This article proposes a critical reading of the urbanistic and social historical context of the communities of Manguinhos, considering the field of urban health as a theoretical and methodological foundation based on the paradigm of the social commitment to health and the right to the city. Our demarcation of this analysis to identify the critical processes in the social commitment to health considered the relevance of overcoming housing needs as an indispensable condition for the right to the city and to health. The fact that these processes persist, even after the vast investments made in Manguinhos, indicates the need to review related public policies and their effective implementation to improve conditions for this population.
