Urban walls and social practices in Rio de Janeiro's suburbs

the infrastructural space of power transmission lines across time

Abstract

This article examines the infrastructural space of power transmission lines traversing various neighborhoods in Rio de Janeiro’s suburbs, establishing connections between urban form and the social practices that take root there. It argues that the walls defining the boundaries between the infrastructure corridors and the surrounding urban fabric function as relational devices—acting as more than merely a negative presence—by enabling specific types of social practices within these spaces. The cultivation of herbs and vegetables harkens back to the agricultural past of these territories, bridging different eras and revealing a latent past that holds potential for the future of contemporary urban space.