The participatory process of master plan of the Bauru

Abstract

This work studies the participatory process which culminated in the implementation of Bauru's Master Plan (Municipal Law Nº 5.631, 22/08/2008), as well as an examination of the effectiveness of participatory mechanisms in the new legislation. The substantial result of the Master Plan is relevant and should be given the corresponding significance; however, the political and institutional procedures of this process must be primarily examined. The participation of civil society is a requirement of the Federal Constitution which was ratified by the Statute of the City (Federal Law Nº. 10.257/2001), but this agenda setting is a result of institutional imposition and government decision regarding the format and mechanisms adopted. The participation in the conception and implementation of public policies involves three different, but also complementary dimensions, according to the typology proposed by Avritzer (2008), namely: (I) how the participation is organized, i.e. the institutions created by the civil society, (II) how the State incorporates (or not) this participation in related decision-making processes, (III) how the legislation is prepared, in other words, the influence of the Statute of the City in public policies. This project is part of a broader study funded by FAPESP, "Processes of contemporary urban development in medium-sized cities: The Statute of the City, building expansion, gear economic and institutional dynamics policy-makers [2001-2011]" (Process 2011/14082 - 3). (AU)