Climate change in the metropolitan region of São Paulo: an analysis of master plans and urban laws

Abstract

Studies about how climate change is tackled and the resulting implications for urban governance have acknowledged the need to integrate climate policies, which are usually focused on international and national levels, disregarding the local level. Seeking to investigate local actions, this article aims to analyse current Master Plans and municipal laws in 39 municipalities of the metropolitan region of São Paulo in order to explore the existence of policies dedicated to the adaptation and mitigation of the damage caused by extreme weather events The analysis, based on 10 questions, reveals that over 90% of the 39 municipalities studied do not directly use the term "climate change" in their Master Plans, and that percentage drops to 72% when only municipal planning legislation is analysed. The study also found that nearly 70% of the municipalities have not implemented the Municipal Climate Change Policy, emphasising the need for a discussion on climate policy and the adaptive planning of cities.

Keywords:
Governance; Climate change; Master plan; Urban planning laws; Metropolitan region of São Paulo