This project represents a collaborative research effort between Politecnico di Milano, the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), the non-profit organization Il Sorriso dei miei Bimbi, API (the association of medium-sized enterprises of the Lombardy Region), and Brianzacque. It aims to enhance the urban quality, health, livability, and inclusiveness of Rocinha through an environmental performance enhancement of its existing built environment. This initiative, conducted within the social responsibility program of Politecnico di Milano (Polisocial), is based on the Integrated Modification Methodology (IMM).

The research endeavors to demonstrate that, in a world where informal settlements are proliferating rapidly, strategies to enhance the quality of life for their inhabitants are indeed achievable. Preliminary findings, primarily obtained during the diagnostic phase of the process, are presented. Rocinha is viewed as a complex system, investigated in terms of its morphological structure and its associated environmental performance. Key areas of focus include climate and energy, ecosystem services, waste management, and their interrelation with urban morphology.