The inauguration of a zip line between Sugarloaf Mountain and Morro da Urca, in Rio de Janeiro, is scheduled for the beginning of the second half of this year. The new attraction is announced by the company Parque Bondinho Pão de Açúcar as a “gift to Brazil” that will “enchant visitors”. A group of residents and mountaineers think differently. They have mobilized against the project in public demonstrations and on social networks, understanding that the novelty will negatively impact the natural monument and the region as a whole. After the repercussion, the works were paralyzed for almost a month, but were resumed at the end of March. Controversial zip line will unite Sugar Loaf and Urca hills . The duration of the journey will be approximately 50 seconds. Up to 100 people will be able to use the zip line per hour. Índio da Costa, an architecture and design company, is responsible for the project. The technical planning of the zip line is by the French company Aerofun Fantasticable, specialized in gravitational transport. The main opposition group to the project is the Movimento Pão de Açúcar Sem Tirolesa. He presents himself as global, for leading a petition with almost 15 thousand signatures from dozens of different countries. And it says it has a heterogeneous composition: residents of the Urca neighborhood, mountaineers, heritage defenders, environmentalists, researchers and geologists. The group claims that it is based on “technical and legal arguments, not affective or opinionated”. Among the problems pointed out are the licenses, which would be irregular. For the movement, the environmental impact would have been underestimated and there would be technical errors. Cutting the rocks to install the zip line would represent a serious geological risk. The group also says that the main concern of the company responsible for Pão de Açúcar is to increase revenue and the flow of tourists in a place that they consider already saturated. Another complaint is that there is an attempt to stifle and disqualify the movement. The move further highlights that the zipline noise tests were inaccurate and did not correctly measure the sound impact. According to designer Guto Índio da Costa, the thickness of the zipline cables is 15 millimeters, and the entire structure was designed to have the least impact on the rock and the landscape. He said that all key areas are being considered: environmental, visual, sound and heritage. Sandro Fernandes, director of Parque Bondinho Pão de Açúcar, said that the project has been under discussion for two and a half years with authorities and civil society representatives. He ensured that licenses are up to date and minimized negative reactions. Designer Guto Índio da Costa says that construction of a zip line “will take the tourist experience in Rio de Janeiro to another level” – Fernando Frazão/Agência Brasil “This concern could not be different, people want to know the project better. All the people who have seen it, there were more than 500, approved it and know about the beauty, not only architecturally, but also about the quality of sustainability, about what will add value to the visitation. And it will take the tourist experience of Rio de Janeiro to another level.” Other opposing entities Other entities do not want the installation of the zip line. The Association of Residents of Urca, the neighborhood where the Sugar Loaf is located, argues that the zip line will mischaracterize the monument. For the association, it should be “a lookout with an unparalleled landscape to contemplate” and will become “a radical park where adrenaline predominates”. The Federation of Mountain Sports of the State of Rio de Janeiro (Femerj) also said it was against the interventions on the summits of Morro da Urca and Pão de Açúcar, and at Praia Vermelha station. The report by Agência Brasil tried to get in touch to investigate the entity’s arguments, but still had no response. In a recent publication, the Brazilian Association of Landscape Architects (Abap) considered that there is a threat to the integrity of the landscape. For ABAP, public administrations must position themselves against interventions, because the geological monument “cannot undergo any modification, even if ‘almost transparent’”. The entity stated that “Pão de Açúcar is ‘ready’ and, as such, does not need any addition”. City Hall and Iphan The city government of Rio informed, in a note, that it supervised the works on the zip line on March 7th. Upon verifying that there were holes in the rocks, he suspended work on the stretch and called the Geotechnical Institute Foundation (Geo-Rio). The municipal body issued a permit for the continuation of the works on March 21. Approval was given by the Municipal Secretariat for Economic Development, Innovation and Simplification (SMDEIS), which did not record “non-compliance with any project licensing condition”. Due to the fact that the Pão de Açúcar Complex has been listed by the National Historical and Artistic Heritage Institute (Iphan) since 1973, interferences in the place also need the approval of the federal agency. Iphan informed that there are two projects for the Parque Bondinho Pão de Açúcar. The first is the installation of the zip line, which the agency has already approved and conducts fortnightly inspections. In addition, he claims to have guided the company responsible for the works to adopt procedures that reduce the visual impact of the new structure and preserve the “landscape value of Pão de Açúcar, which is the basis for its listing”. What was contemplated in the approved project. The second intervention project is a Master Plan with proposals for the three stations of the Pão de Açúcar complex. This is still in the initial stages of analysis by the technical area of the agency in Rio de Janeiro. The plan will be presented to the World Heritage Landscape Management Committee, which is in the process of being reinstated.
Agência Brasil
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