In this work we analyse preference atmospheres, investigating attractiveness and affectivity in conflict and vulnerability territories located in peripheral urban areas. Preference atmospheres are conceptions of world that contemplate multiple meanings attribution. This conceptualization is based on various studies, whose dialogues enabled a methodology development that has been applied, in this work, in the Manguinhos favela complex – the ‘Carioca Gaza Strip’, located in Rio de Janeiro’s North Zone. Our analysis focuses on the so-called ‘Marcelo Square’, a small square constructed by local residents in a prohibited area, and Estrada de Manguinhos Street, symbolic open spaces of affectivity and attractiveness in an area widely known for its socio-environmental vulnerability.