This project is about participation in the planning process of the aerial cable-car in Complexo do Alemão, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It grounds its theoretical basis on some of the writtings of John Friedmann about alternative development and empowerment, and pulls it up to debate with other theoretical perspectives related both with what is participation, what can block participation from reaching empowerment, and on the specifica case of what can block participation from reaching empowerment in the favelas. In order to build the a crytical analysis and interpretation of the case-study, the theoretical basis support the analytical framework of the context, and build the empirical assessment of the findings. The open planning model of Bent Flyvbjerg and his conceptualization of misrepresentation and misinformation are key points for the construction of a debate around what is participation on the specific case study, and on the contribution for the understanding of how participatory processes may find implementation constraints, limits, but also strategies and challenges. May Participation within the implementation of top-down programmes on specific societal development, be considered a disempowering process?