Carioca Urban Ecotone: Bioactivity and Opportunities in the Streets of Rio

The lecture “Carioca Urban Ecotone Carioca: Bioactivity and Opportunities in the Streets of Rio” proposes an unprecedented reflection on the city’s transitional spaces — such as waterfronts, sidewalks, street markets, beaches, and major thoroughfares — through the lens of the urban ecotone concept, borrowed from ecology to describe boundary zones marked by intense interaction between different systems. The event focuses on the intersection of urbanism, sustainability, and territorial justice, exploring how these urban thresholds concentrate social tensions, regulatory conflicts, and, at the same time, potential for socio-environmental and economic innovation. The session will take the form of a technical-analytical lecture based on real cases from the city of Rio de Janeiro, particularly in the South Zone and West Zone, with an open discussion at the end. The approach combines practical experiences in urban inspection with critical spatial theory, proposing pathways toward more integrated, inclusive, and resilient public policies. The lecture is part of the UN-Habitat thematic axis on public spaces and urban sustainability.