A trajetória do planejamento em uma cidade da Baixada Fluminense : uma análise dos planos para São João de Meriti entre 1975 e 2021

Abstract

This dissertation critically analyzed the urban planning process in the municipality of São João de Meriti throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, situating it within the historical and institutional context of the Baixada Fluminense and the Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Region. Based on a critical theoretical framework of urban and metropolitan planning, the research articulated local, metropolitan, and national scales in order to examine the limits, contradictions, and discontinuities of urban planning instruments. The historical analysis revealed that urbanization occurred in an accelerated and fragmented manner, subordinated to metropolitan interests, consolidating a pattern of peripheralization marked by socio-spatial inequalities. The study examined planning experiences associated with FUNDREM, the City Statute, municipal Master Plans, the Growth Acceleration Program (PAC), and the Metropolis Statute, highlighting the persistent gap between legal frameworks and practical implementation. The findings indicate that urban planning in São João de Meriti has largely functioned as a “discursive plan”, constrained by institutional fragilities, limited social participation, and dependence on external agendas. Overcoming these challenges requires strengthening local administrative capacity, building democratic metropolitan governance, and placing territorial justice at the core of urban planning.