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Latest News
  • [ April 2, 2026 ] ‘International Favelas Conference’ Promotes a (dis)Integrated City: From Erasing Favela Residents to Global Marketing [OPINION] #ParticipationWatch
  • [ March 31, 2026 ] Rio Civil Society Forms Front to Defend Trees From City Hall #ParticipationWatch
  • [ March 29, 2026 ] Award-Winning Middle School in Penha Favela Hosts Gardening Collective Action Engaging Passionate Young Environmental Leaders *Highlight
  • [ March 28, 2026 ] Wave of Deadly Tree Pruning has Left Jacarepaguá Resident Desperate for Shade: Account Exposes Senseless Loss to Rio’s West Zone by Community Contributors
  • [ March 22, 2026 ] The ‘Carolinas of Jacutinga’ Promote Recycling, Women’s Dignity, Art, Environmental Education, Heritage and Sustainable Development Across Five Cities in Greater Rio *Highlight
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Policies

POUSOs: Urbanistic and Social Orientation Posts in Rio’s Favelas from 1996 to 2008

By Caitlin Dixon • April 27, 2014

Clique aqui para Português POUSOs, or Urbanistic and Social Orientation Posts (Posto de Orientação Urbanística e Social) were conceived in 1996 by the Municipal Housing Secretariat (SMH) to provide on-site technical support to ensure safety and introduce […]

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 […]

#HousingWatch

Minha Casa Minha Vida-Entidades: Federally-Funded Housing Solutions Through Self-Managed Cooperatives

By Catherine Osborn • December 26, 2013

Clique aqui para Português Every month, representatives of 116 families meet in a warehouse in central Rio. The families currently live in different parts of the city: in the favelas of Parque da Cidade and […]

#CommunityMedia

Racism and Health in Brazil

By Thamyra Thamara de Araújo, Thiago Ansel • Translation by Lee Weingast • November 25, 2013

For the original by Thamyra Thamara and Thiago Ansel in Portuguese for Observatório de Favelas click here. Racial discrimination is a common theme both in TV dramas and news, which portray occasional attacks or conflicts in […]

#UPPWatch

Confusion Over Future of the UPP Program

By Jornal do Brasil, Marco Antônio Martins • Translation by Kayla Boisvert • November 13, 2013

Rio’s favela pacification policy–whereby specially trained Military Police occupy and then establish Pacifying Police Units (UPPs) to take territorial control over communities previously controlled by drug trafficking gangs or militia–has come under increasing scrutiny in […]

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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.
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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
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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
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