ABSTRACT
In response to long-term urbanization trends and the connected rise in informal urban settlements, cities like Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, struggle to improve the livelihoods and diminish the environmental burdens and impacts on underserved citizens. Through the ebbs and flows of investment, failed infrastructure projects, stigma, and displacement and criminalization campaigns, favela residents have faced challenges of historic infrastructural deficit, structural and environmental racism, and general neglect. They have had to provide their own sustainable solutions for self-sufficiency, generate ecosystem services, build economic capacity, and enhance social resilience. Catalytic Communities has long promoted community-led, socioenvironmental and sustainable development projects and has supported the formation of the Sustainable Favela Network in 2018. This coalition between community organizers and academic and technical partners seeks to recognize and provide visibility to sustainability and resilience initiatives in Rio’s favelas, to provide opportunities for partner knowledge exchange and training, and to expand international impact. This study assesses consultant and academic contributions to the development of the Sustainable Favela Network and its projects, examines participatory action of researchers and environmental educators in the Network’s activities, and poses draft criteria for just collaborations that foster international dissemination and adaptation of regenerative infrastructures.
