Urban resilience in a systemic perspective

the case of the Jardim Pantanal Neighborhood Plan

Abstract

This article consists of a case study on participatory urban planning in a context of social exclusion in the face of climate emergency, aggravated by the Covid-19 pandemic, in the community of Jardim Pantanal, in the east of the city of São Paulo. The objective is to discuss urban resilience in the process of building knowledge and developing a neighborhood plan. We describe the conditions of the neighborhood and the participatory process in the search for alternatives to the socio-environmental vulnerability exacerbated by the Covid-19 context. The plan, drawn up between 2020 and 2021, had the collaboration of organized civil society and presents proposals for actions capable of mitigating the local impacts of the pandemic and promoting alternatives against hegemonic urban interventions. The planning process constituted social learning and engagement of local social actors with their creative potential, proposing legitimate actions regarding the context, such as extension of sidewalks, requalification of public space for community living, carrying out joint efforts and cultural activities. It appears that the initiatives enhance attributes inherent to socio-ecological systems, especially with regard to the expansion of adaptive capacity and resilience, promoting democratization in participatory socio-environmental governance and diversification of alternatives in facing urban vulnerabilities.