巴拉达蒂茹卡 城镇

Barra da Tijuca (Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈbaʁɐ dɐ tʃiˈʒukɐ]), usually known as just Barra, is an upper-middle class neighborhood (or bairro) in the Southwest Zone of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, located in the western portion of the city on the Atlantic Ocean. Barra is well known for its beaches, its many lakes and rivers, and its lifestyle. This neighbourhood represents 4.7% of the city population and 13% of the total area of Rio de Janeiro.

Barra da Tijuca is classified as one of the most developed places in Brazil, with one of the highest Human Development Indexes (HDI) in the country, as measured in the 2000 Brazil Census. Unlike the South and Central Zones, Barra da Tijuca follows Modernist standards, with large boulevards creating the major transit axis. The area's masterplan was designed by Lúcio Costa, known for his work on Brasília, and creates a region filled with many gardens, shopping malls, apartment buildings, and large mansions. In recent years, due to the rapid development of the Brazilian economy, Barra's population has increased by over 100,000, as a large number of residents and companies search for cheaper real estate as an alternative to the densely populated South Zone of Rio. Demographic data indicates that the region is the fastest-growing neighborhood in Rio: 98,851 in 1991, 174,353 in 2000, and 300,823 in 2010.

Barra natives and residents are known as Barristas, or more popularly, Barrenses. The neighborhood is a cultural, economic, and administrative hub of the city, and is believed to be the safest of Rio's upper-class neighbourhoods because of its lack of favelas and plentiful private and public security. It is the home of several celebrities and football players, such as the singer Anitta. Home to the Barra Olympic Park, Barra hosted a large number of venues for the 2016 Summer Olympics, the first held in South America.

Etymology

The name Barra da Tijuca can be roughly translated as "clay sandbank". Barra means port entrance or sandbank, and Tijuca is a word originally from the Tupi ty-yúc and means putrid water, mud, swamp, puddle, clay or clay-pit.

Tijuca (meaning marsh or swamp) from ty ("water") and îuká ("to kill").

History

The region of Barra da Tijuca was originally a large beach, with typical undergrowth and sandbanks. The area, full of swamps and unsuitable for planting, remained unoccupied until the middle of the twentieth century, even though occasional groups of fishermen frequented the region. In 1667, the region was given to religious Benedictines, who settled only in the neighborhoods of Camorim, Vargem Pequena, and Vargem Grande. In 1900, the lands of Barra da Tijuca and Baixada Jacarepaguá were sold to the company Remedial Territorial Agricultural and SA, ESTA, which remains a large landowner in the area. The concentration of large tracts of land in the hands of a few was one of the causes of its late growth.

Lifestyle

As the most recent region, built only about 30 years ago, Barra introduced a way of living characterized by large luxury condominiums with leisure infrastructure (sports courts, pools, private groves and lakes, spas, gyms) inside the condominium for the use of its residents and guests. The "neighborhood-condos", as they were named, have the idea of creating an exclusive neighborhood for its residents, making it possible for them to live a complete life without the need to leave the condominium. The condos also have a high security system to ensure the privacy and safety of its residents. The residential areas of Barra are also known as being environmentally friendly.

Areas

Jardim Oceânico

Jardim Oceânico (Portuguese: Ocean Garden) is a subdistrict of Barra da Tijuca. Predominantly formed by three-story buildings, it is an area similar to the South Zone of Rio de Janeiro. As part of the preparations for the Rio 2016 Olympics, a subway station was opened in the neighborhood. The mainly residential area is also home to several bars and restaurants on the Olegario Maciel and Erico Verissimo streets.

Education

Several universities have a campus in the district, including Universidade Estácio de Sá, Pontifícia Universidade Católica, Universidade Gama Filho, Universidade Veiga de Almeida, Centro Universitário IBMR-Laureate and Instituto Brasileiro de Mercado de Capitais. Schools in the district include the Escola Suíço-Brasileira Rio de Janeiro.

Shopping malls

The neighborhood of Barra is home to many large modern malls, including Barra Shopping on Avenue of the Americas.

Transportation

There are three main avenues in Barra: Avenida das Américas (which connects almost the whole area of Barra), Avenida Ayrton Senna (formerly Avenida Alvorada, which connects Barra to Jacarepaguá neighbourhood) and Avenida Lúcio Costa (formerly Avenida Sernambetiba, which passes alongside the beach). The connection works of Barra with the rest of the urban network are among the most expensive works already carried out in Rio. Barra has many bus routes, and in 2009, Barra's subway line started to be built for the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics. Jacarepaguá Airport, an airport specialized in general aviation, is also located in the neighborhood.

Sports

The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu academy Gracie Barra originated in Barra and is named after it.

The 2007 Pan American Games and 2016 Summer Olympics and Paralympics took place for the most part in Barra, the latter featuring 12 permanent and three temporary venues.

The football (soccer) club Barra da Tijuca Futebol Clube derives its name from the region. Its headquarters are located in neighbouring Camorim.

Three major Associations' headquarters are located in Barra da Tijuca: the Brazilian Football Confederation, the Brazilian Volleyball Confederation and Brazilian Olympic Committee.

The Golden Green Golf Club provides three-par six-hole court greens open to outside players with illumination for night play. Itanhanga Golf Club is also nearby.

Beach

The 18 km long beach is the largest of Rio de Janeiro's beaches. Barra's beach starts at Morro do Joá and ends at the Recreio dos Bandeirantes neighborhood, in Pontal de Sernambetiba, beyond Avenida Lúcio Costa. Most of its waters are clear and green and have an uncommon wave formation. Barra da Tijuca beach is one of the most sought-after beaches by surfers, windsurfers, bodyboarders, kitesurfers, and fishing enthusiasts. There is also a cycling lane along the beach. Pepê beach, closer to Morro do Joá, has kite surf schools, food kiosks, and surf schools.

Culture

Teatro dos Grandes Atores

The Teatro dos Grandes Atores (Great Actors Theater) is located in the Shopping Barra Square mall. It has a small 35 square metres (380 sq ft) foyer, and two auditoriums, each with 396 seats, the Blue Room and the Red Room. Both have good acoustics and balconies that give good views of the stage. The theater opened in 1995 with Aparecida Margarida, with Marília Pêra, in the Blue Room and A Era do Rádio directed by Sérgio Britto in the Red Room.

Ricardo Torres was staged here in 1996.

Since 2009, the theater has partnered with Agência do Bem, and since 2011 has let the agency's Orquestra Nova Sinfonia, a youth orchestra, use its stage for rehearsals.

Criticism

The influence from different countries is criticized by many citizens from the older areas of Rio de Janeiro, especially concerning the 26.8 meters (88 feet) high replica of the Statue of Liberty in the New York City Center. Barra also has replicas of many international architectural icons like the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Tower Bridge of London, and the Eiffel Tower of Paris (all found in the Barra World Shopping Center).

In popular culture

Barra da Tijuca (and its luxury condominiums, considered the trademark of Barra da Tijuca) is a recurring theme in Brazilian films, TV series, and documentaries, mainly because it portrays (sometimes in a light and funny way, sometimes more darkly and seriously) the lives of upper-middle-class and upper-class residents who live there. Among the films and series that take place there are:

In the Rede Globo telenovela Laços de Família (2000-2001), Barra da Tijuca is home to the family of Alma Flora Pirajá de Albuquerque (Marieta Severo), her fourth husband Danilo Menezes (Alexandre Borges) and her nephew and niece Edu (Reynaldo Gianecchini) and Estela Monteiro Fernandes (Júlia Almeida).