North-South dialogue in the construction of a theoretical-methodological framework for the interpretation of the planning process

Abstract

Given the current scenario of major socio-environmental transformations, with important drivers like climate change, apprehending the complexity of the planning process can be a challenge. It includes diverse elements in multiple dimensions and scales; besides that, planning is an emergent field in Brazil. Based on that, understand the planning process (specially in Brazil) goes through establish the planning field and its specifics characteristics, structures, and relationships in a diachronic perspective. To do that, the main theories and approaches that are intended to be used in this research are: Field Theory, Strategic Action Fields (SAF), and the planning system, practices, and culture approach. The main objective of this research is to construct a theoretical and methodological framework relating these theories and approaches to analyze the planning process. This analytical framework will be used to analyze the trajectory and praxis of environmental planning in São Paulo Macrometropolis in a context of major socio-environmental transformations. The hypothesis is that these theories and approaches are liable to be related and, by systematizing their elements into a detailed analytical framework, we can raise the potential of each approach for a more complex understanding of the planning process. The justification and relevance of developing this research is first and foremost the innovative use of these theories and approaches together to apprehend the planning process (especially the use of the social field theory), and secondly, to consolidate the planning system, practice, and culture approach, to date mainly used in the German school of planning, in the Brazilian planning field. (AU)