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Latest News
  • [ May 16, 2025 ] Rio’s New ‘Extreme Rainfall Vulnerability Index’, Rio 60ºC, Shows 600,000 Homes at High Risk of Landslides or Flooding Climate Justice
  • [ May 9, 2025 ] ‘Trash? Not to Us!’ Environmental Action in Rio Public Housing Complex Denounces Municipal Neglect and Proposes Waste Collection as a Source of Income by Community Contributors
  • [ April 30, 2025 ] Sustainable Favela Network Launches Groundbreaking ‘Favela Climate Memory’ Exhibition on May 3, Kicking Off Museums Month [RELEASE] *Highlight
  • [ April 20, 2025 ] ‘No One Wants to Hear How Much We Miss Them’: 20 Years After the Baixada Massacre, Families of Victims Report Poor Mental Health and Demand Psychosocial Support from the State #UPPWatch
  • [ April 14, 2025 ] ‘I Was Up All Night, Like Every Summer’: Storm Deepens Climate Anxiety and Sparks Outrage Among Favela Residents Across Greater Rio de Janeiro, Say #VoicesFromSocialMedia #MediaWatch
Homesegregation

segregation

Military police during an operation at Complexo da Maré. Photo: Gabriel de Paiva/Agência O Globo
Opinion

Militarization Goes Global: How Many More Have to Die? [OPINION]

By Soraya Misleh • Translation by Aaron Scott • August 14, 2021

Clique aqui para Português Black July, an international movement against racism, militarization and apartheid, organized by Rio de Janeiro favela movements and the mothers and relatives of victims of the State, held its sixth edition […]

*Highlight

Defeating Social and Urban Barriers: Inequality and Urban Design in Rocinha

By Camilla Piccolo • March 10, 2020

Clique aqui para Português The Lagoa-Barra Expressway separates the favela of Rocinha, located in Rio de Janeiro’s South Zone, from the adjacent, wealthy neighborhood of São Conrado. The noisy two-lane motorway begins in the Miami-like […]

*Highlight

Breaking Down the Discourse of Informality: Are Favelas Really ‘Informal’ Settlements?

By Priscilla Mayrink • Translation by Cheyne Bull • August 29, 2018

Clique aqui para Português Defining a favela is a difficult task. Residents and researchers have identified the many differences that exist both between and within favelas to make us break away from generalizations and common […]

#GentrificationWatch

Debate on Land Use in Rio de Janeiro Asks: Where Should the City Grow?

By Sabrina Magalhães • Translation by Cerianne Robertson • June 6, 2018

Clique aqui para Português On May 24 Rio de Janeiro’s City Council hosted a public debate titled, “Land Use and Occupation Law: Where should Rio de Janeiro grow?” The debate was organized by City Councillor […]

#LegacyWatch

Urbanist on Favelas Writes About Vila Autódromo in Book About the Olympics

By Lucas Altino, Theresa Williamson • Translation by Cheyne Bull • June 1, 2018

Clique aqui para Português Catalytic Communities* Executive Director Theresa Williamson was interviewed by O Globo about her chapter entitled, ‘Not Everyone Has a Price: How the Small Favela of Vila Autódromo’s Fight Opened a Path […]

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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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10 Years! Check Out Our Story:

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
    • Reference Articles
  • Communities
    • Central
    • South Zone
    • North Zone
    • West Zone
    • 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
    • Book Reviews
    • Film Reviews
    • Listicles
    • Opinion
    • Reference
    • Podcasts
    • Translated Articles
  • About
    • Timeline
    • Our Reporting Policy
    • License
    • Feedback
  • For Journos
  • Donate

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