The eclectic and sprawling architecture and social fabric of the community is becoming an ever-more attractive aesthetic, particularly for foreign investors. This favela, known for its relative sophistication and urban class, is the location of a number of different celebrity homes, including the likes of Vik Muniz, Jackie De Botton, Cello Macedo and Zaza Pierec, and the entrepreneur Rene Abi Jaoudi.

vidigal has the highest household income among all of the metropolitan Rio de janeiro's favelas. There is also an impressive array of up-market hostels and hotels, such as the Hotel Mirante do Arvrão, which has five suites, five bedrooms and a bar, and is the largest private investment in the favela.

These establishments sit side by side with the developing infrastructure and often challenging living conditions of the great majority of the favela's residents, inspiring thought and creativity so that local development can continue for an ever improving vidigal.