Environmental Analysis of Master Plans in Social Interest Housing Developments in the City of Presidente Prudente – State of São Paulo – Brazil

This article is the result of research on urban housing and environmental policies in a Brazilian city. The study was based on the city of Presidente Prudente, a municipality located in the West region of the State of São Paulo in Brazil, and analyzes four social interest housing developments implemented between 1997 and 1999. The Constitution of Brazil was sanctioned in 1988, strengthening the municipality before the other federal entities and attributing to it the duty of planning urban development through municipal master plans fairly and environmentally feasible. Thus, sustainable development would be part of the decision-making process for urban planning and management aimed at ensuring better quality of life. However, the municipality analyzed presents a different reality, once social housing projects are inserted into the urban grid disregarding standards, laws and guidelines, and urban policy processes occur non-coherently with the quality of life and environmental issues. The methodology used was based on qualitative research, including field surveys in the selected housing developments, according to architectural, urban and environmental aspects.