| dc.description.abstract | The current thesis fits into the debate about the possibilities of urban policy in Brazil. More specifically, it evaluates recent changes in urban policy and their development after the enactment of the new Brazilian Constitution (1988) and the City Statute, analyzing progress made and remaining challenges. It is often argued that many important advancements have been made since then, especially in participatory democracy and expansion of social control on urban policy. Moreover, the resumption of an urban agenda by the federal government is considered essential, as it led to: implementation of relevant institutional and regulatory changes; drafting of the National Policy on Urban Development and a series of urban sector policies; broad social mobilization in Brazilian cities, promoting a new concept of politicized urban planning and the discussion of local urban issues; house building programs and the resumption of investment in urban infrastructure, especially in the poorest areas of Brazilian cities through the Growth Acceleration Program (PAC). In this context, it is argued that the PAC is an important tool in promoting social justice and granting urban rights to poor people. However, it was found that this set of benefits was greatly impaired in certain respects, by the very dynamics of capitalism and its relationship with the State, and aggravated by the chaotic process of decentralization of government responsibilities with no coordination between different government entities. It was also found that the progress made, although important, refers to specific achievements, which did not transform how production happens in the cities. Strategies have not been established to favor the social function of property and the city, mostly due to the failure in opposing the interests of capital, especially the private ownership of land and its use according to private interest. Evidence suggest that initiatives supporting the struggle for Urban Reform in Brazil continue thus in the field of urban utopia. | |
