Challenges of implementing a land cadastre in Rio de Janeiro: the Bangu case study

The urban environment of Rio de Janeiro has its own complexities when compared with other large cities in Brazil and around the world. In addition to its peculiar topographic structure, the history of the city – from its foundation to the present day – has led to unique and contradictory characteristics. A multipurpose land cadastre (MLC, in Portuguese: Cadastro Técnico Multifinalitário), since its inception in Brazil, promises to adapt urban environments to a new reality, facilitating the management of their entire territories by using tools such as geographic information systems. This study intends to identify and analyse the main issues that prevent Rio de Janeiro from establishing an effective MLC, most notably the existence of a variety of land-use bases with legal value, but which are contradictory if examined cartographically. This study was carried out by examining a subset of Rio de Janeiro: the Bangu neighbourhood. Bangu was chosen for being a considerably complex neighbourhood, with a variety of land uses that reflects the urban fabric of Rio de Janeiro as a whole. The analysis not only points out inconsistencies in current cadastral bases, but also suggests tasks and policies to help overcome them and provide the city with appropriate cadastral bases that reflect the reality of its urban soil.