Urbanistic normative and access to the housing as indicator of urban politics: limits and expectations

Abstract

The efforts towards an articulate action between urban policy and habitation policy has been on the Brazilian State’s agenda since the 80s, as shown by the debates on the Urban Reform and the new instruments of urban regulation, especially the City Statute and the Director Plans. The municipality of Natal has been a stage for this movement, with remarkable action since the effectivation of its new Director Plan (1994) when a new process of revision of current management strategies was set off. Despite the existance of a normative body which is favorable to a new institutional action, however, the changes have been slight. On this communication we analyze the efforts for the construction of an urban policy in Natal on the last 20 years and the challenges to the effectivation of the prerrogatives of articulation between its dimensions and reversion of access conditions to housing and to the city.