Planejamento urbano e mercado imobiliário em Juazeiro do Norte - Ceará

Abstract

The thesis "Urban Planning and the Real Estate Market in Juazeiro do Norte 3 Ceará" investigates the relationships established between private companies, institutions, and the public sector throughout the processes of urban construction, planning, and management. While the research focuses on specific neighborhoods in Juazeiro do Norte, it also considers the city's metropolitan interactions with Crato and Barbalha. It is through the relationship between the State and the Market that we can analyze the urban expansion process in Juazeiro do Norte, specifically in the five neighborhoods selected for this study, with the goal of understanding how public policies are being implemented in those areas. The object of this research is the implementation of the Master Plan for Urban Development (Plano Diretor de Desenvolvimento Urbano 3 PDDU) approved in 2000 and in force until today 2025 4real estate dynamics, and urban expansion, especially in neighborhoods located in the southern region of Juazeiro do Norte, which have experienced the most significant structural impacts. From this emerges the core research question: how do public urban planning policies relate to the real estate market, or how do they favor certain actors? The main objective of this thesis is to understand the influence of the State and real estate capital in the production of urban space and its consequent impacts on the urban structure and quality of life in Juazeiro do Norte, particularly in the five neighborhoods in the city's southern zone: Campo Alegre, Cidade Universitária, Jardim Gonzaga, Planalto, and Lagoa Seca. The specific objectives are: to understand the role of the real estate market in urban expansion and in the management of land use and occupation; to identify the main conditions (social, economic, political, institutional, and cultural) under which such strategies and actions are planned and executed, as well as their influence on the overall direction of these actions; and to identify the sectors, groups, and classes that drive this planning and implementation, along with their forms of articulation among themselves and with other agents. The study9s temporal scope begins in 20004the year the current Master Plan and its complementary laws were approved4and ends in 2020, for the purpose of data systematization. However, the research continues into the current year, 2025, during which the same legislation remains in effect. The infiltration of neoliberal ideologies into the State has ensured the hegemony of market forces4particularly those of the real estate sector. The control of urban and metropolitan expansion by these forces has resulted in environmental degradation, non-compliance with urban legislation, or its alteration without proper studies to accommodate the interests of developers, thus contributing to urban disorder and the lack of effective infrastructure systems in many Brazilian municipalities. It is by analyzing the relationship between State and Market that we can critically assess the urban expansion process in Juazeiro do Norte and the implementation of public policies. This research is grounded in the analysis of official documents, data, and maps obtained from the City Council and Municipal Government, with emphasis on the Infrastructure Department, Finance Department, and the Municipal Environmental Agency. Additionally, secondary data from other relevant publications are used. The findings indicate that the State, rather than regulating land use, has played a facilitating role in the advancement of real estate market logic. The outcome of this process is an increasingly segmented urban space, where land appreciation occurs artificially, driven by political and economic decisions that benefit specific sectors4directly impacting urban structure and the population's quality of life. Understanding these dynamics enables reflection on the need for a more democratic and equitable urban planning model4one that meets social demands and avoids the reproduction of spatial inequalities.