Urban Planning, Culture and Environment

the joint construction of the Territories of Cultural and Landscape Interest

Abstract

This article discusses the complex and multifaceted interactions between the State and Civil Society in the construction of the Territories of Interest for Culture and Landscape (TICP) created during the formulation of the Strategic Master Plan of the Municipality of São Paulo. The text of the law states that this instrument is geared towards fostering cultural and environmental activities in regions where there is already a great movement of initiatives; this is, however, the result of a long process of engagement, demands and interaction of civil society groups with the local authority. It is therefore the process, sometimes conflictive and sometimes collaborative, that led to the creation of the TICPs that is of interest here. Based on the analysis of the text of the law, other public documents and participant observation, the article proposes a reading of the participatory process of creation of the TICP in order to understand it in the keys offered by Public Action. The case of the TICP shows us the capacity for democratic reinvention that goes beyond the limits of state action and institutionalized participation.