This work is the result of two years of research into the historical context, from the foundation of the city of São Salvador to the transformations that have taken place in the current century, due to the dynamics of urbanisation through the expansion of urban areas, producing a segregated and highly degraded environment, with serious effects on the population's quality of life. Salvador, a metropolis with a large number of inhabitants on hillsides, is exposed to countless risks, mainly due to self-building without the proper techniques, and natural disasters such as landslides, which are exacerbated when there is heavy rainfall. The general aim of this work was therefore to discuss the process of subnormal occupation on hillsides in the capital of Salvador, from the perspective of a risk society, and its consequences for the city.