Land and Financial Resources for Social Housing: the solidarity quota in São Paulo’s 2014 Master Plan

Abstract

This article's main objective is to analyse the solidarity quota's legal framework: an urban tool created by São Paulo's 2014 Master Plan in order to boost social housing projects through the levy of soil and financial resources. As quantitative data on its implementation is still unavailable due to the novelty of this tool, this study's starting point is the examination of the available official data on the ongoing social housing programmes and on the implementation of the Special Social Interest Zones -ZEIS. An extensive revision of the the applicable federal and local legislations is also conducted. The main elements and characteristics of the solidarity quota`s legal framework are dully appointed and examined, with support on the review of relevant literature in the legal as well as in the urban planning fields. Lastly, the solidarity quota is compared with the Interconnected Operation, a precedent and similar urban tool valid in the city of São Paulo until the early 2000s, when it was ruled unconstitutional by the State Court of Law. The results obtained in this study indicate that the solidarity quota does represent an advance, as it intends to diminish spatial segregation, presenting a solution for soil and financial resources scarcity through value-capture.