The challenge of popular participation in Brazilian urban planning: the case of the Florianópolis Master Plan

O desafio da participação popular no planejamento urbano brasileiro: o caso do Plano Diretor de Florianópolis

Abstract

The period of Brazilian redemocratization was marked by requests for greater participation, transparency and control in the elaboration and implementation of public policies. For urban planning, the 1988 Constitution and, especially, the approval of the City Statute in 2001 marked a new vision of our urban policy, pointing to the participatory master plan as the main instrument to guide urban development in the country. In accordance with federal legislation, in Florianópolis, the first master plan after the City Statute began to be drawn up, introducing its principles and instruments locally. However, the Plan underwent an intense process of contestation and judicialization, even after its approval in 2014. This article analyzes the history of its elaboration, with the comings and goings of the troubled urban planning process in Florianópolis. In the first part, a review of the concepts and instruments of Brazilian popular participation is carried out. In the second part, the city of Florianópolis is presented while, in its third part, the article explores the history of its current Master Plan. Three distinct phases were identified, contextualizing the agents and the issues involved, which generated a scenario of distrust and insecurity in local urban policy. Finally, conclusions are drawn about the impact of Brazilian urban legislation, while the case of Florianópolis indicates that the normative framework can serve to encourage the population's reaction, but that it is still far from reaching the ideals of democratic and citizen participation in urban planning.