In Rio de Janeiro, municipal data show that the basic housing deficit is around 150 million residential units, and that there are around 1,801 million permanent private households. Of these, 309 million houses are located in Rio's favelas, where around 1,092,000 people live (18.7% of the total population).

This study highlights the work done by the Programa Favela Bairro, which presented political, institutional, urban and managerial solutions, some of which were considered pioneering in the Brazilian context. Many favelas benefitted from the program, including Vidigal, which is the object of this study.