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While armed shootouts are increasingly rare in Tabajaras/Cabritos, long-time residents now worry that the neighbourhood is no longer theirs.

“Social cohesion” broadly refers to the factors that hold a society together, including shared values and identity, feelings of belonging, civic participation, and political legitimacy. A body of theory based on the experience of communities in high-income countries suggests that strong social cohesion can act as a protective factor against violence. But despite rapid urbanisation in the Global South, there has been little empirical research to date on social cohesion and its relationship to violence in middle- and low-income countries.

Hosting global events is a popular strategy for boosting city profiles and spurring economic development. But these mega-events produce winners and losers, as infrastructure projects and private sector development compete for space in established neighbourhoods. Most research on mega-events has focused on western experience. In this 2015 paper, Brij Maharaj of the University of Kwazulu-Natal presents a missing perspective, examining three recent mega-events in the Global South.

Across the global South, urban violence is an increasing concern. Rapid urbanization, weak city governance, and social inequalities have led to marginalization, concentrating the highest levels of violence in historically-disadvantaged areas within urban centres.