The Potential Impact of the Right to Housing to Address Vertical Inequalities

In 2004, Brazilian photographer Tuca Vieira took the photo inin Sao Paulo, Brazil, to illustrate one of the most pressing issues of our times, socioeconomic inequalities. On the left, is the favela of Paraisópolis, one of the biggest favelas in Sao Paulo. Residents there do not have regular access to clean water, electricity, basic services, and security of tenure. On the right, divided by a wall, is a luxury housing complex in the district of Morumbi, one of the wealthier districts of Sao Paulo. As stated by the photographer, “[t]he absurdity of the image imposes an unacceptable feeling of defeat on us: how do we allow things to reach this point?”1 (Vieira 2013).