Banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO: ANDRESSA TORRES CORREIA DE MELLO

Uma banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO de DOUTORADO foi cadastrada pelo programa.
STUDENT : ANDRESSA TORRES CORREIA DE MELLO
DATE: 27/02/2026
TIME: 09:00
LOCAL: virtual
TITLE:

From City to Slogan: The appropriation of the 'Cities for People' discourse and urban planning in Natal, Brazil

KEY WORDS:

Urban Planning; Production of space and discourses; Cities for people; Policy mobility; Critical Discourse Analysis

PAGES: 100
BIG AREA: Ciências Sociais Aplicadas
AREA: Planejamento Urbano e Regional
SUBÁREA: Fundamentos do Planejamento Urbano e Regional
SPECIALTY: Política Urbana
SUMMARY:

This research examines the discursive appropriation of the expression “city for people,” formulated and disseminated by architect Jan Gehl, focusing on the revision process of Natal’s Master Plan (Natal/RN, Brazil) and on urban interventions implemented between 2018 and 2024. The study identifies that, during this period, global urban agendas and “best practices” discourses have reinforced narratives of neoliberalization and the entrepreneurialization of urban planning in Natal, linking them to real estate interests through attributes such as modernization, sustainability, safety, and quality of life, frequently framed as consensual technical solutions within public–private coalitions marked by territorial selectivity. Within this context, the thesis problematizes how pro-market mobilizing discourses anchored in the notion of the “city for people” have been appropriated and operationalized in contemporary urban planning, examining their role in legitimizing interventions and regulatory changes and their effects on the reconfiguration of the local planning paradigm, amid tensions between humanizing promises and persistent socio-spatial inequalities.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Presidente - 2432718 - ALEXSANDRO FERREIRA CARDOSO DA SILVA
Interno - 1014897 - CLAUDIO ROBERTO DE JESUS
Externa ao Programa - 2318817 - AMIRIA BEZERRA BRASIL - UFRN