Urbanismo social: uma estratégia de transformação de territórios vulneráveis para além da urbanização de favelas

Abstract

Research has explored how alternative urbanization strategies have been adopted to address complex urban problems such as socio-spatial segregation, housing deficits, poverty, and violence. Among these alternative urbanization strategies is social urbanism. This dissertation aims to examine and explore social urbanism as a strategy for transforming vulnerable territories, using favela urbanization programs as a reference. The starting point was the widespread dissemination of this strategy within communities, along with concerns that social urbanism might be reduced to a temporary agenda, merely replicating practices already implemented in slum upgradin programs. To this end, the methodology employed is based on a comparative analysis of four case studies of social urbanism (PUI - Proyecto Urbano Integral, UTOPIAS de Iztapalapa, Centro Comunitário da Paz - COMPAZ, and the Social Urbanism Program of the City of São Paulo) and six case studies of slum upgrading (Barrio 20, Favela-Bairro Program I and II, Mananciais Program, Ilha de Deus, the Favela Improvement Program - Projeto Cingapura/PROVER, and the Greater ABC Region - Santo André - Integral Urbanization). The analysis considers a time frame of approximately 30 years for these studies. The research reveals that there is no dichotomy between social urbanism and slum upgrading; on the contrary, they are complementary approaches to transforming vulnerable territories. Social urbanism is a broader strategy in terms of the duration of territorial transformation, the diversity of actors involved, and the methods of intervention and transformation in these spaces. This study contributes to both the theoretical and practical fields of public policy, highlighting the capacity of social urbanism to foster the empowerment of local communities by placing citizens at the center of transformation.