A dynamic planner as a sustainable planning way: a bridge between the law, technical knowledge and the local population

Abstract

The social and environmental demands in Brazilian cities are usually neglected by the local municipal powers due to a heavy bias toward speculative capital. The main issue is a public administration that benefits the private initiative instead of popular and environmental values and needs. Despite federal efforts at the end of the 20th and beginning of the 21st century, water resources and urban reform policies are not able to ensure a connection between these two issues in the urban environment. Aiming at showing a new approach of citizenship and environmental rights in a developing country, Bauru, a Brazilian city located in the state of São Paulo, was used as a study case. In this scenario, the research is based on the action research method, in which a dynamic profile of the researchers was adopted in order to solidify environmental and social issues in the urban planning process. This article shows the advantages in using the river basin as an urban planning territory in the city master plan, and providing continuous technique support to the citizen, through the role played by the researcher-planner between government and population, as a way to possibly reach social and environmental interests. The territorial perception of the river basin by citizens brings effective environmental and social results