Milícias and the urbanization of peripheries

A new segregation dynamic in the Rio de Janeiro metropolis

Bibliographic Data

ID21733277
AuthorsPriscila COLI (0000-0002-3941-6519, University of California System, corresponding author)
Year2026
Volume28
Issue66
Publication date2026-01-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueCadernos Metrópole (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1517-2422 • E-ISSN: 2236-9996
PublisherFapUNIFESP (SciELO) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1590/2236-9996.2026-6664782-en
OpenAlexW7162800604
LanguageEN
References cited11

The article examines the role of milícias in the socio-spatial transformation of Rio de Janeiro’s peripheries, analyzing how these groups have consolidated as urbanization agents in recent decades, through actions ranging from providing infrastructure to developing real estate projects. Based on a bibliographic review, documentary research, and ethnographic investigation, the study focuses on residential developments created or co-opted by milícias and argues that their involvement in this sector establishes arbitrary selectivity mechanisms, which reorganize access to land and housing and generate a new urban segregation dynamic. This selectivity extrapolates purely economic criteria as it incorporates political, religious, and behavioral dimensions, redefines the internal boundaries of Rio de Janeiro’s peripheries, shapes desirable resident profiles, and challenges established notions of popular territories historically associated with economic accessibility

Estate · Ethnography · Human geography · Real estate · Transformation processes · Urbanization · Urban Development and Societal Issues · Urban Planning and Governance · Urban, Neighborhood, and Segregation Studies

Tools

Open DOIOpen Access