Jardim de Alah is a park in Rio de Janeiro that links the neighborhoods of Ipanema and Leblon and is known to be the most expensive in the city. Currently, the park is in a state of neglect, and the city council is considering handing over its management to a private company. Local residents are against this proposal and suspect that the real intention is to extend the nearby shopping mall, one of the most expensive in the city. The city council’s plan involves the creation of restaurants and spaces for events and concerts, but it is promised that access will remain free for the entire population. The president of the neighbors’ platform opposing the city council’s plans, Karen Morton, is not against a private company managing the park, but the possible negative effects this could have, such as the removal of trees, noisy events, and exclusive venues that would not be affordable for everyone.
Meanwhile, the Catacumba park, located a 20-minute walk from Jardim de Alah, has just been handed over to a private company. The owner of Lagoa Aventuras, the company that will manage the park, plans to improve the site with restaurants and monthly events, in addition to adding zip lines, rappelling, and tree climbing circuits. The company paid the city council R$350,000 (about US$70,000) for the right to manage the park for the next 25 years and also pledged to invest R$2.5 million in improvements over the next two years, in addition to reinvesting 5% of its revenues in the park.
Some politicians, such as Rio’s councilor for the environment and climate, Tainá de Paula, see no problem in privatizing parks, as long as they are guaranteed to be free of charge and socio-environmental responsibility is encouraged in the companies. Others, such as Pedro Duarte, an opposition councilman, are also in favor of privatization as long as clear rules are established and compliance is ensured. Privatization of parks is a practice that is spreading in Brazil in response to the lack of maintenance of public parks and gardens. However, there are concerns that privatization may lead to the exclusion and commercialization of green areas that were previously free and publicly accessible.