Planejamento urbano

Upgrading existing social housing (SH) requires user-centred participatory processes to promote values. Comparative case studies in Brazil, Germany, the Netherlands, and the UK are presented. Living Labs (LLs) were conducted for the delivery of user values and to promote an informed decision-making process. Tools and LL activities were tested to engage stakeholders in the upgrading process, support the co-creation of solutions and address social and societal challenges. The main research aims were to facilitate SH upgrading processes focusing on the delivery of value for users, achieving end-user empowerment, as well as assessing participatory decisionmaking through LLs. Research goals were achieved in each case study setting. The evaluation of specific cases informed a conceptual framework and guidelines to facilitate upgrading through LLs in varied SH landscapes.

Cities worldwide face the challenge of balancing densification and open space provision. However, few studies investigate how urban morphology influences that balance across different cities and continents. We identified eight urban morphological types characterizing high-density residential areas in São Paulo, Brasília (Brazil), and Berlin (Germany) and assessed those morphologies using seven indicators: population density, housing density, Floor Space Index (FSI), Ground Space Index (GSI), average building height, Open-Space Ratio (OSR), and average number of people per built area. Our findings from the Brazilian cities showed that intense verticalization does not automatically ensure open space and high density. Vertical morphologies showed the highest FSI values but not the highest housing densities, and had low to moderate OSR values, comparatively. Three morphologies found in Berlin (Contemporary, Half-Open and Edge) balanced housing density and OSR best (127–147 dwellings/ha, 0.5 to 0.8 OSR values, on average). Berlin’s Traditional type showed the best balance between FSI, GSI, average building height and OSR, with buildings ranging from 1 to 9 storeys. It also achieved the highest housing densities (188 dwellings/ha, on average), but at a cost of OSR. Those findings suggest that a compact city model with perimetral blocks (Half, Edge and Traditional types) could provide an optimum use of urban space, if open space provision is properly considered. We further discuss the advantages and implications of block-based urban planning and design (traditional in Berlin and other European cities) in contrast to plot-based (often observed in Latin American cities).

User satisfaction has been studied extensively in social housing, but this has not had a significant impact on design factors in many cases. In recent years, such studies have included the assessment of values relating to design attributes. This paper presents a discussion on the concept of desired value in social housing, based on results of a study conducted in the region of the city of Campinas, in the State of São Paulo, Brazil. End-users of four multi-family social housing projects, based on five storey walk-up apartment blocks were asked to identify aspects of housing design, which are most valued. The research method was based on the concept of stated preferences, where approximately 200 respondents organized a list of design attributes in order of their desired values. The investigation tool was based on the analogy of a deck of cards. Data was statistically analyzed and a general importance index was created for each of the value attributes. Results showed that security was the main preference aspect. Analysis of general results indicates a list of possible improvements to projects with regard to value delivery to end-users at little or no costs. To contribute towards a process of incremental improvements to social housing models in the State of São Paulo, the results of the case study can be applied by agents of the local housing provision system, in conjunction with a conceptual framework of data on housing quality indicators.

The main question concerns the ways in which knowledge management configurations (KM) within urban governance are being transformed through digitization and spatializing information (GIS). This question fits into broader discussions on how knowledge construction, circulation and utilization can improve competences in local government (efficiency and effectiveness), make urban planning more knowledge-based, and provide greater recognition of citizens’ knowledge (accountability). Local governments need such instruments in dealing with increasing complexity and uncertainty in urban development. We examine how uneven patterns of technological change in using ICT and GIS are transforming current local government work processes in terms of efficiency and effectiveness in their outcomes, utilizing empirical data from extended case studies in six medium-sized cities in India, South Africa, Brazil, and Peru, participating in the Chance2Sustain research network. Knowledge management in cities is configured through several dimensions: 1) discourses for digitizing KM in local urban development; 2) actor networks producing socio-spatial knowledge; 3) embedding KM in decision-making processes (power struggles, exclusion); and 4) influences of KM on work practices and interfaces with citizens. The case study results show that 1) KM discourses concerned four issues: strategic urban planning and integrated land use planning; determining geographic boundaries in urban development discourses; streamlining work processes of local governments, and mapping poverty and needs assessments; 2) initiatives mainly link government with the private sector at various scale levels; 3) codified and technical knowledge remains dominant in discussions on urban development; and 4) effects of KM are uneven, but improve work process efficiency, although the interface with citizens remains limited, focusing on middle-class relations to the exclusion of the poor.

The housing shortage in Brazil, which is currently estimated at 5.5 million units, is the constant subject of architectural and urbanistic studies. The theoretical affiliations and methodological tools used in these studies are diverse and, as befits the complexity of the issues involved, utilise ideologies and methods from several fields—even antagonistic ideologies and methods. In Brazil, there is a consensus on the need to reorganise cities, in which approximately 84% of the population lives, through strategies that address the relationship between social housing and urban density. This need exists primarily in major metropolises, where rapid and abstruse growth overcomes collective and sustainable practices. This paper analyzes the relationship between urban policies and social housing in the redevelopment process occurring in the central area of São Paulo. It focuses on transformations that occurred during the beginning of the 21st century, a period when Brazil was prominent in terms of economic growth in the international arena. As a case study, it focuses on the Habitasampa architectural competition, which is considered to be one of the most innovative and important contests during this period. This analysis of the winning Habitasampa project designs, in terms of their theoretical and political frameworks, will help create new methodological guidelines for the preparation of urban plans and policies related to social housing in dense urban areas.

The building sector has a significant environmental impact and environmental rating systems could indicate some guidelines for achieving sustainable developments. There are several systems, but the certifications in general are adjusted to peculiar conditions of developing countries. The Brazilian bank Caixa Economica Federal created and is responsible to assign the Selo Casa Azul (“Blue House Seal”). This certification is apparently the most applicable to Brazilian conditions. However, there are few studies about the procedures for analysis of housing projects. The aim of this study is to analyse the adequacy of typical housing developments with respect to Selo Casa Azul criteria by verifying existing facilities and considering the limitations of real projects. This research analyses 13 developments certified by the bank and seven new projects in Caxias do Sul, a city in southern Brazil. As a result, we found that the Selo Casa Azul constitutes a viable tool, demonstrating the relative ease of application. We verify that some criteria were not present in any of these projects and that alignment with Selo's criteria depends on a company's strategy, no matter the economic standard of its buildings. Lastly, we observe that most actions needed to reach unsatisfied criteria may be solved in the design stage, and these modifications do not require large investments. This study aims to contribute to the discussion about sustainable construction in Brazil.

The verticalization of cities impacts the quality of urban life. The empirical investigation of the determinants of the floor-area ratio (FAR) of lots using the traditional econometric approaches, however, has little explanatory power, and research about it using machine learning (ML) is almost nonexistent. This study applies two ensemble machine learning strategies, random forest (RF) and extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost), to investigate the determinants of the FAR of all formally registered multifamily residential lots in the city of Recife, Brazil. Taking into account a collection of key determinants influencing the floor area ratio (FAR), which encompass structural, accessibility, environmental, amenity, and policy variables, the findings reveal that the ensemble random forest approach significantly enhances the explanatory ability of these determinants when compared to conventional strategies like ordinary least squares (OLS) or locally weighted regression (LWR). Although generally in line with traditional urban economic arguments, the evidence also reveals important non-linearities in the effects of the variables on the FAR that are useful for urban planning and public housing policy.

This research addresses accessibility inequalities within the context of a major Latin American metropolis, using a longitudinal analysis focused on the low-income population. Emphasizing the paradigm of sustainable accessibility planning, the study examines the evolution of job accessibility over two 15-year-apart timeframes in Fortaleza, the 4th most populous Brazilian city. The findings reveal persistent spatial mismatch and unsustainable changes in land-use patterns, highlighting ongoing challenges for low-income vulnerable groups. Despite overall improvements in accessibility, inequality patterns endure, particularly affecting those relying on public transport. The study underscores the necessity for planning processes in developing countries to address the complex causes and consequences associated with accessibility inequalities. Recommendations include a deeper exploration of differences among precarious settlements, considering population density variations, central location impact, and inequalities in job accessibility between self-built and state-constructed settlements.

Water is not only a valuable substance, but is also valued in different ways dependent on substantive social, ecological, and historical conditions. The concept of water value positionality is introduced to describe the dynamic ensemble of meanings forged from cooperation and competition in the allocation, use, and conservation of water. Positionality helps us to understand water conflicts as individuals and groups struggling to legitimise their valuation of water. The explanatory function of positionality is demonstrated with an empirical case study in the metropolitan region of Rio de Janeiro. Hegemonic positionality depicts water as an economic resource required for regional development and urban growth. This has been increasingly challenged by sectors of the state apparatus who call for the monetary valuation of water. Beyond these two perspectives, there exists a vast range of water values articulated by the local communities in their struggle for survival and political affirmation. The conclusion is that, in the process of constantly revaluing water, there are temporary 'positions of value' that last and change with sociocultural and politicoecological experiences.