ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses the ways residents in substandard settlements mobilise and organise in their struggle for decent housing and in resisting evictions and relocations. The notion of civil society indeed is ubiquitous and marked by conceptual ambiguity, the use of civil society organisations (CSOs) and networks calls for some operationalisations to be made. Among the various CSOs, a major distinction is often made between, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and, community-based organisations (CBOs). Rather than focusing on social movement at the metropolitan level, the chapter examines specific mobilisations rooted in selected settlements or city areas affected by larger urban transformations, particularly those resulting from the implementation of large-scale projects or the preparations for mega-events. The Movimento Passe Livre initially demanded that urban transport became a free-for-all public service, as part of the right to the city, which is already embodied in the federal City Statute from 2001.
