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Latest News
  • [ 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
  • [ June 8, 2026 ] World Environment Day Rally in Rio de Janeiro Demands a ‘Sustainable Future With Thriving Forests, Clean Air, Water and Land for All and More Humane Urban Mobility’ *Highlight
  • [ June 1, 2026 ] Visiting Rio Before July 30th? Don’t Miss ‘Favela Climate Memory’ Exhibition at the Favela Museum Overlooking Ipanema: ‘We Learned to Survive So We Can Tell Others How’ *Highlight
  • [ May 31, 2026 ] Rio de Janeiro Evictions Museum Celebrates Ten Years of Art, Memory and Resistance Since the Olympic Games #LegacyWatch
  • [ May 31, 2026 ] Critical Urban Park in Rio de Janeiro’s North Zone Is at Risk of Disappearing After Decades of Government Neglect *Highlight
HomePedra do Sal

Pedra do Sal

#ParticipationWatch

Near Redeveloped Olympic Boulevard, Residents Paint Walls to Keep Afro-Brazilian History Alive

By Mariah Barber • August 19, 2016

Clique aqui para Português From August 9 to 13, artists, activists, and community members came together to repaint a wall in Pedra do Sal, located in the heart of historic Little Africa in Rio de Janeiro’s Port Region. Titled […]

#GentrificationWatch

The Little-Known History of Little Africa in Rio de Janeiro’s Port Zone

By Mariah Barber, Rhona Mackay • June 3, 2016

Clique aqui para Português Little Africa, Pequena África in Portuguese, is an area in the Port Region of Rio de Janeiro that has historically been home to a strong Afro-Brazilian community. The area became known as Little Africa following […]

#UPPWatch

Funding Shortage and Increased Violence Amounts to UPP Crisis

By Mariah Barber • April 28, 2016

Clique aqui para Português With less than 100 days to the 2016 Olympic Games, Rio’s Pacifying Police Unit (UPP) program and public security in Rio is in crisis. Although the controversial UPP program has faced setbacks […]

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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

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  • Content Map
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