In May 2010, Catalytic Communities (CatComm), a US 501c3 nonprofit organization and Rio de Janeiro-based NGO, launched Rio Olympics Neighborhood Watch (RioOnWatch), a program to bring visibility to favela community voices in the lead-up to the 2016 Olympics, to be held in Rio de Janeiro. This news site, RioOnWatch.org, is our primary vehicle for publishing the perspectives of community organizers, residents, and international observers, in light of the fast-paced urban transformations that currently characterize Rio. The RioOnWatch program also works to grow the participation of community journalists and international observers in reporting on Rio’s transformations. Finally, this program dialogues with the mainstream and alternative press to engender a more accurate picture of favelas, their contributions to the city, and their perspectives.

Background

After three decades of stagnation, and with a world economy on the brink of recession, Rio de Janeiro is now one of the Americas’ fastest growing cities. Pricier than New York, and now receiving more than twice the international investment of São Paulo, a city marked by decades of poor governance and disinvestment is now gung ho to take advantage of recent offshore oil discoveries and having been selected to host the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics, to reconstitute itself “a global city.”

Yet despite initial positive press for policies intervening in the city’s favelas, and significant work on the part of the city administration to engender a positive image in the face of international public opinion, there is growing debate about whether the city’s boom can actually serve to reduce the city’s well-known inequality. Known as the “Marvellous City” for its geographic beauty, Rio is also known as the “Divided City” by locals, who often live side-by-side rich and poor, yet face significant disparities and historic segregation in access to public services.

How will Rio’s “coming of age” unfold? What will the fate be of the city’s world-famous favela communities, numbered at over 1000 today? How is the city currently handling these communities? What can we foresee? Will Rio take advantage of this unique opportunity to grow and consolidate its economy without compromising its unique cultural heritage, and in a way that reduces inequality?

This is the subject of RioOnWatch.