Reformist-Progressive Planning, Urban Instruments and the (Re) Production of Space in Times of Neoliberalization. An Exploration Based on the Case of Sí£o Bernardo do Campo (Sí£o Paulo)

Abstract

We argue that a stronger linkage between planning theory and political economy/critical geography Í€“through an analytical reading of the social conflicts that accompany the design and implementation of instruments of urban planningÍ€“ provides additional insights to understanding urban neoliberalization in emerging countries such as Brazil. We develop this argument through a case study on the limits and potentials of progressive-redistributive planning in Sí£o Bernardo do Campo (Metropolitan Sí£o Paulo), which symbolizes the spatial, socio-economic and political trajectory of the Brazilian developmental regime. Our analysis shows that a local government, committed to the premises of inclusive urban planning, and with the available technical-operational implementation capacity, faced several challenges to do so. At the same time, the real estate sector showed a remarkable capacity to leverage land markets and to fill in Í€“or hollow outÍ€“ the associated planning instruments, thereby denying their inherently progressive-redistributive or neoliberal-mercantile character, as idealized by many planners.