tracing back its roots to the beginning of the 20th century, the word asfalto, meaning 'asphalt' is the term used to refer to all neighborhoods in rio that are not favelas.

between 1903 and 1906 rio's mayor francisco pereira passos adopted a model of urban reform inspired by the modern metropolitan layouts and sophistication of paris, opening streets and avenues while removing illegal and unsafe collective housing settlements, the precursors to modern favelas, to suburban areas.

as part of this urbanization and modernization effort, areas of flat land and dirt-roads were properly paved,  and even cobblestone replaced permanently by 'asphalt'.