Urban operations and their social impacts: physical upgrading, urban well-being, and the social fabric in the case of Agua Espraiada, São Paulo

Abstract

Urban Operations (UO) are defined in the City Statute (complementary law to the Brazilian Constitution) as instruments coordinated by municipal governments which aim at implementing urban redevelopment projects "[...] with the participation of owners, residents, permanent users and private investors in order to achieve structural urban transformations, social improvements and environmental enhancement in a given area [...]" (BRAZIL, 2001). Despite the apparent interest in improving the urban well-being, some authors consider that the use of UOs in Sao Paulo is strongly associated with the global "financialization" of the economy and the consolidation of the so-called corporate cities, which become easy prey to real estate speculation related to mega-projects. Together, these two contemporary aspects constitute important factors in generating a struggle over resources that oppose – as usual - the urban poor to the construction industry and related investors: residents of slums targeted by these projects fight for a more equitable distribution of urban well-being while capital focuses investments in other thematic/geographical areas.