This paper addresses two different urban phenomena that currently take place in Rocinha, the most prominent favela (slum) of Rio de Janeiro, with more than 100 000 inhabitants. On the one hand, that of the houses' expansion typically accomplished through constructions on the rooftop (the upper slab), operations locally known as the construção de laje (upper slab construction). On the other hand, new urban spaces as a result of public resettlement operations consisting of the clearing of tangled webs of narrow, dark and unhealthy alleys that crisscross up and down the favela. As an example, we will take the case of the 4th Street operation, a multidimensional process of de-densification that involved heavy demolition, the removal of many houses and relocation of the dwellers. This urban renewal was carried out with resources from a federal programme and conducted by the state government, but with the involvement of different local actors, including local associations and community activists. The study focuses on the social sustainability issues underlying the private and public process, analysing the roles played by the different stakeholders and their interactions. The collection of data and subsequent analysis comprises diverse methods including literature review, examination of architectural and urban projects, surveys, interviews with architects and other municipal and private technicians, as well as inquiries to the householders. These interviews and inquiries revealed the favela's dwellers' perception regarding the two-year process and, in particular, the role played by the different actors involved. The conclusions highlight the social networks that arose and consolidated during the slum upgrading process and analyse the interactions among the members of those networks.

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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand the role played by small-size non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in slum upgrading, building and incremental housing processes in Brazil and Guinea-Bissau, focusing, in particular, on actions to reduce vulnerabilities and enhance community resilience. Design/methodology/approach The research method relied on literature review and fieldwork. It included surveys, activities with the communities, interviews and questionnaires. The data collected were subject to cross-disciplinary and comparative analysis. Findings The paper analyses the innovative methods and solutions used by NGOs in informal settlement upgrading and housing improvement works related to disaster risk reduction, namely, community mapping and design, and show how they end up building community resilience. Research limitations/implications Grasping the impacts of NGOs’ work whether in slums of Brazil or Africa requires staying with communities for a significant amount of time. However, those stays raise many practical problems regarding security, health and related costs. Originality/value The existing literature misses to address from a comparative perspective, the methods used by social workers and designers teams in slums. This paper aims at filling this gap in slum studies. Its originality and value rely on the particular experience of the authors, who were personally involved in the NGOs actions and could deepen the connections between vulnerabilities, risk and successful aid-self-help practices.