Latest News
- [ August 6, 2026 ] Agroecological Collective Action Brings Fishing Community Together With Partners to Plant and Launch Remanso Beach Fair in Suruí, Magé by Community Contributors
- [ August 4, 2026 ] No Power Is Authentic When It Is Based on Exclusion and Silencing: Gender-Based Political Violence Against Black Women in Brazil [OPINION] #ParticipationWatch
- [ July 31, 2026 ] Addressing False Claims After Community Land Trust Bill Rejected by Rio de Janeiro City Council #GentrificationWatch
- [ July 30, 2026 ] 10 Years After Rio Olympics: The Persistence of Structural Disinvestment in Rio’s Majority Working-Class Suburbs [OPINION] #LegacyWatch
- [ July 29, 2026 ] Largest Favela in Niterói, Morro do Preventório, Launches Popular Mapping Initiative to Support Upgrading Policies by Community Contributors
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Latest Articles
by Community Contributors
Agroecological Collective Action Brings Fishing Community Together With Partners to Plant and Launch Remanso Beach Fair in Suruí, Magé
Clique aqui para Português The Agroecological Collective Action held at the headquarters of the Remanso Beach Fishers’ Association (APAR) in Suruí, Magé, a municipality in Greater Rio de Janeiro’s Baixada Fluminense region, brought together residents, […]
#ParticipationWatch
No Power Is Authentic When It Is Based on Exclusion and Silencing: Gender-Based Political Violence Against Black Women in Brazil [OPINION]
Clique aqui para Português This article is part of a series on the 2026 Brazilian elections, focusing on the perspectives of Greater Rio’s favelas. Brazilian democracy still suffers from deep-seated forms of exclusion that limit the […]
#GentrificationWatch
Addressing False Claims After Community Land Trust Bill Rejected by Rio de Janeiro City Council
Clique aqui para Português The bill received 23 votes in favor but needed 26 to pass. Coordinated efforts by right-wing city council members, coupled with the spread of false claims about Community Land Trusts, proved […]
#LegacyWatch
10 Years After Rio Olympics: The Persistence of Structural Disinvestment in Rio’s Majority Working-Class Suburbs [OPINION]
Clique aqui para Português This article is part of our series reflecting on the impacts of mega-events on Rio de Janeiro 10 years after the 2016 Olympic Games. When I published my first article on RioOnWatch […]
by Community Contributors
Largest Favela in Niterói, Morro do Preventório, Launches Popular Mapping Initiative to Support Upgrading Policies
Clique aqui para Português Morro do Preventório and Grassroots Mapping Held on July 6, the Grassroots Mapping Meeting on Data, Maps and Cartographies brought together 20 people at the Peripheral Research Station in Morro do […]
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Surf Legend Ricardo Bocão’s Enduring Legacy in Rocinha [OBITUARY]
Clique aqui para Português For the original obituary by Karen Fontoura published in Fala Roça, click here. Known as “Bocão,” Ricardo Ramos founded the Rocinha Surf School Association. His legacy was defined by his commitment […]
by Community Contributors
‘Favela Tourism as Citizenship: Pathways to a Community-Based, Sustainable Model’ — Public Hearing Highlights the Potential of Community-Based Tourism in Rio de Janeiro
Clique aqui para Português Representatives of various favela tourism initiatives, government officials and researchers in the field gathered on July 23 in Tijuca, a neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro’s North Zone, at Antônio Prado Júnior […]
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In the Context of Climate Overshoot, ‘Cities Are the Crucible and Fire That Drive the Change We Need, and That Change Will be Realized Through Housing,’ Says IPCC Coordinating Lead Author
By Debra Roberts • July 16, 2026
Held at UN-Habitat headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya, from June 21–24, the 2026 Innovate4Cities Conference (I4C26) brought together city leaders, researchers, policymakers, civil society organizations and community representatives from around the world to discuss practical solutions […]
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‘There Is No Climate Justice Without Adequate Housing,’ Argue Leaders at First Brazilian Housing and Climate Forum
Clique aqui para Português The climate crisis is often framed around floods, landslides and heat waves produced by extreme weather. For those living in Brazil’s favelas and peripheral areas, protection thus begins with safe housing […]
Favela Voices from Social Media
Violent Rains Ravage Rio de Janeiro’s Favelas—Causing Floods and Landslides Ahead of Carnival—Show #VoicesFromSocialMedia
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A Massacre! Rio de Janeiro’s Deadliest Police Operation Sparks Mourning, Fear and Outrage in the Favelas, Across the City, Brazil and Around the World Say #VoicesFromSocialMedia
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‘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
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Brazil on Fire—From Forests to Cities, Including Rio de Janeiro: A 104% Dry Season Surge in Fires Since 2023 Marks a Clear Climate Crisis Tipping Point Say #VoicesFromSocialMedia
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Rain Becomes Synonymous With Fear Amid Absence of Climate Action, Say #VoicesFromSocialMedia
Videos: Favelas 101
What is a Favela?
Favela as a Sustainable Model
What is a Favela Community Land Trust?
Videos: Human Rights
Rio de Janeiro Street Vendors’ Battle for Rights: My Informal Work Matters
Just One More Step on My Journey: Youth Talk About the Favela During the Pandemic
Quilombo dos Palmares: Living Resistance
Videos: Climate Justice
Favela on Outskirts of Rio Gets Solar! Grassroots Women’s Group & SFN Launch Photovoltaics
Favela Climate Memory Circles 2023—Voices from Maré, Rocinha, Antares, PPG and Vidigal
Get to Know the Course: ‘Researching and Monitoring Water and Energy Justice in the Favelas’
Climate Justice
by Community Contributors
Agroecological Collective Action Brings Fishing Community Together With Partners to Plant and Launch Remanso Beach Fair in Suruí, Magé
Clique aqui para Português The Agroecological Collective Action held at the headquarters of the Remanso Beach Fishers’ Association (APAR) in Suruí, Magé, a municipality in Greater Rio de Janeiro’s Baixada Fluminense region, brought together residents, […]
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In the Context of Climate Overshoot, ‘Cities Are the Crucible and Fire That Drive the Change We Need, and That Change Will be Realized Through Housing,’ Says IPCC Coordinating Lead Author
By Debra Roberts • July 16, 2026
Held at UN-Habitat headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya, from June 21–24, the 2026 Innovate4Cities Conference (I4C26) brought together city leaders, researchers, policymakers, civil society organizations and community representatives from around the world to discuss practical solutions […]
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Eco Ableism in Favelas: People with Disabilities and Atypical Families Speak Out About Challenges, Routines and Survival Strategies
Clique aqui para Português This article is part of a series created in partnership with the Behner Stiefel Center for Brazilian Studies at San Diego State University, to produce articles for the Digital Brazil Project on environmental justice in the favelas […]
Housing Rights
#GentrificationWatch
Addressing False Claims After Community Land Trust Bill Rejected by Rio de Janeiro City Council
Clique aqui para Português The bill received 23 votes in favor but needed 26 to pass. Coordinated efforts by right-wing city council members, coupled with the spread of false claims about Community Land Trusts, proved […]
*Highlight
In the Context of Climate Overshoot, ‘Cities Are the Crucible and Fire That Drive the Change We Need, and That Change Will be Realized Through Housing,’ Says IPCC Coordinating Lead Author
By Debra Roberts • July 16, 2026
Held at UN-Habitat headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya, from June 21–24, the 2026 Innovate4Cities Conference (I4C26) brought together city leaders, researchers, policymakers, civil society organizations and community representatives from around the world to discuss practical solutions […]
*Highlight
‘There Is No Climate Justice Without Adequate Housing,’ Argue Leaders at First Brazilian Housing and Climate Forum
Clique aqui para Português The climate crisis is often framed around floods, landslides and heat waves produced by extreme weather. For those living in Brazil’s favelas and peripheral areas, protection thus begins with safe housing […]
Human Rights
#HousingWatch
Housing at the Center: What the World Urban Forum Teaches Us About Urgency, Climate and Invisibility [OPINION]
Clique aqui para Português For the original article by Camila Jordan published in Observatório do Terceiro Setor, click here. In May of this year, Baku, Azerbaijan, hosted the 13th World Urban Forum—the largest global event […]
#GentrificationWatch
‘We Belong to the Land’: An Interview With John Mussington on the Urgency of Learning from Barbuda’s Communal Land System [VIDEO]
By Marj Osagie • May 27, 2026
Clique aqui para Português In April 2026, Barbudan environmentalist, community leader and activist John Mussington visited Rio de Janeiro for the 2026 Global Community Land Trust Peer Exchange organized by Brazil’s Favela Community Land […]
#UPPWatch
There’s Blood in the Palmeiras Favela: The Cry for Help Police Chose Not to Hear in São Gonçalo’s Salgueiro Favela Complex
Clique aqui para Português The Palmeiras community, in Complexo do Salgueiro, a cluster of favelas in the Greater Rio municipality of São Gonçalo, became the scene of a crime that exposes the brutal face of […]
Energy Justice
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Understanding Energy Justice and Efficiency in Rio’s Favelas [VIDEO]
Watch the video that summarizes the Energy Justice and Efficiency Series with English subtitles here: Clique aqui para Português This article and the video above offer a summary and conclusion to the series ‘Energy […]
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Pedra Branca and the Energy Dilemmas of Rio’s Urbanization: From Charcoal to Electricity
Clique aqui para Português This article is part of a series on energy justice and efficiency in Rio’s favelas. It is also the latest contribution to our year-long reporting project, “Rooting Anti-Racism in the Favelas: Deconstructing […]
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Energy That Comes From Waste: Biodigester Turns Sewage into Biogas in Vale Encantado Favela [VIDEO]
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 […]
Podcasts
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Between the Political Right and Left, I Choose the Quilombo! [OPINION]
Clique aqui para Português This article is the latest contribution to our award-winning reporting project, Rooting Anti-Racism in the Favelas: Deconstructing Social Narratives About Racism in Rio de Janeiro. We hear about “right” and “left” all the time. […]
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A Deeply Personal In-Depth Account of the Typical Racism of Domestic Work in Brazil
Clique aqui para Português This article is the latest contribution to our award-winning reporting project, Rooting Anti-Racism in the Favelas: Deconstructing Social Narratives About Racism in Rio de Janeiro. This story, told by writer and former domestic worker […]
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I Want To Read Black Authors: When Will We See Proper Representation in Brazilian Schools and Universities? [OPINION]
Clique aqui para Português This is our latest article in a series created in partnership with the Behner Stiefel Center for Brazilian Studies at San Diego State University, to produce articles for the Digital Brazil Project on climate impacts and affirmative action in […]
From the Archives: 2010-2026
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#HousingWatchCommunity Land Trusts in Latin America: Dialogues Between Brazil and Puerto Rico
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*HighlightKites in the Air: A Dive into the Morro de Turano Kite Festival
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#LegacyWatchBoat Ride for a Living Guanabara Bay Calls Attention to Defining Element of Rio’s Iconic Landscape
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#CoronavirusWatchCovid-19: Rio de Janeiro Expects to Finish Administering First Batch of Vaccines by Saturday
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#CommunityMediaWhat Does Dilma’s Impeachment Mean for Favela Residents?
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*HighlightPrimavera Collective Distributes Chocolate, Solidarity, and Affection for Easter in the Cavalcanti Favelas of Rio de Janeiro
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Favela CultureInstituto Wark: Graffiti in Rocinha
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#MonitoringCrivellaRio’s Landslide Mitigation Tactics, Part 2: Potential Improvement Via Acoustic Emissions
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#ParticipationWatchSocial Museology in Vila Autodromo: A New Way of Thinking About Museums
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#EvictionsWatchFavela Não Se Cala Mobilizes Residents in Complexo do Caju