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Latest News
  • [ May 20, 2022 ] Greater Rio de Janeiro Began the Month of April Underwater #VoicesFromSocialMedia #InterventionWatch
  • [ May 13, 2022 ] “Integrated City?!” New Year, Same Old Politics #InterventionWatch
  • [ May 10, 2022 ] In an Act of Religious Racism, Arson Destroys Garden of Sacred Herbs Created by Award-Winning Activist and Candomblé Priestess *Highlight
  • [ May 3, 2022 ] A Multiethnic Community Land Trust With Eminent Domain: Boston’s Dudley Neighbors Incorporated *Highlight
  • [ April 30, 2022 ] Best and Worst International Reporting on Rio’s Favelas: 2021 [EDITORIAL] #MediaWatch
HomeWritersBen Bildsten

Writer: Ben Bildsten

*Highlight

Pedala Queimados: Biking to ‘Change the Zip Code of Opportunity’ [PROFILE]

By Ben Bildsten • September 3, 2019

Clique aqui para Português Initiative: Pedala Queimados (“Cycle Queimados”) Contact: Facebook | Instagram | Email Year Founded: 2016 Community: Queimados (Baixada Fluminense) Mission: To stimulate the use of cycling as a means of transportation, democratize land […]

*Highlight

Vai na Web: Favela Empowerment Through Coding in Prazeres and Alemão [PROFILE]

By Ben Bildsten • July 15, 2019

Clique aqui para Português Initiative: Vai na Web (“Get Online”) Contact: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Email Year Founded: 2017 Community: Morro dos Prazeres (Central Rio) and Complexo do Alemão (North Zone) Mission: To promote community improvement through […]

#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 […]

At Casa Amarela. Photo: Entre o Céu e a Favela Instagram
*Highlight

Between the Sky and the Favela: Promoting Art, Culture, and Entrepreneurship in Providência [PROFILE] #SustainableFavelaNetwork

By Ben Bildsten • May 14, 2019

Initiative: Entre o Céu e a Favela (“Between the Sky and the Favela”) Contact: Instagram | Facebook | Email Year Founded: 2012 Community: Morro da Providência (Port Region) Mission: Bring together, disseminate, and value local cultural production […]

*Highlight

First Sustainable Favela Network Exchange of 2019 Visits RevoluSolar and Favela Orgânica in Babilônia

By Ben Bildsten, Carolina Medina Zárate, Daiana Contini • May 8, 2019

Clique aqui para Português The Sustainable Favela Network (SFN) is a project of Catalytic Communities (CatComm)* designed to build and reinforce solidarity networks, bring visibility and develop joint actions to support the expansion of community-based […]

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  • In an Act of Religious Racism, Arson Destroys Garden of Sacred Herbs Created by Award-Winning Activist and Candomblé Priestess
    By Jaqueline Suarez • Translation by Sharonya Vadakattu • May 10, 2022
  • Our Anti-racist Grand Finale: Video Brings Voices from the Year-Long Series ‘Rooting Anti-Racism in the Favelas’ [VIDEO]
    By David Amen, Tatiana Lima • Translation by Cristina Cortez • March 28, 2022
  • Four Years Without Marielle: A Living Legacy in Politics for Black Brazilian Women
    By Camila Fiuza • Translation by Cristina Cortez • March 24, 2022

  • Understanding Energy Justice and Efficiency in Rio’s Favelas [VIDEO]
    By Jaqueline Suarez • Translation by Pilar Boyero • December 13, 2021
  • Pedra Branca and the Energy Dilemmas of Rio’s Urbanization: From Charcoal to Electricity
    By Antonio Alonso, Iamni Torres Jager • Translation by Trisha Ponti • November 1, 2021
  • 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

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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