Challenges for the Social Function of Urban Property: Implementation of the Planning Instrument “Compulsory Plot Parcelling, Construction and Use” in the Municipality of São Paulo

Abstract

This research intends to shed light on the process of enforcement of a planning instrument in São Paulo. This instrument has been employed by a policy that aims at reducing property vacancy in a city where housing deficit has been persisting for decades. The historical urbanisation pattern in São Paulo has pushed the low-income population to inadequate living conditions, while the areas with the best urban infrastructure remains with high levels of property vacancy. This research shows that the urban planner needs to cautiously take into account resources constraints, political relations, the media and the courts, in the simple act of applying the law.