Brasilia

• Housing (urban pressure that may affect the original city plan (Plano Piloto) that warranted inscription on the World Heritage List)
• Management systems/ management plan (lack of a Master Plan)

On 30 November 2020, the State Party presented a state of conservation report, which is available at http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/445/documents/, and responds in part to Decision 43 COM 7B.96 of the World Heritage Committee, as follows:

• The Technical Support Agreement between the National Historic and Artistic Heritage Institute (IPHAN) and the Government of the Federal District (GDF) was renewed up to June 2024. The Technical Support Group meets regularly to elaborate recommendations, discuss case studies, and respond together to issues involving responsibilities of the institutions comprising the Group;
• The draft Preservation Plan for the Urban Ensemble of Brasilia (PPCUB) was evaluated by IPHAN in December 2019 and is currently being revised by the State Secretariat for Urban Development and Housing (SEDUH), as a priority issue in its Strategic Institutional Plan;
• The elaboration of the Management Plan, using participatory and strategic planning methodologies, is envisaged for 2021;
• The constitution of the Management Committee, including mapping of active and acknowledged agents and organizations in the field of cultural heritage, selection of these organizations through public notice, and establishment of the Management Committee through an IPHAN Ordinance, is envisaged for 2022;
• Two proposals are currently under discussion between IPHAN and the GDF that could have an impact on the conservation of the property. The South Commercial Sector Revitalisation Programme (Viva Centro!) envisages the inclusion of housing in 30% of the South Commercial Sector, which implies the change of use of the area. After the current process of public debate, the proposal will be submitted to IPHAN for technical assessment. The second proposal (Pátio Ferroviário de Brasilia) intends to develop extensive open spaces in the property’s buffer zone to house a new neighbourhood that would include collective dwellings, commercial buildings, and public equipment. The State Party acknowledges the concern regarding the verticalization of the new neighbourhood, to be located in a sensitive area near the Monumental Axis of the city;
• The GDF has recently undertaken actions for preserving heritage buildings and sites within the property, including measures to enable the restoration of Oscar Niemeyer’s Touring Club to house a museum, and implementing an accessibility and requalification project at South W3 Avenue public spaces;
• Activities related to fostering promotion and interpretation of the property have been carried out by IPHAN in partnership with the GDF, including the signing of a Technical Cooperation Agreement with the local Secretariat of Education, through which books on cultural heritage have been written and distance learning activities offered for public elementary and high school teachers, and holding initial debates for the implementation of the interpretation centre for the property (with the local Secretariat of Tourism) and a series of events, Jornadas do Patrimônio (in partnership with the local Secretariats of Education and Culture).

The renewal of the Technical Support Agreement between IPHAN and the GDF up to June 2024, the actions and projects related to the conservation and eventual restoration of heritage buildings and sites, and the activities regarding promotion and interpretation of the property, are noted with appreciation. The State Party should consider a future institutionalization of the Technical Support Agreement in a broader Management Committee in the longer term.

The Committee may wish to welcome that the PPCUB was evaluated by IPHAN in December 2019 and is currently being revised by the SEDUH. As reported by the State Party, the ongoing revision of the Plan includes taking into account suggestions made by IPHAN and other organizations; it is recommended that the Committee invite the State Party to submit the Plan, once revised, to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies.

As for the elaboration of the Management Plan and the constitution of the Management Committee, the State Party reports a timeframe of one and two years, respectively. Even though those actions are acknowledged, it is unclear whether the planned constitution of the Management Committee only in 2022 might delay the full implementation of the plan, once approved. Considering the existence of project proposals that could constitute a potential risk to the preservation of the property, such as those mentioned in the report or others that could come in the future, it is considered that both the elaboration of the Management Plan and the constitution of the Management Committee should be considered priority actions that it would be advisable to envisage by the end of 2021.  

The Viva Centro! and Pátio Ferroviário de Brasilia projects are particular cause for concern. Regarding the former, the change of uses and the inclusion of housing in the commercial sector would imply an alteration of the scales described and designed in Lucio Costa’s Plano Piloto, one of the main attributes of Outstanding Universal Value (OUV). The second project, involving land development of unoccupied areas of the buffer zone, would signify an irreversible alteration of part of the original plan of Brasilia. The negative impact of this proposal would not be limited to visual aspects, caused by its proximity to the Monumental Axis, but would also result in the further alteration of the relationship between the Plano Piloto and its surrounding natural areas, and increase the pressure on the World Heritage property provoked by an increased number of inhabitants and vehicular traffic; the State Party itself acknowledges concerns about this project. It is therefore recommended that the Committee request the State Party to halt the ongoing processes of discussion and elaboration of both proposals until a clear management and legal framework, based on the preservation of the OUV and the attributes that convey it, is in place. It is also recommended that the State Party ensure that any major interventions to the property are first reviewed, as defined in Title IV of IPHAN Ordinance 421/2018, and approved by the Technical Support Group.

Therefore, despite the reported progress regarding the current revision of the PPCUB and the elaboration of the Management Plan, the framework for the conservation of the property is still fragile, and several of the recommendations of the 2012 joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS Reactive Monitoring mission have not yet been implemented, including some of those considered priorities. In this context, proposals such as Viva Centro! and Pátio Ferroviário de Brasilia put in evidence a lack of adequate understanding of the OUV and its attributes, especially the four scales on which Lucio Costa’s Plano Piloto is based. Any potential discussion on the alteration of the land uses within the boundaries of the property and its buffer zone should be based on the consideration of the preservation of the attributes of OUV, and any proposal that could put this at risk should be avoided. It is also advised that IPHAN be involved in these projects from the early stages of the proposals.