PolimiparaRocinha urban regeneration process: The role of “food design” for the sustainability of the Rocinha Favela in Rio de Janeiro

Abstract Rocinha (Rio de Janeiro) is one the largest favelas in Latin America. Founded in the 1930s, it now has more than 160,000 inhabitants. The favela is characterized by several social and environmental urgencies as well as critical phenomena affecting the population’s health. This chapter summarizes the PolimiparaRocinha research project founded by Polisocial (the social responsibility program of Politecnico di Milano) and coordinated by an international nongovernmental organization (NGO) called “Sorriso dei miei bimbi,” which has operated in Rocinha for 20 years, along with other Italian NGOs and the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ). The project aims to contribute to the improvement of health, livability, and inclusiveness of the Rocinha community applying a multidisciplinary design methodology called Integrated Modification Methodology (IMM). The regeneration process integrates several thematic assets such as climate and energy, ecosystem services and food, waste management, water, and mobility. It is based on crosscutting proposals activating local circular cycles and synergies among different disciplinary and technical solutions. The PolimiparaRocinha project is characterized by a broad international and local partnership that supports both the decision-making process (and solutions design) and the implementation and management of proposed interventions. This chapter focuses on the food system, presenting the main urgencies and outcomes from the comparative analysis of existing food policies and practices in order to highlight the main barriers to implementation and stabilization of food policies/measures and the opportunities and inspirations from existing experiences. The final part of the chapter presents the “food projects” developed for the PolimiparaRocinha urban regeneration process with a specific focus on the synergies and connections within the project. The conclusions summarize the project’s legacy to local communities and main perspectives for implementing strategies and interventions.