City Hall participates in the launch of an illustrated book about women urbanists who worked on the construction of the city

The book presents the trajectory of eight urban planners, chosen for their actions and representation during the 20th century - Disclosure

The Rio City Hall participated, this Wednesday (18/1), at the Museum of Modern Art (MAM-Rio), in the launch of the illustrated book 'Women and the Construction of the City: stories of urbanism in Rio de Janeiro', which talks about the contribution of female urban planners, public servants of the municipality of Rio de Janeiro, to the design of the city. Published in partnership with Editora Tix Edições e Arte, the work was made possible through the Municipal Law of Incentive to Culture (ISS), of the Municipal Secretariat of Culture. The book was completely written by technicians from the Rio Heritage Institute of Humanity (IRPH).

– I had the privilege of working with several of the professionals honored in this book. They are urban planners who left a legacy for the history of the city and the City Hall, which deserves to be recognized – explained the Municipal Secretary of Urban Planning, Augusto Ivan.

The book presents the careers of eight urban planners chosen for their actions and representation during the 20th century, from the great changes the city underwent with the change of the capital and the redemocratization of the country, to the administration of former mayor Luiz Paulo Fernandez Conde. Angela Fonti, Carmen Portinho, Helia Nacif, Iracy Ozorio, Letícia Hazan, Nina Rabha, Olga Campista and Verena Andreatta actively participated, in different organizations, in the urban construction of the Rio de Janeiro landscape, the first in the world to be considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Laura Di Blasi, president of IRPH, a City Hall body characterized by having many women on its staff, praised female participation in civil servants.

– Every project that comes to fruition in public administration and becomes a reality in the city is a victory. Therefore, the determination, willingness, boldness and resilience of the women portrayed in this book, and of so many other municipal employees, gain even more importance.

Organized by Cláudia Escarlate and coordinated by Juliana Oakim, the work began to be conceived in 2019. During this time, five employees from the IRPH technical staff interviewed the honorees, their families and their co-workers, in addition to researching data available in the Digital Newspaper Library of the National Library and other documentary sources. After intense research, the authors Carolina Calvente, Emmanuel Bellard, Lucia Helena Torres, Paula de Oliveira Camargo and Rafael Koury arrived at the profiles described in the book, which tells details of the careers of these outstanding women.

– These women inspired all of us who are still working as urban planners at Rio City Hall. I worked directly with some of them and learned a lot. So, I wanted to not only pay tribute to them, but also share their stories with other people, now and in the future – explained Claudia Escarlate, architect and organizer of the book.

In addition to extensive historical research, the book features illustrations by art director Ana Borelli, – and team – managing partner of Editora Tix, who was also responsible for the editorial coordination and graphic design of the work.

– Our biggest challenge was figuring out what the “face” of this project would be, and we also had to deal with the pandemic in the middle of the process. When I came across the images we had, I had the idea of ​​illustrating the book. It was the way I found to create unity. Since these illustrations only exist in this book, it is unique and designed for all audiences – said Ana Borelli.