and vibrant green area that combines culture, gastronomy, and community.
Economic feasibility model
To make the interventions feasible, the City Hall will send a Bill to the City Council, proposing the creation of the Special Urban Interest Area (AEIU) Praça Onze Maravilha. The new area, of 2,5 million square meters, encompasses streets in the neighborhoods of Catumbi, Estácio, Cidade Nova and Praça Onze, such as Rua Frei Caneca, Rua dos Inválidos, Av. Paulo de Frontin, Praça da República, Praça da Cruz Vermelha and Av. Presidente Vargas.
The AEIU law establishes specific urban planning rules for the region, such as building height limits and occupancy rates, to allow for the construction of residential buildings and the provision of services for new residents. In Praça Onze Maravilha alone, 37,5 residential units will be built over the next 25 years, with the expectation of attracting more than one hundred thousand residents.
Private investments will be made through concession contracts and Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs), which combine different instruments, such as construction potential and payment of onerous grants. In addition, the Municipality will create a real estate fund with public properties and land that can be used in the operation.
The proposal will be discussed at a public hearing later this year, and the bill will be sent to the City Council by December.
Library of Knowledge
The Library of Knowledge, designed by Francis Kéré, winner of the Pritzker Prize, will be one of Rio's main cultural facilities in the coming decades. Spanning over 40 square meters, the building will feature cobogós (decorative concrete blocks), pilotis (columns on stilts), and suspended gardens that lend lightness to an otherwise monumental architectural scale.
“We intend for this project to promote a space for dialogue and reflection. We want people to come together to listen to and understand the history of Brazil, the events that brought us here, and how we built ourselves as a nation. This is the core of the project. A place where everyone feels welcome, like on a rooftop. The structure is not just a building, but an extension of the favelas and Rio de Janeiro, something that transcends Copacabana, as it offers a broad view of the city. We have created a space open to all, connecting different realities, like the rooftops and the favelas, integrating them. We seek to build a space that values history, reflection, and encounter, becoming a place of learning and growth for everyone,” said architect Francis Kéré.
The space will be dedicated to memory, knowledge, popular expressions, and biodiversity, bringing together a theater, amphitheater, kitchens, study rooms, and exhibition areas. At the center of the building, a four-story circular tower open to natural light symbolizes the universality of knowledge. Inspired by the Tupinambá mantle and the trees of life, the tower reinforces that culture and knowledge are instruments of transformation and belonging.
The Library will integrate collections from initiatives such as the Museum of Images of the People, and will adopt cultural mediation models inspired by international experiences, such as the V&A East Museum in London. The chosen location, Terreirão do Samba, next to the monument to Zumbi dos Palmares, is in the heart of Little Africa, the territory where samba and the city's cultural identity were born. Building the Library of Knowledge there reaffirms that Rio's intellectual heritage also originates from popular culture and the streets.
The Library of Knowledge is the main legacy of Rio de Janeiro as World Book Capital and aims to underpin the process of democratizing books and bibliodiversity in the city of Rio de Janeiro. It coordinates the integration between public and community libraries, from best practices in urban planning and infrastructure to the composition of the city's collections.
Francis Kéré
During his visit to Rio, Francis Kéré explored places that revealed layers of the city: he saw the Tupinambá cloak at the National Museum of Fine Arts, walked through Roberto Burle Marx's garden, visited the Capanema Building—an icon of Brazilian modernism—and was at Pedra do Sal with Teresa Cristina and the old guard of Portela. He also met with Conceição Evaristo, an author who transformed the idea of "writing-life" into a literary and political foundation. These encounters were not merely formal: they were dialogues between forms of knowledge, listening, and presence—and they anticipate the soul of the future library.
Born in Burkina Faso, Diébédo Francis Kéré graduated from the Technical University of Berlin. He is a German citizen and has resided in the country's capital since 1985. Alongside his studies and work, he created the Kéré Foundation and later opened his own studio, Kéré Architecture. His work is internationally recognized with awards such as the 2004 Aga Khan Award for Architecture for the Gando primary school building in Burkina Faso, the gold medal at the Global Award for Sustainable Architecture, and the Pritzker Prize, considered the highest award in world architecture, in 2022.
Transformations that inspire: from the Perimetral to Praça Onze Maravilha
Praça Onze Maravilha connects to the revitalization process of Rio's Port Zone, which began in 2009 with the approval of the law creating Porto Maravilha. In 2013, the City Hall initiated one of the most ambitious phases of this project: the demolition of the Perimetral Elevated Highway, completed the following year. The urban revitalization project of the Port Zone involved private investments of R$ 8,9 billion in the original area of 5 million square meters. Today, the total area of Porto Maravilha is 8,7 million square meters, with the expansion to the São Cristóvão region.
In the ten years since the Porto Maravilha revitalization project began, Rio de Janeiro residents have gained new options for leisure, culture, and urban mobility. Roads, drainage systems, and infrastructure have been modernized, and public areas have been created. The light rail system (VLT) was implemented, and the Valongo Wharf was discovered, valued, and recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. In recent years, the Rio de Janeiro City Hall has intensified incentives for housing in the region, generating interest from the real estate market.
The launch of residential units will reach 20, in 23 different condominiums, over four years. It is estimated that more than 60 people will live in the Porto Maravilha and Reviver Centro areas by 2029, consolidating their reoccupation with permanent housing and urban infrastructure. With the inclusion of São Cristóvão, the expectation is that Porto Maravilha will have 100 residential units by 2064, with the potential to attract 250 residents. For the Rio de Janeiro City Hall, this result is a consequence of the plan to shift the city's growth pattern from the West and Southwest zones to the central regions of Rio, which already have extensive infrastructure.
And the Porto Maravilha region will gain the first floating island of the Porto Park, a project announced last year that is beginning to take shape. The first floating island will be built near the Museum of Tomorrow, with a total area of over 16,8 square meters, and will feature a gastronomic plaza with restaurants, kiosks and shops in the central area, an events arena, a sculpture garden, a playground, a marina and a floating deck.
Just as in Porto, the Praça Onze Maravilha project reaffirms the strategy of transforming urban space by valuing territories marked by Afro-Brazilian memory and integrating the city's transportation modes. The reconstruction of Praça Onze expands this cultural corridor that brings together Cais do Valongo, Pedra do Sal, Praça Onze, and the Sambódromo, strengthening the axis of heritage, culture, mobility, and urban development.
About the procession
After the ceremony, Mayor Eduardo Paes, Deputy Mayor Eduardo Cavaliere, and architect Francis Kéré walked to the Calouste Gulbenkian Arts Center. The group was accompanied by the GRES Estácio de Sá samba school's drum section on the route that passed through the Sambadrome. Upon arriving at the Calouste Gulbenkian, they met with the gathering of the traditional Tia Ciata Parade, where the drum sections exchanged. The parade then left the location, passing along Avenida Presidente Vargas towards the Zumbi dos Palmares Monument, where it dispersed.
The arrival of Tia Ciata's procession at the Zumbi Monument represents the meeting of two emblematic figures of Brazilian Black culture, separated by time and united by the Praça Onze region, a symbolic area of cultural and ethnic resistance in Rio de Janeiro. Tia Ciata was an Iyá Kékeré (Little Mother) also known for her delicacies and the musical and cultural gatherings held in her home near Praça Onze.
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