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Latest News
  • [ December 4, 2025 ] Portrait of a Centenary-Old Favela of Stilt Houses: Belém’s Vila da Barca Resists, Organizes and Fights for Sanitation and Adequate Housing #HousingWatch
  • [ November 30, 2025 ] The Story of Dona Pascoalina, Midwife and Healer of Morro do Borel by Community Contributors
  • [ November 15, 2025 ] ‘There’s No Such Thing as Normal After a Massacre’: One Week After Police Mega-Operation Kills 121 People, Residents From Complexos do Alemão and Penha Speak Out #UPPWatch
  • [ November 13, 2025 ] ‘Human Beings Forget That They Are Nature’: Favelas Teach the Path to the Future at the 2nd Favela Sustainability Festival Civil Society
  • [ November 12, 2025 ] Food Sovereignty and Culinary Heritage Connect with Fight for Climate Justice at the 2nd Sustainable Favela Festival Civil Society
Homecooperative

cooperative

#HousingWatch

Coops and Other Self-Managed Collective Housing Strengthen Community Practices in Latin American Cities

By Pedro Lima • Translation by Staff • August 16, 2024

Clique aqui para Português This article summarizes some of the findings from the ongoing doctoral study ‘Collective Ownership and Housing Self-Management in Latin America: Contemporary Challenges and Horizons,’ by Pedro Lima, advised by Professor Raquel […]

#ParticipationWatch

Favela Youth Organizers Host “Favelas’ COP,” Engaging With COP 28 Climate Conference from Their Realities

By Bárbara Dias • Translation by Staff • December 8, 2023

Clique aqui para Português Youth from favelas across Greater Rio de Janeiro held the “Favelas’ COP” on December 2, during the UN Climate Conference (COP 28) as part of the 6th Annual Sustainable Favela Network […]

*Highlight

Rio de Janeiro’s First Housing Cooperative: Explore the History of Shangri-lá In Taquara, Jacarepaguá, West Zone

By Felipe Litsek, Patricia Fernandez • Translation by Staff • November 18, 2023

Clique aqui para Português In the neighborhood of Taquara, in Rio de Janeiro’s West Zone, nestled in a place popularly known as Boiuna, on the edge of a local river, a small community lives out […]

Civil Society

Mutirão 50: A 1980s Model in Mutual Aid, Self-Management, Micro-Urbanism and Collective Land Ownership in Fortaleza, Northeast Brazil

By Yves Cabannes and Beatriz Terra • Translation by Fred Hanson • April 13, 2023

Clique aqui para Português This article is based on a conversation with Yves Cabannes, Professor Emeritus at University College London (UCL), advisor to the Mutirão 50 Project, which began in the late 1980s in Fortaleza, […]

The resilience of community-managed housing - main photo
#CoronavirusWatch

The Resilience of Community-Led Housing During the Covid-19 Pandemic

By Maria Fernanda Godinho • Translation by Annie Swank • September 22, 2021

Clique aqui para Português In March 2020, the World Health Organization declared the new coronavirus a pandemic. Staying at home, maintaining social distancing, and washing our hands frequently were some of the recommendations made to contain […]

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