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DPU Working Paper - No. 181
Repoliticizing Property: Sem-teto movements and the regeneration of downtown S茫o Paulo
30 July 2015
Author: Rafaella Lima
Publication Date: July 2015
ISSN: 1474-3280
In this paper I explore the contestation of space in downtown S茫o Paulo, an area currently characterized by renewed regeneration efforts and social movements that are asserting their right to housing in the city center. I examine 鈥渞egeneration鈥� as a concept that has come to be based on the development of private property at the expense of poor communities, who are often priced out of newly-developed areas. I then turn to Brazil, which, as one of the only countries to recognize the 鈥渞ight to the city鈥� in its constitution, has also attempted to curb real estate speculation with a clause on the 鈥渟ocial function of property鈥�, recognizing that property and housing should not be treated purely as a financial asset. Despite this, both market and government forces have facilitated a neoliberal model of urban development that has entrenched the commodification of land and property and pushed the poor to peripheral areas. It is in this context that sem-teto (鈥渞oofless鈥�) movements are undertaking occupations of buildings in the city center that have been vacated by the housing market.
Research into Brazilian urban policy, theory on regeneration and gentrification, and primary data gathered from activists and academics during a brief trip to S茫o Paulo inform this work. I ultimately argue that, while current 鈥渞egeneration鈥� plans in S茫o Paulo follow the typical exclusionary trajectory that privileges the exchange value over use value of property, sem-teto movements challenge the dominant model of property, and through the appropriation of space, may offer an alternative imaginary for 鈥渞egeneration鈥� and for the city itself.