1. As contas de escambo do Rio de Janeiro no século XVI

by Jeanne Cordeiro, Angela Buarque e Alice Táboas

The article “As contas de escambo do Rio de Janeiro no século XVI” analyzes sixteenth-century glass beads recovered from six archaeological sites in Rio de Janeiro—three in the historic center and three in the Lakes Region—which were used in barter exchanges between Tupinambá groups and Europeans, mainly the French. Through morphological analysis and X-ray diffraction of specimens (including the diagnostic Nueva Cádiz and Chevron types), the authors demonstrate that these beads functioned as one of the earliest “currencies” in the Americas and were predominantly brought by Norman and Breton traders. The research highlights how the fragmentation of these tubular beads could serve to multiply bargaining power within barter networks, in addition to identifying the French provenance of specific specimens found in the central area of the city. The study is particularly relevant to understanding the urban formation of Rio de Janeiro, as it materially documents commercial exchanges and colonial encounters that preceded the city’s official foundation, revealing historical layers rendered invisible by accelerated urbanization that destroyed important archaeological sites from the sixteenth century. It also underscores the urgency of valuing and protecting Rio de Janeiro’s archaeological heritage.

Jeanne Cordeiro holds a master’s degree in history, is an archaeologist, and a doctoral candidate at the National Museum (PPGArq), as well as General Coordinator and Historian at the Brazilian Archaeology Laboratory (LAB). Angela Buarque holds a PhD in archaeology and is a collaborating researcher in the Department of Anthropology at the National Museum (UFRJ), and Alice Táboas is an archaeologist and historian at the Brazilian Archaeology Laboratory (LAB).

2. O Rio de Janeiro em dois tempos: os planos diretores de 1977 e 1992 em perspectiva

by Luiza de Cavalcanti Azeredo Ferreira

The article “O Rio de Janeiro em dois tempos: os planos diretores de 1977 e 1992 em perspectiva” offers a comparative analysis of Rio de Janeiro’s redemocratization process through two landmark moments in the city’s urban planning history: the 1977 Basic Urban Plan (PUB-Rio) and the 1992 Ten-Year Master Plan. The author reconstructs the political and institutional contexts that shaped each plan, demonstrating how the PUB-Rio—drafted during the military dictatorship under the mayoralty of Marcos Tamoyo—represented the consolidation of a centralizing and technocratic logic, in which urban planning was subordinated to federal interests and primarily aimed at enabling access to resources through so-called “integrated planning.”

In contrast, the 1992 Plan, developed under the administration of elected mayor Marcelo Alencar, emerged in the post–1988 Constitution context and incorporated instruments such as Special Social Interest Areas, the concept of created land, and mechanisms for popular participation through seminars and the Municipal Council for Urban Policy (Compur). The research reveals, however, that the new plan faced significant resistance, receiving more than one thousand amendments in the City Council and becoming the target of pressure from business groups which, since the dictatorship period, had organized to neutralize progressive instruments. This resulted in the non-implementation of key measures, such as the progressive tax on idle land. The study constitutes a fundamental contribution to the historiography of Rio de Janeiro’s urbanism, not only by systematizing the documentation and legislation of these two crucial moments, but also by demonstrating how transformations in the urban fabric reflect broader political disputes.

Luiza de Cavalcanti Azeredo Ferreira holds a PhD in Social History from the Fluminense Federal University (2021) and is a specialist in Urban Policy and Planning from the Institute for Urban and Regional Research and Planning at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (2025). She also holds a master’s degree (2015) and a bachelor’s degree (2012) in History from the Fluminense Federal University.

3. ‘FARE MONEY’ STORIES: Transportation and Everyday Practices in the Peripheries of Rio de Janeiro

by Marcos L. Campos

The article “Fare Money Stories: Transportation and Everyday Practices in the Peripheries of Rio de Janeiro”, by Marcos L. Campos, investigates—through an ethnographic approach—how fare money is constituted as a collective, moral, and material practice that organizes the urban life of poor and racialized populations. Drawing on the narratives of peripheral poets, the study shows that securing mobility involves complex negotiations, the mobilization of social networks, and detailed knowledge of the city’s infrastructure, revealing a precarious, multifaceted urban experience deeply marked by the intersection between the formal and the informal, the legal and the illegal. The work makes a valuable contribution to urban studies by shifting the focus away from technical planning narratives toward the moral and material complexity of everyday life in the peripheries, exposing how transportation policies that ignore these realities—such as the 48% increase in train fares during the pandemic—deepen vulnerabilities and produce negative effects on the mobility and subsistence of Rio de Janeiro’s Black and poor populations.

Marcos Vinicius Lopes Campos is an associate researcher at the Casa Group (IESP-UERJ), holds a PhD in Sociology from the Institute of Social and Political Studies of the State University of Rio de Janeiro (IESP-UERJ), and a master’s degree in Political Science from the Graduate Program in Political Science at the University of São Paulo (DCP/USP), where he also earned his bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences.

4. Fazendo Crianças: uma iconografia das ibejadas pelos centros, lojas e fábricas do Rio de Janeiro, Brasil

by Morena Freitas

The article “Fazendo Crianças: uma iconografia das ibejadas pelos centros, lojas e fábricas do Rio de Janeiro, Brasil” presents an ethnography of the production and circulation of images of the ibejadas (child entities in Umbanda) in Rio de Janeiro, tracing their trajectory from artisanal manufacture in small backyard workshops in the Baixada Fluminense to their consecration on the congás of religious centers. By following this movement between production, commerce, and ritual use, the author demonstrates how the same plaster object changes its ontological status: it is regarded as mere labor or “just plaster” by workers who are often Evangelical; it becomes a customizable commodity in shop windows; and, finally, it is transformed into a sacred presence, singularized by devotees.

The study stands out for geographically expanding the field of Afro-Brazilian religious studies beyond spaces of worship, mapping a complex urban religious economy that connects peripheral neighborhoods, popular commercial centers, and terreiros. In doing so, it reveals material, symbolic, and economic networks that are fundamental to understanding the presence, vitality, and spatial dynamics of Umbanda within Rio de Janeiro’s contemporary cultural, commercial, and religious landscape.

Morena Barroso Martins de Freitas holds a PhD in Social Anthropology from the National Museum/UFRJ, is an anthropologist at the Superintendence of IPHAN in Sergipe, and a Substitute Professor in the Department of Social Sciences at the Federal University of Sergipe.

5. Museu das Juventudes Cariocas: o Rio de Janeiro numa coleção virtual de histórias de vida e de artefatos midiáticos digitais

by Cláudia Pereira

The article presents the Museu das Juventudes Cariocas (MuJuCa), an initiative currently under development that aims to create a virtual museum dedicated to youth experiences in the city of Rio de Janeiro. Its central premise is that “youth” cannot be categorized solely by age parameters, but should instead be understood as a social construction of memory and representation, shaped by subjectivities, urban experiences, and meanings shared through cultural and media consumption. The project brings together life stories and digital media artifacts from Rio de Janeiro residents who were between 18 and 25 years old across six distinct decades, from the 1960s to the 2010s, seeking to capture the intra- and intergenerational diversity of youth experiences.

Methodologically, the research combines a literature review, life history, and documentary research. Its theoretical approach is interdisciplinary, engaging with the sociology and anthropology of youth (José Machado Pais, Rossana Reguillo), theories of social representations (Stuart Hall), memory studies (Maurice Halbwachs), and museology (Monique Magaldi, Teresa Cristina Scheiner). Data collection employs the biographical method, using “parallel accounts” from multiple interviewees about their youth in Rio in order to construct a collective memory from individual narratives.

Preliminary results identify shared generational meanings that connect different periods, such as music, fashion, spaces of sociability, everyday practices, political contexts, and sexuality. At the same time, they reveal how these experiences are shaped by financial, moral, and geographic factors within the city itself. By creating this virtual collection, MuJuCa seeks to function as a “site of memory” that, by bringing together personal histories, allows for questioning the homogeneous notion of “youth” promoted by the media and for the formation of an “imagined community” across generations, highlighting both continuities and ruptures in the experiences of young people in Rio de Janeiro over time.

Cláudia Pereira holds a PhD in Sociology and Anthropology from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and is an Associate Professor at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, working in the field of Social Communication.

6. Does viral circulation in slums have a global impact? The lesson learned from SARS-CoV-2 circulation in Complexo de favelas da Maré, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

by Monique Cristina dos Santos, Natalia Fintelman Rodrigues, Aline de Paula Dias da Silva, Rodolfo Leandro Nascimento Silva, Victor Corrêa Seixas, Amanda A. Batista da Silva, Marcelo Alves Ferreira, Patrícia T. Bozza, Fernando A. Bozza e Thiago Moreno L. Souza

The article addresses a study that analyzed the genetic diversity and evolution of SARS-CoV-2 in the Complexo de Favelas da Maré, in Rio de Janeiro. The main finding stems from the high COVID-19 case fatality rate, which was significantly higher than in the rest of the city. The authors conclude that this context functioned as a point of amplification and diversification of the virus. Genomic analyses showed that viral strains identified in Maré between 2020 and 2022—including variants such as Gamma, Delta, and a new Omicron sub-lineage—were phylogenetically linked to cases in several countries, suggesting that intense circulation under conditions of crowding and socioeconomic vulnerability contributed to the global evolution and spread of the virus.

The study’s conclusions emphasize that under-resourced and densely populated communities (such as favelas) are neglected critical hotspots for viral persistence and evolution. The research reinforces the urgent need to integrate these areas into global epidemiological and genomic surveillance systems. Therefore, prioritizing improvements in sanitation infrastructure, access to healthcare, and active surveillance in favelas is essential for preparedness and response to future pandemics.

Monique Cristina dos Santos is a PhD candidate in Cellular and Molecular Biology at the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation. Natália Fintelman Rodrigues holds a PhD in Cellular and Molecular Biology, with an emphasis on Pharmacology and Immunology, from the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation and is undertaking postdoctoral research at the same institution. Aline de Paula Dias da Silva is a PhD candidate in Cellular and Molecular Biology at the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation. Rodolfo Leandro Nascimento Silva holds a PhD in Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and is undertaking postdoctoral research at the Fluminense Federal University, et al.

7. “Sexualidade e prevenção do HIV” em jogo: diálogos entre adolescentes de uma escola pública no Rio de Janeiro, Brasil

by Adriana Kelly Santos e Iaralyz Fernandes Farias

The qualitative research, conducted between 2015 and 2018, aimed to develop and analyze the shared production of an educational game on sexuality and HIV prevention with adolescents from a public high school in Rio de Janeiro. Using Paulo Freire’s problematization method, the study promoted dialogues and interventions in everyday school life, addressing topics such as the deconstruction of biomedical and heteronormative perspectives, the use of the female condom, HIV-related terminology (such as seropositivity and viral load), testing, PrEP, PEP, and treatment. The participatory methodology enabled the creation of the game “Sexualidade e prevenção do HIV”, consisting of 36 cards, facilitating peer education in a contextualized and interactive manner.

Analysis of the interactions revealed that adolescents understand adolescence as a period of discovery and responsibility, but face barriers such as moralistic discourses, rigid gender norms, and HIV-related stigma. The school context, although marked by disciplinary controls and a heteronormative logic, proved to be a strategic space for debates on sexuality and prevention. The young participants demonstrated familiarity with the male condom but had limited knowledge of other prevention technologies, such as PrEP. The study concludes that participatory approaches that value adolescents’ experiences are essential for effective HIV prevention, highlighting the importance of peer education and contextualized communication.

Adriana Kelly Santos holds a PhD in Public Health from the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, where she also works as a researcher. Iaralyz Fernandes Farias holds a master’s degree in Collective Health from the State University of Rio de Janeiro.

8. Crime-associated inequality in geographical access to education: Insights from the municipality of Rio de Janeiro

by Steffen Knoblauch, Ram Kumar Muthusamy, Maya Moritz, Yuhao Kang, Hao Li, Sven Lautenbach, Rafael H.M. Pereira, Filip Biljecki, Marta C. Gonzalez, Rogerio Barbosa, Daniel Veloso Hirata, Christina Ludwig, Maciej Adamiak, Antônio A. de A. Rocha e Alexander Zipf

The presence of crime and territorial disputes in urban areas imposes significant barriers to access to education, a fundamental right. Using an innovative methodology that combines GeoAI and geospatial data, the study demonstrates how official crime records can be disaggregated down to the street level in the municipality of Rio de Janeiro. By simulating crime-risk-aware routes, the research quantifies a concrete impact: students whose shortest paths to school intersect areas of high criminality are forced to take detours that increase their travel time by an average of 48.6%. This additional travel, however, results in a substantial reduction in exposure to crime, highlighting the daily trade-off between safety and accessibility faced by these young people.

The findings support targeted public interventions to improve school access in conflict-affected regions, emphasizing that both individual risk aversion and the “no-go areas” created by criminal disputes significantly affect educational equity. Despite inherent challenges related to biases in crime reporting, the developed methodology offers a powerful and adaptable tool for urban planners and policymakers. It enables not only the diagnosis of invisible barriers to education, but can also be applied to a wide range of urban accessibility studies in different cities, aiming to address diverse social needs in a fairer and safer manner.

Steffen Knoblauch holds a PhD in Geoinformatics from Heidelberg University, and a master’s and bachelor’s degree in Production Engineering from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. He is currently a postdoctoral researcher and lecturer at the Interdisciplinary Center for Scientific Computing at Heidelberg University. Ram Kumar Muthusamy is a master’s student in Geoinformatics and Spatial Analysis at the University of Münster. Maya Moritz is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Criminology at the University of Pennsylvania, holds a master’s degree in Economics from the University of Mannheim, and a bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of St. Andrews. Yuhao Kang holds a PhD in Geographic Information Science (GIS), a master’s degree in Computer Science and in Cartography and Geographic Information Science from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and a bachelor’s degree in Geographic Information Science (GIS) from Wuhan University, et al.

9. Green infrastructure of Brazilian bike paths: cyclists’ perception and afforestation in Rio de Janeiro City

by Marcelo Vieira Ferraz, Fernando José Cavalcanti Lobo, Henrique Rajão, Jakeline Prata de Assis Pires e Richieri Antonio Sartori

Brazilian cyclists’ perceptions of green infrastructure along urban bike lanes reveal a clear awareness of the benefits of vegetation—such as heat reduction and the provision of shade—but also point to significant challenges. Interviewees highlighted issues including reduced public lighting, debris accumulation on bike paths, and, most notably, pavement damage caused by the improper growth of tree roots from certain species.

A survey focused on bike lanes in Rio de Janeiro identified 30 plant species, with a predominance of exotic species such as Terminalia catappa and Pachira aquatica. The analysis showed that many of the species currently used have problematic characteristics, including large fruits that may cause accidents, sparse canopies that provide little shade, deciduous leaves that dirty the paths, and—above all—root systems that damage the pavement. These factors, combined with the low level of effective vegetation cover over bike lanes (only 14% of the area is shaded), compromise the functionality and safety of this infrastructure. The study concludes that there is a need for more careful landscape planning, prioritizing suitable native species with dense canopies and non-aggressive root systems, in order to transform bike lanes into ecological corridors that are truly safe, comfortable, and sustainable.

Marcelo Vieira Ferraz holds a PhD in Energy in Agriculture from São Paulo State University (Botucatu campus) and is an Assistant Professor at the same university, Registro campus. Fernando José Cavalcanti Lobo is the Executive Director and one of the founders of the NGO Transporte Ativo, which promotes cycling and non-motorized modes of transport. Henrique Bastos Rajão Reis holds a PhD in Genetics from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and is an Assistant Professor at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro. Jakeline Prata de Assis Pires holds a PhD in Botany from the National School of Tropical Botany (Botanical Garden Research Institute) and is a professor at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, et al.

10. Estratégias de gestão para ampliação do acesso e da oferta de serviços especializados no município do Rio de Janeiro, Brasil, no período de 2021 a 2024

by Fernanda Adães Britto, André Luis Paes Ramos, Audrey Fischer e Paula Bortolon

The research mapped the management strategies adopted by the municipality of Rio de Janeiro between 2021 and 2024 to expand access to and the provision of specialized health services, highlighting the diversification of partnership models with the private sector and the third sector as a response to accumulated challenges from the previous period and to post-pandemic demands. In Primary Health Care (PHC), the resumption of the management model based on Social Health Organizations (OSS) across all units was accompanied by a significant recovery in population coverage (from 45.98% in 2020 to 79% in 2024) and in the number of complete Family Health teams, supported by the Mais Médicos Program in hard-to-staff areas. In specialized care, the contracting of Civil Society Organizations (OSC) to implement surgical specialty centers in municipal hospitals resulted in a fivefold increase in the supply of elective surgeries, drastically reducing waiting times.

In hospital care, two models stood out: the Municipal Public Company, which transformed Hospital Municipal Ronaldo Gazolla into a major surgical center responsible for approximately one quarter of all surgeries in the network; and the Public–Private Partnership (PPP), implemented at Hospital Municipal Souza Aguiar with the aim of modernizing management and infrastructure. Positive results in the indicators analyzed—such as expanded surgical capacity and reduced waiting lists—coincide with the implementation of these management arrangements. However, the study cautions that these advances cannot be directly and exclusively attributed to the adopted models. Further research is required to assess their long-term effectiveness and impact, while also considering critical debates on outsourcing and the need to strengthen mechanisms of control, transparency, and regulation to safeguard the public interest within Brazil’s Unified Health System (SUS).

Fernanda Adães Brito holds a master’s degree in Public Health from the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation and is General Undersecretary of the Municipal Health Secretariat of Rio de Janeiro. André Luis Paes Ramos holds a PhD in Public Health from the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation and is General Coordinator for Contracting, Control, and Auditing at the Municipal Health Secretariat of Rio de Janeiro. Audrey Fischer holds a master’s degree in Public Health Epidemiology from the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation and is a civil servant at the Municipal Health Secretariat of Rio de Janeiro. Paula Chagas Bortolon holds a PhD in Health Information and Communication from the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation and is a civil servant at the Municipal Health Secretariat of Rio de Janeiro.

References

BRITTO, F. A. et al.. Estratégias de gestão para ampliação do acesso e da oferta de serviços especializados no município do Rio de Janeiro, Brasil, no período de 2021 a 2024. Ciência & Saúde Coletiva, v. 30, n. 7, 2025. DOI: 10.1590/1413-81232025307.18862024

CAMPOS, Marcos L. ‘FARE MONEY’ STORIES: Transportation and Everyday Practices in the Peripheries of Rio de Janeiro. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, [S.l.], v. 49, n. 2, p. 412-434. 2025. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-2427.13300

CORDEIRO, Jeanne; BUARQUE, Angela; TÁBOAS, Alice. As contas de escambo do Rio de Janeiro no século XVI. Revista de Arqueologia, [S. l.], v. 38, n. 2, p. 36–49, 2025. DOI: 10.24885/sab.v38i2.1270.

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FERRAZ, M. V. et al.. Green infrastructure of Brazilian bike paths: cyclists’ perception and afforestation in Rio de Janeiro City. Ornamental Horticulture, v. 31, [S.n.], 2025. DOI:  10.1590/2447-536X.v31.e312833

FERREIRA, L. de C. A. O Rio de Janeiro em dois tempos: os planos diretores de 1977 e 1992 em perspectiva. Tempo, Rio de Janeiro, v. 31, n. 2, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1590/TEM-1980-542X2024v310210

KNOBLAUCH, S. et al. Crime-associated inequality in geographical access to education: Insights from the municipality of Rio de Janeiro. Cities. [S.l.], v. 160. 2025. DOI: 10.1016/j.cities.2025.105818

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About the Author

João Vitor P. do Amaral is the current Editorial Assistant of the Coleção Estudos Cariocas. He is an undergraduate Journalism student at the School of Communication of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. He has academic research experience as a scientific initiation scholarship holder in the Graduate Program in Social Memory (PPGMS/UNIRIO, 2018-2021) and at the School of Communication (ECO/UFRJ, 2023-). His research focuses on social memory, media narratives, and slavery in 19th-century Brazil.

Author Contributions

Conceptualization, [J.V.P.A.]; methodology, [J.V.P.A.]; software [J.V.P.A.]; validation, [J.V.P.A.]; formal analysis, [J.V.P.A.]; investigation, [J.V.P.A.]; resources, [J.V.P.A.]; data curation, [J.V.P.A.]; writing—original draft preparation, [J.V.P.A.]; writing—review and editing [J.V.P.A.]; visualisation, [J.V.P.A.]; supervision, [J.V.P.A.]; project administration, [J.V.P.A.]; funding acquisition, [J.V.P.A.]. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Conflicts of Interest

The author declares no conflicts of interest.

About Coleção Estudos Cariocas

Coleção Estudos Cariocas (ISSN 1984-7203) is a publication dedicated to studies and research on the Municipality of Rio de Janeiro, affiliated with the Pereira Passos Institute (IPP) of the Rio de Janeiro City Hall.

Its objective is to disseminate technical and scientific production on topics related to the city of Rio de Janeiro, as well as its metropolitan connections and its role in regional, national, and international contexts. The collection is open to all researchers (whether municipal employees or not) and covers a wide range of fields — provided they partially or fully address the spatial scope of the city of Rio de Janeiro.

Articles must also align with the Institute’s objectives, which are:

1. to promote and coordinate public intervention in the city’s urban space;
2. to provide and integrate the activities of the city’s geographic, cartographic, monographic, and statistical information systems;
3. to support the establishment of basic guidelines for the city’s socioeconomic development.

Special emphasis will be given to the articulation of the articles with the city's economic development proposal. Thus, it is expected that the multidisciplinary articles submitted to the journal will address the urban development needs of Rio de Janeiro.