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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
HomeWritersRachel Mucha

Writer: Rachel Mucha

#HousingWatch

Bottom-Up Development Lessons from the Winners of the 2019 Community-Led Habitat Awards for Africa

By Rachel Mucha, Robin Hüppe, Sharonya Vadakattu • August 22, 2019

Clique aqui para Português Here on RioOnWatch, we often report on community-based solutions to housing and urban development in Rio. With this focus in mind, on occasion, we may publish articles such as this one, […]

#CommunityMedia

Documentary ‘Voz Ecoa’ Highlights Community-Based Sustainability Projects in Favelas [FILM REVIEW]

By Emma Bergman, Rachel Mucha • May 29, 2019

Clique aqui para Português On Saturday, May 11, Voz das Comunidades, a community-based newspaper and charitable organization from the favelas of Complexo do Alemão in Rio de Janeiro’s North Zone, launched the short documentary Voz […]

#HousingWatch

Favela Residents Testify Before Parliamentary Commission on Flooding, Demand Response

By Rachel Mucha • May 4, 2019

Clique aqui para Português  On Friday, April 26, a demonstrative crowd of community organizers, favela residents, academics, and activists gathered to denounce and protest City authorities’ alleged negligence during the deadly floods that took place […]

Policies

Beware of Poorly Vetted ‘Sustainability Certifications’: Brazil’s Palm Oil Industry

By Rachel Mucha • April 12, 2019

Clique aqui para Português Here on RioOnWatch we regularly report on land rights struggles in Rio de Janeiro’s favelas. With this focus in mind, on occasion we may publish articles such as this one, highlighting […]

#HousingWatch

Rio City Council Launches Inquiry on Flooding and Accountability for Disaster Prevention

By Rachel Mucha • April 2, 2019

Clique aqui para Português In the aftermath of the strong winds, torrential rain, flash flooding and landslides that killed seven people and left a trail of destruction and damage in favelas such as Rocinha, Vidigal, Complexo do Alemão, […]

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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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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