Social housing, Architecture and City: a study of Carmen Portinho's trajectory in the Department of Popular Housing betwenn 1946 and 1961

• Grant number: 24/22097-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: April 01, 2025
• End date: March 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Applied Social Sciences - Architecture and Town Planning - Fundamentals of Architecture and Urbanism
• Principal Investigator: Eulalia Portela Negrelos
• Grantee: Iris de Moraes
• Host Institution: Instituto de Arquitetura e Urbanismo de São Carlos (IAU). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Proposing to study the career of engineer and urban planner Carmen Velasco Portinho as director of the Department of Popular Housing, whose objective was to provide dignified housing for municipal workers in the then Federal District and for the peripheral population, this research seeks to contribute to the history of social housing in Brazil. Portinho's professional trajectory is intrinsically linked to modernist ideals, as she was the third woman to graduate in engineering in the country in 1926 and soon after entered public service. By engaging in public administration responsibilities related to housing, she became deeply involved in addressing the challenges of popular housing.In terms of urban planning, Portinho interned with urban redevelopment commissions in English cities, expanding her theoretical and practical knowledge of construction and, above all, understanding housing as a sector of public administration responsible for providing homes to the working classes. This perspective led her to propose the creation of an agency dedicated to promoting housing projects in the Federal District: the Department of Popular Housing (DHP). As its director, she was responsible for executing four residential complexes: the Pedregulho Residential Complex (built between 1946 and 1961), the Paquetá Residential Complex (1952), the Marquês de São Vicente Residential Complex (1952), and the Vila Isabel Residential Complex (1955), with the first one gaining international recognition and awards.Portinho's work stands out for her contributions to modern housing and the promotion of popular housing policies in the city, which forms the central focus of this analysis.