City Expansion Making It More Vulnerable
Petrópolis is known as Brazil’s “Imperial City,” built in the mid-19th century by Emperor Pedro II, and is filled with classic European-style architecture set among lush parks and sheer mountains. However, the region’s geography makes it vulnerable to storms as warmer air collides with cold temperatures in the mountains, while the city’s rapid expansion higher into the hills has cleared out forests and land that would usually protect from disastrous flooding. In 2011, landslides and rains killed more than 900 people in the larger Rio de Janeiro area, including in Petrópolis.
