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Latest News
  • [ March 13, 2026 ] Eight Years Without Marielle: Marielle Franco Case Revives Faith in Punishing the Guilty [OPINION] #MarielleLegacy
  • [ March 11, 2026 ] In Print and Online, ‘Fala Roça’ Newspaper Is a Comprehensive Tool for Citizenship in Rocinha, Brazil’s Largest Favela #CommunityMedia
  • [ March 5, 2026 ] ‘Valongo’s New Blacks Cemetery’ Trilogy Reveals Deep Roots of Structural Racism and Urban Inequality in Rio [BOOK REVIEW] *Highlight
  • [ February 28, 2026 ] Meet the CIEPs: In Rio de Janeiro, An Ahead-of-Its-Time Education Policy Turns 40 Having Resisted Decades of Dismantling *Highlight
  • [ February 20, 2026 ] Brazil Elections 2026: Favela Communicators Fight Misinformation and Digital Vulnerability #CommunityMedia
HomePacifying Police Unit (UPP)

Pacifying Police Unit (UPP)

#HousingWatch

25 Years On, Seminar Celebrates Favela-Bairro Upgrading Program

By Ben Bildsten, Luisa Fenizola, Zaynah Karem • June 3, 2019

Clique aqui para Português Favela-Bairro was an ambitious program established in 1994 with the aim of upgrading favelas to the status of formal neighborhoods (“bairros” in Portuguese) through infrastructure interventions, public services, public facilities, and […]

*Highlight

Rio de Janeiro: A Laboratory for Political Control [OPINION]

By Gizele Martins • Translation by Sharon Gogar • April 22, 2019

Clique aqui para Português For the original article in Portuguese by Gizele Martins* published by Brasil de Fato click here. Favelas and peripheries are authorities’ areas of choice for police to experiment with weapons and […]

*Highlight

Violence in Rio: Security Expert Warns of Return to Old Policies of Confrontation [INTERVIEW]

By Júlia Dias Carneiro • Translation by Sarah Jacobs • March 29, 2019

Clique aqui para Português For the original article in Portuguese by Júlia Dias Carneiro published by BBC News Brasil click here. The backdrop in Rio: a shootout in broad daylight on Avenida Brasil left five injured; thirteen […]

*Highlight

If This UPP Were Mine: With an End to Pacification, Residents Dream of Reoccupying Public Spaces

By Luisa Fenizola • Translation by Habib Msallem • March 11, 2019

Clique aqui para Português While the failure of the Pacifying Police Unit (UPP) model had already been signaled years ago by residents, researchers, civil society organizations, and Rio’s violence and mortality rates, only in 2018 did […]

*Highlight

Police Officer Threatens Boy: ‘Killing Your Brother Was a Job Well Done. Grow Up So I Can Kill You Too’

By Leonardo Coelho • Translation by Habib Msallem • February 14, 2019

Clique aqui para Português For the original article in Portuguese by Leonardo Coelho published by Ponte Jornalismo click here. Military Police officer threatened eight-year-old boy during operation that left thirteen dead in Rio de Janeiro; mother […]

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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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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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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
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  • Policies
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    • Sanitation
  • Violations
    • Human Rights
    • Housing Rights
    • Police Violence
    • Government Neglect
  • Organizing
    • Community Organizing
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    • Sustainability
    • Participation
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  • Content Map
    • by Community Contributors
    • by Int’l Observers
    • Series
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      • Energy Justice Series
    • Event Reports
    • Video Stories
    • Photo-Essays
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