Housing is a social right inscribed in the 1988 Brazilian Constitution. Before that, it was already included in the UN Declaration of Human Rights of 1948. Even so, there is still a lack of public policies for social housing in Brazilian cities. Carmen Portinho’s work as director of the Social Housing Department between 1948 and 1960 represents a milestone in social housing policies in Rio de Janeiro and Brazil.
Inspired by modernist housing principles and alongside Affonso Eduardo Reidy, her life companion and colleague at city hall, and other professionals such as Francisco Bolonha, Hélio Modesto and Lygia Fernandes, Portinho conceptualised and implemented strategic and structural projects that aligned best practices in architecture, urban planning, engineering and art with social demands. Throughout her career she prioritised autonomous spaces for living, social interaction, work and education that aimed to contribute to people’s quality of life. As head of the department’s projects, with the Prefeito Mendes de Moraes Residential Complex (Pedregulho) as a highlight, Portinho imagined a transformative architecture and confronted the limitations imposed on Brazil’s housing and urban planning policies.