Barra da Tijuca
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Barra da Tijuca is a residential neighborhood located in the Western Zone of the city of Rio de Janeiro. Its beach is 18 km long, and there are 3 great main lakes, and also minor lakes and channels. There are 3 main avenues in Barra: Avenida das Américas (which connects the neighbourhood with the city's Southern Zone and with the other Western Zone neighbourhoods), Avenida Ayrton Senna (former Avenida Alvorada, which connects Barra to Jacarepaguá neighbourhood) and Avenida Sernambetiba (which passes along the beach). In all directions, the view includes lakes and mountains, or even the sea. The connection works of Barra with the rest of the urban network, transposing the Maciço da Tijuca (Lagoa-Barra highway and Via Amarela) are among the most expensive works already carried out in Rio, confirming the city's road transport choice.
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[edit] Etymology
The name Barra da Tijuca is composed of two words, Barra and Tijuca, and the preposition da. Barra means port entrancy, sandbank, and Tijuca is a word originally from the Tupi ty-yúc and means putrid water, mud, swamp, puddle, clay or clay-pit. The preposition da means of, from. So, the name Barra da Tijuca can be roughly translated as 'Swamp Sandbank'.
[edit] History
The neighbourhood area was originally a sandbank, composed of white sand dunes covered by shrubby vegetation. In its central sand stripe extends the Avenida das Américas, a section of BR-101 motorway, along which the neighbourhood started to grow.
In 1969 the neighbourhood's pilot plan project began, elaborated by Lúcio Costa. The project foresaw the construction of two avenues, Avenida das Américas and Avenida Ayrton Senna, beside a regulation to the Barra da Tijuca and adjacent neighbourhoods, with the limitation of the buildings' maximum height and the creation of conservation areas. In the middle of the 1970s, there were already some isolated enclosed condominiums in the middle of the predominant vegetation, with some small- and medium-sized business organizations.
During the 1980s Barra da Tijuca had a population explosion, with virtually all the ground plots along its avenues being occupied by large residential areas, parks, supermarkets, shopping malls, schools and hospitals. The avenues were duplicated and received traffic signs. At this time there was an emancipation movement of Barra da Tijuca and its bordering neighborhoods, but the plebiscite result was unfavourable.
Today, the region has established itself as the most important of the city's middle- and upper-class real estate attraction area, which adopted a lifestyle inspired by the American suburbs, based in blocks of flats and townhouses, cars and shopping centres. The resulting employment opportunities also attracted favelas. Due to the Rio de Janeiro city downtown real estate degradation and plastering, Barra also attracted an increasing number of companies, most of them of the petroleum sector.
As of 2005, a new Rio de Janeiro concert room is being built in Barra da Tijuca, named 'Cidade da Música' (Music City), inspired by the Cité de la Musique located at La Villete park, in Paris. The invited architect, Christian de Portzamparc, is the author of the original Cité de la Musique project.
[edit] Law
There is one courthouse located in Barra da Tijuca, called Fórum da Barra. Inside the building there are both civil and criminal courts.
Several law universities have a campus in the neighborhood, including Universidade Estácio de Sá, Universidade Gama Filho and Universidade Veiga de Almeida.
[edit] Shopping & entertainment
There are several shopping malls in the neighborhood, the most notable being the BarraShopping, the New York City Center and the Via Parque Shopping. There are also smaller-sized shopping malls, such as Barra Square and Barra Point.
Most of the cinemas and restaurants of the neighborhood are located inside the shopping malls.
An amusement park, called Parque Terra Encantada, is located in the neighborhood.
Barra da Tijuca hosts many supermarkets, including Wal-Mart, Extra, Bon Marché, Carrefour and Makro.
[edit] Barra in sports
The football (soccer) club Barra da Tijuca Futebol Clube is named after Barra da Tijuca neighbourhood, and its headquarters are located in the near neighbourhood of Recreio dos Bandeirantes.
Vasco da Gama's training ground, which is called Vasco Barra, is also located in Barra neighbourhood.
There is a golf club called Barra Golden Green Golf Club.
Surf competitions, such as Rio Marathon Surf Internacional, Festival Petrobras de Surfe, Campeonato Velox Surf Amador and Circuito Petrobras are played in Barra. There are several surfing schools in the neighbourhood as a result of its popularity.
[edit] The beach
The 18 km long beach is the largest Rio de Janeiro beach. Barra da Tijuca beach starts at Morro do Joá and ends at the Recreio dos Bandeirantes neighbourhood, in Pontal de Sernambetiba, beyond Avenida Sernambetiba. Most of its waters are clear and green, and have an uncommon wave formation. The pollution levels are growing quickly, most of it originating at Canal da Joatinga, and it is estimated that in 2007 [1] it will reach Avenida Ayrton Senna. Barra da Tijuca beach is one of the most sought after beaches by surfers, windsurfers, bodyboarders and fishing enthusiasts. There is also a cycle lane along the beach.
[edit] See also
[edit] Reference
- Much of the content of this article comes from the equivalent Portuguese-language wikipedia article (retrieved August 19, 2005).
