Video

What does Brazilian Carnival reveal about urban segregation?

Carnival is often sold as the moment when the city turns into a big party, and everyone mixes. But if you look a little closer, you can see that the city doesn’t disappear during the celebrations, it just puts on a “costume”.

When the street parades start, public space stops working as an open, free space. Ropes, fences, restricted zones, and controlled access points appear. Where anyone could once walk freely, now you have to pay, show credentials, or accept being pushed to the crowded sidewalks.

That created a very real divide. Those who can pay get access to areas with more comfort and better infrastructure. Those who can’t are left on cramped sidewalks, with fewer services and more pressure. Access to what is supposed to be a public celebration turns into a matter of price.

The same logic shows up in the labor that keeps the event running. A small group at the top earns a lot with relatively little risk, while a huge base of workers does the heaviest jobs for low daily wages and under tough conditions. The party only happens because many people pay that cost with their own bodies.

In the end, Carnival doesn’t change the city. It simply makes more visible the way the city already works the rest of the year.

Want to dive deeper into this topic?

Watch the full video and see how Carnival exposes urban segregation in Brazilian cities, with concrete examples and situations that many people have already seen or lived through.

Disclaimer: The video is in Brazilian Portuguese, but simultaneous translation and subtitles are available in multiple languages.

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News

Manchester opens village under railway arches to tackle housing crisis

In late February 2026, the city of Manchester in the UK opened the Embassy Village, a development of 40 individual homes for men experiencing homelessness, built under railway arches in the Castlefield district, near the city center. The site was previously abandoned and has been transformed into a small neighborhood with houses, shared spaces, and green areas.

Each unit includes a bedroom, a bathroom, and a small kitchen with its own front door, and is designed to offer real stability, not just temporary shelter. The project grew out of the experience of the Embassy charity, which had been testing the model since 2019 using a converted bus, with high rates of reintegration into work and stable housing.

The village combines housing, training, and social support. Residents take part in mandatory activities focused on everyday life, such as building routines, managing money, and preparing for the job market. After they move out, they continue to receive follow-up support for several months to reduce the risk of returning to the streets.

The choice of location is part of the urban strategy. The project occupies a forgotten part of the city, showing how technical and degraded areas can be turned into social infrastructure. In addition, the homes were designed to have low energy consumption and low maintenance costs, which reduces fixed expenses and frees up resources for direct support to residents.

The Embassy Village was made possible through donations and the pro bono work of more than 130 companies, with financial support from the Greater Manchester Authority. This model reduces implementation costs and creates a network of companies also involved in offering jobs to residents, closing the loop between housing, training, and income.

As a result, the project stands as an example of how urban regeneration, environmental sustainability, and social support policy can work together to address the housing crisis with permanent solution, not just emergency responses.