Introduction to Gentrification

“Gentrificação” has become a hot word in contemporary Rio de Janeiro, introduced in 2011 to the common vernacular. Catalytic Communities was the first organization to recognize and publish stories demonstrating that the phenomenon of gentrification was beginning to take root in Rio’s favelas in mid-2011. Since then we’ve worked with international researchers and lawyers, including a partnership with the Vance Center for International Justice, to identify domestic and international approaches to control and regulate affordable communities in order to inform this new debate as it takes shape in Rio.

Our “Introduction to Gentrification” Workshop provides communities with background into this process which has taken root in cities around the globe for decades, looking at how a variety of strategies have been developed to secure and protect affordable housing across the world, and how current policies and trends in Rio are encouraging and exacerbating this trend. The workshop then moves on to identify community qualities in need of safeguarding and strategies. The aim is to provide residents with a critical look on a process that is seen as “natural” or “inevitable” so as they can take action to steer that process in ways that are beneficial to the community’s future development and realizing each community’s potential.

CatComm has been delivering workshops on gentrification since November 2013. It may be delivered in conjunction with our Evictions Resistance Strategies Workshop or Community Planning Workshop.