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Latest News
  • [ June 30, 2026 ] 10 Years Later: Rio 2016 Olympics Served to Consolidate Speculative Plan Rejected by Pioneering Brazilian Urban Planner Lúcio Costa #LegacyWatch
  • [ June 29, 2026 ] Housing at the Center: What the World Urban Forum Teaches Us About Urgency, Climate and Invisibility [OPINION] #HousingWatch
  • [ June 26, 2026 ] 30 Years Since the First Promises and 10 Years After the Olympics, the Cleanup of Guanabara Bay Remains Rio’s Main Challenge #LegacyWatch
  • [ June 22, 2026 ] Study Shows that Violence Violates the Right to Education in Rio de Janeiro: ‘More Shots, Fewer Classes; Fewer Classes, More Criminals’ #UPPWatch
  • [ June 15, 2026 ] Cruzada São Sebastião—70 Years of Public Housing in the Heart of Rio de Janeiro’s Upscale South Zone Neighborhood of Leblon #EvictionsWatch
HomeUnderstanding Rio

Understanding Rio

Favela Qualities

‘Great Good Places’: The Nature of Public Spaces in Favelas

By Caitlin Dixon • April 8, 2014

Clique aqui para Português In the dense built environment of favelas, spatial priority is given to housing. Public spaces, then, develop informally out of the leftover places in the urban landscape. Public streets and staircases […]

Policies

History of Rio de Janeiro’s Military Police Part 3: Community Policing

By Patrick Ashcroft • March 22, 2014

Clique aqui para Português This is Part 3 in a four-part series on the History of Rio de Janeiro’s Military Police. Click here for Parts 1, 2, and 4. You cannot imagine what government neglect of the […]

Reviews

Essential Reading on Rio’s Favelas [Book Review]

By Nyasha Weinberg • March 18, 2014

Rio is a fascinating and multi-layered city. For visitors and students, unravelling the complex relationships between the sun, sand, samba and enduring crime and poverty in the city can prove difficult. Fortunately, the books available […]

*Highlight

History of Rio de Janeiro’s Military Police Part 2: From Dictatorship to Drug War

By Patrick Ashcroft • March 5, 2014

Clique aqui para Português This is Part 2 in a four-part series on the History of Rio de Janeiro’s Military Police. Click for Parts 1, 3, and 4. Bandido favelado não se varre com vassoura se […]

Policies

Hard Times in the Marvelous City by Bryan McCann [BOOK REVIEW]

By Nyasha Weinberg • March 3, 2014

Clique aqui para Português In 1978 favela residents, liberation theologians and activists mobilized to successfully defend Vidigal against eviction attempts. Those protesting removal used ingenious methods of resistance. These included providing daily coffees to placate […]

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RioOnWatch’s anti-racist reporting series won silver in the 2022 inaugural The Anthem Awards, in the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion category among Best Local Awareness Programs.
A Project of

About

In May 2010, Catalytic Communities launched what was originally Rio Olympics Neighborhood Watch (hence RioOnWatch), a program to bring visibility to favela community voices in the lead-up to the 2016 Rio Olympics. This news site, RioOnWatch.org, grew into a much-needed and unique reference featuring favela perspectives on the urban transformation of Rio. With diverse and deeply interlinked articles by a mix of community reporters, resident opinions, solidarity reporters, international observers, and academic researchers, we work to engender a more accurate picture of favelas, their contributions to the city, and the potential of favela-led community development in Rio and around the world.

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Awards

Special Thanks

Fundação Heinrich Böll Brasil
World Habitat
Fideicomiso de la Tierra Caño Martín Peña
Pastoral de Favelas
Center for CLT Innovation
Global Land Alliance
Ecocity Builders
Mansueto Institute for Urban Innovation
SDSU Behner Stiefel Center
The Rio Times
Forum Grita Baixada
Beto Paixão Graphic Design
Architecture Museum of Vienna
Yale School of Architecture

  • Home
    • Highlighted Stories
    • Understanding Rio
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  • Communities
    • Central
    • South Zone
    • North Zone
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    • Greater Rio
  • Policies
    • Public Security
    • Housing
    • Transport
    • Education
    • Health
    • Sanitation
  • Violations
    • Human Rights
    • Housing Rights
    • Police Violence
    • Government Neglect
  • Organizing
    • Community Organizing
    • Community Solution
    • Resistance
    • Sustainability
    • Participation
    • Protest
    • Culture
    • Responsible Tourism
  • Content Map
    • by Community Contributors
    • by Int’l Observers
    • Series
      • Anti-Racist Series
      • Energy Justice Series
    • Event Reports
    • Video Stories
    • Photo-Essays
    • Interviews/Profiles
    • Research & Analysis
    • Reviews
    • Listicles
    • Opinion
    • Reference
    • Podcasts
    • Translated Articles
  • About
    • Timeline
    • Our Reporting Policy
    • License
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