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Latest News
  • [ 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’ None
  • [ 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
  • [ May 27, 2026 ] ‘We Belong to the Land’: An Interview With John Mussington on the Urgency of Learning from Barbuda’s Communal Land System [VIDEO] #GentrificationWatch
HomeFavelas as a Sustainable Model

Favelas as a Sustainable Model

*Highlight

Energy That Comes From Waste: Biodigester Turns Sewage into Biogas in Vale Encantado Favela [VIDEO]

By Jaqueline Suarez • Translation by Saskia Wright • August 1, 2021

 Clique aqui para Português This English subtitled documentary is the latest contribution to our series on energy justice and efficiency in Rio’s favelas. It is also part of a series created in partnership with […]

*Highlight

Green Roofs or Air Conditioning in Parque Arará? Studies Show the Potential of Green Roofs in Rio’s Favelas [VIDEO]

By Luis Cassiano Silva • Translation by Clau Guimarães, Gianna Giordani, Malena Galuccio • February 24, 2021

 Clique aqui para Português This video report (with English subtitles) is part of a series on energy justice and efficiency in Rio’s favelas. It is also part of a series created in partnership with the […]

Biodigestor do Vale Encantado.
*Highlight

Sustainable Favelas’ 3rd Annual Meet-Up, Part 4: Virtual Tours of Water & Sewerage Projects

By Julio Santos Filho • Translation by Gianna Giordani • December 24, 2020

Clique aqui para Português This is the fourth article in a series covering the events of the 3rd Annual Full-Network Meet-Up of the Sustainable Favela Network, which happened online on November 7, 2020.  The Sustainable Favela Network (SFN) […]

#ParticipationWatch

‘Is Solar Energy in Favelas Possible?’ Debated by Rio’s Sustainable Favela Network [VIDEO]

By Wilson Saiki Junior • Translation by Cormac Whitney Low • June 29, 2020

Clique aqui para Português This is our latest article on Covid-19 and its impacts on favelas and in the series of Teach-Ins on Covid-19 in favelas. On June 10, the Sustainable Favela Network’s (SFN)* Solar Energy Working […]

#CoronavirusWatch

Solutions From the Favelas: How Residents Are Acting, Demanding Action Ahead of Covid-19

By Luisa Fenizola • Translation by Edmund Ruge • April 2, 2020

Clique aqui para Português This is the seventh article in what will be a spotlighted issue on RioOnWatch for the foreseeable future: the new coronavirus as it impacts Rio de Janeiro’s favelas. This article is […]

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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.

Contact & Support

contact@rioonwatch.org
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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
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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
    • Our Reporting Policy
    • License
    • Feedback
  • For Journos
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