The Impact of the Pandemic on Poor Urban Neighborhoods: A Participatory Action Research Study of a “Favela” in Rio de Janeiro

Abstract

The pandemic provoked by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) devastated poor urban neighborhoods across the world, particularly in the Global South, although empirical data on this remain limited. In this article, the authors present data collected through a mixed-methods, participatory action research approach on the impacts of the pandemic in Cidade de Deus, a “favela,” or poor informal settlement, in Rio de Janeiro. The authors find that the indirect consequences of COVID-19, in particular economic and mental health problems, were experienced as more severe than the direct effects of the virus itself, despite high rates of infection and mortality. The study also revealed that residents relied heavily on one another through local systems of mutual aid to address immediate crises. These findings suggest that the pandemic provoked a complex and diverse set of challenges and actions in the economic, social, physical, and mental spheres of poor urban neighborhoods.