Branding slums: a community‐driven strategy for urban inclusion in Rio de Janeiro

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the case of the Museum of Favela (MUF), which is a NGO set in Rio de Janeiro to develop renewed images of slums, based on their history of resistance and cultural production. The purpose is to uncover the nuances of this peculiar case, in which a group of slums' residents plays the role of place brand managers. Design/methodology/approach – Using a combination of participant observation, document analysis and a series of in‐depth interviews with participants and partners alike, the paper identifies main motivations, networks and actions driving the strategy. Findings – The major aim of the approached place branding is to tackle deeply‐rooted prejudices against slums and their residents. By expanding residents' networks and skills, MUF supports tourism‐related activities that allow the construction and promotion of new meaning for slums. Despite remarkable gains, scaling up community engagement is still a big challenge for the consolidation of the aspired images. Practical implications – While current approaches to informal settlements deal mainly with housing and infrastructure access, the perception of residents is clearly neglected. Focusing on the image re‐construction, the paper offers relevant insights for slum upgrading policy frameworks. Originality/value – This paper focuses on the incorporation of a place branding strategy as an attempt of urban inclusion developed on the ground and on the use of slums' cultural heritage – so far overlooked in policy frameworks – to generate re‐imaged slums.