Social housing in central areas as a sustainable urban planning strategy

the right to the city, land regularization, and socio-environmental justice

Abstract

Objective: Analyze social housing in central areas as a structuring strategy for sustainable urbanism, articulating the references of the right to the city, social urbanism, and socio-environmental justice.

Methodology: The study is based on a systematic bibliographic review (2015–2025) in Iberian America, Europe and the USA, focusing on identifying urban planning instruments aimed at realizing the right to housing in Brazil.

Originality/Relevance: The research addresses the relationship between sustainability, socio-environmental justice and social housing in central areas, overcoming the fragmented vision that has historically guided peripheral housing production in Brazil.

Results: The study indicates that central social housing helps mitigate carbon emissions, optimize existing infrastructure, preserve cultural heritage, and boost local economies. However, challenges remain, such as legal and tenure barriers, retrofit costs, governance weaknesses, and gentrification risks.

Theoretical/Methodological Contributions: This article consolidates an interdisciplinary analytical framework linking sustainable urbanism, the right to the city, and urban policy instruments. It includes the proposal for a pilot land regularization program and the formulation of an operational replicability matrix to guide the adoption of these practices by various Brazilian municipalities.

Social and Environmental Contributions: The insertion of social housing in central areas, when guided by inclusive principles, constitutes not only a response to the housing deficit, but also a policy of socio-environmental justice and a structuring axis for the construction of more resilient, equitable and democratic cities.