Urban Planning and adaptative capacity in São Paulo's city: advances and constraints

Abstract

As a preliminary research hypothesis, we assume that the São Paulo's Master Plan (2014) presents innovations capable of promoting the containment of urban sprawl and improving the adaptive capacity of the municipality against the risks of extreme climatic events, in view of the regulatory instruments and sectoral policies related to the reduction of social inequalities in the housing policy (sources of regular resources and reserve of land destined to housing of social interest), promotion of environmental sustainability (rural zoning, financing instruments for environmental preservation and reserve of green areas for parks) and risk management (geotechnical chart and resources for urban resettlement of housing in risk areas). Taking into account that the implementation of long-term urban planning policies involves distributional conflicts and may undergo changes in different political, economic and social contexts over time, the central objective of this research is to identify the degree of implementation (advances, limits or setbacks) of the Master Plan's instruments of the Municipality of São Paulo (2014) associated to the improvement of adaptive capacity in the municipality and sustainable urban development, taking into account, in particular, the dynamics of conflicts of interest between social groups that sustain or limit the continuity of the implementation of these policies in the medium and long term. This approach seeks to fill a gap found in the international literature on the relationship between urban planning and urban transition for sustainability purposes, as the participation and conflicts between stakeholders in the implementation phase have been poorly documented. This study is particularly relevant in the context of a megacity such as São Paulo, located in an emerging country, with several contradictions related to social inequalities, accelerated urban growth and its socio-environmental consequences.