Favela removal and urban planning in Brasília from the 1950s to the 1970s. Maria Fernanda Derntl, 2025.

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Literature on Brasília, Brazil’s capital since 1960, has primarily focused on the architecture and urban design of its political and administrative centre, known as the Pilot Plan, and has often considered its satellite towns to be an undesirable byproduct of the building of the modernist city. This article looks beyond the Pilot Plan to the favela removals that led to the creation of the satellite towns, concentrating on the period from the 1950s to the 1970s. The analysis draws on previously unused and underexplored documents produced by government agencies to show that removal and resettlement schemes were not isolated or makeshift actions, as frequently assumed. Instead, these efforts were meticulously planned and developed into a comprehensive policy to preserve Brasília’s original design.