A native of Langen, Germany, Frank has lived in Berlin, Mexico City, and Rio de Janeiro where he has studied, researched, and taught philosophy and political science. Currently he is a postdoctoral fellow in the department of geography at the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro. Among his political and academic interests are housing struggles, the “Right to the City” movements, politics of memory in postcolonial urban spaces, and (involuntary) resettlements.

Carlos is an urban planning and policy researcher at the Federal University, and an assistant professor at the Rural Federal University, both in Rio de Janeiro. He has an MA in juridical science with an emphasis on South American politics and fundamental rights. His main fields of interest are urban/regional planning and policies, architecture, and Brazilian history. He is a native of the northeastern city of Fortaleza, the region of the first modern-age settlements in Brazil. This area has a diverse culture and is the birthplace of many influential Brazilians who have shaped the city, thus giving Carlos the perfect background with which to introduce travelers to Rio's rich history.

Luiza is a journalist who has worked extensively with alternative media. She is also part of a photography collective that works with Rio's waterfront renewal and studies its impact on the African culture of the area. This project's goal is to produce another view of this particular urban space using alternative photography techniques.