Following a Trail of Destruction Left by City Hall, Collective Action in Vila da Lagoa Seeks Environmental Justice and Housing Rights in Itanhangá, Rio de Janeiro

The collective action’s volunteer team in Vila da Lagoa, Barra da Tijuca, August 17. Photo: Amanda Baroni

On Saturday, August 17, housing rights and environmental preservation were at the forefront of a collective action in Vila da Lagoa, a community on the Tijuca Lagoon, in the neighborhood of Itanhangá, in Barra da Tijuca, West Zone of Rio de Janeiro. The effort promoted mangrove restoration and improvements to water and sewage drainage, which had suffered following City Hall’s infilling of the area in July 2024. During this truculent process, the Mayor’s Office began construction of a public square, taking down trees and part of a Permanent Preservation Area (APP) that had been preserved by residents for at least 20 years.

CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE FULL REPORT

This article is part of a series created in partnership with the Behner Stiefel Center for Brazilian Studies at San Diego State University, to produce articles for the Digital Brazil Project on environmental justice in the favelas for RioOnWatch.