more positive terms used to refer to favelas are 'comunidade' - community or 'morro' - hill, due to the geographic location of many of these neighborhoods.

favelas' residents refer to neighborhoods that are not favelas as 'asfalto' (asphalt), referring to the fact that streets and roads outside favelas were paved, in contrast to most of favelas, which were historically unpaved.

in the last few years, most roads within rio de janeiro favelas have been paved, but the term 'asfalto' became part of the common language and remained.

more than ever, rio's favelas are receiving national and international attention in part due to world sporting events such as the soccer world cup of 2014 and the Olympics of 2016, but also due to a commitment by the city to pacify, gentrify, integrate and develop these parts of the city.