Integrating Green Areas into Brazilian urban policy: Challenges and Perspectives

Abstract

Effectively integrating green areas into urban development in Brazil has proven to be a significant challenge. These areas are often treated as one-off solutions, aligned with specific interests, rather than as an integral part of sustainable urban planning. Although the idea of an integrated green infrastructure seems promising, it often clashes with other urban dilemmas, and thus remains a utopian aspiration. In this article, we analyzed the gaps in green area planning and management in the Brazilian urban policy, exploring its evolution and the challenges faced from the 1930s to the present. In addition, we critically evaluate existing public policies and propose recommendations to improve the integration of green areas into urban contexts. The research includes a synthetic comparative analysis of successful international practices and the Brazilian scenario. We adopt a dialectical approach and use methodological procedures based on the indirect documentation technique, employing sources from official agencies with legislation on green areas, in addition to a literature review. The results show the persistent difficulties in incorporating green spaces into the urban structure, which are essential for sustainable urban development. We conclude that the integration of these areas faces renewed challenges, camouflaged with new discourses and paradigms of sustainability, besides various resistances in their practical application.