WHEN HOUSING POLICY MEETS DRUG TRAFFICKING: a case study on the expansion of illegal markets and forms of resistance in life under siege

Abstract

Through direct observation, interviews, and documents, a case study is presented on the complex intersection between housing policy, urban development, territorial control by armed groups, and how residents navigate these challenges. The first part addresses urbanization and the development of municipal housing policy in Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ. The second part discusses the formation of the local drug market, the rivalries between gangs, how they territorialized, and their effects on the city. The third part exemplifies, through the trajectory of a resident, the strategies developed to cope with the intersection of housing policy and territorial control by armed groups. The final part reflects comparatively on the case of Rio de Janeiro in the 1960s-70s to show how housing policy, drug trafficking, and residents’ resistance strategies intertwine to structure a mode of “life under siege” and stimulate the expansion of illegal markets.

KEYWORDS:
Urban violence; Morar Feliz; Housing policy; Armed groups; Drug trafficking